Program
Speakers and sessions will explore the journey of sustainability, improvement and anticipation – where we started, how we grew and where we are going as planners and community champions. Because, if we don’t learn from the past, we can’t prepare for the future.
Click the titles below for information. More details will be posted as they become available.
Program Key:
Mobile Workshops | Sessions | Special Events |
October 2, 2019
7:30AM - 9:00AM
Conference Registration + Networking Breakfast
Center Street B
October 2, 2019
8:15AM - 4:30PM
Mobile Workshop
Shrink or Swim? Akron's Bold Plan for Growth
Departs from Center Street B
The prevailing narrative about how to fix struggling Rust Belt cities has revolved around “Shrinking Cities” and “Smart Decline” – theories that argue for restructuring, retrenchment and relocation to better serve ever-smaller populations. Akron is rejecting these notions. Instead, they are focusing on how to grow the city and build on its assets. This mobile workshop will discuss the plans, policies, relationships and partnerships working in collaboration to achieve this bold goal of growth in the face of systemic decline. The day kicks off with a panel discussion hosted by the Downtown Akron Partnership. A walking tour of Downtown Akron highlights the Main Street Promenade, new residential development, small-scale interventions such as the activation of Lock 4 and a zen-inspired street mural on Northside Green, and the new start up incubator and urban market, Northside Marketplace. Second stop: the Middlebury neighborhood. Learn about the multifaceted efforts of the Well CDC and take a caffeine break at Compass Coffee, which has become a bustling new hub for the neighborhood. The final stop will be the Kenmore neighborhood, where the Kenmore Neighborhood Alliance has tapped into the local music and arts scene to breathe life back into Kenmore Boulevard. Highlights include Akron’s first protected bike lane, the Live Music Now! venue, more coffee and the revamped Rialto Theater.
Workshop departs from and returns to the Hilton.
Cost | $90 (includes breakfast + lunch)
Travel Type | Bus + Walking
Speakers
Andrew Overbeck, AICP
Andrew Overbeck, AICP, Principal, MKSK takes a collaborative approach to developing effective plans that address complex urban issues and identify catalytic projects. Andrew has more than 13 years of experience working in cities on award-winning downtown plans and public realm improvements with a focus on economic development, sustainability, and connectivity. His experience also includes transformational municipal planning, long-range planning, urban design, streetscape, alternative transportation, urban parks, and campus master plan projects. Andrew has led downtown, district, and neighborhood plans for Toledo, Akron, Columbus, and Louisville. Matching his strong background in research, writing, and graphic design with his ability to facilitate public discussion and discourse, Andrew is able to effectively communicate and build consensus for solutions that enhance and invigorate cities and neighborhoods. Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Earlham College and a Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and is a Certified Planner.
Jason Segedy, AICP
Jason Segedy is director of planning and urban development for the City of Akron, Ohio. Segedy has worked in the urban-planning field for the past 22 years, and is an avid writer on urban development issues, blogging at Notes from the Underground. A lifelong resident of Akron’s west side, Jason is committed to the city, its people, and its neighborhoods. His passion is creating great places and spaces where Akronites can live, work, and play.
Suzie Graham
Suzie serves as President and CEO of Downtown Akron Partnership, a non-profit dedicated to building the vibrancy and value of the center city Special Improvement District. She mobilizes positive partnerships and oversees the design and implementation of programs and services to anticipate and address the needs of the neighborhood and improve its vitality. Her work centers on the vibrancy of the urban core and the importance of downtown as a key indicator of the health of the city. She facilitates efforts to enhance and promote downtown as an economic driver, hub for arts and culture, guardian of social equity, community gathering space and keeper of the city's sense of place. She works closely with government, corporate, education, non-profit, human services and small business stakeholders to assist their efforts, improve their experience and build the community. An Akron native, Suzie is honored to serve on the board of directors for Akron Roundtable and Development Finance Authority of Summit County. She is a graduate of Leadership Akron Class 29, and a 2015 Presidio Institute Cross Sector Leadership Fellow. She is a recipient of the 2012 GAR Glass Half Full Award and the 2017 Margaret Clark Morgan Impact Award for Community Leadership.
Kyle Kutuchief
Kyle Kutuchief is Akron program director for the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation in May 2015. The foundation invests in journalism, the arts and the success of cities where its founders once published newspapers. To help move the city towards stabilization and growth, Knight invests in public life and the public realm to attract and engage new residents, with a focus on downtown Akron and surrounding neighborhoods. Akron is also part of Reimagining the Civic Commons, a Knight-supported national initiative that seeks to counteract economic and social fragmentation by revitalizing and connecting public spaces. Kutuchief earned his Bachelor of Arts in political science from The Ohio State University and a Master of Public Administration from The University of Akron.
October 2, 2019
9:00AM - 4:30PM
Professional Development Workshop
Simpler and Better: A “Lean” Approach to Urban Planning
Center Street A
Communities are increasingly looking for creative ways to cost-effectively serve residents and businesses and attract new investment. To do this, many local governments are turning to Lean Six Sigma, a process improvement approach that has been used in private industry for decades to reduce waste, ensure profitability, and provide a superior customer experience. In this interactive workshop, attendees from the public sector, private sector and anything in between will learn how they can use basic Lean Six Sigma tools to identify and initiate process improvement projects to reduce costs and improve efficiency, while and implementing meaningful, customer focused change in the communities they serve.
Cost | $90 (includes breakfast and lunch)
*Please note the Professional Development Workshop is an additional charge and is not included with conference registration.
Speakers
Tracy Owens
Tracy Owens is a business transformation leader who has driven his employers and client organizations to achieve near-term objectives and better long-term results through innovation and quality management. As an ASQ Certified Quality Engineer and Certified Manager of Quality and Organizational Excellence, he has strengthened operational capability and process improvement expertise among all the teams he has supported since 1998. His book Six Sigma Green Belt, Round 2 was published by Quality Press in 2011 and serves as a guide for successful improvement project execution. As a founding member of ASQ’s Innovation Division, Tracy has promoted a growing body of knowledge on innovation management and brought his audiences a strong message about innovation as a process and not just a creative spark. He is co-author of The Executive Guide to Innovation, which was published in 2013. Tracy holds a Master's Degree in International Business from Seattle University and he was elected to the 2016 class of ASQ Fellows.
Devayani Puranik
Devayani Puranik works as a Senior Planner for the City of Dublin, where she oversees long range and strategic planning projects. She has been part of noteworthy projects such as Dublin Corporate Area Plan, Smart Parking Management, West Innovation District. Devayani is a certified Black Belt Six Sigma professional and is part of City of Dublin’s process improvement and innovation team. Prior to joining the City of Dublin, Devayani worked as a Senior Planner for the City of Columbus, where she managed area planning projects, implemented commercial overlays on major commercial corridors, and served Rocky Ford Blacklick Accord Review Board and East Franklinton Review Board to implement truly urban and innovative mixed use zoning code. Devayani has a strong background and interest in GIS, technology for Planning, and Smart Cities initiative. Devayani holds a Bachelor of Architecture from Pune University, India and Master of City and Regional Planning and Environmental Science from The Ohio State University.
Rachel Ray, AICP
Rachel Ray is an Economic Development Administrator with the City of Dublin, Ohio, responsible for administering the City's business retention and expansion program, negotiating economic development agreements, and managing economic development projects that ensure Dublin continues to be the best community for business in the Columbus Region. Prior to that, Rachel served as a Planner in the Dublin Planning Department, where she was responsible for managing current and long-range planning projects, including the early Bridge Street District visioning and implementation studies. Rachel holds a Masters of City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State University. She is also a member of the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association Board of Trustees where she serves as Vice President/President-Elect.
October 2, 2019
5:30PM - 8:00PM
Opening Reception
Dante's Inferno | 1059 Old River Road, Cleveland
The 1969 Cuyahoga River fire ignited the modern environmental movement and led to the creation of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Celebrate the river’s recovery and kick off the conference at a casual riverfront happy hour on the East Bank of the Flats at Dante's Inferno.
Need a lift to Dante's? Ding Ding! The (free) Trolley is near! Hop on the C-Line Trolley at the Marriott Key Center stop (Ontario and St Clair). Jump off at the Aloft Cleveland Downtown stop in the Flats East Bank. Dante’s Inferno is a short walk west (towards the river). The C-Line runs every 10 minutes until 11:00 PM. Allow 15 minutes for travel.
Cost | Complimentary for Full and Thursday registrants. Includes drink ticket + appetizers. Guest tickets available for $25 per person.
October 3, 2019
6:45AM - 8:00AM
Conference Registration + Networking Breakfast
3rd Floor Lakeside Foyer
October 3, 2019
8:00AM - 9:30AM
Looking Back, Moving Forward
Opening Plenary
Hope D
The planning profession has evolved over the last 100 years in response to emerging issues, trends and technologies. Join us for a brief look back at the history of planning in Ohio with former APA Ohio President Greg Dale, FAICP. Explore what comes next with a moderated panel discussion led by Dan Moulthrop, City Club of Cleveland CEO. Our esteemed panel will discuss how planning must evolve in the face of climate change, diversity and inequity, and disruptive new technologies – from autonomous vehicles to the sharing economy. Speakers Rick Stein, Dean Roland Anglin, and Terry Schwarz, FAICP will expand your views on the future of our profession.
Speakers
Roland Vincent Anglin, PhD
Roland V. Anglin's career spans more than twenty-five years of working in the public, educational, and philanthropic sectors. In all his professional positions, Anglin has focused on promoting economic and community development in and for low-income communities. Currently, he is Dean of the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University. Immediately prior to this position, Anglin was the Senior Advisor to the Chancellor of Rutgers University-Newark and Director of the Joseph C. Cornwall Center for Metropolitan Studies, an applied research institute at the university. In his role as Senior Advisor, he worked as part of a team to implement various initiatives using the anchor role of the university to improve postsecondary outcomes in Newark.
Dr. Anglin began his academic career at Rutgers University in the late 1980's. During this time, he published some of the seminal work on citizen attitudes toward sprawl development. In 1991 he was recruited to the Ford Foundation, where he spent eight years. He served first as the program officer responsible for community development. Subsequently, he was asked to become Deputy Director for Community and Resource Development, which is part of the Asset Building and Community Development Division.
After leaving Ford in 1999, Dr. Anglin went to the Structured Employment Economic Development Corporation (Seedco), a national community development intermediary. At Seedco, Dr. Anglin was the Senior Vice President responsible for building the capacity of community-based housing organizations in twenty-three cities partnering with Seedco. After returning to academia in 2000, Dr. Anglin published three books: Promoting Sustainable Local and Community Development, Katrina's Imprint: Race and Vulnerability in America (with colleagues), and Resilience and Opportunity (with colleagues). Anglin received his doctorate from the University of Chicago, a master's degree from Northwestern, and a bachelor's degree from Brooklyn College (City University of New York).
Greg Dale, FAICP
Greg Dale is a founding Principal with McBride Dale Clarion in Cincinnati. Mr. Dale is a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, having been active in the planning profession since 1981. He has managed planning projects throughout the country and has expertise in regional plans, comprehensive plans, growth management plans, land use regulations, citizen outreach programs, planning for historic areas and expert testimony on planning, zoning and land use development issues. Mr. Dale has drafted or assisted with award-winning plans for Charleston County, South Carolina; Beaufort County, South Carolina; Williamson County, Tennessee; Will County, Illinois; the City of Franklin, Tennessee; and the Southern Nevada Regional Planning Commission. Mr. Dale drafted an innovative sustainability chapter in the Fredericksburg, Virginia, plan and is a co-author of an update to The Citizen’s Guide to Planning and The Planning Commissioners Guide. He has also managed or assisted with significant planning projects in Bradley County, Tennessee; Henrico County, Virginia; Hanover County, Virginia; Fredericksburg, Virginia; Beaufort County, South Carolina; Williamson County, Tennessee; and North Las Vegas, Nevada.
Dan Moulthrop (Moderator)
Dan was appointed as CEO of The City Club of Cleveland in 2013, after many years as a member, volunteer, and frequent forum moderator. Prior to joining the City Club he was co-founder of The Civic Commons, a pioneer int he field of social media for civic good. Dan is also the former host of 90.3 WCPN's Sound of Ideas and co-author, with Dave Eggers and Ninive Calegari, of the best selling book Teachers Have it Easy: The Big Sacrifices and Small Salaries of American's Teachers (The New Press, 2005), which provides the basis for the 2011 documentary American Teacher. He's an award winning journalist, a former high school teacher and a graduate of UC Berkeley's Graduate School of Journalism. He lives in Shaker Heights with his wife and three children. His favorite forum changes almost monthly.
Terry Schwarz, FAICP
Terry is the Director of Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. Her work at the CUDC includes neighborhood and campus planning, commercial and residential design guidelines, and ecological strategies for vacant land reuse. Terry launched the CUDC’s Shrinking Cities Institute in 2005 in an effort to understand and address the implications of population decline and large-scale urban vacancy in Northeast Ohio. As an outgrowth of the Shrinking Cities Institute, she established Pop Up City, a temporary use initiative for vacant and underutilized sites in Cleveland. In 2009, Terry received the Cleveland Arts Prize for Design. She teaches in the graduate design curriculum for the KSU College of Architecture and Environmental Design. She has a Master’s degree in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University.
The Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative is a community service organization with a professional staff of designers committed to improving the quality of urban places through technical design assistance, research and advocacy. Supported by the College of Architecture and Environmental Design at Kent State University, the CUDC offers architectural and urban design expertise in the service of urban communities, design professionals, and Ohio’s public universities.
Rick Stein, AICP
Rick Stein is the Principal and Owner of Urban Decision Group – an urban planning and professional services firm located in Columbus, Ohio. He is an active member of the American Planning Association (APA), Urban Land Institute (ULI), Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP).
Prior to entering the field of urban planning, he spent 12 years working as a systems analyst and software developer. In 2010 he founded the planning and professional services firm Urban Decision Group (UDG) with a focus on providing clear and timely information to public and private sector decision makers.
Mr. Stein is co-founder of the Urban Mobility Research Center (UMRC) – a thinktank devoted to helping plan for changes to cities and transportation networks, including the impacts of Autonomous Vehicles (AV), robotics, and Artificial Intelligence. Mr. Stein’s work tends to focus on the secondary impacts to housing, commerce and commercial and industrial properties, as well as the overall impacts on cities and regions. Since 2017, Mr. Stein and members of the UMRC have partnered with Urbanism Next – a research arm of the University of Oregon – whose focus is conducting research and providing information about the potential impacts of emerging technologies – autonomous vehicles, robotics, artificial intelligence, e-commerce, and the sharing economy – on city development, form, and design and the implications for sustainability, resiliency, equity, the economy, and quality of life.
Mr. Stein is a member of the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC) advisory committee – The Regional Data Advisory Committee – a top-level advisory committee that advises MORPC staff on matters of regional importance pertaining to data.
October 3, 2019
9:30AM - 1:00PM
Transit Oriented Development: Old & New
Mobile Workshop
This transit-oriented mobile workshop will visit two different TODs on the RTA Blue Line train: the historic Shaker Square in Cleveland and the new Van Aken District in Shaker Heights. Participants will board the train at the Downtown Tower City station and stop for walking tours at both locations. The first stop is Shaker Square, where attendees will hear about the recently completed visioning process that targeted the revitalization of the public realm in and around Shaker Square. Shaker Square is a hinge between suburban Shaker Heights and Cleveland’s Buckeye and Larchmere communities. Originally developed as a transit hub, Shaker Square has seen many different commercial iterations over its 90-year history and is a critical link between disparate communities. The second stop is the Van Aken District, a new mixed-use, transit-oriented neighborhood in historic Shaker Heights that includes retail, office, and housing at the eastern terminus of the RTA Blue Line rapid transit. The project is the result of sustained planning over 18 years including 5 plans and 60+ public meetings. Learn about the planning documents that set the stage for creation of a new downtown at the center of a city originally planned over 100 years ago, and learn about the strategies used to implement the vision. Hear from the developer and their design team, as well as city design consultants. Tour the first phase of development, including the Market Hall, brand new apartments, the transit station area and the Living Room public park. Experience the unique local flavor created via a combination of local and regional tenants specifically curated to create the new neighborhood. Purchase lunch in the Van Aken District and return to downtown Cleveland via RTA on your own schedule.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | $15
Travel Type | Transit + Walking
Speakers
Joyce Braverman
Joyce Braverman is the Director of Planning for the City of Shaker Heights. Joyce has experience in project management and serves as the Manager for the Warrensville/Van Aken transit oriented development project which includes raising $19M for road reconfiguration and supporting private development through design, utility work and financing tools. Areas of expertise include long and short range planning, parks planning, grants and funding; zoning, design guidelines, and public participation.
