Sedgwick County officials have joined both appointed and elected city officials in discussing this concept. The Wichita City Manager is promoting a new city redevelopment agency and using the existing urban renewal statutes that exist in Kansas law for this community. Urban renewal programs provided disproportionate benefits to high income, developers, and citizens with close ties to these programs at city hall. While the eminent domain reform enacted in 2006 does not take effect until July 1, 2007, the city needs a plan that will fit within the boundaries of state law.Ħ) A disproportionate amount of the burden created by urban renewal fell upon low income and largely minority groups. This includes and is not limited to central inspection, zoning, and planning.ĥ) The city will need to restore the eminent domain powers that the 2006 legislature removed from state law for many of the proposed redevelopment efforts to work. If the city is going to make mistakes, let’s not repeat the errors of the past.Ĥ) Current city activities will be impacted by this redevelopment agency. The city has property, sales, and fee revenues that can be raised to provide the substantial funding needed for this proposed new agency.ģ) No efforts have been clearly defined to avoid repeating the mistakes that occurred in the 20th century urban renewal redevelopment process. The revenue need to fund this agency is unspecified. Other communities might have agencies with this label and operate their Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) money through them, but integrating the current CDBG programs into this new agency have not been made clear. There are no clearly defined steps that will avoid repeating these past mistakes in the public hearing discussions so far.Ģ) The financing mechanism for this new redevelopment agency is not clear.
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The urban renewal efforts from the 20th century that are the foundation for the newly proposed redevelopment agency in Wichita rely upon these old Kansas laws that require an increase in local government’s powers. Urban Renewal: A Flawed Idea That Failed 50 Years Agoīy Karl Peterjohn, Executive Director Kansas Taxpayers Networkġ) Urban renewal failed across the United States in the 20th century. Urban renewal continues to evolve to meet the wisdom, goals and community needs of the times.Thank you to Karl Peterjohn for this excellent, well-researched article. In March 2015, a set of amendments to six URAs resulted in releasing approximately $122 million in property taxes to taxing jurisdictions and providing $97 million to Prosper Portland to invest in projects that will compel economic growth and real estate development in the North Macadam and Central Eastside URAs. Johns), eleven existing URAs, and the Neighborhood Prosperity Initiative Districts.
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The remaining areas, with debt funding via local taxes, conform with current URA definitions and include three closed/debt-retired areas (South Auditorium, NW Front Avenue, St. The four earliest, and federally funded urban renewal projects were the Albina Neighborhood Improvement Plan, Portland State Urban Renewal, Emanuel Hospital Urban Renewal, and the Model Cities/Neighborhood Development Program. Since its establishment in 1958 as the city’s urban renewal agency, Prosper Portland has managed 25 urban renewal areas and/or programs, primarily locally funded.
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The agency focuses on implementing plans unique to each urban renewal area, using an integrated approach to revitalization that includes commercial, retail/institutional, residential/mixed use, streets, mass transit and parks development. Prosper Portland leads the planning and implementation of comprehensive projects that fulfill Portland’s goal of creating healthy, vibrant neighborhoods throughout the city.
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Prosper Portland helps Portland realize capital projects – parks, streetscape improvements, community centers –that would not happen on their own. Prosper Portland (formerly known as the Portland Development Commission) plays a major role in making Portland one of America’s most livable cities, using urban renewal as a tool to focus public attention and resources in specific areas of the city.