Workshop Session II

All workshops begin at 2:15 P.M.

Complete Streets: How to Redevelop our Transportation Network
The New Jersey Department of Transportation instituted a “Complete Streets” policy in 2009, joining a handful of other states that have adopted policies to plan, design and build state roads that are accessible to all users, not just cars. More than a dozen New Jersey local governments have followed suit, implementing policies that apply to local roads and streets. The city of Hoboken has been an early leader, becoming one of the first municipalities on the  East Coast with a public bike repair facility and has doubled the number of bike racks near transit and striped its first “buffered” bike lane. Jersey City also has a Complete Streets policy and the city’s Route 440 boulevard project may serve as a valuable case study in renovating state highway corridors. Complete Streets policies have multiple benefits and have recently been identified as an obesity prevention tool by Shaping New Jersey and the New Jersey Partnership for Healthy Kids.

“Energizing” Redevelopment with Renewables
New Jersey’s Energy Master Plan calls for increased reliance on renewable energy,  and the new draft State Strategic Plan emphasizes redevelopment.  This session will explore how municipalities and developers can integrate both priorities, using a variety of practical, affordable approaches.  Speakers will share the latest innovations in solar installations on rooftops, parking canopies, landfills and brownfields, and will describe the supportive partnerships and financial incentives that make them work.  The panel will feature a case study of effective practices in Woodbridge Township.

Fostering Investment in Higher-Risk Redevelopment Areas
Many of New Jersey’s prime redevelopment areas are located in weaker markets, places that have difficulty attracting private investment because they are perceived as being risky by conventional banking standards.  This panel will identify the challenges faced by these locations and  explore some innovative new approaches. Speakers will highlight case studies and discuss how communities that want redevelopment can attract capital to drive economic growth and transform neighborhoods. 

  • Brian Trelstad, Chief Investment Officer, Acumen Fund (Moderator)
  • Graciela Cavicchia, PP, AICP, Vice President of Development Operations, The Reinvestment Fund Development Partners
  • Timothy J. Lizura, Senior Vice President, New Jersey Economic Development Authority
  • Preston D. Pinkett III, President and Chief Executive Officer, City National Bank of NJ
  • Abby Jo Sigal, Vice President and Market Leader, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.

Identifying and Targeting Industry Clusters
In recent years, industry clustering has become a popular economic development approach among state and local policymakers. It is one of the key components of the State Strategic Plan unveiled by the Christie administration in October. An industry cluster is a regional assemblage of firms, along with related economic actors and institutions, that draw productive advantage from their geographic concentration. This panel will explore how clusters generate and expand economic activity in a region; how density can enhance the productivity of an industry cluster; and how New Jersey might go about identifying and targeting the “priority industry clusters” called for in the State Strategic Plan.

Making Redevelopment a Net-Plus for the Environment
Redevelopment is often considered inherently “sustainable” or “green” in that it involves reusing an already developed site, rather than developing elsewhere on a Greenfield location.  But are there ways to make redevelopment even more sustainable? This session will explore how communities can pursue more innovative approaches to redevelopment, ranging from holistic regenerative design to the more prescribed LEED-ND to local brownfield reclamation efforts.

Solutions for New Jersey’s Older Suburbs
Decades of federal and state transportation and housing policy, along with acute competition among municipalities for taxable properties, have facilitated the steady migration of jobs, residential development and high-income workers away from core communities and farther into the suburban hinterlands.  As each successive wave of development ages, necessitating maintenance expenses and the property taxes that pay for them, new businesses and residents are attracted to the next round of development at the fringe.  As a result, a growing number of older small towns and inner suburbs are now experiencing the same shrinking tax bases, rising demand for social services and deteriorating infrastructure that have long been associated only with New Jersey’s major urban centers.  This session will highlight some of the issues confronting older suburbs and will discuss the need for a comprehensive policy agenda at the state level to address these issues systematically.

Why a Good Communications Strategy Must Be a Part of Your Redevelopment Plan
No redevelopment initiative can truly be considered a success if it does not  have the support of the community. How do you make sure all stakeholders get the information they need, when they need it? In an age when it is so easy for citizens to organize in opposition to something, what can you do to prevent misinformation from derailing a proposal? This session will look from various angles at the importance of good communications, and will outline how to build a comprehensive and effective communications strategy that maximizes the chances the community will accept your proposal. Session resources.