ULI COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DAY
Date and Time: April 19, 2012 8:30 AM -2:00 PM
Location: THEARC, 1901 Mississippi Ave, SE, Washington, DC (directions attached)
AGENDA
8:30 - 8:45
Icebreaker: Two Truths and a Lie about East of the River (see
homework assignment)
8:45 - 9:15
What is Community Development?
Eileen Fitzgerald, CEO of Neighborworks America
9:15-10:00
Community Development in Anacostia
Chris Smith, Chairman and CEO, William C. Smith & Company
10:00-10:30 Tour THEARC
10:30-10:45 Break
10:45-12:00 East Baltimore Development Initiative
Scott Levitan, Senior Vice President, Forest City
12:00-1:00
Lunch
1:00-2:00
Panel on Uses of Technology in Community Development
David Alpert, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater
Washington on blogging
Evan Goldman, Vice President of Development, Federal Realty
Investment Trust on the social media outreach campaign for White
Flint’s redevelopment planning
Daniel Miller, Principal of WestMill Capital on the use of Popularise, an
online crowd-sourcing platform focused on local development
HOMEWORK FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DAY
Icebreaker: Two Truths and a Lie about East of the River
On April 19, the group will organize itself into sub-groups of about ten people. Each member
of a sub-group should be prepared to share three statements about East of the River, two of
which will be true and one false. The statements could address any topic: development
demographics, community, history, etc. The sub-group votes on which statement they feel is
a lie, and at the end of each round, the person reveals what is true and what was false. The
next person offers three statements, and the exercise continues until the fifteen minutes
allotted for the icebreaker is spent.
Homework: Each member will do research to come up with two true statements and call on
their imaginations to come up with one false statement.
Community Development Readings
Homework: Peruse some or all of the links and book listed below below to get context for
community development historically and background on the topics on our community
development agenda.
History/Overview of Community Development
Life and Death of American Cities, Jane Jacobs
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_development
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Jacobs
Background on April 19 Agenda Topics
Neighborworks America
http://www.nw.org/network
Anacostia
http://www.thearcdc.org/
http://www.anacostiacdc.com
http://www.washingtonian.com/articles/people/2006-washingtonians-of-the-year-william-csmith/#.T3zPFXbokk8.email
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-dc-a-push-for-better-restaurants-east-of-the-anacostiariver/2012/02/16/gIQAXaE9NR_story.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/real-estate/neighborhoods/Anacostia,DC-neighborhood-details.html
East Baltimore
http://www.ebdi.org
http://www.eastbaltimorerevitalization.org
Social Media
http://greatergreaterwashington.org
https://popularise.com
SPEAKER RESUMES
Eileen Fitzgerald
Chief Executive Officer, NeighborWorks America
Eileen Fitzgerald oversees the provision of technical assistance, financial assistance and
training to over 3,000 community based organizations and oversees the support of a
national network of more than 235 affordable housing and community development
organizations serving over 4,000 communities. NeighborWorks America is a public
nonprofit corporation established as the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation by an
Act of Congress in 1978. [NeighborWorks America is the organization’s trade name.]
Fitzgerald became chief executive officer June 1, 2011 and served as NeighborWorks
America’s chief operating officer since June 2005. Previously at the Fannie Mae Foundation,
she was responsible for alliance and relationship management with key foundation
partners as a senior director of National Initiatives. Fitzgerald has also served as the acting
executive director and vice president of program operations at the McAuley Institute, a
national nonprofit intermediary committed to improving the housing conditions of women
and families through community-based efforts. She also served as the chief investment
officer for single-family finance at the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust, a multi-billion
dollar investment company, which includes assets from hundreds of pension funds. There,
she was responsible for the development and rollout of HIT HOME, a home mortgage
program for union members. From 1994 to 2000, Fitzgerald served in the U.S. Department
of Agriculture’s Rural Housing Service as the associate administrator and acting
administrator, where she was responsible for management and oversight of single-family,
multi-family housing and community facilities programs. She served in both Virginia and
Maryland state governments. She is a graduate of Fordham University in New York and the
Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.
http://www.nw.org/network/index.asp
W. Christopher Smith, Jr.
Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of William C. Smith & Co.
Mr. Smith began his career with William C. Smith & Co., a Washington, DC-based
multidisciplinary real estate firm, in the construction group and worked in finance before
launching the development arm of the business in the early 1980’s. Under his direction, the
company has become a District of Columbia industry leader in the rehabilitation and
revitalization of challenged neighborhoods. While enhancing its portfolio of market rate
housing, William C. Smith & Co. has concurrently focused on developing affordable multifamily communities and commercial properties.
With a lifelong commitment to community service, Chris Smith has fostered a culture within
William C. Smith & Co. of improving the quality of life for residents of the District. The
company and its employees routinely volunteer time and resources to build playgrounds,
beautify neighborhoods, and provide recreational opportunities for DC families. In 1997,
Chris was instrumental in forming a non-profit organization, Building Bridges Across the
River, to fundraise and develop a $27 million cultural arts, recreation and education facility,
the Town Hall Education Arts & Recreation Campus (THEARC) in Southeast Washington.
THEARC was honored by the Urban Land Institute with the 2007 Award of Excellence.
Mr. Smith holds a real estate brokers license in Washington, DC, and the State of Virginia.
