Reinvesting in Your Community: Linking Economic Development to Transportation

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1 Reinvesting in Your Community: Linking Economic Development to Transportation John Robert Smith President and CEO Reconnecting America Gulf Coast Passenger Rail Summit Mobile, Alabama August 16, 2012

2 At Reconnecting America, we help transform promising ideas into thriving communities where transportation choices make it easy to get from place to place, where businesses flourish, and where people from all walks of life can afford to live, work and visit.

500 members of business, housing, environment, development, labor, health, aging and transportation interests Campaign focus on the recent

3 Our Partners: Creating a national marketplace for TOD, working with cities, transit agencies, developers, investors + communities Improving practice through technical assistance, research + policy reform On-line Clearinghouse of TOD + Transit Best Practices A coalition with over 500 members of business, housing, environment, development, labor, health, aging and transportation interests Campaign focus on the recent transportation bill and implementation Transportation investments that are economically sound, respond to markets and improve the lives of people

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5 "Railroads have major cost and environmental advantages over trucking, their main competitor. Our country gains because of reduced greenhouse emissions and a much smaller need for imported oil. When traffic travels by rail, society benefits. - Warren Buffett

6 What is Transit Oriented Development (TOD)? Transit oriented development is a mixture of housing, retail and/or commercial development and amenities integrated into a walkable neighborhood and located within a half mile of quality public transportation. 5

7 Union Station, Meridian, Mississippi 6

8 It s All About Location 7

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11 Your Identity is Key In any public project you need to know: Who You Were in the Past Meridian, with its depots, store-houses, arsenal, hospitals, offices, hotels, and cantonments no longer exists. General William Tecumseh Sherman February,

12 Who You Are Now 11

13 Who You Aspire to Be

14 You need the Vision to Inspire the Community 13

Making the Impossible POSSIBLE Restoring Public Confidence Previous Meridian projects all faced challenges both internally and externally Lack

15 Making the Impossible POSSIBLE Restoring Public Confidence Previous Meridian projects all faced challenges both internally and externally Lack of confidence Lack of infrastructure Lack of creative financing Lack of partnerships Lack of design creativity A can t do mentality won t succeed

16 Successful Station Development Takes Partners Union Station, Meridian, Mississippi 15

Funding Union Station Development STATE/FEDERAL FUNDING $2,544,960 ISTEA Enhancement Grant (MDOT) 971,040 Supplemental Grant (MDOT) 640,571 STIP Grant Transfer

17 Funding Union Station Development STATE/FEDERAL FUNDING $2,544,960 ISTEA Enhancement Grant (MDOT) 971,040 Supplemental Grant (MDOT) 640,571 STIP Grant Transfer 290,281 STP ,000 Supplemental Grant (MDOT) $5,146,852 Federal/State Contribution + LOCAL FUNDING $1,046,140 + PREPAID LEASES $431,000 = TOTAL PROJECT COST $6,623,992

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19 Quality design is critical 18

20 Union Station at Completion Annually, Union Station hosts 250 events and 300,000 people 19

21 Union Station Development Resulted in: Private development of $135 million in surrounding area Facelifts for historic structures 20

22 Led to a restored City Hall (photo credits: The Meridian Star) 21

23 Inspired a new Fire Station 22

24 Dumont Plaza Photo by David Barr 23

25 A gathering place for the community 24

26 A new Union Station helped bring about: MSU Riley Center, a state of the art performing and conference facility

27 World Class Performances 50 th Anniversary with Itzhak Perlman Guests such as the Soweto Gospel Choir and Wynton Marsalis 26

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29 It also brought about housing improvements

30 $17.3 million in HUD HOPE VI grants for development of attractive low to middle income duplex and single-family housing

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34 Transportation Alternatives are Key

35 Other examples of making local connections and maximizing local value, also known as Great American Stations Denver s Union Station Albuquerque Train Station Normal, IL Uptown Station Pittsburgh, PA Union Train Station 34

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37 what we are doing will directly affect their future.

38 Thank you! John Robert Smith, President and CEO Reconnecting America PHONE: ext.205 WEB:

John Spain, Executive Vice President Baton Rouge Area Foundation Karen Parsons AICP, Principal Planner - New Orleans Regional Planning Commission

John Spain, Executive Vice President Baton Rouge Area Foundation Karen Parsons AICP, Principal Planner - New Orleans Regional Planning Commission Updated Passenger Rail Vision 2013/early 2014 as part of