How We Finance Sustainable Development - May 11th, 6:30 p.m. - Boston Public Library

May 6, 2009 - PRLog -- Please join us for the second of two panel discussions sponsored by the Trust for Architectural Easements and Island Press. How We Finance Sustainable Development brings together experts from the financial, real estate, architecture, preservation, planning, and policy worlds to provide theories, best practices, and examples of navigating the sometimes daunting waters to create a future that is environmentally, financially, and socially sound.

The first panel addressed the question “How Policy and Regulation Affect Sustainable Development.” A podcast of the first panel is available for download at www.architecturaltrust.org.

Panel 2:   How We Finance Sustainable Development
Monday, May 11th, 2009 from 6:30 to 8:00 pm
Boston Public Library, Mezzanine Conference Room
700 Boylston Street
Boston, MA
RSVP to dpierce@architecturaltrust.org or by calling 888-831-2107 x21

Moderator:

John Dalzell, Senior Architect with the Boston Redevelopment Authority and a member of the USGBC Board of Directors

Panelists:

•   Barbra Batshalom, Executive Director of The Green Roundtable
•   Eric Busch, Development Director for Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse
•   Jean Carroon, Principal in Charge of Preservation at Goody, Clancy & Associates
•   James N. Levitt, Director, Program on Conservation Innovation, Harvard University, and author of From Walden to Wall Street: Frontiers of Conservation Finance, (Island Press, 2005)

Development of the built environment—whether it is new construction or the rehabilitation of existing structures—requires strategic financing, particularly in the current economic climate. The growing interest in the development of mixed-use, sustainable, high-density, transit-oriented communities has created new opportunities for architects, planners, engineers, and preservationists to investigate various sources of funding.

Efforts by the National Park Service, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the US Treasury have encouraged the use of Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits in tandem with Low Income Housing Tax Credits and the New Markets Tax Credit Program. The concurrent use of different tax credit programs creates opportunities for organizations, developers, and individuals to explore and implement creative funding for projects related to the creation of sustainable, rehabilitated communities.

Of course, federal funds do not provide the sole source of development financing. Organizations like the National Trust for Historic Preservation offer alternative sources to non-profit organizations and public agencies through the National Trust Preservation Fund with broader financial assistance through the for-profit arm, the National Trust Community Investment Corporation.

Questions remain, however, with regard to development financing, particularly in terms of rehabilitating historic buildings and creating sustainable communities. What can be expected in the future financial climate as every new project comes under increased scrutiny? Will there be advantages for the rehabilitation and reuse of existing buildings? Senior Architect with the Boston Redevelopment Authority and member of the USGBC Board of Directors, John Dalzell, will be joined by other panelists to discuss the opportunities and challenges presented by the current financial crisis.

How can the goals of historic preservation and sustainability be achieved in the existing financial, political, and regulatory climate?

The Trust for Architectural Easements is one of the nation’s largest not-for-profit organizations dedicated to voluntary preservation through easement donations. Island Press was established in 1984 to stimulate, shape and communicate the ideas that are essential for solving environmental problems.

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The Trust for Architectural Easements is one of the nation’s largest non-profit organizations dedicated to voluntary preservation through easement donations. The Trust protects more than 800 historic buildings across the United States.