Dr. James Fawcett

I’ve been working on a public participation project for a large southern California public agency these past few months and after many interviews with community leaders it’s clear that at least some of the angst expressed by the public over both public and private projects is due to ignorance of the process by which both private companies and public agencies make their decisions about what to build and what to approve. That’s too bad and the lack of information promotes both delays in gaining approval for appropriate development, prolongs review processes and appeals as well as creates suspicion on the part of an ill-informed public. As we move into an era where increased transportation costs will encourage more infill, densification and adaptive reuse of existing facilities, a poorly informed citizenry suspicious of nearby (and more dense) development will only increase development costs. What can we as a society of informed land use professionals do about it?

Well, some of our chapters are working on the problem as we speak. Ely hosts an annual conference on development issues that is open to the public and consistently well attended. It’s a tradition in Chicago and is a great opportunity for the chapter to bring its member experts in touch with public officials, the land use community and the interested public. Ely has set a standard for all of us to emulate. But, in other locales, perhaps other approaches can work, too. For the past three years the Los Angeles Chapter has hosted a series of monthly seminars on the land development process at the College of Business of California State University, Northridge. The seminars are free and open to faculty, staff, students and the community. The meetings have been stunningly successful with attendance averaging more than 200 per seminar. Because of our distinguished membership and their willingness to talk about what they do Lambda Alpha has been able to perform a valuable public service by taking some of the mystery out of the land development process.

But development is only one aspect of the process. Why shouldn’t we also be talking about the process of preservation of open spaces, sustainable development and public responsibilities for making our cities more livable? Our membership includes experts in all of these fields.

We can increase Lambda Alpha’s profile in our communities, provide a venue for our own experts to get some publicity and at the same time help inform a public that is all too poorly informed about the way land is developed and regulated. Who knows, we might even make some friends in the community?

James A. Fawcett
International President
fawcett@usc.edu

Editor’s Column

Helen Sause

Ireland is much on my mind these days. I hope the gleam in Lambda Alpha’s eye of having a chapter evolve in Ireland comes into being. This could help knit the Irish communities into “whole” as well as fostering supportive exchanges of best practices in the field of real estate economics.

There are an increasingly large number of organizations looking toward the new era when being competitive in a global market will depend on human ingenuity and innovation more than on natural resources, labor or location. For the first time human capital, imagination and intelligence are keys to success for cities, regions and communities. It is interesting that these organizations are looking to Belfast as it lays its troubled past behind and begins the process of focusing on the links between economic competitiveness and social inclusion. The concerns that economic success could exacerbate social division haunt all cities. In Ireland, where the wounds are so fresh it must be an unusually major priority.

Developers are investing in the ability of the community to step up to the challenge. One in particular, The Laganside Corporation is driving the redevelopment of a derelict area in the heart of Belfast and building a vibrant mixed use waterfront development which is attracting investment of over 900 million pounds sterling in commercial, residential and recreational development. It will be an exciting to watch the new governmental approaches to address diversity and transformation of the delivery of services at a regional and local level.

Stay tuned having a Chapter in Ireland could be an exciting addition to Lambda Alpha in this new era of global connectivity.

Helen Sause
International Editor
helensause@alamedanet.net

Chapter Corner

Baltimore Chapter:

Transit/Land Use – topic for Baltimore Chapter’s May Meeting

Martha Baker, Ph.D.
Baltimore City Department of Planning

Dr. Marty Baker, from the Research and Strategic Planning Division of the Baltimore City Department of Planning, was the featured speaker at our LAI chapter’s May 17, 2006 luncheon meeting. Her presentation was titled “Red Line Planning and Land Use: Leveraging Transit for the Future of Baltimore”.

Dr. Baker, along with other planners, the MTA and a consultant team, is working to maximize the development benefits derived from investments in new rail transit. Under the Federal Transit Administration’s New Starts initiative, economic development impacts count as a key factor in decisions to fund new transit lines.

As part of the overall Baltimore Regional Transit Plan, the east-west Red line from Woodlawn in Baltimore County through the CBD and east to Canton/ Dundalk is the current focus of detailed planning activity. Several opportunities for development or redevelopment along the line have been identified, including:
• Security Square Mall
• Edmondson Village/ Uplands redevelopment
• West Baltimore MARC station area
• Poppleton/ UMB Bioscience Research Park
• Canton

The Planning Department has made a major commitment to promoting the principles of transit-oriented development as reflected in a wide range of projects and as articulated in the current Draft Comprehensive Master Plan. The City is also investigating possible changes to the zoning code to promote relatively higher density, pedestrian-friendly, mixed use nodes near transit facilities.

Ed. Note: this was the gist of a press release Baltimore LAI issued! A terrific idea to promote the topic and incidentally LAI!

Philadelphia Chapter:

The Lambda Alpha International Philadelphia Chapter is presenting the Skyline, Urban Planning, and Leadership Awards in October 2006.

In its June 22nd meeting, the membership had the opportunity to hear a presentation on the planning and execution of the Development of Conshohocken, which is one of the major edge cities in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area.

Don Pulver, principle of Oliver Tyrone Pulver who pioneered the development of Conshohocken, presented and Craig Shelter, former Executive Director of the City Planning Commission for the City of Philadelphia critiqued the plan.

