Presentation from Partners in Innovation National Symposium in Denver, CO on September 27, 2010

1. Integration of Regional Initiatives
with Community Development:
Two Twin Cities Examples
Gretchen Nicholls Partners in Innovation
Denver 2010

2. Regional Initiatives
C
O Both/And (not Either/Or)
N
N Community development works
E Community development is
C about R & D for systems change
T
Green / sustainable development
I
O Cross-disciplinary partnerships
N Multiple purpose (mixed uses)
Community Development

3. BUILDING CONSENSUS

4. Regional Initiatives
Getting it Done:
A workshop series on Transit-Oriented Districts
and Walkable Communities
March – June 2010
Sponsored by:

5. Workshop Topics:
Workshop I: Infrastructure Workshop II: Connecting
and the Public Realm Land Use and
Gary Toth, Project for Transportation
Public Spaces Joe Shilling, VirginiaTech
Metropolitan Center
Workshop IV: Financing –
Workshop III: Equitable
Building Public / Private
Development and
Partnerships
Community Benefits
Dena Belzer, Strategic
Leslie Moody, Partnership
Economics
With Working Families
Follow-up Luncheon Session

6. Who participated?
• 16 cities
• 5 counties
• Met Council, state and federal agencies.
• 19 developers
• 58 advocacy groups and community-based
organizations
• 35% attended 3 – 4 sessions.
• Cross-disciplinary and cross-sector involvement.

7. Summaries and Next Steps
• Findings and policy recommendations from the series
will be shared with city councils, planning commissions,
legislative committees, and other key partners.
• A web site that contains all of the presentations, links,
and information gathered at the Getting it Done TOD
series is available at
www.reconnectingamerica.org/static/twincitiestodtoolkit/
workshop
• A shared definition of transit-oriented development.
• A collection of local TOD case studies that provide
information on what it took to get there (including
capstone projects to further our on-the-ground learning).

8. Corridor Development Initiative
Providing a framework for higher density housing
and mixed-use development along
transportation corridors
Community Development

9. Proactive Planning
Partnerships
Production

10. CDI Block Exercise

11. CDI Block Exercise: What it is
An interactive
exercise for
community
members to
explore different
development
options and find
out if the are
financially viable.

12. CDI Block Exercise: Community Impact
Participants leave with a deeper
understanding about the economic
constraints of development and design
opportunities in their neighborhood
Block Exercise: Community Impact

13. Block Exercise: Products
Summary Sheet of all Scenarios Created

14. Final Recommendations
Submit to city officials
Brooklyn Park / Huntington Pointe Site:
Development Guidelines
May 12, 2008
Sponsored by the Brooklyn Park Economic Development Authority,
Hennepin County Housing, Community Works, and Transit and the
Corridor Development Initiative/Twin Cities LISC

15. Lessons Learned
• Change is natural evolution of past and future
• Ground discussion in shared values
• Experts on tap, not experts on top
• Translate technical terminology
• Connect vision with financial realities
• Use local images
• Neutral facilitator essential

16. “The Corridor Development
Initiative gets residents
meaningfully engaged in shaping
the future of their neighborhoods.
Any community looking for a new
way to resolve controversial
neighborhood redevelopment and
infill issues should consider using
this as a model,”
APA Awards Jury Chair
Carol Rhea.
“The Corridor Development Initiative provides a
great education to community members, makes
visions more concrete, increases comfort with housing For more information go to:
options and provides a venue for community members
to work together to identify their goals.” www.corridordevelopment.org
Amy Sparks, St. Anthony Park Community