Recommendat ion 3: P ursue t he remedi at ion, a ssembly, m a rk e t ing , a nd rede v el op men t of a b a ndoned p rop er t ie s at bo t h t he l oc a l a nd region a l l e v el s Northeast Ohio’s regional economy has long been defined by industry, and thus was especially susceptible to the economic restructuring of American manufacturing. Vacant and contaminated industrial sites dot Northeast Ohio’s legacy cities. The question of these sites’ remediation and reuse is intimately related to how the region will strengthen its core cities and towns, a central objective of the Vibrant NEO 2040 Regional Vision. Similarly pressing is the volume of vacant commercial and residential land, or “grayfields,” a byproduct of the region’s economic transition and a direct consequence of outward migration. Fortunately, the region has several sources of inspiration on which to draw, both from within and from peer regions. Some areas have enjoyed success in reinvigorating their manufacturing base with a 21st century, high-tech edge. Others have focused on rehabilitating salvageable buildings as residential and commercial space. A smaller, but still significant number have opted to reposition abandoned and polluted industrial land as a landscape of ecological tourism. Northeast Ohio must develop a multi-stakeholder, regional approach to dealing with vacant and abandoned properties to position its communities for success in the future. It can incorporate many of the strategies developed and refined already in various pockets of the region and throughout the country, but it will require cooperation and trust, good and constantly maintained information, and investment. The region should consider the following initiatives related to reusing vacant former industrial land:
In i t i at i ve 3 .1: Deve l op a n d m a i n ta i n a r e g i on a l vaca n t i n d u s t r i a l a n d comme r c i a l p r ope r t i es data b a se and criteria for determining the mos t a pp r op r i at e s u ccess i ve u se , w h e t h e r f o r r e d eve l opmen t, g r een i n f r a s t r u c t u r e , f oo d p r o d u c t i on , pa r k s , o r n at u r a l a r e a s . WHAT THIS MEANS. Northeast Ohio possesses significant data assets related to vacant and contaminated land. These data are generated and maintained by a wide range of organizations, some using geographic information systems (GIS) and some not. County auditors and municipal departments maintain records of ownership, use, and value and tax history. Land banks and economic development entities track demolitions and occasionally contamination, sometimes assigning qualitative attributes to parcels that can be useful to understanding on-the-ground conditions. County engineers and municipal public works departments might maintain information on easements and presence and conditions of publicly-maintained infrastructure. These sources of information are highly useful to all parties involved in the development process, but remain siloed. The regional parcelbased land use and land value database compiled by NEOSCC could be a useful starting point, but to remain a useful tool for policy and development recruitment, the database needs constant updating by contributing partners. The City of Indianapolis, Indiana implemented a successful site locator service based on information management systems it developed within City government and in partnership with local foundations, community development corporations, and business development entities. The site locator tracks retail, office, and industrial sites that are vacant or on the market, along with purely vacant land zoned for any of those uses. Search parameters include size of property (in square feet and acres), location within particular community development areas, and whether the property is available for lease or sale.60 WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT. Good and standardized information is critical for planners, public officials, developers, and employers alike. It is essential with complex, multistakeholder problems such as the reuse of vacant urban
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60 Indy SiteFinder, City of Indianapolis, http://imaps.indygov.org/ed/ ed.asp?bhiw=1920&bhih=1108
land. The process of constructing a vacant land database would provide impetus for data stakeholders to communicate, share, and begin to standardize collection methodologies and classification schemes. By establishing a common platform of knowledge on which dialogue and consensus-building can take place between stakeholders, a vacant land database would contribute enormously to the region’s economic prosperity by sending a valuable signal to the market regarding the region’s capacity to collaborate with private-sector stakeholders. GETTING IT DONE. A regional vacant and industrial properties database should integrate data from municipalities and counties, land banks and possibly land conservancies, parks authorities, and state agencies. Data could rest on a common web-based platform with other data products and be used to inform decision-making on everything from vacant land reuse, land bank property sales, and urban agriculture, and include a public-face version used to aid in marketing sites and districts to developers and prospective large employers. Given the jurisdictional complexity of this initiative, an economic development partnership such as the Fund for Our Economic Future or Team NEO should lead the effort, coordinating with NEOSCC and consortium members, particularly COGs, to convene the appropriate stakeholders. Data and information support could come from universities in the region. POLICY: Develop and promote innovative clean up strategies: Developing and promoting innovative cleanup strategies that restore contaminated sites to productive use, promote environmental stewardship, and reduce associated costs while minimizing ancillary environmental impacts from these cleanups. Consider cleanups in the context of the larger environment and consistently and pro-actively apply more sustainable methods to remediate the site while still protecting public health and the environment and striving to achieve the established cleanup goals. Potential Lead Chambers of Commerce/Economic Development Organizations; Universities; Nonprofit Organizations; Councils of Governments
Target Community Strategic investment areas, asset risk areas
Implementation Complexity Low