He sits on the board of directors for Building Bridges Across the River, City First Bank, the
Historic Charles Street Renaissance Corporation, and LISC, and he is the president of the
District of Columbia Building Industry Association. He has been honored with the
Washington Urban League’s Whitney M. Young Service Award, the Apartment and Office
Building Association’s prestigious Sidney Glassman award, the N Street Village Founder’s
Award, the Property Management Association’s highest honor (the Sussman award), and
Transwestern’s Trendsetter of the Year 2009. In 2007, Mr. Smith was named as one
of Washingtonian Magazine’s Washingtonians of the Year, and he was the subject of a
segment entitled “American Spirit” on Katie Couric’s CBS Evening News broadcast.
http://www.williamcsmith.com
Scott Levitan
Senior Vice-President and Development Director, Forest City
Scott Levitan provides oversight of Forest City’s business, market position and relationships
in the Baltimore region. This entails developing the overall strategy, marketing and project
planning efforts of the Science & Technology business. He directs the Baltimore staff on all
aspects of development at the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins.
Mr. Levitan has an extensive portfolio in large-scale, multi-use developments, specializing in
university-related research parks. Most recently he was the Executive Director of Real
Estate Development for Georgia Institute of Technology and Vice President for Real Estate
of Georgia Advanced Technology Ventures, Inc. Mr. Levitan holds a master of architecture in
urban design from Harvard University, a master of arts in conservation studies from the
University of York in York, England, and a bachelor of architecture from Louisiana State
University.
http://www.forestcityscience.net
David Alpert
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, Greater Greater Washington
David Alpert is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Greater Greater Washington. He has had
a lifelong interest in great cities and great communities. He worked as a Product Manager
for Google for six years and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco, and New York metro
areas in addition to Washington, DC. He loves the area, which is, in many ways, greater than
those others, and wants to see it become even greater.
http://greatergreaterwashington.org
Evan Goldman
Vice President – Development, Federal Realty Investment Trust
Mr. Goldman manages the redevelopment of Mid-Pike Plaza in North Bethesda, Maryland
and other redevelopment opportunities in Federal Realty’s portfolio. Mr. Goldman joined
Federal Realty in July 2008 with ten years experience in development, finance, and
architecture. Prior to joining Federal Realty, he was a Partner at the Holladay Corporation,
a mixed-use development company in Washington, DC where he began his involvement
with the White Flint Partnership. He has also worked as an Associate for Tishman Speyer
Properties and as Vice President of Design for LeRoy Adventures. Mr. Goldman holds a MBA
in Real Estate and Finance from the Wharton Business School and a Bachelor of Science in
Design and Environmental Analysis form Cornell University. He serves on both the Advisory
Board and Management Committee of the Urban Land Institute Washington.
http://www.federalrealty.com
Daniel Miller
Principal, WestMill Capital
Daniel is Principal of West Mill Capital, a real estate investment company focused on the
acquisition, financing and development of retail-entertainment and urban, mixed use
properties in Washington, D.C. It specializes in creative retail mixes authentic to the local
area.
Mr. Miller previously worked at Global Environment Fund, a $2 billion private equity fund
focused on emerging markets and clean technology, where he focused on energy efficiency
and energy management technologies. Daniel also spent time with Credit Suisse’s Real
Estate Private Fund Group, assisting in the fundraising of a $1 billion China-only real estate
fund. As Assistant Project Manager for Western Development Corporation, Daniel worked
on the acquisition and redevelopment plan of Towson Commons, a 250,000 square foot
Class A office and retail complex in Towson, Maryland. Daniel graduated with a B.S. and
M.B.A. from The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
http://www.westmillcapital.com
Directions to THEARC
Directions
Metro Green Line: Southern Avenue Station
Metro Bus Lines: 94 (Stanton Road Line) 30,32,34,35, 36 (Pennsylvania Avenue Line)
& W2,3 (Southeast Community Hospital-Anacostia Line)
Directions to THEARC from DC (Approx. 15 minutes)
From Maine Avenue/Waterfront, take 295 South, exit at Suitland Parkway, exit 3A. Follow Suitland Parkway to the first exit, Stanton Road.
Turn right. Once on Stanton Road, follow it across Alabama Avenue, to Savannah Street. Turn left on Savannah Street and follow it to 19th
Street. Turn right on 19th Street and travel down the hill, across Mississippi Avenue, directly into THEARC parking lot.
Directions to THEARC from Northern Virginia (Approx. 25 minutes)
Follow the GW Parkway to 395 North to 295 South. From 295 South, exit at Suitland Parkway, exit 3A. Follow Suitland Parkway to the first
exit, Stanton Road. Turn right. Once on Stanton Road, follow it across Alabama Avenue, to Savannah Street. Turn left on Savannah Street
and follow it to 19th Street. Turn right on 19th Street and travel down the hill, across Mississippi Avenue SE, directly into THEARC parking lot.
Directions to THEARC from Montgomery County, Maryland (Approx. 30 minutes)
Follow Massachusetts Avenue through DC, continuing as it turns into Mt.Vernon Place and then New York Avenue. Turn right on 395 South
and then take the I-295 exit toward Anacostia (south). Follow 295 South to exit 3A, Suitland Parkway. Follow Suitland Parkway to the first
exit, Stanton Road. Turn right. Once on Stanton Road, follow it across Alabama Avenue, to Savannah Street. Turn left on Savannah Street
and follow it to 19th Street. Turn right on 19th Street and travel down the hill, across Mississippi Avenue SE, directly into THEARC parking lot.
Directions to THEARC from PG County, Maryland (Approx. 20 minutes)
From Fort Washington, Maryland, head northeast on Fort Washington Road toward Livingston Road. Turn left at Indian Head Highway (MD210 N). Turn right at Southern Avenue SE, entering DC. Turn left Mississippi Avenue, SE. Turn left into THEARC parking lot.