Public Finance Support + TOD Projects: What Works?
What is the role of public finance in your TOD project? Does it support or complicate matters? Which comes first -- the financing or the project? How should public support be structured for the best value? Explore the role of public financing from many angles with people who have lived it. What works? What works even better? Hear how public sector financial support could be a valuable piece of your development process.
Moderator: James Arthur Jemison, Deputy Undersecretary, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Boston, Massachusetts
Conal McNamara, Director of Community Development, City of Whittier, California
Eric Rothman, President, HR&A Advisors, Inc., New York, New York
Beth Pfeifer, Director of Development, The Cornerstone Group, Bloomington, Minnesota
RV 2014: Public Finance Support + TOD. What Works? by Eric Rothman
1. Public Sector Roles in TOD
Eric Rothman
President
HR&A Advisors, Inc.
September 2014
2. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
LOSS
Infeasible
Feasible
COST
PROFIT
The private sector can deliver TOD, but the public sector may need to intervene to ensure feasibility.
REVENUE
COST
REVENUE
3. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
Certain market characteristics of TOD locations can create barriers to development feasibility.
Infeasible
Cost of land assembly
Insufficient demand
Cost of brownfield remediation
Market barriers to TOD
LOSS
COST
REVENUE
4. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
Cost of land assembly
Policy barriers to TOD
Insufficient demand
Cost of brownfield remediation
Commuter parking requirements
Public realm requirements
Affordable housing requirements
Market barriers to TOD
Government aspirations for TOD typically increase costs.
Infeasible
LOSS
COST
REVENUE
5. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
There are a range of tools that government can deploy to improve the feasibility of TOD.
Provide Infrastructure
Partner
Regulate
Economic
Developer
Regulator
Incentivize
Rezone to higher density
Reduce parking requirements
Increase service
Create public realm
Build stations
Equity investment
Capital or operating subsidy
Anchor tenancy
Tax abatement
Low cost loans
Grants
Tax increment financing
6. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
Increase service
Build stations
Create public realm
Provide Infrastructure
First and foremost, government should create the T in TOD, improving revenue potential for the D in TOD.
Economic
Developer
Regulator
Partner
Regulate
Incentivize
7. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
The creation of the Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, a government funded project, improved development economics along NJ’s “Gold Coast.”
Public Investment
1996-2006
$2.2 BILLION
Private Real Estate Investment
Housing Units
10,000
$5.3 BILLION
Hudson Bergen Light Rail
8. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
Provide Infrastructure
Incentivize
Tax abatements
Grants
Low cost loans
Tax increment financing
Partner
Regulate
Incentives can also improve development economics.
Economic
Developer
Regulator
9. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
MassWorks Infrastructure Program provided $15 million in gap financing for a $100 million TODin Brockton, facilitating land assembly and site prep.
55,000SQ FT
New commercial space
New residential (25% affordable)
214 UNITS
MassWorks
Conventional finance
New Markets Tax Credits
Enterprise Block, Brockton
Project financing
10. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
First office towers under construction; subway to open early 2015
Aggressive rezoningfor commercial and residential sites, up to 33 FAR
New York City deployed a wide-ranging toolkit for redevelopment of West Midtown to create Hudson Yards, a transit-oriented district.
Extension of #7 subway line and creationof new boulevard through synthetic TIF
Uniform Tax Exemption Policy -
property tax abatements of up to 40% for “first-move” office towers
10 Hudson Yards
11. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
Provide Infrastructure
Incentivize
Partner
Regulate
Through direct investment, the public sector can facilitate TOD.
Economic
Developer
Regulator
Equity investment
Capital or operating subsidy
Anchor tenancy
12. Public Sector Roles in TOD: Eric Rothman
At Hoboken Terminal, NJ TRANSIT will invest its land upfront in partnership with LCOR as part of a major TODproject.
Land Owner/Investor
Land Developer
Hoboken Terminal and Rail Yard Redevelopment
Vertical Development Rights
Land Proceeds
13. Thank You
Eric Rothman
President, HR&A Advisors, Inc.
erothman@hraadvisors.com
http://www.hraadvisors.com