|
To make sure that the City maximizes the effective use of the Renewal
Community tax incentives, it prepared a Tax Incentive Utilization Plan and
submitted it to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development
(HUD). This Plan includes strategies for marketing the incentives, for
delivering technical assistance, and for assessing the impact of the program.
|
|
STRATEGIES:
- Get information on wage credits and other incentives to all
businesses which may be able to use them
- Simultaneously provide businesses with strategies for maximizing
sustainable job growth and livable wage opportunities
- Get information to RC workers on how wage credits add to their
value as employees
|
| TAX INCENTIVES: Wage credit |
| PROPOSED USERS: See attached list (available
at the Community & Economic Development Office) |
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- Average Annual Employment (# of jobs in the City of Burlington -
measured annually by the VT Dept. of Employment &
Training)
- Unemployment Rate (measured monthly for the City of Burlington by
the VT Dept. of Employment & Training)
- Rate of Children in Families receiving Food Stamps (measured
annually for the City of Burlington by the VT Agency of Human
Services)
- Poverty Rate (measured by U.S. Census)
- % of Workers who Live and Work in Burlington (measured by U.S.
Census)
|
| ACTION STEPS |
DATE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
| Press Conference
(1) Contact Chamber of Commerce, Burlington Business Association, Vt.
Department of Employment & Training and RC community partners
(2) Go door-to-door to businesses downtown and on North Street
(3) Contact media - articles run in Burlington Free Press and on all
three local TV stations |
1/22/02 |
# calls/inquiries received |
| Develop an RC "fact sheet" in hard copy and for
web, explaining RC tax incentives |
1/22/02 |
|
| Develop a "toolbox" fact sheet showing how RC
incentives complement existing state and local economic development
programs |
1/22/02 |
|
| Post information on CEDO website |
Beginning 1/22/02, updated regularly |
# calls/inquiries received |
| CEDO makes door-to-door visits to businesses |
Beginning 1/17/02, ongoing |
# of businesses contacted |
| Public Access TV Call-In Show
(1) Develop Q&A format
for common questions
|
1/28/02 |
# calls/inquiries received |
| Coordinate with local IRS office
(1) Stay updated on IRS national efforts to prepare educational
products for practitioners and specialized market segments, and obtain
new materials as prepared
(2) Obtain revised Publication 954 when available
(3) Stay updated on IRS national efforts to devise a referral system
for answers to technical questions
(4) Work with local office on joint training/outreach efforts |
Beginning 1/02, ongoing |
|
| City Council Presentation (televised) |
2/4/02 |
# calls/inquiries received |
| Press Release |
2/13/02 |
# calls/inquiries received |
| First Workshop
(1) Get a tax lawyer and a CPA to volunteer as presenters
(2) Create mailing list:
- Cross-reference business addresses from mailing lists of
- Chamber of Commerce
- Greater Burlington Industrial Corporation (GBIC)
- Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR)
- Burlington Business Association (BBA)
- Vt. Department of Employment & Training (DET)
- Prepare mailing list of 616 regional attorneys, working with local
tax lawyer
- Get Vt. Association of CPA's to distribute on its internal mail
list
- Add local real estate brokers to mail list
- Get additional business addresses from employment agencies and
headhunters
- Check list against Manufacturers Directory and phone book
- Add business technical assistance providers (SBA, SCORE, Women's
Small Business Program, etc.)