Education: MPA, Public Administration, Cleveland State University, Levin College of Urban Affairs; BUP – Urban Planning and Design, University of Cincinnati College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning. Joyce has been active in APA at both the state and section levels serving on the APA Ohio Board of Trustees, Member; APA-Ohio Past President; OPC Cleveland Section Director and OPC Cleveland Section Zoning Workshop Chair.
Dan Feinstein, AICP
Dan Feinstein, AICP is a Senior Planner with the City of Shaker Heights. He has worked for Shaker Heights for over 20 years with various responsibilities including zoning inspector, zoning administrator, Architectural Board, Landmark and City Planning Commission staff, plan review, commercial support and various special projects. Mr. Feinstein is a graduate of the Masters in City and Regional Planning program at The Ohio State University. He is certified with the American Institute of Certified Planners and a member of the Ohio Planning Conference and American Planning Association.
Maribeth Feke, AICP
Maribeth Feke, AICP, is the Director of Programming & Planning at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. Her oversight responsibilities include long and short range capital project planning, Rapid Transit Station & Transit Center Planning, Transit Oriented Development, Public Art, Environmental Planning and Property Management. Ms. Feke has been instrumental in creating a comprehensive neighborhood planning, engagement while building strategic alliances that successfully create strategic implementation strategies surrounding RTA rail stations and facilities. Ms. Feke holds an MBA from Case Western Reserve University and a B.A. from Cleveland State University. She is active in several local development corporations including the Chairman of the Historic Warehouse District Board of Trustees, a Trustee of the West Creek Conservancy District, and a Director of Northeast Ohio Advancing Women in Transportation Symposium (WTS). She is also an active member of the Local Chapter of the American Planning Association as an AICP.
Ann Klavora, AICP
Ann Klavora, AICP, is the Principal Planner for the City of Shaker Heights, where she manages long-term planning projects, active transportation issues, the Public Art Task Frce and grant writing. Current projects include two major streetscape projects along Farnsleigh Road and Warrensville Center Road to support the Van Aken District redevelopment, public realm improvements in the Warrensville RTA station area, and a Joint Facilities Vision Plan with the Shaker Heights Library and School District. Prior to joining Shaker Heights, Ms. Klavora worked for D.B. Hartt, Inc., Planning and Development Consultants and the Summit County (OH) Planning Commission. She has been active in the American Planning Association (APA) since 1997, currently serving on the APA Ohio Board of Trustees as well as the Cleveland Section Executive Committee. She was President of APA Ohio in 2013 and 2014. Ms. Klavora received a Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development degree from the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, and a bachelor’s degree from the Miami University (OH) School of Interdisciplinary Studies.
Mackenzie Makepeace
Mackenzie Makepeace is the director of development at RMS Investment Corporation, a commercial real estate company managing the private real estate holdings of the Ratner Miller family. In her role Mackenzie oversees development the Van Aken District and the leasing of first generation space. Previously Mackenzie was the director of Strategic Initiatives and Market Research for Forest City Realty Trust, Inc., a publicly traded, national real estate developer and owner/operator with more than $8 billion in assets. Mackenzie was with Forest City for over eight years and worked in a number of functional areas within the company. She led Forest City’s market research group that provided decision support for the company’s operations, development and shared services organizations. She also assisted in the company’s strategic planning process, led its enterprise risk management and worked to ensure successful implementation of the company’s strategic plan. Mackenzie earned her B.S. in Accounting and Business Administration from Washington and Lee University. She is a chair of YLG/NEXT for The Urban Land Institute, a vice chair of ULI’s Commercial Retail Development Council (Blue Flight), and the governance chair of ULI Cleveland.
David Wilson
David Wilson is a Project Manager at LAND studio, a Cleveland, Ohio non-profit that manages public art and civic space development projects throughout the city. David's work centers on landscape design, public art coordination and community outreach, specifically within Cleveland's eastside neighborhoods. Mr. Wilson has a Master's degree in Landscape Architecture at Chatham University, a Bachelor's degree in Communications at Villanova University, and currently serves as chair-elect for American Society of Landscape Architects Ohio Chapter (OCASLA) Western Reserve Section.
Jason Russell
Jason Russell is the Neighborhood General Manager at Van Aken District in Shaker Heights, the newest shopping destination in the eastern suburbs. Jason has served in a variety of positions focused on improving the built environment. Formally educated as an urban planner, Jason has held roles in the public and private sectors. From crafting zoning codes to managing a mixed-use development, Jason has worked closely with residents, elected officials, engineers and architects to create vibrate urban communities.
Ivan Velentic
Ivan Valentic, RLA is a Project Manager at GPD Group. He is a registered landscape architect with more than 19 years of experience focused on landscape architectural, trail master planning and transportation enhancement related projects. He has extensive experience working with communities and park districts for the design and construction of miles of trails through their communities, park facilities, and open space creating local and regional connections.
October 3, 2019
9:30AM - 1:00PM
Putting People First in Neighborhood Planning: Old Brooklyn & Clark Fulton
Mobile Workshop
Attendees of this mobile workshop will have the opportunity to take a bus tour of two near west side Cleveland neighborhoods. The Old Brooklyn and the Clark Fulton neighborhoods are both seeing a resurgence of commercial, residential, and recreational investment. Unlike other neighborhoods, this growth isn’t building from entertainment districts, the arts, or waterfront adjacencies. Instead, it’s based on celebrating the history and culture of the neighborhoods, and providing amenities and services that put the neighborhood first. In Old Brooklyn this has meant rebuilding its main street core, creating unique programming that responds to the community’s demographics, and launching “a great place to grow” marketing campaign to attract young families. While in Clark Fulton, where the densest population of Hispanic and Latino residents live in the state of Ohio, celebrating the diversity and heritage of the residents is vitally important to creating community and a thriving neighborhood. Clark Fulton’s La Villa Hispana is creating a space for a resident-owned small business incubator and public spaces designed to celebrate Latin traditions. In each neighborhood, the tour will include stops that highlight local business development, parks, unique residential streets, and the other amenities that put the people of the neighborhoods first in planning decisions. Attendees will have the chance to purchase lunch at one of a number of local, ethnic businesses highlighted during the tour.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | $15
Travel Type | Trolley + Walking
Speakers
Ricardo León
Ricardo León is the Executive Director of the Metro West Community Development Organization, where he leads a multifaceted team of community development practitioners offering a suite of services to three Cleveland near-west neighborhoods; Stockyards, Clark-Fulton, and Brooklyn Centre. He applies his leadership skills to advance the organization’s mission through strategic planning, fund development, critical resource deployment, relationship development, and community advocacy.
Ricardo has worked with reputable organizations spanning the startup, corporate, and consulting industries prior to joining the nonprofit sector. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in Economics from Baldwin Wallace University and a Master of Science in Urban Studies with a concentration in Economic Development from the Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University.
Ricardo extends his leadership and community focus outside of the office through his participation on the Front Steps Housing and Services Board of Directors, Hispanics in Philanthropy Líderes Fellowship 2019 Cohort, and Cleveland Neighborhood Progress’ Placemaking Advisory Committee.
Rosemary Mudry
Rosemary Mudry has served as Director of Neighborhood Development for nearly five years at Old Brooklyn CDC. In her role, she has focused on building a comprehensive strategy to development that brings economic development, housing, and greenspace together. Recently, under her guidance, OBCDC purchased and completed renovation on the organization’s first ever commercial project. Before working in community development, Rosemary was a high school teacher and athletic coach. Seeing the revitalization taking place in Cleveland first hand inspired her to make the leap into neighborhood development. Rosemary holds an Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development degree from Cleveland State University and B.A. in Politics and Latin American Studies from Oberlin College. She lives with her husband and young children in Glenville where they enjoy taking advantage of city living - walking to museums, the cultural gardens, and restaurants.
October 3, 2019
9:30AM - 12:00PM
Cuyahoga Riverfront & the Flats East Bank (SOLD OUT)
Mobile Workshop
Join experts for a walking tour of the ongoing and planned redevelopment of Downtown Cleveland’s Cuyahoga Riverfront. This tour will start and end at the Hilton, with attendees having the opportunity to hear the story of the rebirth of the Flats from a once faltering entertainment district to what is today a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood that unites businesses, entertainment and public space with the area’s industrial heritage.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | Free
Travel Type | Walking
October 3, 2019
9:45AM - 10:45AM
Ohio’s Small Cities Are Regaining Their Might: A Look Inside the Tiffin Story
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
While many rural areas in the Midwest are facing aging populations, declining manufacturing and the clustering of tech and service jobs in larger cities, some rural, small cities are showing that success can come in small packages with good planning and local, strategic investment.
Speakers
Craig Gossman
Craig has over 35 years of experience in urban design, planning, historic preservation and architecture. He has worked with a variety of clients including city & county municipalities, retail and commercial center developers, and historic property owners. Since 1999, Craig served as a Principal Partner with Kinzelman Kline Gossman [KKG] and later in the same capacity with MKSK. In 2013 Craig founded Gossman Group design & planning in order to pursue work with select clients such as Tiffin, Ohio that combines planning, architecture & urban design. Craig has developed strategic vision plans, urban revitalization plans and master plans for numerous communities and mixed-use projects. Currently Craig serves as a board trustee for Heritage Ohio a statewide not-for-profit organization that fosters economic development and sustainability through preservation of historic buildings, revitalization of downtowns and neighborhood commercial districts.
The Hon. Aaron D. Montz
Aaron D. Montz was elected Mayor of Tiffin in November 2011 as the youngest ever Mayor in the history of the city. The Mayor is a lifelong resident of Tiffin having attended Columbian High School and graduating from Heidelberg University in 2008 with a degree in History and Political Science. His political career began in 2007 with his election to the Tiffin City Council. Since taking office, Mayor Montz has established a Local Jobs Creation Tax Credit and called for the creation of a Revitalization District within Tiffin which has been instrumental in the successful planning and economic development projects the City has supported since 2011.
Charlene J. Watkins
Charlene Watkins is a life-long resident of Seneca County, Ohio. As Executive Director of the Seneca Regional Planning Commission, she helps the county, municipalities, villages, and townships to identify regional goals, objectives, opportunities, and needs while developing an achievable plan of action. Before accepting her dream job with the Seneca Regional Planning Commission, Charlene worked 14 years for WSOS Community Action Commission, Inc. Her career at WSOS provided her with the opportunity to become entrenched in developing, administering, and the implementation of programs to assist the residents of Seneca County, Ohio. Charlene is a strong believer in the strength of collaboration and believes this will lead to the continued success of Seneca County. She is a graduate of Terra State College with a degree in Applied Business Management/Business Management and is a United States Air Force Veteran.
David R. Zak
Since 2014, David Zak has served as the President & CEO of the Tiffin-Seneca Economic Partnership, a public-private 501c3 economic, downtown and community development organization created in 1983 to lead development efforts for the city of Tiffin and Seneca County in northwest Ohio. Prior to serving with the Partnership, David served as Chief of the Business Services Division for the Ohio Development Services Agency. In his career, David has worked for municipalities, chambers of commerce and has also led a private real estate management and development company. David has also taught for both the University of Oklahoma's Economic Development Institute as well as the Ohio Economic Development Association, and recently completed two terms as the Northwest Ohio Director and Vice President of Investors on the Board of Directors of the Ohio Economic Development Association. He attained both of his degrees at the Ohio State University, graduating summa cum laude and winning the prestigious Blume Fellowship.
October 3, 2019
9:45AM - 10:45AM
Community as Expert: New Planning Approaches with a Racial Equity Lens
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
We often rely on experts and technocrats as our consultants to provide a vision for the future of cities. But, what if residents and community members were our consultants and co-designers for a collective vision too? Join speakers for a lively discussion on constructive and disruptive ways to create equitable and inclusive places and spaces for all people.
Speakers
Joyce Pan Huang
Joyce Pan Huang is the Director of Planning and Placemaking at MidTown Cleveland, Inc., a 501(c)(3) economic and community development organization that serves the area between downtown Cleveland and University Circle. In her role with MidTown, she is responsible for overseeing the urban planning, community development and placemaking efforts in the neighborhood. Joyce holds a Master of Urban Planning, Design and Development from Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs and a B.S. in Sociology with a minor in Program in the Environment from the University of Michigan. In 2017, Joyce received the AICP Outstanding Planning Student award. Joyce is a transplant with roots in the Rochester, NY area and has called Cleveland her home for the past twelve years. Since coming to Cleveland, she participated in The Cleveland Foundation's Internship Program with a placement at the Cuyahoga Land Bank and contributed to CSU's Center for Community Planning as a Graduate Assistant. She sits on the Advisory Committee of an affordable housing initiative on the near west side called Nehemiah Collaborative and on the Advisory Board of the the Ariel Economic Development Fund CDFI, contributes to Cleveland's Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) community's civic engagement efforts, and serves on the City of Cleveland's East Region Design Review Advisory Committee.
Evelyn Burnett
Evelyn Burnett is a co-founder and partner of the ThirdSpace Action Lab and Third Space Cafe. Prior to this exciting venture, Evelyn served as Vice President, Economic Opportunity at Cleveland Neighborhood Progress an intermediary whose mission is to foster communities of choice and opportunity throughout Cleveland. Prior to joining CNP, Evelyn served as Associate Director for Program Strategies with Admiral Center at Living Cities, project director in the city of Cleveland's Office of Sustainability, and as a 2007-2008 Cleveland Executive (Coro) Fellow. Evelyn is a 2018 German Marshall Fellow and sits on the board of several organizations throughout Northeast Ohio and nationally including ioby (In Our Back Yards), Credit Builders Alliance, Teach for America, Birthing Beautiful Communities, Dance Cleveland, Walsh University School of Business and CTMDreams. Evelyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Organizational Communications & Public Relations with a double minor in Sales & Marketing and Dance from The University of Akron during which time she studied abroad in Ghana, Africa; and a master's degree in Public Administration from The University of Akron.
Joi Carter
Joi Carter is the Community Engagement and Marketing Manager at MidTown Cleveland. She leads outreach efforts to meet, engage, and build relationships with residents in and around MidTown to build a stronger community. She oversees community‐ driven projects such as Leo’s Listening Party and the Prospect Bridge Mural. Prior to starting this exciting venture, Joi served as Project Coordinator Intern at LAND Studio, a non‐profit organization that creates places and connects people through public art, sustainable building and design, collaborative planning, and dynamic programming. During her time at LAND studio, she co‐developed and coordinated the “Inner City Hues” public art project which included conducting community workshops, establishing a marketing plan, and sourcing project participants and artists to paint murals in the Mt. Pleasant and Buckeye‐Shaker neighborhood. Joi brings positivity and passion to all spaces. Joi earned her BS in Apparel Merchandising & Product Development with a double minor in Marketing and Art from Bowling Green State University in 2016. Her background in apparel merchandising and product development, marketing and art, allows her to see project visions through a lens that is not only creative, but also cohesive.