The Chapter is also considering a more active role in commenting on State and Local legislation which will impact open space, development fees, and environmental concerns.

The Philadelphia Metropolitan area is home to several major real estate REITs and equity sources of capital.

If you would like more information, please contact our Chapter Administrator.
Sara Hernandez, Philadelphia Chapter Administrator
Phone: 215-701-3834
E-mail: shernandez@metrodevelopment.com

Zia Chapter:

The membership enjoyed a particularly interesting presentation at the bi-monthly meeting in May, which was held in Santa Fe. Dr. Suzanne H. Crowhust Lennard - Founder of International Making Cities Livable. Dr.Lennard spoke on "True Urbanism and Healthy Communities" with wonderful images of European downtown areas in smaller communities which were literally inspirational. We are looking inward to one of our own Zia Chapter members as our July speaker whose subject will be New Mexico’s new TIF legislation just enacted. David Buchholtz, an Albuquerque attorney, public finance expert (who assisted in drafting the legislation) and charter member of Zia Chapter will lay it all out for us.

Zia Vice-President and Membership Committee Chairman Tom Mills attended the Washington, D.C. Weekend Experience as well as the Board of Director's meeting. Tom reported to our chapter membership in details of the trip. For him the highlight was the tour of the expansion of the Capitol and visit to Lyndon Johnson's old office. He encouraged all chapter members to attend future weekend experiences.

Tom and his committee are in high gear on our 2006 membership drive to bring in 30 new members by our annual meeting in September. There are already over 20 individuals who have expressed a desire to become candidates for LAI and whose nominating packages are completed or nearly completed.

We invite any interested LAI members to attend our annual meeting and new member initiation banquet. More on that for a later Keynotes edition.

Michael D. Maremont
President
Zia Chapter

Announcements

Save the Dates! ! !

Ottawa, Canada Weekend Experience
October 12-15, 2006
Hotel: Fairmont Chateau Laurier
Room Rate: $219 CND
More information Coming Soon!

Dublin, Ireland Weekend Experience
May 30 - June 2, 2007
Hotel: Conrad Dublin
More information Coming Soon!

New Members

Ely Chapter
Zalman Y. Alper, Alper & Alper, Inc.
Samuel Assefa, City of Chicago
Randall S. Blankenhorn, Regional Planning Board
Robert Bruegmann, University of Illinois at Chicago
John E. Burns, John Burns Consulting Company
Victoria Cooper, Wilbur Wright College
Ronald S. Cope, Michael Best & Friedrich LLP
Tammy Dertz, Network Real Estate Group, Ltd.
Michael D’Onofrio, Village of Winnetka
Charles H. Eldredge, Richard Development, Inc.
Joseph P. Gattuso, Shefsky & Froelich, Ltd.
Thomas Gourguechon, Greenleaf CM, Inc.
Nori Greenstein, Smithfield Properties
Greg Karczewski, Mesirow Financial Real Estate, Inc.
Bill Kissinger, Valerio Dewalt Train Associates, Inc.
Wilhelm O. Kreuzer, Tartan Realty Group, Inc.
Kurt Little, Jones Lang LaSalle
Jacqueline J. Loewe, Hitchcock Design Group
Lisa Lyon, AICP, Ehlers and Associates, Inc.
Hubert Morgan, Northeastern Illinois Planning Commission
Kathleen A. Nelson, City of Chicago, Dept. of Planning and Development
John O. Norquist, Congress for New Urbanism
Leslie Oberholtzer, Farr Associates
Gregory P.L. Pierce, ESQ., Katten Muchin Rosenman LLP
James Prosser, Ehlers & Associates, Inc.
G. Benjamin Ranney, Terra Firma Company
Leanne P. Redden, Regional Transportation Authority
Michael Richardson, The Alter Group
Susanne C. Schnell, City Design Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago
William A. Testa, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago
Richard H. Tucker, Tucker Development Corporation
Kim Uhlig, City of Park Ridge
Henry S. Webber, University of Chicago
Rachel B. Weber, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago
Richard Wilson, AICP, URS Corporation
Ernest C. Wong, ASLA, APA, Site Design Group, Ltd.

Philadelphia Chapter
Marie Cesarini, The Talon Group, a division of First American Title Insurance
Kevin R. Cummings, Worthington Associates, Inc.
Steven Harris Gendler, Grubb & Ellis
Joel A. Johnson, Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority
Matthew N. McClure, Ballard Spahr Andrews & Ingersoll LLP
Charlesretta Meade, Esq., Philadelphia Board of Revision of Taxes
Steve Willems, NAI Keystone Commercial & Industrial, LLC

In Memoriam


Golden Gate Chapter: Colin Livingston

One year ago this June Colin Livingston passed away. He actively participated in the Chapter almost from its beginning. Mr. Livingston was the principal real estate officer at Crocker Bank. He was deeply involved in the planning and development of the landmark Mixed use Crocker Center development in San Francisco. Transportation, particularly trains were an interest of his. One memory was the annual Christmas cards he sent picturing various locomotives from the glory days of train travel. He is survived by his wife of many years, Beverly. Colin Livingston is greatly missed.