Operation NoVacancy: helps spur reinvestment in distressed commercial and industrial corridors.

• Author: Surratt, Andrea
• Position: Conference notes

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

This article is based on the case study application the City of Hickory, North Carolina, submitted to the Alliance for Innovation for its May 2009 Transforming Local Government conference. The Alliance for Innovation is a networking association for cities and counties that are committed to innovation and transforming local government. For more information on the alliance, go to http://www.transformgov.org/.

The changing nature of industrial and commercial development has led to disinvestment in certain areas of Hickory, North Carolina. In response, the city recently undertook a program called Operation NoVacancy, an economic development initiative that aims to attract reinvestment in distressed commercial and industrial corridors. An innovative vacant building inventory tool and grant program, Operation NoVacancy encourages new and existing businesses to locate in vacant and underused buildings within six target redevelopment zones.

The program got underway in 2007, when the fire and planning departments asked a management intern to develop an inventory of all the vacant commercial and industrial buildings in Hickory (population 41,000). After reviewing a memo and map of the vacant buildings' locations, the City Council initiated Operation NoVacancy in February 2008. During an open comment session, one council member--a staunch supporter of redevelopment efforts in the central city area--focused the discussion on the fact that the city had more than one million square feet in vacant space available, cluttering the landscape and providing a reminder of Hickory's changing economy. The city has experienced a major shift in its economy, having lost more than 29,000 manufacturing jobs between 2000 and 2007. In 2000, manufacturing jobs made more than 42 percent of jobs in the region; in 2007, only 31 percent of jobs were in manufacturing. One alderwoman suggested that staff develop a grant program and provide incentives for major employers to retain employees or expand their business and to think creatively to address this problem.

In response to this discussion, city staff formed the Redevelopment Committee, which included representatives from the city manager's office and the planning, fire, community, economic development, public services, and Catawba County building services departments. The committee's major work focused on five areas:

* enhancing the vacant building inventory that was developed in 2007

* designating a commercial revitalization area

* creating a vacant building revitalization grant program

* unifying existing redevelopment programs

* reaching out to stakeholders

The makeup of the committee enabled divisions, sectors, and jurisdictions to cross typical boundaries and share information toward a common purpose. As simple as it may sound, the ability to come together in this way was the key to developing an innovative program and achieving a common goal.

VACANT BUILDING INVENTORY

The Fire Department historically tracked which buildings were vacant within the city, for fire prevention purposes. The intern assigned to the inventory project started out by enhancing the fire department's listing, which contained only a building's address and whether or not it was vacant. The intern added property information such as building square footage, ceiling heights, zoning information, photos, realtor information, historic designation, etc. (See Exhibits 1, 2, and 3 for screen captures of information available on the Web site.) The intern visited each property to take photos and obtain real estate contact information. Much of the information on building square footage came from the county assessment reports, which are available online, and information about sprinkler systems was on file with the Fire Prevention...