Jeff Epstein
Jeff Epstein is the Director of MidTown Cleveland, a 501(c)(3) economic and community development organization that serves the area between downtown Cleveland and University Circle. Jeff also serves as director of the Cleveland Health-Tech Corridor, an umbrella effort to attract innovative health-tech and high-tech businesses to the area. In his roles with MidTown and the Health-Tech Corridor, he is responsible for marketing, strengthening and redeveloping the neighborhood, attracting and assisting business growth and connecting the business and residential community. Jeff comes to MidTown and the Health-Tech Corridor from The Coral Company, where he served as Vice President of Development, overseeing residential, commercial and mixed-use development projects, capital markets transactions and consulting projects. Prior to joining Coral, Jeff participated in the Cleveland Executive Fellowship, a one-year civic leadership development program. Jeff holds a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center and an undergraduate degree in Public Policy Studies from Duke University. Following law school, he clerked for the Hon. Solomon Oliver Jr. on the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio. Jeff serves on the executive board of the Cleveland Tenants Organization and is President of the board at Congregation Shaarey Tikvah. He is a 2016 graduate of Leadership Cleveland.
October 3, 2019
9:45AM - 10:45AM
Building Neighborhoods with Youth
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
City planning has evolved beyond physical development to focus on ensuring there is a "people component" in development. The session will explore new ways to engage youth in building their own community through parks and programming.
Speakers
Keri Palma
Originally from South Carolina, Keri Palma came to Cleveland in 2015 for grad school and fell in love with the city! After an internship with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, Keri Palma joined the team at Ohio City Incorporated to run the newly formed Near West Recreation. While there, Keri has grown the program from a tee-ball league of 80 neighborhood kids to a year-round program 9 leagues serving over 1,300 youth from 6 neighborhoods on the Near West Side.
Matt Burke
Matt Burke grew up playing lacrosse in his hometown of Utica, NY. In 2011 he transferred to John Carroll University where he studied marketing and played attack for the Blue Streaks. While at JCU, Burke coached at numerous high schools in Greater Cleveland. After graduating in 2015, Burke served as the Graduate Assistant Coach for the Men's Lacrosse team at New England College. The Pilgrims went undefeated in conference play over Burke's two years, winning back to back North Atlantic Conference Championships and making two NCAA tournament appearances. Matt currently manages the US Lacrosse Communities Project in Ohio City, where he also resides
Alex Robertson
Alex is the founder of Recess Cleveland, a non profit program that creates safe spaces for play during our pop up events at schools, community gatherings, and private events in and around Northeast Ohio.
David Jurca
David Jurca, an urban designer with over 11 years of professional experience guiding real-world projects and academic research. Prior to starting Seventh Hill, David was Associate Director at Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, where he managed client projects at a range of scales, from city-wide redevelopment plans to tactical urbanism events. His work has been recognized with awards from the American Planning Association, American Institute of Architects, and Environmental Design Research Association. Internationally, David's design projects were exhibited by Chicago's Metropolitan Planning Council, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, Van Alen Institute, Havana's Fabrica de Arte Cubano, and the Venice Biennale of Architecture. David is also an invited speaker on topics including, public placemaking, design for winter cities, urban data, and innovative community engagement methods.
October 3, 2019
9:45AM - 10:45AM
Has Pedestrianism Gone Too Far? Planning for Walkability in a Multi-Modal Context
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
For decades planners have been advocating for pedestrian-first design in our streets and streetscapes. What about other travel modes, such as transit and cycling? The session will prepare us to ask the hard questions about what we want to achieve when retrofitting streets in our communities.
Speakers
Justin Goodwin, AICP
Justin Goodwin, AICP is the Transportation Planning Manager for the City of Columbus. His responsibilities include a wide variety of multi-modal planning and street design initiatives, including long range thoroughfare planning, active transportation systems, and coordination with agency partners such as COTA and MORPC. Prior to joining the City of Columbus, he worked as a consultant for MKSK, and also has served as a planner for the City of Dublin, Ohio. Justin holds bachelor's and master's degrees in Geography from Ohio University, and a Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University, where he also serves as an adjunct faculty member. Justin is an advocate for multi-modal commuting, and mixes cycling, transit, driving and shared mobility in his daily and weekly travel.
Eliza Pendexter, AICP
Eliza Pendexter, AICP is a transportation planner with the City of Columbus. Eliza is a project manager for the city’s long range multi-modal thoroughfare plan as well as neighborhood traffic calming, and currently overseeing a one-way to two-way street conversion study. Her passion is to help create a built environment that encourages active transportation and transit use in a densifying city. Prior to joining the Department of Public Service, Eliza worked in land use planning for Columbus’ Building and Zoning Department, and as a consultant doing environmental and NEPA planning work. Eliza holds her real estate license, a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology, and a master’s degree in Geography from Ohio University. Eliza is a runner, cyclist, and food and beer enthusiast.
Zach Sunderland, AICP
Zach Sunderland, AICP is a Senior Service Planner at the Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) in Columbus, Ohio. He has been with COTA since 2015. A lot has happened in the past few years that he has had the opportunity to be heavily involved with including COTA's Transit System Redesign and CMAX BRT project. Currently, he is leading COTA's Title VI Triennial Report. Prior to his time in Columbus, Zach interned with the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority (SORTA) in Cincinnati. Zach has a Bachelor of Science in Urban Planning and a Masters in Community Planning both from the University of Cincinnati. He earned his American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) accreditation in 2018. In his free time, Zach enjoys running, camping, gardening and exploring unfamiliar areas of Central Ohio. When traveling to new cities, his goal is to obtain a transit pass to increase his collection and to see how other transit system compare to COTA's network.
Chris Hermann, AICP
Chris Hermann, AICP, is a principal with MKSK (planning, urban design, and landscape architecture firm) with more than 25 years of planning experience. Chris has managed a wide variety of projects involving regional planning policy, comprehensive plans, downtown and focus area plans, corridor plans and transportation planning. Building on his prior planning experience in city, county, and regional government, Chris is significantly involved with many, transformative , place-making projects. Chris authored the I-70/71 Design Enhancement Manual and led MKSK's design team for the nationally-recognized Long Street Highway Bridge Cap. Chris has also served as an adjunct faculty member of the Ohio State University's Knowlton School of Architecture and on his community's Planning Commission and Architecture Review Board.
October 3, 2019
9:45AM - 10:45AM
Cleveland’s Intersection of CHOICE
Concurrent Session
Hope D
Cleveland’s Central CHOICE Neighborhood Transformation Plan identified opportunities and strategies to improve the lives of all residents, students and businesses. The session will emphasize realized urban design initiatives that stitch together a fragmented community, with an intense focus on the East 30th and Community College intersection in the City of Cleveland’s Central Neighborhood. The Central neighborhood is home to over 10,000 residents and several large institutions, ranging from college campuses to medical facilities. The Central plan is one of 85 CHOICE Plans funded nationwide since the program’s inception in 2010, and has served as a guidepost for initiatives. We will highlight major investments in the 670 acre study area, including the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority’s reconstruction of the Cedar Estates into a connected mixed-income neighborhood, Sankofa Village (named by residents); Cuyahoga Community College’s $80M+ investment in its campus, including the repositioning of its plaza to directly link to the neighborhood (overcoming a 1960s bunker mentality); and the reconstruction of a major corridor, East 22nd Street, as a multi-modal link between employers and other institutions.
Speakers
Alex Pesta, AIA, AICP, LEED AP
Alex leads City Architecture’s planning practice, focusing on the “design of experience” at every scale of work. Through his studies and passions, he has been able to hone the firm's evolving planning practice to "meet people where they are" and actively seeks out projects and initiatives that can rebuild neighborhoods or re-activate an urban core. Critical to City Architecture’s service, Alex concentrates on the concept of “experience” 0 ranging from the experience of collaborating with residents and colleagues to the experience of the people who use the spaces he designs. He's also managed to pass enough tests that there are more letters after his name than in it. So, that’s cool, too.
Michelle Bandy-Zalatoris, AICP, LEED AP
Michelle Bandy-Zalatoris is passionate about strengthening neighborhoods for all. She is an urban designer and planner with City Architecture, where she has focused her work on the development of neighborhood and city master plans, corridor studies and streetscape designs, all developed with an emphasis on project implementation. Michelle’s work is characterized by projects that seek to rebuild the urban core and elevate the quality of life for all our communities. She has worked in the architecture, planning and design field for over 20 years, during which she has delighted in uncovering unique details about the region’s cities and neighborhoods.
Cynthia Leitson
Cynthia Leitson is the Vice President of Capital, Construction, and Facilities at Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C). She is responsible for maintaining, improving and repurposing existing facilities and for developing new facilities (leased and owned) and managing capital assets. She oversees services including: facilities and operations maintenance, architectural/engineering, programming and design, bidding, facility construction and renovation, infrastructure replacement of furnishings and equipment, site development and landscaping, new signage/wayfinding, college-wide master planning, sustainability, real estate services and asset management. Beyond her professional responsibilities, she also serves on a variety of boards and was recognized by Crain’s Cleveland Business in their prestigious “Women of Note” class of 2019.
Rachel Loewy
Rachel Loewy is the Deputy Director of Modernization and Development at the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority. Her role is to oversee recapitalization and revitalization efforts for the Authority from predevelopment to construction and into operations for major development projects. She was previously the Deputy Director of Real Estate and Development administering resident development, physical development financing, and inclusion efforts for CMHA. Rachel’s leadership in the Central Choice Plan for the Cedar properties was paramount. Her vision helped create a newly connected neighborhood with dignified housing options and a recognizable urban living campus.
October 3, 2019
11:00AM - 12:00PM
Attitudes and Progress Towards Regionalism in Northeast Ohio
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
The session will discuss the implications of collaborative planning and policymaking as an adaptive approach to mitigating population loss, altering regional trends, and pursuing a more sustainable future for Northeast Ohio and other Legacy City regions.
Speakers
Thomas Hilde
Thomas Hilde is an Assistant Professor at Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs. His research centers on sustainable and resilient urban development with a focus on green infrastructure and scenario planning. He teaches courses on land use planning, urban design, GIS, and urban sustainability.
Joanna Ganning
Joanna Ganning is an Associate Professor at Cleveland State University's Levin College of Urban Affairs. Her research focuses on industry- and place-based mechanisms for economic development, and her work often intersects with community development, transportation, and other areas. She teaches courses on urban economics and policy, GIS, and research methods.
Wendy Kellogg
Wendy Kellogg is a Professor at Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. Her major fields of research interest are local government environmental decision making, urban and regional sustainability, watershed planning, and Great Lakes water quality issues. She teaches courses in urban planning and environmental planning.
Meghan Rubado
Meghan Rubado is an Assistant Professor at Cleveland State University’s Levin College of Urban Affairs. She specializes in the study of state and local politics in the United States, environmental issues, and urban service provision. She teaches courses on quantitative research methods, environmental policy, and urban politics.
October 3, 2019
11:00AM - 12:00PM
The Once & Future Suburbs: How Maturing Communities are Evolving
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
Explore creative planning and urban design strategies that maturing communities are adopting to evolve in light of emerging economic, demographic and cultural changes.
Speakers
Megha Sinha
Megha Sinha is a planner at NBBJ's Columbus office. With over 12 years of national and international experience, Megha's planning and design expertise includes professional services for public agencies, higher education institutions, and community organizations. Prior to joining NBBJ, Megha was an urban planning adjunct faculty member at Ohio University. She has also served as an instructor and consulting researcher at the University of Mumbai. She earned her bachelor of architecture degree from the University of Mumbai and master of urban and regional planning degree from the University at Buffalo-SUNY, where she was also a researcher at the Center for Urban Studies. Her most recent work in Ohio includes planning studies for the City of Grandview Heights, Bexley, and Dublin.
Emily Keeler
Emily Keeler is serving her first term as council member for the City of Grandview Heights, focusing on bike and walk safety and improving communications. Her day job is at The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy as Wellness and Community Builder and was awarded the Outstanding Staff Award in 2017. Keeler received her Master of Art in Arts Administration from Florida State University and her Bachelor of Art and Bachelor of Music in horn performance from The University of Akron. Previously she has worked with The Florida State University College of Music, The Florida State University College of Education, Marcus Roberts and the Florida Division of Cultural Affairs.
Greg Dale, FAICP
Mr. Dale, a founding Principal with McBride Dale Clarion will serve as an advisor to the team on matters related to policy, practices, and facilitating public engagement. He has over 34 years of planning experience and his expertise includes regional plans, comprehensive plans, growth management plans, land use regulations, citizen outreach programs, planning for historic areas, and expert testimony on planning, zoning, and land use development issues. His recent work experience includes the Williamson County, TN Transportation Plan, James City County, Virginia Strategic Plan, the Loudoun County, Virginia Comprehensive Plan, the Anderson Township Comprehensive Plan, and the Deerfield Township, Ohio Comprehensive Plan.
Elizabeth Fields
Ms. Fields is a senior planner with more than a decade of professional planning experience in both the public and private sectors. Since joining MDC in 2013, she has focused on writing and updating comprehensive plans, crafting zoning codes and development regulations, and serving as the staff planner to both Mason, OH and Loveland, OH. Prior to MDC, Ms. Fields worked as a planner for the City of Colorado Springs, CO and the Town of Windsor, CO. Her recent work experience includes a variety of special district regulations for Dublin, Ohio and new zoning standards for Morehead, Kentucky. She is working in Grandview Heights and Middletown, Ohio on Comprehensive Plans, and completed the City of Blue Ash Land Use Plan and Zoning Code, the Anderson Township Comprehensive Plan, and the Suffolk, Virginia Comprehensive Plan.
October 3, 2019
11:00AM - 12:00PM
Kindling & Re-Kindling: Firing Up Innovation in a Cool Place
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
Innovation Districts bring anchor institutions and companies together with start-ups, business incubators and accelerators to provide a compact, accessible, livable space. Learn how two places - one urban, one suburban - are using the districts to advance economic development and create diverse, interesting places.
Speakers
Tammy Noble
Tammy Noble is a Long-Range Planning Manager for the City of Dublin where she oversees strategic management and economic development plans for the City. She oversees updates to the West Innovation District Area Plan, a vital business district located on the western corridor of the City focused on the needs of technology-based companies and utilizes expedited review processes to encourage this targeted business community. Ms. Noble is a member of several regional planning commissions including the Delaware County Planning Commission and the Logan-Union-Champaign Regional Planning Commission.
October 3, 2019
11:00AM - 12:00PM
Media, Stories & Community: Getting Personal
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
Traditional media outlets and urban planning processes often inadvertently exclude large segments of the population, with the result that only the worst news or loudest voices are heard. Speakers will show how the fields of journalism and urban planning can inform each other, helping both to evolve to become more equitable and more helpful to the communities they serve.
Speakers
Justin Glanville
Justin Glanville tells real stories of people and the ways they interact with and find meaning in the places where they live and work. To do that, he uses the tools of journalism, narrative storytelling, and urban planning. Prior to his current role with ideastream, Cleveland's public media company, he was the founder of Sidewalk, a revolving collaborative of writers, producers, designers, artists, and urban planners working with nonprofits and foundations who want to better understand the needs and hopes of the people they serve. As a planner, he previously worked for LAND Studio in Cleveland; as a journalist and writer, he previously worked for the Associated Press in New York. His work has appeared on Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, the Architects' Newspaper, and Planning magazine.
Nelson Beckford
Nelson Beckford re-joined the Cleveland Foundation after four years at Saint Luke's Foundation, where he served as Senior Program Officer for a Strong Neighborhood. In that role, Nelson oversaw their Strong Neighborhood program, with the goal of making enhancements to the built environment and improving social conditions in the Buckeye-Shaker, Mt Pleasant and Woodland Hills neighborhoods. Before that, Nelson served as Program Officer for the Cleveland Foundation's Responsive Grantmaking, focusing on community development, environmental sustainability and program management of the Summer Internship program.
