Regional News & Views

Among the awards presented at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC)’s 2012 State of the Region Luncheon was the William C. Habig Collaborative Achievement award, honoring an individual or individuals who have achieved an effective effort or innovative collaborative in central Ohio.

Cleve Ricksecker with MORPC Officers Matt Greeson, Marilyn Brown and Eric Phillips

This year the award went to Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvements Districts. Under the direction of Cleve Ricksecker, the two organizations collaborate with more than 750 property owners in downtown Columbus for improvements to the area.  We recently sat down with Cleve to find out more about the SIDs and how collaboration has helped reach their collective goals.

Q: Can you tell us about the work being done at Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvements Districts?

A: People in Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts (SIDs) have a real passion for downtown.  Downtown property owners created the SIDs in 2002 and 2007, respectively, to manage the public realm and compete better with suburban commercial centers.  Property owners wanted to manage public space in downtown the same way that common areas are managed in private shopping centers and mixed-use developments.

They raise money by asking the City of Columbus to levy assessments on all private properties within the SID boundaries.  Enlightened self interest has prompted a total of 750 property owners to pay mandatory assessments.

Q: What kinds of projects are the SIDs involved in?

A: Owners have developed a number of programs, including a supplemental safety program that is essentially a professional block watch.   Safety “ambassadors” work closely with Columbus police officers to execute a policy of strict enforcement in downtown to prevent crime and disorder.  The SIDs also employ an outreach specialist to connect street people with services and housing.

One of the best deterrents to crime is a clean and orderly environment.   Capital Crossroads SID controls litter, weeds, and first-floor graffiti.   It washes public sidewalks and fixtures, and maintains pole-mounted flowers and traffic islands on Gay Street.  The SID is apparently effective because a visitor from New York City once described downtown as “unnaturally clean”.

The SIDs have created an incentive for development by making downtown clean and safe.  An orderly environment has especially helped stimulate new housing units by more than 20 different developers.

Q: What can you tell us about the importance of collaboration in your projects?

A: Collaboration is essential to maintaining healthy, urban neighborhoods.   No single property is an island.

Columbus neighborhoods that successfully empower many people to actively collaborate, invest, and take responsibility for the public realm do well, including German Village and the Short North, to name two.  Given the level of collaboration in downtown, its prospects are bright.

Congratulations to the Capital Crossroads and Discovery Special Improvement Districts as well as all of our nominees of the William C. Habig Collaborative Achievement award. Bringing people together to focus on shared success is neither easy nor simple. Yet they have created examples that we can all learn from to see that you truly can get farther ahead when working together.

Today’s metropolitan areas contain not one but several political jurisdictions.  Communities in a given region are connected in many ways, through transportation planning, land use, economic goals and more.  Communities also share many challenges, such as budget cuts and limited funding.  Today more than ever, a regional approach is essential in working toward economic vitality for every community.  Through collaboration, communities may prosper individually and together as a region.

The Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) has been a regional voice for the region since 1969, and continues to endeavor towards securing a competitive advantage for the central Ohio region.  We consist of 47 member governments that together address the issues and challenges facing the region.

And there are other great examples of collaboration in our region:

• The Global Report is a catalog of international assets in central Ohio created through the collaborative efforts of the Columbus Council on World Affairs, Columbus2020, Columbus Foundation, Community Research Partners, MORPC and others. The report aims to provide a greater understanding of our significant international dimensions so that we may adapt to them and ultimately leverage them.

• Columbus2020 is a regional public-private partnership that aims to leverage central Ohio’s institutions and industries for greater economic development.  Their goals include adding 150,000 net new jobs by 2020, increasing personal per capita income 30%, and adding $8 billion dollars of capital investment to the region.

• In 2010, Franklin County Metro Parks assisted the City of Columbus by taking over the Greenways Trail system, resulting in saving the city money, and an improved trail system for the public.

• The Ohio Department of Development introduced the Local Government Innovation Fund this year, making $45 million available to Ohio communities, with special consideration given to collaborative partnerships.  The program seeks to promote efficiency, collaboration, merger and shared services among local governments, and to facilitate improved business environments and promote community attraction.

• The Educational Service Center (ESC) of Central Ohio promotes shared services between the region’s school districts by forming shared purchasing consortiums or contracted services that could not be offered economically on a local basis, saving area districts thousands of dollars.

Regionalism is becoming more widely embraced every day, as communities discover that collaborating not only makes the best use of limited local government budgets, but also drives economic prosperity locally and throughout the region.

Regional News & Views was created as a community resource and will share examples of and opportunities for regionalism, collaboration and shared services in the central Ohio region and around the country. Be sure to subscribe to this blog and check back often to participate in discussions and hear from MORPC’s own experts on regionalism.