Wed 13 Jan, 2010
By Josh Mitchell of Dow Jones Newswires (excerpted)
The Obama administration said Wednesday it would begin steering more funds toward…
Mon 1 Jun, 2009
The Zoning Guru follows a number of planning-related blogs across the U.S. One of my favorites is Urban Review STL, a blog authored by Steve Patterson that covers St. Louis, Missouri architecture, planning, design, and re-development topics. Steve’s writing style is engaging, he has a photographer’s eye, and his posts often cover topics that apply equally well to other urban communities.
Fri 22 May, 2009
Making the numbers work to finance rehabilitation and adaptive re-use of a historic building is often a struggle for property owners in Michigan. For this reason, federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits have played a large part in the revitalization of many historic downtowns and neighborhoods across the state.
Historic rehabs can cost significantly more than building a similar size new building on a vacant “greenfield” site. Such tax credits have been used by property owners and developers to ‘bridge the gap,’ and have often meant the difference between a vibrant streetscape and a long-vacant eyesore.
These credits can be used to offset the added costs, or to improve return on investment. Such credits are also transferrable, so a project involving historic rehabilitation may be able to attract additional investment from banks or other institutions looking for tax credits to offset against other income.
More information on specific state historic preservation programs and incentives can be found on the state website (click here).
The State of Michigan has long recognized that rehabbing a historic building for new businesses and residents can provide significant benefits to a community. Recently, in the midst of a very difficult budget year, the state legislature managed to…
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Wed 18 Mar, 2009
This is the essential question that should drive local economic development planning and project implementation in downtown areas:
Years ago, “downtown” served as the indispensable community and commercial hub for surrounding agricultural areas - the place to be for all ages.
Many small town centers provided a market for farm products, a source of products and services for farmers, and railroad access to other markets.
“County seats” and the downtown areas of larger cities served as the central gathering place for the surrounding region, complete with government offices, schools, and a variety of entertainment venues and “watering holes.”
Today, technology, transportation improvements, and market changes have vastly increased the available choices for people to spend their time and money. Residents now commute to work and shopping across the metropolitan region. Business is conducted on the Internet, and most historic downtowns have been relegated to a niche market.
We know what once made downtown indispensable, but that old model will not work today. What we need to know is…