Julia Kuo
Julia Kuo is a Taiwanese-American illustrator who has worked with the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Google, Macmillan Publishers, and Hachette Book Group. Julia has taught illustration courses at Columbia College Chicago and at her alma mater, Washington University in St. Louis. She was the visual arm of Chicago’s 2017 March for Science and has had the honor of being an artist-in-residence at Banff Centre for the Arts in 2014 and in 2017.
October 3, 2019
11:00AM - 12:15PM
AICP Exam Prep
Concurrent Session
Hope D
Are you considering taking the next step in your career to become a certified professional planner? This AICP (American Institute of Certified Planners) exam prep session is a valuable starting point. You will learn details on the application process, exam content and testing tips. You’ll also hear from a recent test taker with the ability to ask questions and make study group connections.
Speakers
Christine Dersi Davis, AICP
Ms. Davis is the Executive Director of APA Ohio, Chair of the New Urbanism Division of APA, and moderator of the Planning Webcast Consortium. Previously, she worked as a Senior Planner for D.B. Hartt, Planning and Development Consultants in Cleveland. She holds a Master's Degree in Urban Planning, Design, and Development from Cleveland State University and Bachelor of Arts in Environmental Studies from Allegheny College. She also sits on APA National's AICP Membership Standards Committee and sits as Chair of the Copley Township Architectural Review Board. Christine was recently recognized as a 25 Under 35 recipient from her high school, Saint Joseph Academy. The 25 Under 35 Awards program celebrates the Academy's alumnae who are under 35 years of age and are making a difference in their communities.
Eric Anderson, AICP
Eric Anderson, AICP, LEED AP ND, CPSM is Principal Community Planner at KZF and has worked on a variety of project types including neighborhood plans, streetscapes, plazas, bicycle and pedestrian facilities, parks, signage/wayfinding, public spaces and infrastructure. As a 2008 graduate of University of Cincinnati’s College of DAAP, Eric is an AICP and one of only 10 LEED Accredited Professionals in Ohio with a specialty in Neighborhood Development (LEED AP ND). He also holds a Certification in Marketing Professional Services (CPSM) from the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). Eric sits on the APA Ohio Board of Trustees as the Cincinnati Section Director and Chapters Professional Development Officer (PDO).
October 3, 2019
1:15PM - 2:15PM
Short + Sweet
Mini Sessions
Hope D
An entertaining mix of bite-sized presentations highlight a variety of planning efforts and perspectives across Ohio.
Place Attachment: Why I Love My Porch by Matt Weiderhold
Matt Weiderhold
Matt has been involved in community development and revitalization for nearly 18 years, and is a graduate of the National Main Street Institute. He currently serves as the executive director of Main Street Medina in Medina Ohio. A 1992 graduate of the University of Toledo with a degree in art history, focused on American art and architecture from 1860-1930, his passions for history, design, aesthetics and revitalization run deep. He also served as one of the first Ohio urban program Main Street directors (Toledo, Ohio) and as the Project Manager/Economic Development director for the Gordon Square Arts District in Cleveland, Ohio. He is currently restoring two century homes in Medina, and enjoys extreme thrifting and collecting American art pottery.
MORPC Rapid Speed Transportation Initiative: Planning Considerations by Peter Voorhees, AICP
Peter J Voorhees, AICP
Peter Voorhees is AECOM's consultant Project Manager for the Hyperloop Feasibility Study and a contributor to the EIS Components study. Peter has extensive transit, passenger and urban transportation planning experience around the country, including projects throughout Ohio and in Washington DC, Detroit and Southeast Michigan, the Gulf Southwest, western Pennsylvania cities, Miami, Boston, southern and northern California, and Seattle. He also leads AECOM's intercity and high-speed passenger service planning practice in the eastern US. Peter is an urbanist and specializes in transportation that supports large scale redevelopment and walkable, livable, green and economically vibrant cities and communities. Peter earned his BA in Liberal Arts from the Evergreen State College and Masters of Urban and Regional Planning from The California State Polytechnic University, Pomona.
Virtual Meetings, Virtual Reality, Virtually Awesome by Arthur Schmidt
Arthur Schmidt IV
As a Planner at OHM Advisors, Arthur brings a collaborative and place-based approach to each project. Arthur's five years of experience include community and transportation planning, public policy, zoning codes, economic development and public engagement. Prior to joining OHM Advisors, Arthur worked in the public sector where he coordinated local design review boards, collaborated with local communities on neighborhood based plans with developers, and managed grant programs to assist in funding planning and implementation projects and efforts. Arthur believes that design is a participatory process that engages citizens in the development of plans that embrace the desires of the community, the character qualities of the community, and set a sustainable model for continued long-term success. His commitment to understanding the needs and desires of the community and pairing that with a collaborative approach translates to enriched visions and plans.
Top 30 things I wished I learned in Planning School by Alex Pesta, AICP
Alex Pesta, AICP
Alex is the president of City Architecture - a medium sized architecture and planning firm practicing out of Cleveland, Ohio. Through his studies and passions, he has been able to hone the firm's evolving planning practice to meet people where they are and actively seeks out projects and initiatives that can rebuild neighborhoods or re-activate an urban core. He's also managed to pass enough tests that there are more letters after his name than in it.
Using Marketing & Communications to Mobilize Your Community by Cathy Fromet
Cathy Fromet
Cathy Fromet, President of Guide Studio, is a longtime champion for communities. Over her 20+ years of experience, she has been a designer, strategic consultant, community facilitator and wayfinding expert, giving her a 360-degree perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by communities, institutions, venues and destinations. Her depth of expertise goes well beyond design and strategy; she frequently consults on where and how to raise money for public projects, and supports clients in stakeholder engagement, all in service of cities, neighborhoods and civic entities.
October 3, 2019
1:15PM - 2:15PM
Advocacy for All
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
Members of the APA Ohio Legislative Committee will lead a discussion about current advocacy efforts at the state and national level. Additionally, the session will seek to garner input from members for the next update of APA Ohio’s Policy Platform scheduled for later this year. If you have issues or subjects that you would like added to the Chapter’s Policy Platform, this is your opportunity to offer your thoughts on this important work.
October 3, 2019
1:15PM - 2:15PM
"Evolving" APA Ohio
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
Help define APA Ohio’s strategic priorities for the next five years and beyond! The Strategic Plan is APA Ohio’s guiding framework, ensuring that all Board actions serve the organization’s strategic goals. The Strategic Plan was last updated in 2011 and provides a great foundation on which to build – but it’s time to step back and consider what we’re doing well, what we can do better, and what need to plan for in the coming years. Join us and share your ideas.
October 3, 2019
1:45PM - 4:45PM
From Private to Public: Reclaiming Euclid's Waterfront
Mobile Workshop
In 2009, the Euclid Waterfront Improvement Plan established a $30M vision for the city’s Lake Erie shoreline, of which only six percent was publicly accessible. Through a public consensus-building process, the first phase of improvements - a fishing pier and ADA-accessible trails linking the lakefront to downtown - were constructed. Phase II will be completed in October 2019, featuring a three-quarter mile public all-purpose trail at the water’s edge, erosion mitigation, shoreline stabilization and habitat/beach reclamation, providing for environmental tourism and recreational opportunities. This represents the longest coastal project ODNR has ever permitted. Through land donations and easement agreements from over 100 land owners, the vision reinforces regional goals for healthy communities and sets a precedent for catalytic economic development along Lake Erie. Euclid is the 17th largest city in Ohio, with a majority-minority population with income below state average. Historically, the lakefront was publicly accessible, but a 20th-century housing and industrial boom changed the landscape. Now, the city is reclaiming its best natural asset for the benefit of all. This project is positioned to transform not only the deteriorating shoreline and natural habitats of Lake Erie, but to elevate property values, quality of life and overall attractiveness of the lakefront city to new investment.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | $15
Travel Type | Bus + Walking
Speakers
Jason Stangland, PLA
Jason Stangland, is a principal landscape architect and strategist. He is SmithGroup’s Waterfront Practice Director leading an interdisciplinary team of civil, coastal and structure engineers as well as landscape architects, ecologist, architects and planners focused on the issues of coastal resilience, water quality, flooding, recreation and adaptive reuse. His portfolio includes award-winning projects built on community engagement and responsive to the unique ecological, environmental and cultural frameworks. Jason regularly speaks at conferences nationwide and is sought out as a resource to help waterfront communities advance strategies that build partnerships and attract funding that help get projects built. Jason holds a bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Kirsten Holzheimer Gail
Mayor Kirsten Holzheimer Gail has served as Euclid’s 14th Mayor since January 2016 and is honored to serve as Euclid’s first female Mayor. Kirsten is a lifelong resident of Euclid with many years of service and community involvement. Kirsten is a graduate of Kenyon College and earned a Master’s Degree in Social Science Administration from Case Western Reserve University. Kirsten served as a Ward Councilwoman from 1997- 2007 and City Council President from 2008-2015. Prior work experience includes serving as a Faculty Field Advisor at the Mandel School of Applied Social Science at CWRU and Executive Director of Euclid Community Concerns. She is a member of Our Lady of the Lake Parish, Arcadia Beach Club, Euclid Democratic Club, and proudly represents the City of Euclid on the NOACA Board, Ohio Mayor’s Alliance, Cuyahoga County Mayor’s and Managers Association, Chagrin Valley Dispatch Council of Governments and the Euclid Hospital Community Advisory Council.
Jonathan Holody
As Director of Planning and Development, Jonathan Holody oversees the City of Euclid’s economic and community development efforts. He holds a master’s degree in Urban Planning, Design, and Development from Cleveland State University and a bachelor’s degree in Public Administration from Ohio University. Jonathan is a member of the Board of Directors of the award-winning Lakeshore Intergenerational School and Chairman of the Board of the Peninsula Valley Foundation.
Allison Lukacsy-Love, AIA
Allison joined the City of Euclid in 2016 to manage the $30M Waterfront Improvements Plan. In addition, her role includes planning, funding and construction management of numerous projects including streetscape design, parks, and public art as well as facilitating the City’s Master Plan and serving as the staff partner to the city’s Architectural Review Board. Allison Lukacsy-Love is a licensed Architect with a professional degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She previously worked as a Project Manager with Geis Companies and StudioTECHNE Architects in Cleveland in addition to architecture firms in Pittsburgh and Shanghai. Allison is nationally recognized for her temporary and permanent public art installations that partner with non-profits to advance a social cause. Allison currently serves on the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Leadership Council, as the Chair of the Greater Cleveland Food Bank’s Young Professionals Council, the Alliance for the Great Lakes Young Professionals Council and is active in multiple alumni groups and professional organizations in Cleveland.
October 3, 2019
1:45PM - 4:45PM
The Opportunity Corridor: Insights from Transformed Neighborhoods
Mobile Workshop
Join neighborhood and transportation planners on a tour of one of the largest multi-modal roadway projects under construction in the region. The Opportunity Corridor is a planned boulevard that will run from East 55th Street at Interstate 490 to East 105th Street in University Circle where it is anchored by one of the region’s largest education, medical and arts job hubs. It includes a separated cycle track and four underutilized rapid transit stops that may see increased economic activity due to the boulevard. With neighborhoods along its route once referred to as the “Forgotten Triangle” due to the lack of economic activity, communities in and around the Opportunity Corridor are each finding unique ways they can use this infrastructure investment as a catalyst for much more. Encompassing nearly 1,000 acres on Cleveland’s southeast side, attendees of this mobile workshop will tour the corridor and hear the first-hand stories of the opportunities and challenges this investment is bringing to residents of the Slavic Village, Central, Kinsman, Fairfax and University Circle neighborhoods.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | $15
Travel Type | Trolley + Walking
Speakers
Marie Kittredge
Marie Kittredge has been in the community development field for over 35 years in Boston, Cincinnati, and Cleveland, Ohio. She spent more than 25 years with Slavic Village Development, a non-profit community development corporation that has been instrumental in guiding revitalization in Cleveland’s Broadway Slavic Village Neighborhood, serving as Executive Director from 2005-2014. From 2014-16, Marie served as Executive Director of the Opportunity Corridor Partnership. Opportunity Corridor is a 3.2-mile multi-modal boulevard that will connect some of Cleveland’s most disadvantaged neighborhoods to the city’s two biggest job centers. Since 2016 Marie has worked as a consultant and volunteer on various neighborhood initiatives including Slavic Village Rediscovered, Cleveland GardenWalk, and several youth mentoring programs.
Marie holds a Master’s Degree in City Planning from the University of Cincinnati, and completed three years of doctoral studies at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. She is a member of Leadership Cleveland's Class of 2011 and has served on the Boards of the Cleveland Schools, Neighborhood Housing of Greater Cleveland, and Cleveland Central Catholic High School. She currently serves on the Vestry of Trinity Cathedral and the Board of Bike Cleveland. Marie is an avid cyclist and a long-time resident of Cleveland’s Broadway Slavic Village neighborhood, where she and husband Clark Broida have raised four children.
October 3, 2019
2:15PM - 4:15PM
The Playouse Square District
Mobile Workshop
Attendees will have the opportunity to explore the history and continued growth of Cleveland’s Playhouse Square neighborhood. The tour will highlight the role historic preservation has played in saving theaters once threatened with demolition, and how the nonprofit Playhouse Square District Development Corporation has used them as a catalyst for community programming and real estate development. Get a behind the scenes look at the venues for the evening’s Conference Reception.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | Free
Travel Type | Walking
Speakers
Tom Einhouse
Tom Einhouse is the Vice President of Facilities and Capital for Playhouse Square where he has worked for 39 years. In 1980, when he began his career at Playhouse Square, his initial efforts were concentrated on the restoration of the five historic theaters that comprise the now-nine performance spaces of Playhouse Square—the world’s largest theater restoration project and the nation’s largest performing arts center outside New York City. In the early ‘90s, the Cleveland Theater District Development Corporation, now the Playhouse Square District Development Corporation (PDDC), was formed and became the first Business Improvement District (BID) in Cleveland. Einhouse serves as the Executive Vice President of the PDDC, which is now folded into the downtown-wide BID. Einhouse also is involved in the redevelopment of Playhouse Square’s million square foot commercial real estate portfolio.
His projects include the redevelopment of the Allen Theatre complex ($30 million), Idea Center ($42 million), Hanna Theatre (re-opened in September, 2008 - $15 million); the redevelopment of the E.14th St. streetscape ($2.5 million), the redevelopment of the 1305 and 1317 Euclid buildings ($5 million), and the redevelopment of the Middough Building ($17 million) and the Ohio Lobby Restoration ($5 million). Einhouse is responsible for overseeing the redevelopment of hundreds of thousands of square feet of tenant fit out including Turner Construction (19,250sf), Capstone Realty Advisors (24,000sf), The Cleveland Foundation (50,000sf), URS Consultants (50,000sf), ideastream (90,000sf). He oversaw the leasing and re-tenanting of the Idea Center Building taking it from an occupancy of 9,000sf to 208,000sf.
Einhouse is currently a board member of the LAND studio, the Cleveland Restoration Society, the Lakewood Board of Education, and the board chair of the Downtown Cleveland Improvement Corporation. In addition, he is the past board president of both the Cleveland Restoration Society and League of Historic American Theatres. He has served full terms on the Lakewood Board of Zoning Appeals as well as the Lakewood Planning Commission, where he concluded both terms as chair. In addition, he is a licensed Ohio real estate salesperson.
October 3, 2019
2:30PM - 3:30PM
The Road to Vision Zero: Lessons & Next Steps
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
Vision Zero is a strategy to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries, while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for all. Learn about the technical challenges of developing a Vision Zero Action Plan and the alignment of values and priorities across varied partners.
Speakers
Matthew Moss
Matthew is a neighborhood planner for the city of Cleveland. The City is organized into planning districts. As the planner for district 2 Matthew provides services for city residents, developers, and other departments in an area that includes the Ohio City, Tremont, Clark Fulton, Brooklyn Centre, Stockyards, and Old Brooklyn neighborhoods. Prior to joining the City Planning Commission, Matthew was the Housing & Economic Development Director for Tremont West Development Corporation, a community development corporation serving the Tremont and Duck Island neighborhoods.
