A press release filtered over the wires this weekend about work following up on the recently-released Urban Land Institute report (PDF):
ULI-Boston Follows Up on Promising Prognosis for Springfield Revitalization
BOSTON– The Boston District Council of the Urban Land Institute, a global real estate forum committed to best land policy and use practice, will provide the City of Springfield with advisory reports on two areas of Springfield: the Hollywood/Gemini neighborhood and the Downtown district.
The reports will be developed this spring by regionally recognized built-environment experts under the leadership of ULI Boston’s Technical Assistance Program (TAP). TAP reports, prepared pro bono for select non-profits and municipalities, recommend planning, financial and marketing strategies for community revitalization.
The ULI Boston TAP reports are focused on advancing selected opportunities identified in the recently-published National ULI Advisory Services Panel Report, which concluded that Springfield has significant, untapped potential for urban revival.
Glenn Burdick addresses a public gathering June 28, 2006 after a rainy tour of Springfield
"We see this as a distinct and concrete way that we can assist the City of Springfield in its ongoing rebirth," said ULI-Boston Chair Glenn Burdick. "ULI Boston has been involved with the City’s Control Board, the Chamber of Commerce, and other key Springfield stakeholders for nearly a year. Focusing on specific recommendations that came out of the ULI National Report is the logical ‘next step’ in the advisory process and our commitment to the city of Springfield."
ULI-Boston District Council members with CDO David Panagore, second from left
David Panagore, Chief Development Officer for the City and the Springfield Finance Control Board, has been instrumental in coordinating ULI’s study of Springfield. “We are looking forward to continuing working with ULI on particular challenges facing both the Springfield neighborhoods and Downtown district,” said Panagore.
ULI-Boston is currently assembling two study panels made up of experts in housing, retail, commercial, preservation, parking and other real estate development design and financial fields for each report.
Expected to begin in April, each panel will dedicate approximately two days to review its area of focus and to prepare, discuss and present findings.
These panels, and their subsequent findings, are not meant to serve as a panacea but are designed to offer a series of suggestions that may assist the city in meeting its current challenges.
–end release
With so much going on in Springfield these days, I have way more material ready for blogging than I have time to assemble it. Now that the ULI report is in hand, the pace is not likely to slacken. Fortunately, it’s a much better position to be in—and one more natural for a city with a growing sense of vitality—than the other way around.