- Develop additional list of local merchants, working with Church
Street Marketplace
(3) Invite IRS and HUD representatives and RC community partners
(4) Gather materials (fact sheets, tax guides, etc.) and develop
Powerpoint presentation for workshop
(5) Develop and have poster distributor post around 100 posters
(6) Prepare flyers and mail 1,050 flyers summarizing RC tax
incentives and announcing workshop
(7) Chamber, GBIC, DET, BBA, Church Street Marketplace and local HUD
office distribute flyers at their offices
(8) Door-to-door canvassing to almost all Old North End businesses
(9) Radio interview with WKDR (2/15/02)
(10) Display advertisements placed in Sunday Burlington Free Press
and Business Monday and in Seven Days
(11) Send press release out to media and business associations
(12) Second mailing of around 75 flyers to downtown merchants
(13) Coordinate presentation of:
- Information on other programs/tax incentives
- Possible uses of savings, including livable jobs strategies as
developed by Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility
|
2/22/02 |
# attendees |
| Second Public Access TV show |
3/6/02 |
|
| Articles in business newsletters |
|
|
- Burlington Business Association
|
2nd Quarter 2002 |
|
|
|
4/02 |
|
- Association of General Contractors of VT
|
5/02 |
|
- Chamber of Commerce and others
|
TBD |
|
| Talk at meetings of various trade groups and other
organizations |
|
|
- Burlington Business Association
|
3/28/02 |
|
- Advisory Board for VT Dept. of Employment & Training's
Community Resource Center
|
5/13/02 |
|
|
|
10/02 |
|
- Real Estate Brokers Association
|
6/11/02 |
|
- Chamber of Commerce and others
|
TBD |
|
| Talk to residents at Neighborhood Planning Assembly
meetings, some of which are televised |
|
|
|
|
3/20/02 |
|
|
|
3/21/02 |
|
|
|
4/11/02 |
|
|
|
4/24/02 |
|
|
|
6/18/02 |
|
| Train AmeriCorps*VISTAs on RC benefits so they can share
information with the nonprofits where they're placed (including RC
community partners and other technical assistance providers) and the
clients / RC workers those nonprofits serve |
3-6/02 |
|
| Develop list of questions from businesses, accountants and
lawyers, and submit them to the IRS and HUD; share answers via mailing
list and web site |
3-5/02 |
|
| Participate in HUD conference calls and attend HUD
workshop in Washington DC to learn about additional outreach strategies |
3-5/02 |
|
| Mayor discusses Renewal Community in televised "State
of the City" address |
4/1/02 |
|
| Broadcast video of first workshop on public access TV |
4/02 |
|
| Second workshop
(1) Prepare mailing list of construction companies who have/may have
projects in the RC by working with:
- Vt. Agency of Transportation's Disadvantaged Business
Enterprise list
- Directory of Manufacturers
- Building Trades
- Vermont Energy Investment Corporation
- Burlington Electric Development
(2) Visit downtown construction sites, with follow-up calls and
leafletting
(3) Develop a mailing list of nonprofit and government agencies who
work with developers and businesses
(4) Press release with follow-up radio advertisements by CPA
presenter and a television story by local ABC affiliate (4/19)
(5) Develop flyer for Church Street merchants and hand distribute 300
to downtown merchants
(6) Mail 1773 flyers in advance of spring construction season
(7) Mail additional 448 flyers to VT Homebuilders Association mailing
list
(8) Association of General Contractors of VT e-mails flyers to its
members
(9) VT Society of CPAs e-mails its members
(10) VT Bankers Association e-mails its members
(11) Display advertisements placed in Sunday Burlington Free Press
and Business Monday and in Seven Days
(12) VT Dept. of Economic Development posts workshop notice posted on
the Calendar of Events at "Think Vermont," its web site
(13) Flyers displayed at the Burlington office of the VT Dept. of
Employment & Training, the Chamber of Commerce and the Greater
Burlington Industrial Corporation
(14) Hold workshop with CPA and tax attorney as presenter
(15) Provide free Livable Jobs Toolkits with explanatory information
at the workshop |
4/30 |
# of attendees |
| Identify and contact central business offices of national
/ regional chains with branch offices / stores in the RC |
4/02 |
|
| Develop RC brochure and distribute, including to RC
community partners |
4/02 |
|
| Third workshop
(1) Develop special flyers for construction industry, for retailers
and other businesses, and for lawyers, accountants, government/nonprofit
agencies and brokers
(2) Hire poster distributor to post posters in the RC area
(3) Focus presentation on wage credits and on livable jobs strategies
for using savings
(4) Hold workshop |
5/24 |
# of attendees |
| Survey workshop attendees re. use of incentives |
7/02 |
|
| Coordinate with Burlington Electric Department energy
efficiency technical assistance providers so that they include
information on RC tax incentives when they work with local businesses |