Matthew Zone
Councilman Matt Zone was first elected to City Council in 2001, representing Ward 15, which includes the Detroit-Shoreway neighborhood where he and generations of his family grew up. Ward 15 also includes the Edgewater area, Gordon Square and parts of Ohio City, Cudell, and Stockyards neighborhoods. Councilman Zone is the previous past president of the National League of Cities, an organization that represents 19,000 cities, towns and villages throughout the United States. Councilman Zone is a graduate of St. Edward High School and Cleveland State University’s College of Urban Affairs.
Ashley Shaw
Bio NA
October 3, 2019
2:30PM - 3:30PM
Evolving Economic Development Practices: Job Hubs & Competitive Futures
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
As development trends have changed, jobs have transitioned from dense urban cores to regional job hubs where people are able to choose where they live and commute to work. This session will discuss how job are in alignment with civic priorities and economic development opportunities, as well as prioritize development to utilize existing infrastructure and connect labor to jobs.
Speakers
Mary Cierebiej, AICP
Mary is a Senior Director of Site Selection at Team NEO and works to identify, evaluate and market key real estate in Northeast Ohio in an effort to improve the region's competitiveness for company attraction and expansion opportunities. Mary holds a Master's degree in Urban Studies and Economic Development from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor's degree from the University of Dayton. Mary is a Certified Planner (AICP)
Sydney Martis
As a member of the research team, Sydney Martis supports Team NEO's core mission of business attraction and expansion by providing economic, demographic, workforce and real estate data to help provide the business case for companies to locate or expand in Northeast Ohio. She holds a Master's Degree in Urban Planning and Development from CSU during which she won 3rd place for an Urban Development/Market Analysis competition. She attained her Bachelor of Arts in Economics from the University of Akron.
October 3, 2019
2:30PM - 3:30PM
Urban Design for Ohio Communities
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
Community design centers are non-profit organizations or university-based programs that provide urban design and planning services to cities and towns with a focus on vulnerable communities and underserved areas. Hear about the work of Ohio’s four design centers and how these organizations might be helpful to your community.
Speakers
Terry Schwarz, FAICP
Terry Schwarz is the director of Kent State University's Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. Her work at the CUDC includes neighborhood and campus planning, commercial and residential design guidelines, and ecological strategies for vacant land reuse.
Isabela Gould
Isabela Gould is executive director of the Neighborhood Design Center in Columbus. She has taught architecture at Ohio State University and Illinois Institute of Technology. She founded Gould Design Studios in Worthington and Rogue Studios LLC in Chicago.
Elizabeth Ellis
Bio NA
October 3, 2019
2:30PM - 3:30PM
Building a Culture of Community Health in Cleveland
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
Hear from one Community Development Corporation that is incorporating a health lens in traditional planning and programming to create opportunities to make health the easy option. Outcomes include strengthened social connectivity, expanded resident engagement and cultural inclusion, and increased access to healthy food and wellness opportunities.
Speakers
Heather McMahon, MRP
Heather McMahon is a strategic planner with nearly 20 years of experience in community development, organizing and advocacy. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Heather holds a master's degree in Regional Planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is committed to building strong communities through collaboration, innovation, and participation. Currently, Heather is leading the Community Health initiative at Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation: a groundbreaking strategy to reorient community development work around social determinants of health using data and analysis to build layered, comprehensive interventions that improve the health of residents and neighborhoods.
Amber Jones, MPH
Amber Jones, MPH is the Community Health Coordinator at the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation. Originally from Michigan, she relocated to the Cleveland area in 2012 after earning her Bachelor of Science at the University of Michigan. She recently graduated with her Master of Public Health degree from Case Western Reserve University with a focus in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. During her time at CWRU, she realized her passion for community-based health through the lens of community development and how a person's environment affects his or her health. Through her role at Old Brooklyn CDC, she is able to utilize those skills and her interests to take action in her community.
Dr. Dave Margolius, MD
David Margolius, MD is a primary care physician and Medical Director of Systems Improvement for The MetroHealth System in Cleveland. In the latter role, he leads process improvement efforts in clinical quality, patient experience, and patient safety. He is also the Clinical Center Director of Adult Primary Care overseeing all Cleveland primary care practices in the system and he is an Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. He lives with his wife and two children in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood of Cleveland and serves both on the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation’s Board of Directors and as Board liaison to the CDC’s Community Health Advisory Committee.
October 3, 2019
2:30PM - 3:30PM
APA Ohio Board + General Membership Meeting
Concurrent Session
Hope A
Join us at the annual membership meeting of the APA Ohio Board of Trustees. Learn about our Strategic Plan Update currently in process and how to get more involved in chapter activities, including advocacy for good planning policy in Ohio.
October 3, 2019
3:45PM - 4:45PM
Preparing Visionary Practitioners: Considering the Future of Planning Education
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
This session discusses the issue of how we educate our students to succeed in the planning profession and prepare them for the job market, while setting them up to be visionary thinkers about the future of the communities, cities and world in which they work.
Speakers
Stephanie Ryberg-Webster
Stephanie Ryberg-Webster is an Associate Professor of Urban Studies in the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University, where she also directs the Master of Urban Planning and Development program. Her research explores the complex intersections of historic preservation and urban development, including preservation (and demolition) in legacy cities, synergies and tensions between preservation and community development, federal and state historic rehabilitation tax credits, and the preservation of under-repesented heritages. Dr. Ryberg-Webster earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Historic Preservation from the University of Maryland and a Bachelor of Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati.
Danilo Palazzo
Danilo Palazzo, educated as architect and planner, is director of the School of Planning at the University of Cincinnati. Previously he was at the Politecnico di Milano, Italy. He has authored books, books chapters, and papers on ecological planning, urbanism, urban ecological design, sustainable planning, and design processes and pedagogy.
October 3, 2019
3:45PM - 4:45PM
Building & Sustaining Mixed-Income Communities: From Theory to Reality
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
Cities across the nation are faced with the opportunity of revitalization, alongside the challenge of displacement and the potential alienation of low-income residents of color. Panelists will share best practices and lessons learned from the redevelopment and restoration of one historic building, and strategies for connecting the benefits of revitalization to residents of all incomes.
Speakers
Jeffrey Beam
Jeffrey Beam serves as a director of development for The Community Builders. Beam's primary responsibility is to supervise the identification and implementation of real estate development projects from initial conception through construction to rent up and stabilized occupancy. He is accountable for the financial performance, timeliness, mission-delivery, quality and quantity of TCB development work in Ohio and Indiana. Prior to TCB, Beam practiced as a licensed architect in the greater Washington, D.C. area, managing the planning and design of neighborhood revitalization projects across the eastern U.S. Beam holds master's degrees in real estate development and city planning from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, as well as a bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Notre Dame.
Taryn Gress
Taryn Gress, MSSA is the Strategic Director of the National Initiative on Mixed-Income Communities (NIMC) at Case Western Reserve University. She provides strategic direction of the applied research center and has led NIMC research on three Scans of the Field studies, a study of 259 HOPE VI sites and supported numerous other research and consulting projects on mixed-income communities and is currently leading NIMC’s strategic support of the Cuyahoga Metropolitan Housing Authority’s mixed-income planning effort in the Woodhill Homes Estates in Cleveland, Ohio. Taryn came to NIMC from The Civic Commons, a community and civic engagement organization serving Northeast Ohio. She has also worked with Cleveland community-based nonprofits Slavic Village Development, America SCORES Cleveland, and The Ohio State University Extension in Cuyahoga County.
Reginald Harris
Reginald Harris serves as a director of Community Life for The Community Builders. Harris leads TCB’s place-based Community Life model in Ohio and Indiana that provides stable housing as a platform for residents and neighborhoods to achieve success. His work has engaged residents and stakeholders to create programs and build partnerships that promote financial stability, health and social engagement. Previously, Harris developed and managed a department of health and human services grant for Lighthouse Youth and Family Services to serve homeless LGBTQ young adults in Cincinnati. Harris holds a Bachelor of Liberal Studies degree from Roosevelt University and a Master of Social Work degree from Boston University. He is a Level 1 Certified Trauma practitioner through the National Institute for Trauma and Loss in Children. Harris serves on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the Equality Ohio c4 board, Caracole in Cincinnati and the Human Services Chamber of Hamilton County transportation subcommittee. Named a Champion of Change by the United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Harris is one of 15 African American leaders chosen to develop an innovative grant-making process to address black wealth in Cincinnati.
October 3, 2019
3:45PM - 4:45PM
Ohioans in Orbit? Planning for the City’s Evolving Relationships with Outer Space
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
How will human settlement evolve alongside the innovations in aviation and aerospace infrastructure? As the historic home of some of the world's greatest aviators and astronauts, Ohio is a fitting place to reflect on the relationship between human settlement and air transportation over the past 100 years and look to the next 100 years.
Speakers
Dr. Amber Woodburn McNair
Amber Woodburn McNair, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of City and Regional Planning in the Knowlton School and holds an affiliated position with the Center for Aviation Studies. Her education background spans civil engineering and city and regional planning, with an emphasis on transportation systems. McNair specifically integrates air transportation and airspace planning in both her teaching and research, asking questions about land use, equity, environment, and economic impacts of airport development. Her most recent funded work includes a study of the economic impact of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority's three airports on the State of Ohio.
Jake Boswell
Jacob Boswell is an Assistant Professor of Landscape Architecture at the Knowlton School. Boswell's research traces Social Imaginaries or what the philosopher Charles Taylor has called, the ways in which people imagine their social existence, how they fit together with others, how things go on between them and their fellows, the expectations that are normally met, and the deeper normative notions and images that underlie these expectations (Modern Social Imaginaries 106). He is interested in the way that social imaginaries produce landscapes and the built environment. He pursues this work through a hybrid practice rooted in education and training in landscape architecture, city planning and cultural anthropology.
Kim Burton, AICP
Kimberly Burton is an Associate Professor of Practice in City and Regional Planning at the Knowlton School. She is a professional engineer (P.E.), certified planner (AICP) with an advanced specialty in transportation planning (CTP), and a LEED accredited professional in neighborhood development (LEED AP ND). Burton has over 20 years of experience working in both the public and private sectors. She currently runs a planning consulting firm, Burton Planning Services (BPS), which is focused on sustainable planning and environmental solutions for its clients. Her experience, spans transportation planning, community and economic development, hazard mitigation, environmental studies, noise and air quality analyses, and sustainability and resiliency initiatives.
Karen Lewis
Karen Lewis is an Associate Professor of Architecture at The Ohio State University whose design research examines the intersection of graphic and infrastructural systems. Her design research examines architecture as a manifestation of information, networks and complex systems. Lewis's teaching and design work expands upon her professional background as a museum exhibition designer and information designer, focusing on the visual representation of information as a way to synthesize architectural practice. Her book, Graphic Design for Architects (Routledge, 2015), was a number one best-seller on Amazon.com.
October 3, 2019
3:45PM - 4:45PM
Seeing the Urban Forest Beyond Trees: The Cleveland Tree Plan
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
In 2015, the City of Cleveland adopted the Cleveland Tree Plan as a rallying cry for restoring the urban tree canopy in the Forest City. This session will highlight key aspects of the plan, including GIS tools for assessing tree canopy and identifying vacant land, public education and engagement, financing the planting of trees, and the crucial aspect of maintenance.
Speakers
Isaac Robb
Isaac Robb is the Director of Urban Projects for the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Isaac is responsible for redevelopment scenario planning, structuring land transactions for urban open space projects, managing the property inventory program, as well as assisting with the Land Conservancy’s reforestation efforts. A native Oregonian, Isaac holds a BA in Economics from Willamette University and his MA in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. Isaac also has experience teaching English as a second language to students in China and South Korea.
Sandra Albro
Research Associate, Applied Urban Ecology, Holden Forests and Gardens
Matt Gray
Matt Gray, as Chief of Sustainability, is responsible for advising the City on policies related to sustainability and the oversight of the Office of Sustainability; leading coordination of the Sustainable Cleveland 2019 initiative; implementing the Cleveland Climate Action Plan and the Sustainable Cleveland Municipal Action Plan; and reducing the City’s ecological footprint with solutions that also save the City money. In this role, Matt and the Office of Sustainability are working to improve environmental, economic, and human health for all. Key strategies including applying for and managing grants, assisting Departments and Divisions in implementing sustainability projects, holding Sustainable Cleveland Summits and other events, collaborating with community partners, and making it easier for Clevelanders to take action in sustainability. The result is a community working together to build a thriving green city on a blue lake. Prior to his work for the City, Matt held several positions related to sustainability and climate action in the public, private, and non-profits sectors. Before starting with the City in 2012, Matt completed a U.S. Fulbright Fellowship in Mauritius on climate change governance. Prior to receiving this grant, he worked four years with the US Department of Energy's Federal Energy Management Program, serving as Chair of the Interagency Sustainability Working Group to make green building standard practice throughout the Federal government. Matt has also worked in energy management consulting, ecological water purification and for conservation organizations. Matt earned bachelor degrees in Industrial Engineering and Anthropology from the University of Pittsburgh. He also received a master’s degree in Public Administration from Columbia University, with a focus in Environmental Science and Policy.
October 3, 2019
3:45PM - 5:15PM
Last Call for Planning Ethics
Concurrent Session
Hope D
Dive into ethics in the planning profession with an overview of key state ethics laws, applicable to all who work with the public, as well as the AICP Code of Ethics. The session will include participatory discussion of the Ethics Case of the Year and other scenarios your peers have struggled with on a state and national basis. Cash bar.
Speakers
Wendy Moeller, FAICP
Wendy E. Moeller, FAICP, is a principal and owner of Compass Point Planning. She has worked in the planning field since graduating from the University of Cincinnati with a Bachelor of Urban Planning in 1996. Prior to starting her own firm, Ms. Moeller worked for 11 years as a project manager for McBride Dale Clarion, also based out of Cincinnati. Ms. Moeller is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP) and has a certificate in form-based codes from the Form Based Codes Institute (FBCI). In 2018, she was inducted into the College of Fellows of Institute (FAICP), the highest distinction given to certified planners, in recognition of significant contributions to communities and the planning profession. Ms. Moeller has served as a project manager and planner for numerous planning, regulatory, and development projects throughout her career including, but not limited to, comprehensive and growth management plans; zoning, subdivision, unified development codes, and other land use regulations; form-based regulations; design standards; and historic preservation guidelines; Her experience comes from working on projects across the United States with extensive work in the Midwest. Ms. Moeller is a regular speaker at local, state, regional, and national conferences. Ms. Moeller is currently serving as the Region IV Director for the American Planning Association.
Todd Kinskey, AICP
Todd Kinskey is a certified professional planner who joined the City of Dayton in May of 2018 as its Director of Planning & Community Development (P&CD). Todd oversees the daily operations of the P&CD Department (60+ employees) and its four Divisions: Land Use Administration, Community Development, Housing Inspections, and the Dayton Mediation Center. He is responsible for budget preparation and oversight, contract negotiations, City Manager special projects, and general oversight and coordination of all activities of the department. Prior to his appointment in Dayton, he was employed by Hamilton County, Ohio for over 23 years serving as Planning Director for almost 10 years. He has 25+ years of experience as a professional planner with emphasis in long range planning, community development, site plan review, land use planning and zoning analysis. He has experience serving on numerous boards and commissions including as President of the Ohio Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA) in 2015-16.
October 3, 2019
6:00PM - 8:30PM
Conference Reception + APA Ohio Planning Awards Ceremony
The Ohio Theatre at Playhouse Square | 1511 Euclid Ave, Cleveland
It’s a birthday party and you’re invited! We will celebrate the APA Ohio centennial in style with a cocktail reception in Cleveland’s historic Playhouse Square. The 2019 APA Ohio Planning Awards will be presented at 6:30 PM. Other surprises in store!
