Manikka Bowman

Most land use professionals think of public-private partnerships (P3s) in the traditional sense, as an arrangement between the public and private sectors to get something done with some public benefit. These partnerships involve shared risk and strong relationships to ensure success in a community. In the report, “Reimagining Communities: Measuring the Impact of Technical Assistance Panels,” ULI Boston identified how a TAP can foster economic development and P3 deals forward in local municipalities. 

Over the last two decades, ULI Boston has conduct 50 Technical Assistance Panels (TAPs) in Massachusetts and beyond. Led by ULI members, TAPs address the most challenging real estate and land use issues facing communities. The TAP Panel Members are a diverse group of land use professionals who have experience in the problems posed by the specific project in cities and towns that require advice.  

It is no secret that developers and municipalities have complicated relationships. Economic development often starts with land repositioning, but satisfying the needs of all the parties involved is complex. Planning professionals and elected leaders often find themselves in conflict with community members on what kind of development is appropriate and what makes sense for developers and investors. Often times, developers will negotiate between local players to move a project forward, but that can lead to missed opportunities for all parties.   

Nyal McDonough

We have learned that TAP programs can unlock economic development opportunities in communities facing economic development issues. That is because ULI Boston members participating on a TAP have no direct involvement in the project being considered. TAP panelists offer a fresh perspective, seasoned judgment and market-driven facts. Through the TAP, communities can engage land use professionals outside of the entitlement process. This creates opportunities to inform and shift behavior.  

Panels Volunteers Have Big Impact 

Among communities that have participated in the TAP program, 82 percent credited the program with affecting their behavior and approach to municipal planning and economic development; 70 percent credited the TAP with influencing their behavior and approach to redevelopment of key municipal assets; and 62 percent identified at least one asset that was redeveloped based on the guidance of the TAP program.  

In September 2014, Worcester requested a TAP panel to address what types of uses would be a good fit for key parcels in the city’s Lincoln Square neighborhood. As described in the report, the city sought to create connectivity between the parcels, by identifying how current features were impeding that connectivity and what types of infrastructure improvements would be necessary to facilitate such connectivity. 

“The TAP helped take Lincoln Square from just a planning exercise to something that was alive to people in a way it wasn’t before, especially with the auditorium. Through this plan, we engaged the auditorium board in a way that we hadn’t up until that point,” said Amanda Gregoire, former senior project manager in the Worcester Executive Office of Economic Development. 

The TAP prompted Trinity Financial to sign a deed on the former Worcester Courthouse, making it a taxable property for the first time in its 174-year history. In response, the Department of Housing and Community Development committed state and federal Low-Income Housing Tax Credits to the project, generating $20.9 million in equity financing. The redevelopment of the courthouse will consist of 117 housing units. Of those, 13 will serve extremely low-income households. Thirty-seven units will serve households at or below 60 percent of Area Median Income (AMI), while 16 units will be deemed affordable at 80 percent of AMI. Forty-five will be workforce housing units, with only the final six units reserved for market-rate housing.  

As the Worcester example illustrates, the ULI TAP process expands the concept of public-private partnerships. Before a shovel can hit the ground, or a pro forma is created, there must be a will and vision for economic development. The partnership helps the public sector leverage the private sector’s thought leadership to tackle land use challenges, which can move a community from complacency to action. 

The ULI Boston members who volunteer for TAP programs represent a broad range of ages and ethnic makeup. Their diverse industry expertise and commitment to improving local communities is strengthening public private partnerships and unlocking development opportunities across the commonwealth. 

Manikka Bowman is director of policy and outreach for ULI Boston/New England. Nyal McDonough is senior asset manager at Taurus Investment Holdings and a co-chair of the ULI Boston/New England Real Estate Advisory Committee.