Beginning 6/02, ongoing |
# of businesses contacted |
| Send annual information to businesses with municipal water
department mailing billings to commercial accounts |
Beginning 2003, ongoing |
# of businesses contacted |
| Run ads (newspaper and/or radio) and do annual public
access TV show on tax incentives each tax season |
Beginning 2003, ongoing |
|
| Do periodic postering and leafleting in RC area |
Beginning 2003, ongoing |
|
| Contact (by mail and/or door-to-door visits) all
businesses in the RC annually to ask about use of the wage credits |
Beginning 2003, ongoing |
|
STRATEGIES:
- Identify current projects and potential sites for
development/redevelopment in the RC
- Simplify permitting process
- Get information on potential tax incentives to all developers that
may be able to use them
- Allocate maximum possible annual deductions
|
| TAX INCENTIVES: Commercial Revitalization
Deduction, brownfields deduction |
| PROPOSED USERS: Identified in the table
below. |
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- Increased property tax base (as measured by the City Assessor's
Office)
- # of square feet of long-term vacant upper story commercial
space (as measured by the Community & Economic Development
Office)
- # of redeveloped brownfields (as tracked by the Community &
Economic Development Office)
|
|
ACTION STEPS
|
DATE |
OUTPUT MEASURE
|
|
State designates Commercial Revitalization Agency |
5/02 |
|
|
CEDO prepares Allocation Plan for Commercial
Revitalization Deductions
(1) Review statutory elements and local plans and
policies (i.e., Consolidated Plan, Municipal Development Plan, Tax
Increment Financing Guidelines, Burlington Revolving Loan Program
Guidelines) to develop criteria
(2) Get information from other communities at HUD
seminar
(3) Get community input at public meetings
(4) Get input from developers, lawyers, accountants, and
brokers
(5) Publish plan on website and run newspaper notice for
public comment
(6) Do presentation to City Council
(7) Hold public hearing and get approval from City
Council |
3-6/02 |
Plan meets City objectives and is consumer-friendly |
|
Hold meeting of state and local government employees to
review Renewal Community initiative and to review state and local
permitting processes, including Technical Review Board and parking
waivers |
5-6/02 |
Identify ways to reduce duplicative processes and/or
to better communicate with the public |
|
Get information on tax incentives to developers
(1) Review current development projects (in
permitting/construction process) for potential use of deductions,
especially projects from Enterprise Community strategic plan
-
Downtown supermarket opening this year
-
Aging downtown mall currently under renovation
-
Waterfront commercial development with permitting
complete
(2) Identify additional potential sites
-
Howard Bank site
-
New hotel
-
Bove's Mixed Use Project
-
Merchant's Bank Building on College St.
-
Others TBD (especially in-fill sites)
(3) Review permits for all projects in the Renewal
Community and contact permittees re. CRD
(4) Meet with developers, businesses, accountants,
architects and
lawyers
-
Include information on wage credits vis-a-vis
construction costs and tenant businesses
-
Have information available from Allen & Cable
report on commercial real estate vacancy rates, current and
projected local commercial rental rates and other significant facts
and trends
-
Include information on Designated Downtown
incentives
-
Include information on Brownfields tax incentives
and redevelopment assistance (including payment of assessment costs
and liability limitations)
-
Identify potential Vermont Economic Progress Council
project applications
|
Beginning 4/02 and then ongoing |
Allocate maximum deduction amount annually |
|
Develop outreach materials
(1) Develop/obtain from HUD brochure specifically on CRD
(2) Obtain from HUD and/or develop case studies for
development/redevelopment of properties comparing costs with use of
incentives and without
(3)Work with local IRS office to obtain updated IRS
materials and information on referral system for technical questions |
5-6/02 |
|
|
Hold workshop to discuss Allocation Plan, application
process, and ancillary benefits of other available tax incentives
(1) Include Planning & Zoning officials to discuss
permitting process |
7/02 and 9/02 |
Allocate maximum deduction amount annually |
|
Do a Public Access TV Show on the CRD |
7/02 and then annually each January/February |
Allocate maximum deduction amount annually |
|
Measure assessed property values/tax base |
Annually |
Increase in tax base |
|
|
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- Average Annual Employment (# of jobs in the City of Burlington -
measured annually by the VT Dept. of Employment &
Training)
- Unemployment Rate (measured monthly for the City of Burlington by
the VT Dept. of Employment & Training)
- Rate of Children in Families receiving Food Stamps (measured