Need a lift to Playhouse Square? Ding Ding! The (free) Trolley is near! Hop on the C-Line Trolley at the Marriott Key Center stop (Ontario and St Clair). Jump off at the Wyndham Cleveland at Playhouse Square stop. The C-Line runs every 10 minutes until 11:00 PM. Allow 20 minutes for travel.
Cost | Complimentary for Full, Thursday and Friday registrants. Includes open bar, hors d’oeuvres + cake! Guest tickets available for $30 per person.
October 4, 2019
6:45AM - 8:00AM
Conference Registration + Networking Breakfast
3rd Floor Lakeside Foyer
October 4, 2019
8:00AM - 11:00AM
Habitat for Hard Places - A Cuyahoga River Cruise
Mobile Workshop
Fifty years ago, the Cuyahoga River was so polluted that it caught on fire. This workshop will highlight how today, water quality is much improved. Opportunities for development and recreation along the river are expanding and the river has a small but growing population of fish. However, challenges remain. The last six miles of the Cuyahoga River flow through the industrial center of Cleveland and past new development areas in the Flats. Steel and concrete bulkheads hold back the river banks and ensure clear passage for 700-foot-long lake carriers as they navigate the river's twists and turns. The channel is dredged to 23 feet to allow these behemoths to pass. It's not a welcoming place for fish. Larval and juvenile fish coming out of the shallow natural river have to navigate the ship channel to get to Lake Erie. The water is silty, large ships roil the waters and discharges of warm water from sewer overflows and industries make some areas inhospitable for cold-water fish. Welcoming habitats that provide oxygen, food and shelter are few and far apart. Without accommodations for young fish, this habitat gap affects the health of the lake/river fishery that is so important to people and the Great Lakes economy. Cuyahoga River Restoration’s Habitat for Hard Places initiative has implemented habitat projects on the bulkheads and has plans for behind-the-bulkhead habitats to give small fish places to feed and rest as they travel through the ship channel, as well as areas where adult fish could spawn.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | $20
Travel Type | Boat + Trolley
Speakers
Jane Goodman
Jane Goodman is Executive Director of Cuyahoga River Restoration, where she has developed award‐winning programs geared toward planning for watershed restoration and protection, elevating watershed literacy and stewardship, and implementing on‐the‐ground restoration projects involving habitat, riparian forest restoration, and depaving. After attending Northwestern University, she began a career in broadcasting at WMAQ in Chicago, worked in radio, television, and advertising, and in 1988 came home from New York to Cleveland. Here she began her second life, working on environmental issues as a co‐founder of Cleveland’s Earth Day Coalition and the Friends of Euclid Creek, and in civic engagement as Public Information Officer for the League of Women Voters of Cleveland Education Fund. After seven years as Environmental Outreach and Education Director at Clean‐Land, Ohio/Parkworks, she joined the Cuyahoga River organization in 2006, the same year she was elected to City Council in South Euclid, an inner‐ring‐adjacent suburb of Cleveland.
Terry Schwarz, FAICP
Terry Schwarz, FAICP, is the director of Kent State University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative. Her work at the CUDC includes neighborhood and campus planning, commercial and residential design guidelines, and ecological strategies for vacant land reuse. Terry launched the CUDC’s Shrinking Cities Institute in 2005 in an effort to understand and address the implications of population decline and large‐scale urban vacancy in Northeast Ohio. As an outgrowth of the Shrinking Cities Institute, she established Pop Up City, a temporary use initiative for vacant and underutilized sites in Cleveland. In 2009, Terry received the Cleveland Arts Prize for Design. She teaches in the graduate design curriculum for the KSU College of Architecture and Environmental Design.
October 4, 2019
8:00AM - 11:00AM
Great Places: Public Square & Ohio City’s West Side Market
Mobile Workshop
APA began the Great Places in America Awards twelve years ago to recognize the neighborhoods, streets and public spaces that make communities strong and bring people together. Many great places have been recognized here in Ohio, including two unique destinations in Cleveland that will be the focus of this mobile workshop. Speakers will talk about these special places, and how they’re shaping community interaction and economic development in surrounding neighborhoods. Downtown’s Public Square is the physical and symbolic core of the city and region. Included in the original city plan from 1796, it was transformed in 2016, and is once again inspiring Clevelanders to recognize the value of civic public spaces. Attendees will then visit the historic West Side Market in the Ohio City neighborhood. The West Side Market, opened in 1912, is both a neighborhood amenity and tourist destination offering an array of grocery stands, many of which have been in families for generations. The Market serves as the focal point of Ohio City’s Market District, one of the city’s most popular neighborhood commercial districts. Attendees will have the chance to visit and shop in the Market and tour the surrounding community that continues to grow and transform around this iconic Cleveland public space.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | $15
Travel Type | Transit + Walking
Speakers
Nora Romanoff
Nora, LAND studio’s Associate Director, oversees projects such as The Group Plan Commission, the partnership with Cleveland Neighborhood Progress, downtown and neighborhood development agenda, park and greenspace planning, all projects associated with Positively Cleveland’s Curb Appeal, and the redesign of Public Square, among others. She is dedicated to reinvigorating neighborhoods and Cleveland’s downtown by developing and expanding the use of public spaces. Her personal interests and professional work is motivated by her love of the City of Cleveland.
Megan Jones
As the Marketing + Communications Director, Megan focuses on LAND studio's exposure to new audiences, messaging, and building relationships with public space advocates. Luckily, LAND studio has a team of talented graphic designers and social media experts to help her navigate the ever-growing world of marketing technologies. When Megan's not updating the website or preparing the next LAND studio presentation you might find her taste-testing every ice cream flavor that Cleveland has to offer.
Ashley Shaw
Ashley Shaw is the Director of Neighborhood Planning & Economic Development for Ohio City Incorporated, a community development corporation serving Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood. Ashley oversees economic development strategies and planning initiatives for the neighborhood, including retail recruitment, expansion of the special improvement district, infrastructure improvements, and public space activation. Ashley holds a Communications & Media Studies degree from Ohio University and a Masters in Urban Studies and Economic Development from Cleveland State University.
October 4, 2019
8:00AM - 11:30AM
Collaboration to Connect Communities by Trails – A Bike Tour of Cleveland’s Waterfront and Trail
Mobile Workshop
Join us for a guided, 8.5-mile bike tour of the growing network of trails and bike lanes in Cleveland. This 3.5-hour tour will include segments of three major trail projects underway or recently completed: the final phases of the 110-mile Towpath Trail, the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway and the Re-Connecting Cleveland TIGER-grant funded trail project. Speakers will discuss how partnerships were formed and how stakeholders were engaged to build the support needed to advance these projects from plan to reality. The variety of funding sources that were assembled will be covered. The impacts of these investments, the evolution of how the city’s transportation facilities are used and changing views on how waterfront assets are utilized will be explored. Finally, speakers will share the importance of clear wayfinding and communications when navigating trails managed by multiple entities. We will visit a pilot wayfinding program along the Cleveland Lakefront Bikeway. The bike tour will make stops in various neighborhoods to explore the community impacts of park and trail projects and to hear from other community partners. This workshop is for advanced riders as portions of the tour will include grade changes and use of on-street bicycle facilities/riding with vehicular traffic.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | $20 (includes bike/helmet rental)
Travel Type | Biking + Walking
Speakers
Sara Byrnes Maier
Sara Byrnes Maier is a Senior Strategic Park Planner at Cleveland Metroparks, where she focuses on trail planning. She led the application team that received a $7.95 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant for the “Re-Connecting Cleveland” trail project that is now under construction. She has prior experience in commercial real estate lending and regional planning, and holds a Master’s degree in Urban Planning, Design and Development from the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from Tulane University. Sara served as Treasurer of the Cleveland Section of the American Planning Association from 2008-2018.
Jacob VanSickle
Jacob VanSickle believes biking and walking are simple solutions to complex problems facing our public health, economy and environment. As executive director and co-founder of Bike Cleveland Jacob works closely with city governments and residents to ensure people who bike and walk, by choice or necessity, can navigate our region safely. Jacob graduated from Spring Arbor University with a bachelors in Sociology and Community Development. He is a League of American Bicyclists licensed instructor, and in 2018 he was recognized by the Cleveland Foundation as a Placemaker.
Cathy Fromet
Cathy Fromet, President of Guide Studio, is a longtime champion for communities. Over her 20+ years of experience, she has been a designer, strategic consultant, community facilitator and wayfinding expert, giving her a 360-degree perspective on the challenges and opportunities faced by communities, institutions, venues and destinations. Her depth of expertise goes well beyond design and strategy; she frequently consults on where and how to raise money for public projects, and supports clients in stakeholder engagement, all in service of cities, neighborhoods and civic entities.
Calley Mersmann
Calley Mersmann is the Bicycle & Pedestrian Coordinator at the Cleveland City Planning Commission. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Ecology from the University of Georgia and a Master of Public Affairs from Indiana University-Bloomington, with concentrations in local government and sustainable development. Prior to joining the City of Cleveland, Calley guided the development and initial implementation of Cleveland Metropolitan School District's Safe Routes to School districtwide travel plan, helping students at almost 70 schools walk and bike more safely.
October 4, 2019
8:00AM - 9:00AM
The Burnham Plan for Cleveland’s Civic Center (SOLD OUT)
Mobile Workshop
The Burnham Plan for Cleveland’s Civic Center - SOLD OUT
8:00 AM - 9:00 AM
Tour Cleveland’s Civic Center as you learn how Daniel Burnham’s visionary City Beautiful plan spawned the creation of grand buildings and expansive green spaces. Tour guides and historical figures will tell the story of how the Burnham Plan continues to be implemented even today with the Hilton complex and planned lakefront connectors.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign.
Cost | Free
Travel Type | Walking
Speakers
Thomas Yablonsky
Thomas J. Yablonsky has 38 years of experience in management, city planning, community development, and economic development finance. He has founded or helped initiate three historic preservation development programs, including the Warehouse District and Gateway District in Downtown Cleveland. The third is as co-founder of Canalway Partners, which is a collaborative partner in a regional effort now known as The Ohio & Erie Canalway, which runs 110 miles from Tuscarawas County north to Downtown Cleveland.
Since 2001, Yablonsky has jointly held the position of Executive Director for the Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation and the Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation. Since August of 2006, he has also served as the Executive Vice President of the Downtown Cleveland Alliance. Previously, he was Director of Downtown Development for the Greater Cleveland Growth Association. Statewide he has been involved as a Board Member of Heritage Ohio. He holds a graduate degree (MPA) from Indiana University- Bloomington and a BA degree from Cleveland State University.
October 4, 2019
8:00AM - 9:00AM
Projecting Progress: A Dashboard for Tracking Plan Implementation and Showcasing Success
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
As planners, we dedicate significant time and energy to the plan-making process. But what comes after Council’s seal of approval? Learn how Cincinnati is communicating information to stakeholders through interactive dashboards in a real-time format - assisting with the delivery of government services, increasing transparency and ensuring accountability in implementing the vision of the city.
Speakers
Andy Juengling
Andy Juengling is a Senior City Planner with the City of Cincinnati's Department of City Planning. Prior to his role with Cincinnati, he served as the Senior Planner for Liberty Township in Butler County, Ohio, and as the Zoning Specialist/Project Manager for the City of Covington, Kentucky. Andy is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners and the Cincinnati Section of APA Ohio. He has his Bachelor of Urban Planning from the University of Cincinnati.
Samantha McLean
Samantha McLean is a City Planner with the City of Cincinnati's Department of City Planning. Prior to joining the department, she completed a Fulbright focused on cultural heritage and climate change planning in Saint-Louis, Senegal. She is a member of the Cincinnati Section of APA Ohio and serves on the board of the Cincinnati Urban Land Institute's Women's Leadership Initiative. Samantha is an AICP Candidate and LEED Green Associate. She has a Master of Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati and a B.A. in International Affairs from the George Washington University.
October 4, 2019
8:00AM - 9:00AM
100 Years of Zoning in Ohio: How Cities Have Fared and Where We Go from Here
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
This session will look at Ohio's influence on American zoning: as early adopters in Ohio's large cities, the Euclid v. Ambler case, its role in the proliferation of the urban automotive era, white flight, suburbanization and re-urbanization. Looking to the future, speakers discuss how zoning is assisting Ohio's cities in reclaiming their status as some of the most vibrant urban places in America.
Speakers
Sean S. Suder
Sean Suder is founder and lead principal of Calfee Zoning, a zoning consultancy with offices in Ohio, Indiana and D.C. Sean previously served as Chief Counsel for Land Use and Planning for the City of Cincinnati prior to re-entering private practice in 2014. In that role, he served as lead counsel for the Cincinnati Form-Based Code, Cincinnati Land Development Code, and the Cincinnati Historic Preservation Ordinance. Sean also represented the city in all land use, zoning and historic preservation matters, including representing and advising the Department of City Planning, the City Planning Commission, the Historic Conservation Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals. He holds a Bachelor of Urban and Environmental Planning from the University of Virginia School of Architecture and a J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law. In addition to being a licensed attorney in Ohio, Kentucky and Tennessee, he is a member of the American Planning Association, the Congress for the New Urbanism, the Urban Land Institute, and serves on the Board of the Over-the-Rhine Foundation.
October 4, 2019
8:00AM - 9:00AM
From Lifeless Pedestrian Mall to Rejuvenated Downtown Main Street
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
Over the past century, Downtown Cuyahoga Falls has adapted to meet the evolving demands of the retail marketplace. Hear from the planners, market analysts and historic preservationists who led recent work, using past revitalization efforts and current retail trends to visualize and implement a new Front Street for the 21st century.
Speakers
Fred Guerra, AICP
Fred R. Guerra, AICP, has been a Planning Director in Northeast Ohio for 34 years. He is currently the Planning Director for Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. He has a working history in local government and urban planning and has overseen the completion of comprehensive plans, zoning and subdivision codes, economic development projects, downtown redevelopment, new neighborhood design and construction, historic designations and preservation and Community Development Block Grant programs. Fred has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Youngstown State University, a Master of Public Administration from California State University-Long Beach and is a Certified Planner.
Andrew Overbeck, AICP
Andrew Overbeck, AICP, Principal, MKSK takes a collaborative approach to developing effective plans that address complex urban issues and identify catalytic projects. Andrew has more than 13 years of experience working in cities on award-winning downtown plans and public realm improvements with a focus on economic development, sustainability, and connectivity. His experience also includes transformational municipal planning, long-range planning, urban design, streetscape, alternative transportation, urban parks, and campus master plan projects. Andrew has led downtown and district plans for Cuyahoga Falls, Toledo, Akron, Columbus, and Louisville. Matching his strong background in research, writing, and graphic design with his ability to facilitate public discussion and discourse, Andrew is able to effectively communicate and build consensus for solutions that enhance and invigorate cities and neighborhoods. Andrew has a Bachelor of Arts in Politics from Earlham College and a Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and is a Certified Planner.
Robert Gibbs, AICP
Robert Gibbs, ASLA, AICP Robert Gibbs is a noted professional planner and landscape architect. For over 30 years, he has advised over 500 cities, institutions, retailers, architects and real estate developers across all 50 states, Europe and the Pacific Rim. Gibbs teaches at the Harvard Graduate School of Design's Executive Education program and as authored several books and publication's including Principles for Urban Retail and the Form Based Retail Module. Gibbs is a Charter member of the Congress for the New Urbanism and an advisor to Mayor's Institute for Design. Gibbs specializes in urban retail planning and market research and serves as the managing director of Gibbs Planning Group and the Urban Retail Institute.
