Development Strategies’ Post

Development Strategies is excited and proud to announce the promotion of Richa Singh to Senior Associate. Richa has grown to be such a valuable leader over the past five years and has been integral to elevating the depth and quality of our analysis. She has great poise working with our clients and excels at welcoming and training our younger staff. Richa is passionate about understanding the relationship between people and their built environment. She is particularly motivated to find equitable solutions that address the complex physical, social, economic, and environment contexts of today’s cities.  She views planning, and our work at Development Strategies, as a constructive and strategic way to address imbalances in access to opportunities.  “Richa has been wonderful to work with over the past five years”, said Andy Pfister, Principal. “She has an incredible ability to navigate complex community challenges and identify core issues and solutions that are helpful to our team and clients.” Richa is based in England and holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Sushant School of Art and Architecture and a Master of Urban Planning from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.  #promotion #congratulations

We are excited to be a sponsor and exhibitor at the APA Quad-State Conference, hosted by the APA Arkansas chapter! If you are attending the conference, be sure to connect with Justin Carney, AICP. #APAQuadState

We are honored to be standing with the City of Greeley to accept the American Planning Association Colorado Chapter’s 2024 Merit Award for Planning Excellence for the “At Home in Greeley” project! “At Home in Greeley” combined a detailed housing needs assessment with a visionary area plan to help the city define its housing needs and show how the community can meet those needs through strategic redevelopment. It was completed in late 2023 and implementation has begun. Andy Pfister, AICP, client representatives Donald Threewitt, AICP and Elizabeth (Betsy) Kellums, along with other members of the team and APA-CO conference were present to receive the award. We look forward to seeing the progress as the city does the work in the coming months and years! Client: City of Greeley Team: Development Strategies, Culture Journey, WORKSHOP8

We are proud to support the Housing Authority of the Cherokee Nation by conducting the Housing Needs Assessment 2024 for the Cherokee Nation. As highlighted in the recent State of the Nation address by Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr., there is a significant funding gap in meeting the housing needs of the community. Our goal for this project is to provide comprehensive data to inform decisions that bridge this gap and ensure safe, affordable housing for all Cherokee citizens. Stay tuned for updates on our progress and findings! #affordablehousing #planning

Many of our cities need more housing, while offices sit vacant. While the idea of office conversations is simple, the implementation is deceptively challenging, and new tools are welcome. One of the first things we do at Development Strategies is to assess the buildings and location to determine the feasibility for conversion, and the likelihood of office uses in the future. This article discusses some of the challenges of balancing layered financing sources, design challenges, public requirements, and tenant needs that can complicate any conversion project. With a systematic approach, we can find projects that are suitable for conversion and that have a clear path to proceed. Article link: https://lnkd.in/eHNEACHN #InterestingRead #Office

We are excited to announce Jenny Connelly-Bowen, MPPA's promotion to Senior Associate at Development Strategies! Jenny joined our team in the Fall of 2022 and instantly made an impact on our team and projects. Jenny’s thoughtful attention to detail and her compassionate communication with staff, clients and the communities we serve are just some of the attributes we value in her leadership. As a member of our senior leadership team, Jenny will be managing many of our largest and most complex projects and helping us advance several strategic initiatives, including continuous improvement in project management and evolving our community engagement efforts. “Jenny is a natural leader. It’s evident to anybody who has known her for more than 5 minutes, and we’re so thankful for how she is able to guide our team,” said Matt Wetli, Principal. “What is equally impressive is her ability to learn and master new subjects and skills. She can truly do anything she puts her mind to and has an extremely high ceiling. It’s fun to witness!” “One of the things we admire about Jenny’s leadership style is her ability to mobilize everyone in the room and make space for everyone to contribute and feel heard. She actively listens to everyone and does so in service of collaboration and action—she gets to the heart of the matter, helps everyone understand their roles, and empowers them to act,” said Justin Carney, Principal. Jenny works in the St. Louis office and holds a bachelor’s degree in English from Beloit College and a master's degree in public policy administration from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. She also obtained a Chancellor’s Certificate in Economic Development from the University of Missouri – St. Louis. #promotion #congratulations

The Lansing City Council accepted $40 million in state funding this Spring in support of the $228 million New Vision Landing development project in Downtown Landing. The project will include the construction of three mixed use buildings, and one third of the 450 new residential units will have rent caps at 120% the median income. This project will increase the supply of housing in direct proximity to jobs and transit, increase the diversity of housing options available, and provide units that are more attainably priced than the current market rate. These outcomes all align with the strategies identified in the "Housing Drives" Assessment and Strategy for the Lansing Tri-County area, and we're excited to see big moves like this toward achieving the community's housing goals. Learn more about the "Housing Drives" plan: https://lnkd.in/gqvWNCkX #Implementation #Planning #Lansing

This story highlights how compounding challenges for existing homeowners are also impacting first-time buyers, and how one household’s housing choices have ripple effects on other parts of the housing market. When we help communities create a strategy for housing, we examine not only the unique housing needs of different demographics, but also the connections between different market segments and the housing they seek. There is a lot of conversation about helping people get into their first home, but a holistic housing strategy also considers how households can progress to new housing as their life needs evolve. #InterestingRead #Housing Free article link: https://archive.is/X0mPg

Over 75 people in Blacksburg, VA came out to talk to us about Toms Creek Basin a few weeks ago, and wow, did we learn a lot! We love getting to share our research and ideas and discuss them with community members in real time. The questions and insights we gathered will shape our next steps: building out several concrete scenarios that we’ll bring back to review with the Blacksburg community in the fall. We’re excited to continue our conversations about how to balance local needs for workforce housing, recreation, and jobs with care for infrastructure, open space, and the environment in Toms Creek Basin. #OurTCB Project Link: https://lnkd.in/eScsQPXR  Client: Town of Blacksburg Sub-Consultants: Camiros, Ltd., SeamonWhiteside

We’re excited to see new jobs coming to Topeka, new people Downtown, and new life for several buildings on Kansas Avenue as a result of this multimillion-dollar innovation campus! In the Topeka Downtown Market Strategy, Development Strategies highlighted the potential for repositioning historic properties to create a unique employment environment. This innovation campus will also have spillover benefits for the rest of the downtown, as employees support local retail, restaurants, and street life. Learn more about the Downtown Market Strategy here: https://lnkd.in/gvpD_hx7 #Topeka #Downtown #Implementation