annually for the City of Burlington by the VT Agency of Human
Services)
- Poverty Rate (measured by U.S. Census)
- # and % of Households receiving Public Assistance (measured by
U.S. Census)
|
|
ACTION STEPS: |
TIMETABLE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
| City of Burlington repeals its personal property tax for
microbusinesses |
Beginning 1995, ongoing |
|
| State of Vermont, through the Vermont Economic Progress
Council, makes economic advancement tax incentives (including sales
and use tax exemptions, payroll tax credits, research and development
tax credits, workforce development tax credits, export tax credits and
small business investment tax credits) available to businesses in the
nominated area |
Beginning 1998, ongoing |
# businesses making use of
incentives, measured by the Vermont Economic Progress Council |
| State of Vermont awards Designated Downtown status to a
portion of the nominated area, providing state income tax credits and
incentives (including credits for rehabilitating buildings built
before 1983, for certified rehabilitation of historic structures, and
for employee training) |
Beginning 1998, ongoing |
# businesses making use of incentives,
measured by the Vermont Dept. of Housing & Community Affairs |
| State of Vermont, through the Educational Equity Act
(Act 60) limits school property taxes to no more than 2.5% of gross
household income for families earning less than $75,000 a year |
Beginning 1998, ongoing |
|
| State of Vermont approves an expansion of the Designated
Downtown area in the City of Burlington |
2001 |
# businesses making use of incentives,
measured by the Vermont Dept. of Housing & Community Affairs |
|
|
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- # of reported Part 1 (felony) and Part 2 (misdemeanors, etc.)
crimes, as tracked by the Burlington Police Department
- # of calls for police assistance and arrest rate, as tracked by
the Burlington Police Department
|
|
ACTION STEPS: |
TIMETABLE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
| City of Burlington, area nonprofits, Burlington Police
Department and neighborhood residents implement the Public Safety
Project, organizing neighborhood associations/block groups |
Beginning 1995, ongoing |
# of active neighborhood associations/block
groups in the Renewal Community, as tracked by the Community &
Economic Development Office |
| City of Burlington institutes department-wide
Community-Based Policing |
Beginning 1997, ongoing |
# of reported Part 1 (felony) and Part 2
(misdemeanors, etc.) crimes, as tracked by the Burlington Police
Department
# of calls for police assistance and arrest rate, as tracked by the
Burlington Police Department |
| City of Burlington opens a Community Justice Center, where
residents apply restorative justice principles |
Beginning 1998, ongoing |
# of cases, as tracked by the Community
Justice Center |
| City of Burlington enacts a Vacant Buildings ordinance
requiring owners of buildings that will stand vacant for more than 90
days to register the building, have it inspected, obtain a 90-day permit
at a cost of $500, and maintain the building up to established
maintenance standards |
Beginning 1999, ongoing |
# of vacant buildings in the Renewal
Community, tracked by the Office of Code Enforcement |
| City of Burlington institutes an department-level Office
of Code Enforcement and expands its staff, addressing chronic
neighborhood problems |
Beginning 1999, ongoing |
# of annual inspections (routine and
complaint-based), measured by the Code Enforcement Office |
| Burlington Police Department creates and implements the
Old North End Crime & Disorder Reduction Plan, resulting in a 27%
decrease in calls for service and a 128% increase in arrests |
Beginning 2000, ongoing |
# of reported Part 1 (felony) and Part 2
(misdemeanors, etc.) crimes, as tracked by the Burlington Police
Department
# of calls for police assistance and arrest rate, as tracked by the
Burlington Police Department |
| The Vermont Department of Corrections, the City of
Burlington and community groups create and implement a Re-entry
Partnership Initiative to support offenders, focused on the Old North
End |
Beginning 2003, ongoing |
# of offenders supported |
| The Community Justice Center, the Vermont Department of
Corrections and community groups create and implement the Victims
Assistance Project, providing assistance to victims of crime |
Beginning 2000, ongoing |
# of victims assisted, as measured by the
Community Justice Center |
| City of Burlington coordinates code enforcement across
departmental lines |
Beginning 2001, ongoing |
|
| The Re-entry Partnership Initiative opens a storefront in
the Old North End to provide re-entry support to offenders |
Beginning 11/02, ongoing |
# of offenders supported |
|
|
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- Increased property tax base, as measured by the City Assessor's