Lauren Pinny Burge
Lauren Burge, AIA is a registered architect and principal of Perspectus Historic Architecture, Chambers, Murphy & Burge Studio. Ms. Burge is a graduate of the Kent State College of Architecture and Environmental Design. She holds a certificate in Optical Microscopy from the Smithsonian Center for Materials Research and Education. Ms. Burge served on the working group that formed the Ohio Historic Preservation Tax Credit application process. She is currently serving as the National Chair of the American Institute of Architects Historic Resources Committee Advisory Group. Ms. Burge experience in the preparation of Cyclical Maintenance Plans for properties such as the Henry Ford Estate, led to contribution to the National Park Service Preservation Brief on the subject, Number 47. She has served multiple terms as a board member of Progress Through Preservation of Greater Akron. She is a peer reviewer for the Association for Preservation Technology International's, scholarly journal, The Bulletin. Ms. Burge has presented lectures on historic preservation, design guidelines, and preservation technology at regional and national conferences. Chambers, Murphy & Burge created the first commercial National Register Historic District in downtown Akron. To date, the historic tax credit work of the firm has leveraged over $46 million dollars of construction in the greater Akron area, and over $150 million dollars statewide.
October 4, 2019
8:00AM - 9:00AM
Exploring Ohio’s 3Cs Transit Oriented Development
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
Uniting economic development and transit planning in Ohio’s cities is a continued focus for creating walkable, mixed-use business and residential districts to draw residents to our city’s centers. Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati all have very different examples of transit oriented development approaches to urban reinvestment. The session will include presentations by all three Ohio cities so you are able to compare and contrast what is taking place around the state.
Speakers
Tim Reynolds, AICP
Tim Reynolds has 35 years of experience in the planning field, specializing in public transportation. He joined WSP (formerly Parsons Brinckerhoff in 2010) where he’s helped lead corridor studies and alternatives analyses in Houston, St. Louis, Indianapolis, and Nashville. He has also led comprehensive operational analyses in New Orleans; Lexington, Kentucky; and in Dayton, Middletown, and Delaware County, Ohio. Tim has worked on several transit center development projects and recently led the New Orleans Downtown Transit Center Study. He also designed the station area and TOD guidelines for the Abu Dhabi Regional Rail System in the United Arab Emirates. Closer to home, Tim has been part of the team that developed the Cincinnati Streetcar project, which opened in 2016. He was also planning lead for the BQX Brooklyn-Queens Streetcar project.
Previously, Tim spent 15 years as Director of Planning for the Southwest Ohio Regional Transit Authority in Cincinnati where led the agency’s groundbreaking Metro Moves initiative. He is a 1979 graduate of the University of Connecticut with a B.A. in Urban Studies. He started his career working in transportation at Metropolitan Planning Organizations in Wisconsin and Massachusetts followed by ten years as a consultant with ATE Management and Service Company where he managed and conducted comprehensive analyses at over 40 transit systems across the U.S.
Maribeth Feke, AICP
Maribeth is the Director of Programming and Planning for the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority with 26 years of transportation planning experience. She is responsible for capital grant compliance activities, public art, real estate including transit oriented development, station area planning, transit expansion project planning, public art, strategic and general planning activities. Current projects include an Economic Impact Analysis, Development of a new 2020-2030 Strategic Plan, and a TOD Plan for the W. 25th Street Corridor. Maribeth holds a B.A from Cleveland State University and an MBA from Case Western Reserve University. She is Chair of the Historic Warehouse District, a Board Member of West Creek Conservancy and Women Transportation Seminar (WTS).
Tim Rosenberger
Tim Rosenberger is a senior transit planner with WSP, specializing in mass transit operations, network and facilities planning, pedestrian transportation systems and the connection between land use and transportation. Based in Cleveland, Tim has more than 25 years of experience managing transit, transit-oriented development and pedestrian-bicycle planning projects for clients across the US and internationally. Before joining WSP, Tim was a planner with the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (GCRTA).
Annie Pease
Annie Pease (B.A. Political Science, M.R.P. City & Regional Planning) is the Director of Transportation at University Circle Incorporated (UCI), a non-profit neighborhood development corporation in Cleveland, Ohio. University Circle is northeast Ohio's fastest growing employment center with 45,000 jobs in 1.5 square miles. In 2016, Ms. Pease was hired to coordinate Transportation Demand Management (TDM) with UCI staff and representatives from major University Circle employers, as recommended by a district-wide Transportation & Mobility Plan. Her duties include coordinating transportation planning, services, programs, capital projects and parking policy in University Circle. Ms. Pease comes to Cleveland after several years of community development work in Central Asia and completing her Masters in City & Regional Planning from Cornell University.
Michael Schipper, PE
Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority’s Deputy General Manager for Engineering and Project Management. He is responsible for the planning, design, and construction elements of GCRTA’s $367 million 2017 – 2021 Capital Improvement Program, which includes all rail stations, track rehabilitation, bus garages, transit centers, bridges, and other facilities.
He joined GCRTA in 2001 and was instrumental in progressing the $200 million HealthLine Bus Rapid Transit program from preliminary engineering into final design and construction. He led GCRTA’s $45 million ARRA program implementation and has received two TIGER grants for the Cedar University and Little Italy Red Line Stations which have been constructed. He is also leading the development of GCRTA’s Environmental and Sustainability Management System and ISO 14001 Certification effort.
He has Civil Engineering degrees from the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology and the University of Texas at Arlington and is a Registered Professional Engineer in the states of Ohio and Texas. He is a Past President of the Cleveland Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He is currently serving as the President of the Cleveland Engineering Society and a member of ASCE’s National Committee on America’s Infrastructure.
October 4, 2019
9:15AM - 11:15AM
A Day in the Life of a Downtown Resident
Mobile Workshop
Tour guides will take attendees on a walking tour of Downtown Cleveland, viewed through the lens of a typical downtown resident. From leaving home, to getting a coffee, taking the trolley to work, grocery shopping and joining friends for dinner and entertainment, this tour will showcase the ways the downtown has grown into an active urban neighborhood.
All mobile workshops depart from and return to the Ontario Street entrance to the Hilton Cleveland Downtown Hotel (conference venue). Watch for a "Mobile Workshops Meet Here" sign
Cost | Free
Travel Type | Walking
Speakers
Thomas Starinsky
Thomas Starinsky is the Associate Director of Historic Warehouse District Development Corporation and Historic Gateway Neighborhood Corporation. With a demonstrated history of working in the community and economic development industry, Tom is a thought leader in historic preservation, urban planning and placemaking. His work relies heavily on community involvement and partnerships with government and non-profit entities.
Through his work, Tom strives to enhance to quality of people’s life with creative ideas that give the city personality. Over his 20-year career, he has led projects that range from community planning around housing, retail, and civic engagement. His work has results that include plan for housing diversity in Downtown Cleveland; Small Box - a retail project using re-purposed shipping containers; a community public realm plan in the Warehouse District; and a soon to be built pocket park at the site of Cleveland’s original lighthouse.
Tom holds a Bachelors of Fine Art from the Cleveland Institute of Art in Sculpture and a Masters of Urban Planning, Design and Development from Cleveland State University.
October 4, 2019
9:15AM - 10:15AM
Sparking Revitalization in Retail Corridors
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
The death of bricks and mortar retail has been greatly exaggerated. As technology evolves and disruption is commonplace, how do our cities, towns and suburbs adapt to accommodate the rapidly changing retail environment? This session aims to showcase how our communities can evolve to create great places for retail built to last.
Speakers
John Yung, AICP
John Yung AICP, is a certified planner with more than 10 years of working in community development, planning and zoning. He focuses on revitalizing and enriching city centers and neighborhoods through a diverse array of planning strategies. John is skilled in land use code analysis, development plan review, and project implementation and he has expertise in engaging both community members and elected officials. His work has also included comprehensive planning, economic development, zoning code development, public speaking, community engagement, and urban forestry. Mr. Yung is a regular contributor to the blog UrbanCincy.com and podcast, a member of the Over-the-Rhine Foundation Board, founding member and Vice-Chairperson of the Congress for New Urbanism Midwest Chapter and a published author.
Kathleen Norris
Kathleen Norris is a specialist in urban real estate and revitalization who as Leasing Consultant for the Gateway Quarter, in Cincinnati's historic Over the Rhine, developed the concept for a new destination retail center. She has since become one of the most sought-after consultants and practitioners on the real estate issues pertinent to urban revitalization, known for a creative approach paired with understanding of and sensitivity to community issues. At present Ms. Norris is a consultant on urban revitalization, comprehensive planning, and form-based code zoning. She works regularly with a range of local governments, economic development organizations, developers and community revitalization corporations on issues pertinent to urban real estate. Ms. Norris is also a licensed realtor, and Managing Principal of her own firm, Urban Fast Forward. She represents some of Greater Cincinnati's best independent restaurateurs and retailers as well as a select list of regional and national clients.
October 4, 2019
9:15AM - 10:15AM
Revitalizing Youngstown: Putting Youngstown 2010 to Work
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
Learn how one Legacy City is using planning skills and tools to transform itself. Speakers address the nuts-and-bolts of addressing wide-spread abandonment, updating obsolete codes and practices, reviving the city's housing market and encouraging private reinvestment.
Speakers
Hunter Morrison
Cleveland City Planning Director, 1980-2001; Director of Campus Planning and Community Development, Youngstown State University, 2002-2012; Executive DIrector of the Northeast Ohio Sustainable Communities Consortium, 2012-2014; Senior Fellow in Urban Studies, Cleveland State University, 2014-present.
October 4, 2019
9:15AM - 10:15AM
Form-Based Zoning for the Rest of Us
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
You want the kind of pedestrian-friendly development and vibrant, mixed-use districts that a form-based zoning code is designed to achieve. But you’re not ready to get rid of your traditional “Euclidean” zoning code and map. The good news is that there is a third choice. Learn how to update your familiar zoning code, strategically, to incorporate form-based elements to achieve design goals for your community.
Speakers
Robert N Brown
Robert N. Brown is a city planning consultant with over 40 years of experience working for local government and serving community organizations, developers, architects and others engaged in urban planning and development. He was the City Planning Director in Cleveland from 2005-2014. In recent work he has assisted developers in successfully navigating local zoning and planning approval processes. He has specialized in writing zoning regulations and preparing comprehensive plans for urban and suburban communities. He has spoken at regional and national conferences on subjects ranging from sign regulations to sustainable development patterns. In 2014 he was elected as a Fellow of the American Institute of Certified Planners, a national honor recognizing his accomplishments as a city planner.
Bruce Rinker
Bruce Rinker is a shareholder of the firm and has extensive, well‐ rounded experience as a litigator and practitioner. He was a Labor Relations Representative, State Appellate Court Law Clerk, Assistant County Prosecutor in the Felony Criminal Division and has been a trial attorney for over 40 years. Mr. Rinker has held a number of public offices since 1987 and developed expertise in municipal, zoning and eminent domain law, often lecturing in these areas.
October 4, 2019
9:15AM - 10:15AM
Take Back the Mic: Stop Planning Public Meetings and Start Hosting Engaging Events
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
Cancel your public meetings. Throw out the agenda. Take back the mic. Tired of hearing from the same 20 residents about planning initiatives in your town? Increase attendance and input from citizens by engaging them in fun, interesting events. Learn how to attract crowds of engaged citizens, because planning for the future of your community should be exciting for everyone that lives there.
Speakers
Erin Moriarty
Erin Moriarty is a Planner with ms consultants, inc., and based in their Columbus office. Erin has a keen interest in utilizing creative marketing and public engagement techniques to discover new ideas and best prepare each community she works in for the future. Erin holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Dayton; she uses both to connect and engage with communities throughout the Midwest.
Wade Calhoun
As the City Manager for Canfield, Ohio, Wade balances the day-to-day activities of his community with the long-range goals. Wade understands the necessity and benefits of working with residents to formulate plans for the future and maintains a friendly and open demeanor towards all. Wade is currently directing the Canfield Comprehensive Plan process, where public engagement is a top priority.
Jeffrey Gottke
Jeff hit the ground running in his new role at the Area Development Foundation of Knox County, Ohio, successfully quarterbacking separate planning processes in the County's four villages. His efforts range from planning for historic downtown cores and rural farmlands to preparing for the coming population increase expected in the Central Ohio region.
October 4, 2019
10:30AM - 11:30AM
Creative Funding and Financing in a “New Normal” Small City
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
Learn about the tools the City of Sandusky used to reinvigorate its downtown, lakefront and neighborhoods including creative funding and financing, leveraging assets and ecology, building public-private-philanthropic partnerships and a little bit of good timing. The result is a renaissance of this city of 25,000 residents in less than four years.
Speakers
Michelle Johnson
Michelle Johnson has more than 15 years of experience in trail planning and design, comprehensive planning, including transportation corridors, streetscapes, green infrastructure retrofits, multi-modal plans, urban renewal plans and land use plans. She has a passion for complete streets, urban communities, restoring ecological systems and supporting sustainable regional land use. She has extensive Project Management experience in community planning and complete streets projects as well as ODNR and ODOT/LPA trail design projects. Ms. Johnson has a Master's Degree in Urban Planning, Design and Development from Cleveland State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning and a Minor in Landscape Architecture from Miami University. She lives adjacent to the CVNP in Brecksville with her husband Dan and rescue dogs Madison and Walter Hobbs.
Eric Wobser
Eric is a Sandusky native with significant experience in municipal government and community development. Eric previously served as Special Projects Manager to the Mayor of the City of Cleveland from 2006 to 2009 and as Executive Director of Ohio City Incorporated from late 2009 until June, 2014. Eric served as an Americorps member with City Year Cleveland from 2001-2002 and was an inaugural member of the Cleveland Executive Fellowship in 2005-2006. In 2013, he spent several weeks in Europe analyzing Transatlantic relations as an American Marshall Memorial Fellow, a program of the German Marshall Fund. Eric is a graduate of Ohio University (B.A. Political Science - 2002) and the University of Michigan Law School (J.D. - 2005). He is married to Jennifer, a Huron, Ohio, native. Eric and Jennifer have two sons, Perry and Hayes, and a Basset Hound, Clementine. Eric and his family live near downtown Sandusky and he enjoys walking to work, restaurants, shops, church, the library, downtown parks and the waterfront.
Duff Milkie
Duffield E. (Duff) Milkie has served as Corporation Vice President, General Counsel, since February 2008 and was appointed as Corporate Secretary in February 2012 and was promoted to Executive Vice President in January of 2015. Mr. Milkie leads the Legal department at Cedar Fair and is also heavily involved in government and community relations, tourism advocacy and most recently select business development efforts, including the development of multi- purpose outdoor and indoor sports facilities at the Cedar Point Sports Center in Sandusky, Ohio. Mr. Milkie has also managed and developed a number of other business and government relations matters key markets for Cedar Fair including Charlotte, NC; Toronto, Canada and Santa Clara, California
October 4, 2019
10:30AM - 11:30AM
A Paradox for Transit in the Age of Autonomy
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
As mobility evolves to rely on autonomy, some predict inevitable doom for transit. But is it equally possible that opportunities for dense auto-free development will come hand-in-hand with a new era of transportation in which transit plays a central role? Speakers will share examples from across the nation of how transit agencies are reacting to mobility changes and preparing for the technology of the future.
Speakers
Jason Sudy
Jason is the National Lead, Transportation Technology Planning at HDR. He co-founded the Urban Mobility Research Center, an organization promoting the understanding and analysis of transformative transportation technology. Over 22 years of professional practice, Jason has pursued a specific interest in the relationship between our transportation choices and the resulting impacts on our infrastructure and the evolution of our cities.
Josh Sikich
Josh assists government agencies in strategic planning for transit, emerging transportation technologies, and new mobility. As the COTA Transit System Redesign Project Manager, Josh led the $9.4 million transformation of Central Ohio Transit Authority during its largest change in its 43-year history in 2017. Together with Maribeth Feke, he is currently leading Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority's Strategic Plan.
Maribeth Feke, AICP
Maribeth is the Director of Programming & Planning at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transportation Authority. She is currently leading the GCRTA's Strategic Plan process.
