PG County Community Development Conference

From an e-list:

The following conference is sponsored by Gateway CDC, Port Towns CDC, Hyattsville CDC and the Prince George's County Economic Development Corporation.

Community Revitalization at the Urban Edge: the Role of Community Development Corporations in Creating Destination Corridors.

Wednesday, May 9th
8:30am - 5pm
Stamp Student Union, University of Maryland, College Park

This conference will focus on how developers and retailers can work with Community Development Corporations to identifyrevitalization opportunities and neighborhood compatible outcomes via Community Development tools and strategies. The Conference is comprised of four presentations: each featuring a panel-moderated discussion to explore in greater depth the topic of utilizing opportunities of development in revitalization neighborhoods.

Public Private Partnerships
This session will provide information regarding the advantages of the public-private parntership approach to the finance and development of public facilities and commercial/retail development. Arrangements in which business, government and community development entities come together to address the social and economic development needs will be explored. Examples of how to structure partnerships in a manner that optimizes the value of underutilzed land and real estate assets will be addressed.

Strategic Planning, Retail Development, and Form-Based Codes
This presentation will address how local community planning efforts can lead to smart, profitable investments that streamline the approval process. We will discuss:

• Where the business and development community can go to learn the economic, housing, and retail needs of the area.
• How a real estate developer can know or quickly learn whether the community they are looking at is really ready for new development investments.
• How a project can be built so that it grows with the community’s needs, without major teardowns or expensive rebuilding.
• How a developer can optimize both research and marketing efforts once he or she has established basic project parameters.
• How a Community Development Corporation can be an indicator of local health and economic vitality.

Real Estate Development as a focus in Community Development
Underutilized Real Estate put significant pressure on communities by creating a cycle of insufficient jobs and business services to a community. By adequately utilizing Real Estate to meet residential, office, and retail needs in a community, residence, property owners, and retailers can all prosper. This is community development.

This session will focus on:

• The benefit of redeveloping Undeveloped Real Estate and how Community Development Corporations can assist in the process.
• Case studies of how CDC’s and local governments work with developers- including the revitalization of Capital Plaza, featuring a new Wal-Mart and the Pointe at Cheverly Condominium project.
• What process a CDC needs to go through in order to gear up for a project. What the specific areas of expertise are for a CDC and when can a CDC initiate its own projects.
• How to assess the real estate needs within the specific market.

Creating Community Identity to Attract Development
This presentation will address how the Suitland Family Life Development Corporation and Gateway CDC built public consensus around revitalization strategies, forged new community identities and attracted development partners. We will discuss:

• The "asset-based" model of community organizing.
• How residents can - and should - participate in shaping the direction of change where they live
• What a community development organization looks for in a development partner.
• What a community development organization brings to the development process.

See more info and registration details.