Presentation on "Redeveloping Commercial Vacant Properties in Legacy Cities: A Guidebook to Linking Property Reuse and Economic Revitalization" to the Strong Cities, Strong Communities (SC2) Bootcamp in Youngstown on March 10, 2014. The guidebook was produced by Greater Ohio Policy Center in partnership with the German Marshall Fund of the U.S. and the Center for Community Progress and will be released in the coming months.

1. Redeveloping commercial vacant
properties in legacy cities:
A guidebook to linking property reuse &
economic revitalization
Marianne Eppig
Manager of Research & Communications
Greater Ohio Policy Center
Photo of downtown Detroit by Lundgren Photography

2. About the Commercial Vacant
Properties Guidebook
• Following mortgage foreclosure
crisis, attention paid to vacant
residential properties, but little
attention paid to vacant
commercial properties
• Municipalities often overlook
commercial vacant properties
due to complex ownership,
financing and legal issues
• These properties represent an
opportunity for economic and
community development
An abandoned commercial property in Midtown Detroit. Photo by Ann Millspaugh.

3. Commercial Property Typology
• Downtown (Central
Business District)
• Destination &
Neighborhood Main Streets
• Scattered Neighborhood
Commercial
Source: MrTinDC/Flickr
Source: the.urbanophile/Flickr
Source: CVS

4. Commercial Property Typology
• Big Box
• Strip Mall
• Mall
• Lifestyle Center
Source: Theo Curmudgeon/Flickr
Source: Nicholas Eckhart
Source: Mike Kalasnik
Source: Wikipedia

5. Understanding Commercial Vacant Properties
Commercial Vacancy at the County Level for Select Legacy CitiesCommercial Vacancy at the County Level for Select Legacy CitiesCommercial Vacancy at the County Level for Select Legacy Cities
County (City, State) Total Vacant Commercial Addresses Percent Commercial Vacancy
Wayne County (Detroit, Michigan) 29,276 41.5
Genesee County (Flint, Michigan) 6,216 39.9
Cuyahoga County (Cleveland, Ohio) 24,303 38.8
Mahoning County (Youngstown, Ohio) 4,197 37.5
Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
17,836 31.7
Data source: HUD/U.S. Postal Service

6. Understanding Commercial Vacant Properties

7. Tools in the
Guidebook
• Guidance on planning & partnering
for commercial revitalization
• Methods for analyzing the market
• Matching market types &
strategies for commercial
revitalization
• Legal tools for reclaiming
commercial vacant properties
• Funding sources for overcoming
financial gaps
An abandoned warehouse. Photo by Flickr user Rigmarole.

8. Tools in the
Guidebook
• Menu of property reuse options
• Ways to attract & retain
business tenants
• Methods and models for
managing a commercial district
• Tactics for building markets
A renovated building in Over-the-Rhine of Cincinnati, Ohio. Photo by Travis Estell.

9. Best Practice: Detroit Shoreway
• The Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization partnered with the recently redeveloped
Cleveland Public Theatre and Near West Theatre on the creation of a strategic plan to redevelop a section of
Detroit Avenue.
• Re-branded the area as the Gordon Square Arts District, which has attracted over 42 new businesses and over
$750 million in neighborhood investments.
• “Best Business Plan” competition to attract local businesses to vacant storefronts, Storefront Renovation
Program & Neighborhood Retail Assistance Program
Source: Gregory Willson Source: Jakprints

10. Best Practice: Over-the-Rhine
• The City of Cincinnati partnered with local private corporations in 2003 to form the Cincinnati Center City
Development Corporation (3CDC), a non-profit that could lead the revitalization of the area.
• 3CDC has focused on acquiring and rehabilitating abandoned properties within a 110 square block area of
Over-the-Rhine.
• The restoration of Washington Park has helped the neighborhood make a turnaround after decades of
disinvestment.
Source: Hanna Ford Source: Travis Estell

11. Best Practice: Neighborhood Development Center
• The Neighborhood Development Center in St. Paul, Minneapolis provides business training for entrepreneurs
and helps them target and redevelop vacant commercial properties for reuse.
• NDC has rehabbed 6 buildings that have been used to house business incubators, public markets and
commercial development space.
• In 2006, NDC and several partner organizations transformed a vacant Sears building into the Midtown Global
Market, which is a public market and business incubator.
Source: Andelie Freyja Annabel Source: Meet Minneapolis

12. Building Local
Markets
How to link property reuse and
economic revitalization: overall lessons
for market building
• Know the local & regional market
• Target resources into buildings &
districts that can make a comeback,
leveraging local assets
• Begin at a scale that is doable & partner
to increase capacity
• Plan & prepare for the end use
• Develop desirable buildings &
commercial districts
• Attract & support tenants
• Manage & promote the district
Every opportunity to redevelop our built
environment is an opportunity to redefine what
could be for our legacy cities.
Findlay Market in Over-the-Rhine. Photo by Payton Chung.