Economic & Planning Systems

EPS Team Selected for Transit District Study in the City of South Gate, California

smarcus — Thu, 03 May 2012 00:34:19 +0000

EPS has been hired as part of a multi-disciplinary team with Community Design + Architecture, Estolano LeSar Perez Advisors, and Fehr & Peers by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the City of South Gateto plan for the South Gate Transit Oriented District. A proposed light rail station, part of the proposed Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority Orange Line, forms the basis for the study, which will build off a parallel effort commissioned by the Orange Line Development Authority (OLDA) assessing station locations along the whole alignment.

The proposed station site at the intersection of Firestone and Atlantic Boulevards is situated in the industrial heart of this city of 94,000 residents. Area revitalization is already in process, with a 450,000 square-foot retail development directly across from the station site currently undergoing entitlement. The primary opportunity and challenge for the project is to create a flexible plan that over multiple phases integrates the aforementioned retail development, enhances the area’s role as a jobs and residential center, and creates land use conditions that will both support and benefit from the light rail line. EPS’s role in the study is to provide market and development feasibility analysis and support public outreach efforts.

James R. Musbach, EPS Managing Principal, Invited to Participate in Forum of National Experts on Public-Private Partnerships

smarcus — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 23:17:31 +0000

Mr. Musbach was among 30 experts from across the country invited to participate in the 2012
Charles H. Shaw Forum, Innovative Public-Private Partnerships and Finance, at ULI Headquarters in Washington, DC. The group was composed of developers, land use attorneys, development and finance consultants, urban designers and planners, Mayors and other elected officials, Directors of economic development, Redevelopment and Planning Agencies, and leaders of downtown improvement organizations. Through a series of panels and discussions the group explored the challenges and opportunities of public-private partnerships to promote community development and urban revitalization in a time of difficult economic conditions and limited public resources. ULI staff will be publishing an article summarizing the key observations and findings of the group.

Strategies for Municipal Independence: A Case Study of East Los Angeles

smarcus — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 22:59:29 +0000

EPS completed a Comprehensive Fiscal Analysis (CFA) for the proposed incorporation of East Los Angeles. On February 8, 2012, the Los Angeles Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCO) voted to deny the application for the incorporation of East Los Angeles. This denial terminated the most recent East Los Angeles incorporation effort which extended for almost five years.

While many of the feasibility issues influencing LAFCO’s denial were unique to East Los Angeles, other communities throughout the State face similar constraints to incorporation. A diagnosis of these constraints suggests a number of steps that could be taken to lay a foundation for improved local governance and increased potential for a successful incorporation in the future, both in East Los Angeles as well as other unincorporated communities.

To read the full article, click here

A New 21st Century Workplace in South Fremont

smarcus — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 21:38:28 +0000

With the closure of theToyota/GM joint venture New United Motors Manufacturing Inc. (NUMMI) plant in April 2010, the San Francisco Bay Area lost its last car manufacturing factory. The loss of thousands of jobs at the factory and among suppliers generated widespread concern at city, state, and federal levels. The Economic Development Administration (EDA) sponsored a study, directed by the City of Fremont, to determine the options for the reuse and redevelopment of the large 850-acre industrial area inSouth Fremont. EPS was part of the consulting team selected by the City to develop the Economic and Strategic Plan and to lay out potential land use for the area. The effort was buoyed by the purchase of the 5.5 million square-foot plant by the electric car manufacturer, TESLA, and by BART’s plan to open the Warm Springs BART Station in 2015.

EPS and its consulting colleagues evaluated the viability of attracting research, development, and production to this industrial area in the context of globalization, offshoring, technological change, and the evolution of Silicon Valley. With feedback from a panel of academics, economists, developers, and business leaders and complemented by real estate market, planning, infrastructure, transportation, and fiscal and financing analyses, EPS and its consulting partners determined paths forward. At the heart of the recommendations is the creation of a 21^st Century mixed-use, transit-oriented workplace combining office, R&D, and advanced manufacturing with compact residential development, the new transit station, and infrastructure for pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorists. The Study established the basis for the next phase of work – a detailed South Fremont Community Plan.

City of Fontana: Sierra Avenue/Valley Boulevard Land Use Study

smarcus — Fri, 30 Mar 2012 16:01:57 +0000

EPS has been hired, as part of a multi-disciplinary team with Community Design + Architecture and Fehr & Peers, by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) and the City of Fontana to conduct a study for land use and transportation strategies to improve one of the City’s most important commercial areas. The intersection of Valley Boulevard and Sierra Avenue is the busiest and most congested intersection in the City, a function of its proximity to the I-10 Freeway, connection to major commercial, residential, and industrial areas, and location adjacent to a major Kaiser Permanente facility. Aside from the Kaiser facility, which is undergoing a one-billion-dollar expansion, many properties in the immediate area are characterized by high vacancy rates and a general state of disrepair. The goals of study, which will include community outreach, market assessment, and development feasibility analysis, will be to formulate recommendations to reduce congestion, stimulate new residential and commercial development, improve walkability, and support the growth of Kaiser Permanente, the City’s largest employer.