Office
- # of square feet of long-term vacant upper story commercial space,
as measured by the City's Community & Economic Development
Office
- # of redeveloped brownfields, as measured by the City's Community
& Economic Development Office
|
|
ACTION STEPS: |
TIMETABLE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
|
Density Bonuses |
|
|
| City of Burlington amends its zoning ordinance to allow
for higher residential density in the downtown area. In addition, a
discreet number of neighborhood commercial uses are now permitted in a
portion of the residential high density zoning district. |
2002
|
# of new housing units, as tracked by Dept.
of Planning & Zoning permits |
|
Comprehensive or one-stop permits |
|
|
| City of Burlington replaces review by the Burlington
Planning Commission and the Zoning Board of Adjustment with review by a
single Development Review Board |
6/00 |
# of new commercial/industrial projects in
the RC, as tracked by the Dept. of Planning & Zoning |
| City of Burlington maintains a Technical Review Committee,
with multi-department review of a single application for purposes of
streamlining the local permitting process |
Ongoing |
# of new commercial/industrial projects in
the RC, as tracked by the Dept. of Planning & Zoning |
|
Variance and Exception policies |
|
|
| City of Burlington changes the zoning for North Street,
making a number of types of neighborhood-oriented businesses permitted
rather than conditional uses |
2001 |
# of businesses in the North Street
Commercial District, as measured by the Community & Economic
Development Office |
| City of Burlington permits parking waivers of up to 50%
with an approved transportation management plan (up to 100% for downtown
first floor retail) |
Ongoing |
# of new commercial/industrial projects in
the RC, as tracked by the Dept. of Planning & Zoning |
|
Voluntary environmental compliance program |
|
|
| Vermont Legislature enacts Redevelopment of Contaminated
Properties Program, limiting the liability of property owners/operators
to the state for clean-up costs |
Beginning 1995, ongoing |
# of redeveloped brownfield sites in the
Renewal Community, tracked by the Community & Economic Development
Office |
| City of Burlington implements a Brownfields program to
help property owners assess environmental risks and find resources for
redevelopment of brownfield sites |
Beginning 1996, ongoing |
# of redeveloped brownfield sites in the
Renewal Community, tracked by the Community & Economic Development
Office |
| State of Vermont establishes a revolving loan fund to help
applicant with the assessment and remediation of contaminated properties |
2002 |
# of redeveloped brownfield sites in the
Renewal Community, tracked by the Community & Economic Development
Office |
|
|
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- # of local training programs for residents, as measured by
community partners listed below
- # of programs providing financial and technical assistance to
businesses, as measured by community partners listed below
|
|
ACTION STEPS: |
TIMETABLE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
|
Technical Assistance and Job Training |
|
|
| Women's Small Business Program provides entrepreneurial
training and technical assistance (including the Women's Small Business
Center) to local businesses and job retention training to Renewal
Community residents (including welfare-to-work clients) |
Ongoing, as funding allows |
# of local training programs for residents |
| ReCycle North provides job training, work experience and
job placement for disadvantaged Renewal Community residents in the areas
of computer reuse, retail management, appliance repair, electronics,
deconstruction and office administration |
Ongoing, as funding allows |
# of local training programs for residents |
| Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility provides
technical assistance and training to Renewal Community businesses on
livable wage jobs |
Ongoing |
# of programs providing financial and technical assistance to
businesses |
| YouthBuild Burlington provides construction trade and life
skills training and experience to residents aged 16-24 in the Renewal
Community |
| # of local training programs for residents |
| Old North End Technology Center/CyberSkills Vermont
provides computer skills training to residents and local businesses in
the Renewal Community |
Ongoing, as funding allows |
# of local training programs for residents |
| The Vermont Energy Investment Corporation provides energy
efficiency assessments and technical assistance to businesses in the
