Roadmap to Revitalization: Brownfields 2008 Conference Update
More than 6,000 environmental and economic development officials, finance and insurance providers, risk managers, planners, attorneys, civil engineers and students are expected to attend the 12th National Brownfields Conference, May 5-7, at Detroit’s Cobo Center.
Addressing the nation’s brownfields — abandoned or underutilized properties stigmatized by past commercial or industrial uses — is an ongoing challenge for communities of every size. By focusing on redevelopment, properties are put back into productive use for communities while helping to keep undeveloped lands in a natural state.
The National Brownfields Conference’s educational program features more than 150 sessions on green development, remediation, risk management, real estate and much more. The annual Phoenix Awards for top projects in each of the 10 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regions will be announced. More than 250 exhibitors will display the latest technologies and services. Seven mobile workshops and a walking tour will highlight local Detroit approaches to redevelopment from the Central Business District to Detroit's East Waterfront to the Inner Ring Suburbs and Downriver areas. Numerous networking events, special training sessions and film screenings are also on the agenda.
Featured local speakers include:
Robin Boyle, Co-State Director of Urban Land Institute (ULI) Detroit District Council and Chair of the Department of Geography and Urban Planning at Wayne State University, will emcee The Brownfields Transaction Forum opening ceremony and will also double as an educational session leader
Matt Cullen, General Manager of Economic Development and Enterprise Services Group at General Motors and Chairman of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. (MEDC) Executive Committee, will keynote The Brownfields Transaction Forum
Susan Harvey, Vice President at Ashley Capital whose portfolio stands at 22 million s.f. will participate on a Meet The Developers panel
Kevin Johnson, Senior Planner of Community Development and Economic Development at the Southeast Michigan Council of Government (SEMCOG)
Dan Kildee, Treasurer of Genesee County and Chairman and CEO of the Genesee Land Bank, will participate in a Town Meeting Plenary moderated by Renee Montagne, host of NPRs Morning Edition
Jeremy McCallion, Associate Brownfield Planner from Washtenaw County
Doug Smith, Oakland County’s Director of Economic Development & Community Affairs and John Carroll, Executive Director of the Detroit Regional Economic Partnership are collaborating to produce and present a video, Why Invest In Michigan?, that emphasizes Michigan’s quality of life and its position as the most undervalued real estate in the nation.
Tom Wackerman, President of ASTI Environmental and Director of Brownfield Redevelopment, will be a panelist for Peter Allen’s Real Estate Class on Sunday, as well as, leading three educational sessions
A unique conference feature is the Brownfields Transaction Forum, which brings together property owners with developers, investors and financiers to talk about specific sites available for purchase, lease and new uses. At the previous conference, in Boston in 2006, nearly 500 buyers, sellers and other stakeholders involved with redevelopment-ready properties attended the Forum. The 2008 Forum will be held on the first day of the conference, May 5, from 10:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Additional highlights of Brownfield 2008 include:
Google maps were added to the Transaction Forum website www.brownfields2008.org/btf to help attain the goal of 1,000 properties being listed and sold to 1,000 developers/investors with over $50 billion in net worth
Peter Allen, Real Estate Developer and Adjunct Lecturer of Urban Planning at the University of Michigan Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, will lead a half-day real estate class, Fundamentals of Urban Real Estate: Basics for Every Brownfield on Sunday, May 4, from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Ford Land will receive a Phoenix Award (think Oscar for Brownfields) for Fairlane Green, a retail power center that was built on a landfill in Allen Park, Michigan
Leading real estate associations - Urban Land Institute Detroit District Council, Certified Commercial Investment Members and the Commercial Board of Realtors (CBOR) will be sponsoring the conference for the first time
Blocks of rooms are already sold out at some of the “official” hotels in Downtown Detroit – the earliest this has ever occurred. The conference is expected to generate $8.5 million in direct spending
The National Brownfields Conference is managed by the International City/County Management Association, in partnership with EPA. More than 120 organizations, including Oakland County Economic Development & Community Affairs and Waste Resource Management, have endorsed the event.
officials, finance and insurance providers, risk managers, planners, attorneys, civil engineers and students are expected to attend the 12th National Brownfields Conference, May 5-7, at Detroit’s Cobo Center.