Nationally Renowned Real Estate and Urban Development Experts to Visit Area January 13-18

For more information, contact: Trisha Riggs at 202-624-7086; [email protected]

WASHINGTON (January 10, 2019) — A group of nationally renowned land use and urban planning experts representing the Urban Land Institute (ULI) will be making recommendations next week to Hancock County, along with the Towns of Cumberland, McCordsville and New Palestine, on how to best develop the Mt. Comfort Corridor. Nine Star Connect, Hancock Health and Greenfield Banking Company are the primary sponsors for the panel.

ULI is a global, multidisciplinary real estate organization whose work is driven by 42,000-plus members dedicated to responsible land use and building thriving, sustainable communities, along with being a global leader in helping cities create healthy corridors of vibrant, mixed use spaces with next generation infrastructure. From defining healthy corridors to assisting cities such as Nashville, Tennessee, Denver, Colorado, and Boise, Idaho, along with two upcoming reports, Envisioning Healthy Corridors: Lessons from Four Communities and Blind Spots, How Unhealthy Corridors Harm Communities and How to Fix Them, ULI uses the combined talents of its members to help cities create new opportunities for older infrastructure and developments.

The ULI representatives, convened through ULI’s renowned Advisory Services Program, will be visiting the community January 13-18. The Advisory Services panelists will be considering creative approaches for the redevelopment of the Mt. Comfort Corridor that consider best approaches for consistent policies associated with infrastructure investment, technology and land use policies while still accounting and supporting future growth.

ULI Senior Resident Fellow for Sustainable Development Ed McMahon, a renowned leader of smart growth, will chair the panel. “Hancock County has many assets, but no place stays special by accident,” says McMahon. “The county is wise to initiate a thoughtful process for insuring that they and the Mt. Comfort Corridor grow in harmony with the community while also creating a venue for 21st century economic development.”

McMahon will be joined by: Jose Bopido-Memba, Director of Sustainable Communities, Sacramento Municipal Utility District, Sacramento, California, Meredith Byer, Director of Planning, Dewberry, Washington, D.C., Bill Clarke, Planning, Engineering, and Landscape Architect Consultant, Ross, California, Geoff Koski, President, Bleakly Advisory Group, Atlanta, GA, and David Stebbins, Vice President, Buffalo Urban Development Corporation, Buffalo, NY.

During the week, the panel will tour the site and surrounding neighborhoods, and interview a variety of stakeholders in the community before developing a set of recommendations that will be presented at the conclusion of the panel’s visit.

Now in its 71st year, the ULI advisory services program assembles experts in the fields of real estate and land use planning to participate on panels worldwide, offering recommendations for complex planning and development projects, programs and policies. Panels have developed more than 700 studies for a broad range of land uses, ranging from waterfront properties to inner-city retail.

According to Thomas Eitler, senior vice president of ULI’s advisory services program, the strength of the program lies in ULI’s unique ability to draw on the substantial knowledge of its 40,000-plus members, including land developers, engineers, public officials, academics, lenders, architects, planners and urban designers. “The independent views of the panelists bring a fresh perspective to the land use challenge,” Eitler said. “The advisory services program is all about offering creative, innovative approaches to community building.”

Past sponsors of ULI advisory service panels include federal, state and local government agencies; regional councils of government; chambers of commerce; redevelopment authorities; private developers and property owners; community development corporations; lenders; historic preservation groups; non-profit community groups; environmental organizations and economic development agencies.

NOTE TO REPORTERS: The media and public are invited to a reception on Monday, January 14, from 5-7 PM at the Idea Co-op main room, 2331 East 600 North, Greenfield, and to the presentation of the panel’s recommendations on Friday, January 18, at 9 a.m. at NineStar, 2243 E. Main St. Greenfield.