Going
by the Numbers
How
do you find funding for your ReUse project?
It starts with a
vision fueled by the drive to turn ideas into reality.
What next?
Begin
with images and text that capture your vision of the potential for the site.
Now
you’re ready to sell the idea.
Sooner
or later it’s going to come down to dollars.
Here’s where the numbers come in to play.
Whether you are presenting this development plan to a city council, a
potential buyer, investor or partner you need convincing evidence to support
your cause.
Nowhere is this more important than when applying for grants.
|
City
or town population growth |
|||
|
Housing,
commercial and industrial building permits |
|||
|
Affordability
(cost of living, land, labor) |
|||
|
Business
Climate |
|||
|
Growth |
Transportation |
Taxes |
|
|
Workforce |
Health
Care |
Education |
|
Suppose I’m a developer with a site that includes an old brewery that has been vacant for several decades. There is some environmental remediation necessary including an assessment of structural materials like asbestos and lead paint. Although some see the place as an eyesore and potential hazard, you believe that the building can be ReUsed for mixed use retail, office and residential purposes.
Starting
with a general overview of the location (see above), you note that
minority-owned businesses account for 25¼% of all firms in the area. On a
national level the figure is only about 1 ½ % of all companies. Native
Americans and women own a larger share of businesses here than they do on a
national scale. Interesting. Now what about the attributes of
your site? What qualities make it unique? valuable?
Suppose the site…, ,
|
has
acreage for expansion, parking or subdividing |
|
is
close to major highway interchanges |
|
has
access to high speed communications |
|
is
within walking distance of a retail center |
|
sits
at the edge of a historic downtown district |
Suppose there are over 400 workers living in the block* but none of them work within walking distance of their jobs? Instead most of them drive over half an hour and up to 90 minutes to get to work?
*block = subdivision of census bureau tract
Now you are beginning to show a better picture, one that
will convince your audience that this is an investment worth the risk.
I hope you found this newsletter
informative. To learn more about promoting ReUse visit my web site at www.ReUseIt.info
. Please contact me with your comments and let me know if you’d like to
be added or removed from this mailing list.
Bay Stevens
Re Use It!
505-480-1999
