Workshop Location: 30 North Saginaw, Pontiac, MI (on northeast corner of Saginaw and Lawrence Streets)
Parking: Surface lot parking is available within a couple blocks of 30 North and directly across the Crofoot on the southwest corner of South Saginaw and West Pike Streets for $3 / day. Enter/exit the lot from West Pike Street.
Do you know that financial incentives are now available to save you
20 to 40 % or more on downtown rehabilitation projects?
Downtown project financing can be confusing, yet very lucrative, but there are many myths. Successful downtown development projects require public and private partnership with a wide variety of tools to get the job done. Financial incentives, creative financing techniques and valuable economic development tools can be packaged to fund projects. Historic downtowns offer more financial incentives than any sprawl development and support realistic "Green" initiatives. This workshop will provide a basic understanding of project financial packaging, with case studies for practical application.
8 - 9 am: Registration / Continental Breakfast
9 am: Welcome and Introductions
9:10 am: Introduction to Financial Programs - by Bob Donohue, Principal Planner for Downtown Redevelopment and Main Street Oakland County Program Coordinator. Based upon Bob's thirty years of experience in downtown revitalization, a wide variety of financial programs and resources will be highlighted, which will be described throughout the workshop and explained how they can be packaged. Tim Wittebort, Attorney with Howard & Howard will then briefly describe the role of DDAs in actually financing and/or facilitating the financial packaging of downtown redevelopment projects.
9:40 am Tax Credits (Federal and State Historic, New Markets, ADA/Universal Design, the National Trust for Historic Preservation Small Deal Fund) and Easements -Linda Sorden, Executive Director National Trust for Historic Preservation Loan Fund in Washington, D.C.; Brian Lijewski, Architect, State of Michigan Historic Preservation Office; and Nancy Finegood, Executive Director, Michigan Historic Preservation Network will describe a variety of available tax credits and easement programs which can be packaged to significantly reduce the overall cost of a project when important up front planning takes place.
11:15 am: Break
11:30 am: Brownfields Programs - Brad Hansen, Environmental Program Coordinator for Oakland County Waste Management Services and Doug Brown, Director of Development with ASTI Environmental will describe public and private sector programs and services. Joe Borgstrom, Director of the Michigan State Housing Development Authoritys Community Assistance Team, will discuss several recent and significant changes to the state's brownfields laws.
12 pm: Lunch (on site)
1 pm: Loans (BFC/EDC, Banks, National Trust Loan Fund, MSHDA) - Cathy Rasegan of the Oakland County Business Finance Corp. and the Oakland County Economic Development Corp. will describe business loan programs offered through the BFC and EDC. Linda Sorden, Executive Director of the National Trust Loan Fund will describe several loan programs available through the National Trust for Historic Preservation.
A representative of National City Bank and Joe Borgstrom with the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) will also provide information on bank and MSHDA loan programs.
2 pm: Local Incentives and Grants (Facade and Signage, Design Assistance, Tax Abatements) -Kristi Trevarrow, Rochester DDA Executive Director, and Cristina Sheppard-Decius, Ferndale DDA Executive Director, will briefly describe their façade, sign and light grant programs which are similar to those offered by many of the Main Street Oakland County DDAs and other DDAs in Michigan. Ron Campbell, Principal Planner for Historic Preservation and Preservation Architect for Oakland County Planning & Economic Development Services will briefly describe the Main Street Oakland County Design Assistance Program. Bob Donohue, Oakland County Principal Planner for Downtown Redevelopment and Main Street Oakland County Program Coordinator will describe tax abatement available for Obsolete Facilities (including buildings and sites) in Core Communities as designated by the State of Michigan.
2:45 pm: Break
3 pm: Case Study - Randy Case, AIA, Principal Architect with Architecture + Design, a firm which was founded in 1981 with a statewide focus, will explore Michigan case studies. Examples will illustrate how packaging and utilizing financial programs can help to successfully redevelop and reuse a typical downtown historic building.
4 - 6 pm: Tour highlighting some of "Downtown Pontiac Developer Showcase" buildings - Tour highlighting some of Pontiac's Downtown Developer Showcase buildings. Sandy McDonald, Pontiac DDA Executive Director, and Bob Donohue with Main Street Oakland County will take workshop attendees through 4 - 5 beautiful and different buildings in Downtown Pontiac showing potential loft spaces and recent rehabilitation successes.
4 - 7 pm: Reception at the Crofoot, 1 South Saginaw, Pontiac