Renewal Community through its Climate Wise program |
Ongoing |
# of programs providing financial and technical assistance to
businesses |
| The Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce, through
the Linking Learning to Life program, provides employment and work
experience opportunities to youth in the Renewal Community |
Ongoing, as funding allows |
# of local training programs for residents |
| AmeriCorps*VISTA members support nonprofit economic
development efforts through capacity building, outreach and new program
development |
Ongoing, as funding allows |
# of programs supported with A*VISTAs, as
tracked by the Community & Economic Development Office |
|
Jobs |
|
|
| The Onion River Coop will provide 30 livable wage jobs at
its new Central Market |
Beginning February 2002 |
# of jobs |
|
Financial assistance |
|
|
| The Vermont Development Credit Union provides affordable
mortgage, home improvement, business and loans and a full range of
financial services to residents and businesses in the Renewal Community |
Ongoing |
# of programs providing financial and technical assistance to
businesses |
| The Vermont Community Loan Fund provides loans and equity
funding to businesses and financing for affordable housing and community
facilities in the Renewal Community |
Ongoing |
# of programs providing financial and technical assistance to
businesses |
| The University of Vermont, through its Community Outreach
Partnership Center, explores ways to restructure its hiring and
purchasing policies to increase employment and purchasing opportunities
for residents and businesses in the Renewal Community and adds training
for employees speaking English as an other language |
1999 - 2002 |
# of local training programs for residents
# of programs providing financial and technical assistance to
businesses |
| Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce works with the
City of Burlington on economic development projects in the Renewal
Community such as the proposed MultiModal Transportation Center |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- # of home-based businesses, as tracked by the City's Department of
Planning & Zoning
|
|
ACTION STEPS: |
TIMETABLE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
| The City of Burlington's zoning ordinance allows for
administrative approval of home businesses in mixed use areas of the
Renewal Community (including the area along North Street, in the
Archibald St./N. Winooski Ave./Riverside Ave. triangle area, and from
Pearl Street west of S. Winooski Ave. south to Main St.) subject to
meeting 11 criteria minimizing public nuisance |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- # of farmers actively farming within the City, as tracked by the
Intervale Foundation
|
|
ACTION STEPS: |
TIMETABLE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
| Farmers need no permit to peddle their produce in the
Renewal Community |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- # of licensed child care centers and registered home day care
providers, as tracked by the local child care resource and referral
agency and the Vermont Child Care Bureau
|
|
ACTION STEPS: |
TIMETABLE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
| Home-based daycare for 6 children or less is a permitted
use in all areas of the Renewal Community except those areas set aside
for recreational/conservation/open space uses (the Intervale and certain
waterfront areas) |
Ongoing |
|
| The City will actively market the Renewal Community wage
credits and other applicable incentives to private childcare providers |
Ongoing |
|
| The City will participate in statewide discussions around
reducing the subsidy-market rate gap and other economic disincentives in
the childcare market |
Ongoing |
|
| The City will support the provision of training for
providers to increase their viability and ability to provide livable
jobs |
Ongoing |
|
| The City will support the option of childcare businesses
for residents in the Family Self-Sufficiency Program |
Ongoing |
|
|
|
OVERALL MEASURES OF EFFECTIVENESS:
- # of licensed taxicabs and vehicles for hire, as tracked by the
Clerk/Treasurer's Office
- # of licensed trash haulers, as tracked by the
Clerk/Treasurer's Office
|
|
ACTION STEPS: |
TIMETABLE |
OUTPUT MEASURE |
| There are no franchise restrictions on trash hauling in
the Renewal Community |
Ongoing |
|
| There are no franchise restrictions on taxicabs and other
vehicles for hire (including jitneys) in the Renewal Community |
Ongoing |
|
Page last updated December 10,
2002
|
