NPCR holds first its roundtable - October 12th

New Partners New Connections was the theme of an event that took place in midtown Manhattan at the first New Partners for Community Revitalization (NPCR) Pipeline & Networking breakfast roundtable. On Wednesday, October 12th, some 60 people gathered to learn about development opportunities emerging in communities across the five boroughs. "This was a first," said NPCR executive director Jody Kass. "We set out to make new connections between developers and community leaders. But what we ended up with was community leaders inviting developers to look at over 50 specific sites that they have identified as ripe or ripening for development. This turns the traditional development paradigm on its head." NPCR's Pipeline and Networking breakfast and roundtable included 20 developers, presentations by five community organizations, as well as lawyers, planners, consultants, insurers and government officials, all interested in advancing redevelopment projects. The presentations by community leaders included specific information about sites - acreage, ownership, site assemblage, market and feasibility analysis, and end uses. The potential development locations are in Harlem, Greenpoint, Sunset Park, Jamaica, Staten Island and the South Bronx. These sites have emerged from work being conducted by 17 New York City community groups that over the last several years have been awarded $9.4 million from New York State's Brownfield Opportunity Areas program (BOA) to conduct pre-development, planning and feasibility studies. Developer Eric Bluestone, of the Bluestone Organization, helped bring the session to life. "Clearly, there are opportunities out there that are known to community leaders that we, as developers, might not be aware of," Bluestone said. "A session like this tells us where there is community support for development projects. That information helps us, and city neighborhoods looking to rebuild and rebound." The Bluestone Organization specializes in building affordable housing. Bluestone, who helped organize the morning session, is a member of the NPCR board of directors. Howard Tollin, managing director of the Environmental Services Group at Aon Risk Solutions, said, "What we saw at the session was a unique gathering of community leaders and developers. The sharing of this kind of information builds trust. That reduces the risk that projects will be stalled or derailed once they are undertaken. This is a winning formula for everyone." Tollin, a specialist in environmental insurance, serves on the NPCR board. Kevin McCarty, an environmental consultant and geologist with the ELM Group working on brownfields redevelopment projects in the Metropolitan region, is also an NPCR board member and has been working to help launch the group's new membership program. "NPCR is uniquely situated to bring these two groups together," McCarty said. "I see the need for this type of communication often and this type of approach could lead to a new era of cooperative development in New York City neighborhoods. Mayor Bloomberg says we are going to need to find room for another million people by 2020. This is an approach that can help get the job done." For more information, please contact Jody Kass at (917) 923-3785 or Jeff Jones at (518) 265-0719. NPCR is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to revitalize New York's low and moderate-income neighborhoods and communities of color that are disproportionately impacted by brownfield sites. www.npcr.net. NPCR is widely recognized as being instrumental in the conceptualization and creation of New York's area-wide Brownfields Opportunity Areas (BOA) program. Since 2003, when the New York State Brownfields Law was passed, NPCR has worked to secure resources for communities participating in the BOA program, including $32.4 million awarded to 110 communities statewide; and to strengthen government policies for the implementation of area-wide strategies.NPCR is active on local, state and national brownfield policy issues.