Institutional Growth: Conflict and Opportunity

1
Institutional Growth Conflict
and Opportunity

• Thomas E. Deller, AICP, Director
• Department of Planning Development

2
Providence

• Founded in 1636
• Capital City of Rhode Island
• City population of 180,000 (students,
  tourists, workers and undocumented residents -
  nearly doubles population)
• State population over 1 million - Metropolitan
  Area population of over 1.3 million
• 2nd largest city in New England - fastest
  growing city in New England
• City 18.1 square miles of land area 95
  developed
• Median household income 60 of state
• 45 of the citys tax base is tax exempt

3
Challenges

• Providence is 95
• developed
• Flat tax Base
• Donor Community
• Schools

4
Impact of Institutional growth

• Loss of Tax Base
• 37 of citys tax base is tax exempt
• Over 80 million in tax base acquired since 2003

5
Impact of Institutional growth

• Public safety - Noise, disturbances, underage
  drinking, violence to and by students
• Housing shortages
• Town vs. gown
• Impact on neighborhood

6
Impact of Institutional growth

• Providence is a Built city limited land
  available
• Competition for land
• Tax paying vs. tax exempt
• Redevelopment Who benefits?

7
Providence Institutions
risd
8
Brown University
Undergraduates 5,754 Graduate 1,633 Medical
357 Total 7,744 Browns campus is composed of
238 buildings and sits on 143 acres in
Providence.
9
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), founded in
1877 in Providence, RI, is a vibrant community of
artists and designers that includes 2,200
students from around the world, approximately 350
faculty and curators, and 400 staff members.
10
Providence College
Academic Year 2006-07Student EnrollmentUndergrad
uate 3,998Graduate 837School of Continuing
Education 596 105-acre campus
11
Johnson Wales University
Johnson Wales University Since opened their
doors in 1914. Their first and largest campus is
in Providence. They now have campuses in five
states. JW's Providence Campus consists of two
locations, with a total of nearly 10,000
students, representing all 50 states and 78
countries.
12
The Downcity Campus is home to students in the
College of Business, The Hospitality College, and
the School of Technology.
The Harborside Campus is where students study in
the College of Culinary Arts, the Alan Shawn
Feinstein Graduate School, and the School of
Education
13
Rhode Island College
Rhode Island College is located on a 180-acre
campus in the Mount Pleasant section of
Providence. It serves approximately 9,000
students in courses and programs both on and off
campus.
14
University/City Cooperation

• Payment in Lieu of Taxes
• 20-year, 49m landmark agreement with Brown, JW,
  PC and RISD
• Public Safety
• City police/college security cooperation
• Shared resources - MESH network, homeland
  security training
• Education partnerships
• mentoring teachers, mentoring students,
  adopting schools)

15

• How do you strike the right
• balance
• between
• institutional growth
• taxpayer affordability?

16
First Steps

• Understand the consequences of institutional
  growth on the city
• Recognize institutions are citizens of the city
  bear responsibility in creating sound, creative
  partnerships and solutions
• Work together to grow the citys tax base and
  minimize negative impacts or growth

17
How do we get there?

• Colleges/universities are critical economic
  engines
• Spin off small tax paying businesses
• Create jobs for residents
• Create tax paying research and development space
• Work with city to develop legislation for income
  tax sharing between city and state
• Colleges/universities densify land use of
  existing campus
• Continue and expand PILOT

18
How do we get there? contd

• Colleges/universities leverage assets
• Redevelopment of underused real estate
• Develop venture capital relationship with
  business community
• e.g. Yale University
• Form a for-profit real estate entity to develop
  housing, retail etcetera
• e.g. University of Pennsylvania