October 4, 2019
10:30AM - 11:30AM
The Executive View: How Community Master Plans Shape a Community
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
Each of Cuyahoga County’s 59 communities have diverse needs, issues and opportunities in demographics, jobs, land use, transportation, sustainability and funding. Reflecting on their work with the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission to develop master plans, four city executives will share lessons learned regarding ways to improve the mobility, health, well-being and economic vitality for all communities in the County.
Speakers
Patrick Hewitt
Patrick Hewitt is a Senior Planner with the Cuyahoga County Planning Commission and has led the master plan process for eight communities in Cuyahoga County. He has nine years of experience leading the development of planning projects including master plans, corridor plans, community surveys, economic development plans, streetscape plans, and guidebooks. He has a particular interest in the development of high-quality and vibrant places, and how planning can play a role in the formation of these great places. Patrick has a Bachelor of History from Denison University and a Master of City and Regional Planning from the Ohio State University. He has also been active as an Alumni Council member for Denison University, has volunteered for the Downtown Cleveland Alliance, and served as the Vice Chair for his local historic district’s Design Review Committee.
Annette M. Blackwell
Mayor Annette Blackwell is a very successful business professional who has worked at KeyBank in Installment Lending and University Hospitals of Cleveland as an Administrative Coordinator to the President & Chief Medical Officer of University Hospitals Primary Care Physician Services. She ended her 16 years as a Senior Commercial Property Tax Analyst and Co-Leader of the Black Employee Network at Deloitte and Ryan Global Tax Services where she was also a U.S. India Liaison when she won the election. On January 6, 2016, Mayor Blackwell was sworn in as the City of Maple Heights’ 16th Mayor, the first female and first African-American in the City’s 100-year history. She is also the City’s Director of Safety and acts as the chief conservator of the peace of the City. She completed her business education (ASB) at Indiana Wesleyan University and Public Relations, Corporate Communications (BA) from Ursuline College in Pepper Pike, Ohio. Mayor Blackwell is also an alumni of the Cleveland Leadership Center’s Civic Leadership Institute. Mayor Blackwell and her husband are local business owners in the City of Maple Heights, owning an event and multipurpose center. Mayor Blackwell is a wife, mother and grandmother. She serves alongside her husband, Alonzo Blackwell, a Deacon, as a Deaconess at her church as well as on the Women of Royalty Outreach Ministries Board of Directors.
Pamela E. Bobst
Mayor Bobst was first elected to public office when she became a City Councilmember in 1996. In 2006, she was elected Mayor. Mayor Bobst is active on various boards and commissions, including the Westshore Council of Governments, the State Auditor’s Regional Advisory Board, and the Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency. Mayor Bobst received her Dental Hygiene degree from the University of Minnesota, a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Care Access/Public Health from Northeastern Illinois University and a Master’s Degree in Community Health Education from Kent State University. Prior to serving in public office, Mayor Bobst’s professional experience focused on health care access, disease prevention and the health insurance industry.
Kirsten Holzheimer Gail
Bio NA
Tanisha R. Briley
Bio NA
October 4, 2019
10:30AM - 11:30AM
Community Benefits Agreements
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
Community groups have gone beyond local governments to demand participation in the planning of major projects which impact their communities, proposing Community Benefits Agreements to offset negative impacts and/or to include positive benefits for their communities. We will review the structure of these agreements, discuss examples, and focus on the role of planners in making and implementing CBAs.
Speakers
W. Dennis Keating
I spent 35 years teaching, researching and doing academic administration at the Levin College. I am the founder and was the Director of its MUPD Program and published widely in the fields of housing, neighborhoods, community development, and urban policy.
Beth Nagy
Beth Nagy, Ed.D. is a lecturer of Planning Practice in the Levin College of Urban Affairs and certified GIS Professional. Beth spent 15 years in public and nonprofit planning prior to becoming faculty at CSU.
October 4, 2019
11:30AM - 1:15PM
Keynote Luncheon | 11:30 AM
Hope D/E Ballrooms
Cost | Complimentary for Full and Friday registrants. Includes keynote + lunch. Guest tickets available for $50 per person.
October 4, 2019
1:30PM - 3:00PM
Digital Master Planning 101: A Holistic Approach to Smart Communities
Concurrent Session
Center Street A
Continue the conversation with the Keynote Speaker and dive deeper into how automation, data and artificial intelligence are reshaping our communities and how we can plan to get smart.
October 4, 2019
1:30PM - 2:30PM
Planning for Age-Friendly Communities in Ohio
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
By 2025, more than one in four Ohioans will be age 60 and older. Communities need to innovate and adapt to these shifts in age demographics. Planners will play a unique role in addressing the needs of older adults and ensuring equitable outcomes across the age spectrum. Learn from two Ohio communities - a large city and a rural county - about their age-friendly efforts born from planning agencies.
Speakers
Taylor Stuckert
Taylor Stuckert serves as the Planning Director for the 20-member regional planning commission, and leads planning efforts across the County and nine political jurisdictions. Mr. Stuckert's role involves regularly meeting and engaging with diverse stakeholders in communities throughout Clinton County and at the state and national level on a variety of projects and initiatives related to planning, physical, economic and community development. Mr. Stuckert holds a Master Degree in Community Planning from the University of Cincinnati- College of Design, Architecture, Art, and Planning (DAAP) and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Butler University.
Katie White
Katie White is the Director of Age-Friendly Communities at The Ohio State University College of Social Work. Katie studied gerontology and has spent her career working and volunteering with older adults. Her experience in person-centered program development at the Alzheimer's Association sparked an ongoing passion for elevating the voice of older adults in the community and continues to influence her work today.
October 4, 2019
1:30PM - 2:30PM
The Future Was Then: Lessons Foreseen in a Fully Electric Future
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
Taking a hindsight perspective, speakers review Ohio’s transportation system at the beginning of the 21st century, the technologies and policies needed to shift away from the internal combustion engine, the ways in which our interactions with the built environment changed, how our approaches to housing and the rural-urban divide progressed and the impact all of this has had on equity, energy and the environment.
Speakers
Jon-Paul d'Aversa
As the Senior Energy Planner for the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission, Jon-Paul leads the development of long-range plans for a more resilient grid, and serves as MORPC's expert on the electrification of the transportation sector. In addition, he provides technical assistance to member governments and local programs through the Local Government Energy Partnership, a collaborative effort to engage local leaders in opportunities to understand their energy issues and the resources available to address them. Jon-Paul brings nearly a decade of energy planning and sustainability experience to MORPC. Half of this time was spent at the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority, where Jon-Paul led the 2015 New York State Energy Plan and developed New York State's 2030 goals for energy efficiency, renewable energy and emissions. His work assisted in the creation of the Reforming the Energy Vision Proceedings, the New York Green Bank, and the Microgrid Consortium. In Ohio, Jon-Paul has designed and implemented residential and commercial efficiency programs for AEP Ohio and Columbia Gas of Ohio, serves on working groups for Smart Columbus, and was part of the team leading to Columbus being chosen as one of Bloomberg Philanthropies American Cities Climate Challenge winners.
Tobi Otulana
Tobi Otulana is an Associate Planner at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission (MORPC). This May 2019, Tobi graduated from the Ohio State University with her Masters of City and Regional Planning. She has been with MORPC for 2 years, previously as a Graduate Student Intern. Tobi is responsible for coordinating the insight2050 Technical Assistance Program, which provides Central Ohio communities with planning assistance for sustainable transportation and community development efforts related to the findings of the insight2050 report.
Zach McGuire
A Columbus Native, Zach received a Bachelor of Arts in Economics with a concentration in Environmental Studies from John Carroll University in 2013. Zach went on to receive a Professional Science Masters of Climate Science and Solutions from Northern Arizona University (NAU) in 2015 where Zach focused on clean energy business development. At NAU, Zach developed and led a demand response pilot for Residence Life to reduce electricity costs to the University, and was a voting member of the University's solar energy evaluation team. From there, Zach worked in the solar energy industry for Sungevity in sales operations and then moved onto solar and energy efficiency financing, where he led the inside sales efforts of the entire New York City Metropolitan area for Renew Financial. Zach left Renew Financial in December of 2016 to start a new sustainability consulting firm in Columbus with business partner, Abed Al-Shahal of A&R Creative Group, where the two have worked with clients to improve and develop their environmental sustainability efforts, while also increasing operational efficiency and revenue.
Matt Stephens-Rich
Bio NA
October 4, 2019
1:30PM - 2:30PM
Small Cell Deployments
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
The shift to 4G/5G is an opportunity for cities to have the infrastructure backbone for truly smart cities in the future. Everyone wants digital connectivity at their fingertips; however, the unappealing result of past installations is a big reason governments are slow to allow small cell poles. Learn about new, attractive options being offered for 4G/5G small cell deployments.
Speakers
Phil Colflesh
Professional engineer in State of Oh for 35 years. About 40 years experience in operations, marketing and construction in the infrastructure industry of pipe, bridges and telecom with past 7 years experience in the telecom infrastructure. industry. Graduate of Ohio Northern University. 43 years high school football official. Lifelong member of Am. Society of Civil Engineers.
October 4, 2019
2:45PM - 3:45PM
Preserving Ohio’s Rural Character: Hard Truths and New Strategies
Concurrent Session
Center Street B
Defining “rural” in 2019 is not simple. Over the last 100 years, changes to the agricultural industry, demand for housing, changing preferences in the farming community and cultural factors have led to rural development that has a distinctly different look and feel. This session draws from recent county planning efforts to share strategies for preserving the rural character of Ohio in this new era.
Speakers
Trevor Hunt
Trevor Hunt is Planning Director for Wayne County, Ohio and is currently overseeing the Wayne County Comprehensive Plan Update. Prior to the County, Trevor worked as a neighborhood planner in Cleveland, working within six neighborhoods, and often working alongside community development corporations and developers. During his time at the city, he also worked with Cleveland City Council members to update zoning codes and ordinances for the neighborhoods he served. Prior to the City of Cleveland, he served as a policy research analyst for Greater Ohio, conducting research and writing briefs for smart growth policy. Trevor holds a Master of City and Regional Planning degree from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s from Miami University (Ohio), where he double majored in history and urban and regional planning.
Brian Ashworth, PLA
Brian Ashworth is a planner at Planning NEXT. With a landscape architecture background, Brian brings a strong sensitivity to urban design and character to all his work. Working with municipal clients across the country, Brian has extensive experience with GIS mapping projects, seamlessly integrating these techniques into community-based planning efforts. Brian holds a Master of Landscape Architecture from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor’s degree in Geography and Urban Planning from The University of Toledo.
Arnold Oliver
Arnold Oliver has been the Holmes County Planning Director since 1999. He has a Master of Arts in Urban Planning from the University of Akron. Holmes County has the largest Amish population in the world, estimated at over 20,000 people. From a planning standpoint, this presents some unique challenges for a community to protect its rural character while remaining economically vital. And this must be accomplished within a conservative culture that, historically, has not always been supportive of strong land use regulations.
October 4, 2019
2:45PM - 3:45PM
Stuck Without the Middle: How Timid Housing Policies Could Hold Ohio Back
Concurrent Session
Center Street C
Many communities in Ohio are not meeting housing demand given projected population growth over the next 30 years, partly due to the region’s reticence to embrace the full range of housing types. Examine best practices from two Ohio communities and elsewhere in the country. This session will focus on issues of affordability, housing type and design.
Speakers
Dave Efland
As Director of Planning and Community Development for the City of Delaware, Ohio, Dave is dedicated to making his community a great place. He currently spearheading the City's effort to create a new comprehensive plan, Delaware Together. He has been in the planning field for over 20 years and held positions in several different types of communities. Dave holds a Masters of City and Regional Planning for The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban and Regional Planning from Miami University.
Chad Gibson
For the past 15 years, Chad has led the planning work for the City of Upper Arlington. In this time, UA has undertaken many planning efforts that have shaped City in positive ways, including the City's 2013 Master Plan and Lane Avenue Corridor Plan, which led to the first UDO adopted in the State of Ohio. Chad is also an Associated Faculty Member at the Ohio State University and has taught many student-favorite studio courses over the years, including in 2016 when his students won a national award from the American Planning Association. Chad holds a Master of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and a Bachelors Degree from Miami University.
Kyle May
As a senior planner at Planning NEXT, Kyle has focused integrating robust public engagement with strong data analysis and technical planning. In a wide variety of communities, he’s helped to reach past the typical voices, and engage broader and more representative range of citizens and stakeholders. This passion is evident through his recent comprehensive planning work throughout the country, from Loudoun County, Virginia to Montgomery, Alabama to Millcreek, Ohio. Kyle holds a Masters of City and Regional Planning from The Ohio State University and a Bachelors of Science in Urban Planning from Ohio University.
Sarah Kelly
Bio NA
October 4, 2019
2:45PM - 3:45PM
Beyond Blades of Grass: Strategic Planning for Vacant Land
Concurrent Session
Center Street D
A decade ago, Northeast Ohio and much of the United States was in the middle of one of the worst economic downturns of a generation. Our state is now at an inflection point, economically and politically. This panel will discuss strategies around creative placemaking, green space restoration, alternative forms of land ownership and acquisition, infill development and the tools used to address this looming issue.
Speakers
Isaac Robb
Isaac Robb is the Manager of Urban Projects for the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Isaac is responsible for redevelopment scenario planning, supporting urban open space projects, as well as assisting with the Land Conservancy's property inventory program. A native Oregonian, Isaac holds a BA in Economics from Willamette University and his MA in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University. Isaac also has experience teaching English as a second language to students in China and South Korea.
Matthew Thomas
Matthew M. Thomas is the GIS and Research Specialist at the Cuyahoga Land Bank. At the Cuyahoga Land Bank, Matthew assists in the management of the tax foreclosure affidavit inspection process throughout the county, ensuring candidates for rehabilitation are proceeding to the Cuyahoga Land Bank for internal or external rehabilitation through partner organizations. He is also responsible for using GIS software to visually display property status to aid the Cuyahoga Land Bank and its community partners with data driven site selection for specific projects as well as neighborhood stabilization. Previously, Matthew worked for Detroit Shoreway Community Development Organization and Cudell Improvement, Inc. as the Housing Development Manager coordinating third-party rehabilitation of vacant and abandoned homes. Matthew has a M.S. degree in Urban Studies from the Levin College of Urban Affairs at Cleveland State University where he earned a GIS Certificate with a focus on urban spatial analysis, housing markets, and location patterns of the Housing Choice Voucher Program.
Jeffery Schiffman
Jeffery Schiffman is the Land Bank Administrator in the Division of Neighborhood Development at the City of Cleveland's Department of Community Development where he assists with Land Bank processes and trouble-shooting specific property issues that arise in the course of land reutilization projects. Jeffery has worked in various settings in the field of land use and real estate including Western Reserve Land Conservancy, the Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office, and SureSite Consulting Group. His projects have been located both in urban settings and rural areas and have ranged from acquisitions and dispositions of vacant land, acquisitions that involved demolition and restoration, brownfield remediation, stream restorations, and site selection activities.
Kristen Zieber
Kristen Zeiber is a Project Manager, Urban Designer, and Adjunct Faculty at the CUDC. She has been with the CUDC since 2013, and contributes to the organization’s neighborhood planning, research, mapping, and student advising. She also teaches the annual Midwest Urban Design Charrette for Masters students in Architecture and Urban Design in collaboration with several other universities. She is on the Board of Directors and co-chairs the Scholarship Committee for the Cleveland chapter of ACE Mentors, a nonprofit extracurricular program which introduces high school students to the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering professions. Kristen’s previous Community Design Center and Design/Build experience includes over four years post-Katrina at Mississippi State University’s Gulf Coast Community Design Studio in Biloxi, MS, with founder David Perkes; and short internships with the Center for Urban Pedagogy in New York and the Yestermorrow Design/Build School in Vermont. She holds a MS in Architecture Studies (SMArchS-Urbanism) from MIT, and a Bachelor’s of Architecture from Penn State University.