EPS leads Development Strategy for the City of Austin, Texas

smarcus — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 17:08:34 +0000

The Central East Austin Master Plan, Urban Renewal Plan, and other planning documents adopted in the 1990s were intended to guide public investment and private development in the East 11th and 12th StreetCorridors. Some of the goals of those plans have been realized, but much of the intended change for these corridors has not yet occurred. EPS was hired by the City’s Neighborhood Housing and Community Development Department to lead a multi-disciplinary team in the creation of a Development Strategy that would jump-start the improvements to the area. Working with representatives of numerous neighborhood and business associations, as well as a wide range of City departments and public utilities, the EPS Team identified the priority actions that the City could take to create momentum for private development. The Strategy included recommendations for infrastructure improvements (including support in funding applications), regulatory amendments, targeted retail attraction and retention priorities, affordable housing policies, and disposition of multiple publicly held sites. After engaging the community through multiple workshops and an interactive blog to solicit input, EPS presented the Development Strategy to Austin’s City Council on March 1, 2012. An article from Statesman.com can be viewed at http://www.statesman.com/news/local/can-city-kick-start-transformation-of-east-11th-2246382.html#.T2c2aZPWHHc.email

EPS Assists San Joaquin County and Mining Interests in Financing of Freeway Interchange

smarcus — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 16:55:56 +0000

EPS assisted the San Joaquin County and private mining interest in securing a $28 million public financing to construct a new freeway interchange on State Highway 132 at Bird Road in south San Joaquin County. The $28 million was secured March 22, 2012. The new interchange will serve an aggregate mining area bordered by Interstate 5 and Interstate 580. Trucks hauling aggregate products currently access State Route 132 “at grade” at Bird Road. This presents traffic safety issues with commuter traffic that use SR 132 to travel from Modestoto the Bay Area.

Once the interchange is completed, trucks will be able to merge safely onto SR 132. While the public financing of the $28 million was issued by San Joaquin County, the repayment of principal and interest will be the sole responsibility of the aggregate producers, who have elected to place a tax on their lands as a means of repaying the debt service. The aggregate producers that agreed to the self-imposed tax are Teichert Aggregates, Granite Construction Company, West Coast Aggregates, DSS Company, CEMEX, and DeSilva Gates Construction. EPS Senior Vice President Russ Powell worked with the aggregate producers to develop a funding strategy that was acceptable to each of the six aggregate producers and to the County.

The City of Dublin, California Selects EPS-led Team to Prepare Economic Development Strategy

smarcus — Thu, 22 Mar 2012 18:44:05 +0000

The City of Dublin has selected Economic & Planning Systems, the Center for Strategic Economic Research (CSER), and MIG to prepare the City’s economic development strategy. This important project will encompass extensive real estate market analysis, an economic competitiveness assessment, and public outreach. The City is seeking an actionable plan to guide the near-term activities of the City’s Economic Development Department. The project also includes authorship of the City’s Economic Development Element of the General Plan. The City awarded the contract to the EPS-led team through a competitive bidding process, with the City Council authorizing the services agreement on March 20, 2012.

EPS Informs Agencies about Impacts of California Supreme Court Decisions on Redevelopment

smarcus — Thu, 15 Mar 2012 00:31:37 +0000

The recent California Supreme Court decision to uphold AB1X 26 and determine that AB1X 27 was unconstitutional ended California redevelopment as it was formerly known. In the wake of that decision, Successor Agencies are presently scrambling to determine and manage “enforceable obligations” while simultaneously being required to dispose of former redevelopment agency assets ”expeditiously” and “in a manner aimed at maximizing value.” EPS Principal Jamie Gomes recently presented a summary of the Redevelopment Agency (RDA) wind down process (PDF of PowerPoint presentation, 492 KB), focusing on actions by Successor Agencies and identifying ways in which the underlying municipal agencies (e.g., cities or counties) might creatively finance high-priority projects through alternative financing mechanisms. The presentation was delivered on February 10, 2012, at the annual CASTOFF (Committee on Assessments, Special Taxes and Other Financing Facilities) meeting. Please contact Jamie Gomes of our Sacramento office with questions regarding EPS’s role in assisting Successor Agencies with management of the RDA wind down process.

Fort Ord Base Reuse Reassessment

smarcus — Wed, 14 Mar 2012 23:32:52 +0000

EPS, teaming with EMC of Monterey, has been awarded the Fort Ord Base Reuse Reassessment contract. The project will entail a comprehensive evaluation of changed market conditions since the original Reuse Plan was drafted in 1997, and implications for the location, rate, and mix of development on the former Army Base. EPS will also evaluate future public-private partnership (P3) options for infrastructure and vertical development in the post-redevelopment era and participate in a regional outreach program to ensure that political, environmental, and regulatory constraints are identified and addressed within the revised Base Reuse Plan.