LESSONS LEARNED ON REDEVELOPMENT

 

The Story

The redevelopment process in New Jersey and Somerset County has increased steadily in recent years. To date, eight municipalities within the County have undertaken redevelopment initiatives and in June 2006 the County Planning Board released a report on the status of redevelopment projects and summarized the lessons learned from the experiences of these towns. While the power granted by the state under the Local Redevelopment and Housing Law (LRHL) can be a positive tool affecting to affect longstanding positive change in the community, local experience has shown that the process can be long, controversial, expensive and fraught with difficulty and uncertainty. Based  on local interviews and information obtained from NJDCA “ The Redevelopment Handbook”  a host of lessons emerged both for communities already engaged in the process and those considering it.

 

What are the lessons learned? 

  Explore Alternatives to Redevelopment  

Redevelopment should not be considered the first or only option to spur revitalization. There are strategies such as zoning- based incentives, a streamlined development process or designating an area “in need of rehabilitation” which should first be explored.

 

  Retain Control of the Property 

Once a decision is made to pursue redevelopment keeping control of the property or properties proposed for redevelopment in municipal hands can help to greatly simplify and expedite the process, especially with a large contiguous parcel.

 

  Leadership, diligence and patience is required

Every redevelopment project needs a champion who can advocate for their town’s interests and keep the project in the public spotlight for continued support.

 

  Assemble the best possible professional team to work together with the town to  
  create a community-based vision 

Bringing in highly regarded consultants with proven experience in redevelopment is a key step to help a community shape a realistic vision that is sensitive to existing constraints and allows public input.

 

  Be realistic about what a particular site can support. Understand whether
  proposed uses will be revenue positive, neutral or require subsidies 

“Market realities” should shape the vision for the site and give the municipality a sense of what type of incentives might be necessary to make redevelopment happen i.e. tax abatement..

 

  Keep in mind the regional context of the site and do not focus exclusively on
  individual buildings 

No redevelopment project occurs in a vacuum. It is important to include an analysis of current regional trends and other redevelopment projects in neighboring communities.

 

  Establish a central point person to coordinate all activities and to coordinate with
  all elected officials and the Planning Chair weekly 

Redevelopment projects are complex and  a dedicated staff person is needed to manage and coordinate the process and keep everyone informed

 

  Anticipate which county, state and/or federal agencies may be involved and start
  talking with them early to make them a partner 

Outside agencies need to be engaged early in the process to establish a good working relationship. Failure to do so can result in major delays for redevelopment projects.

 

   If environmental remediation will be required consider letting a more experience
   party (like a developer handle the actual clean up  

Environmental remediation is a difficult and complex job and municipalities should carefully consider what advantages or benefits there might be to letting the developer coordinate the actual cleanup.

 

  Use the Brownfields Redevelopment Interagency task Force (BRIT) as a resource
   and implementation tool 

BRIT is a statewide task force consisting of agencies with redevelopment remediation, financing and planning expertise where municipalities can communicate their issues, problems and concerns and obtain assistance.

 

  Leverage grant-funding for “soft costs” like visioning, market research, planning,
  site investigation and infrastructure investments  

A plethora of state, county and even federal grants are available to fund many activities and require the municipal to reach out to outside agencies to identify what is available and the grant requirements.

 

  Make sure the RFQ/RFP is a natural extension of the visioning process 

Continuity from the planning phase to the project approval is important and helps reinforce community support for the project. Use the RFQ process to identify qualified developers and refine the project, if needed.

 

  Make the RFP as clear and specific as possible 

Reinforce the key guiding principles from the visioning process and the range of permitted uses and the development framework including the submission requirements and evaluation criteria being used to select a developer.

 

  Short- List Qualified Developers 

Undertake a thorough and independent evaluation of any “short-listed developers and make sure the developer has the experience in the type of project the town is proposing, particularly mixed use and historic preservation projects.

 

   Keep Public Informed 

Establish a redevelopment project website that lists the current and next steps, contact information and the latest information and update it often. 

 

  Celebrate small successes along the way! 

Resources 

Numerous resources exist for municipalities either currently undertaking or contemplating redevelopment from county and state agencies to non-profits and professional associations. A sampling of these resources includes:

-         New Jersey Brownfields Redevelopment Interagency Task Force (BRIT)

http://www.state.nj.us/dca/osg/commissions/brownfields/taskforce.shtml

-         Office of Smart Growth

http://www.state.nj.us/dca/osg

-         New Jersey Economic Development Authority

www.njeda.com

-    The Redevelopment Handbook

      www.njdca.org