2011 Downtown Development Day Agenda

2011 Downtown Development Day - Thursday Nov 3, 2011

Registration & Networking: 7:15 AM - 8:00 AM

Opening Session: 8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

CREW Atlanta Welcome: Heather O'Toole, General Manager, PM Realty Group, and CREW Atlanta President Elect

CREW Atlanta is the official partner of the 2011 Downtown Development Day.

Downtown Update: A.J. Robinson, President, Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District

A.J. Robinson will provide updates on Downtown’s newest developments.

Downtown Atlanta Economic Impact Award: A.J. Robinson

The third annual Downtown Atlanta Economic Impact Award honors companies or projects that stimulate revitalization not only in an initiative of their own but also in the surrounding neighborhood. As a result of their investment, the Downtown community strengthens and advances.

Keynote address: Launch of the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge

Michelle Moore, Federal Environmental Executive                   The Honorable Mayor
Council on Environmental Quality                                                  Kasim Reed
Executive Office of the President                                                  City of Atlanta

The Better Buildings Challenge is part of the Better Buildings Initiative that President Obama launched in February 2011 to catalyze private sector investment in commercial building upgrades and make America’s commercial buildings 20 percent more efficient over the next decade. The initial partners in the Better Buildings Challenge include private sector companies, financial institutions and local governments, one of which is the City of Atlanta.

The City of Atlanta has united with the business and nonprofit community to implement a comprehensive energy upgrade for Downtown buildings to meet the goal of improving energy performance a minimum of 20% by 2020. Working with the US Department of Energy, the effort is already underway with a benchmarking initiative for Atlanta's 400-block Downtown area, including City Hall, the Civic Center, and other municipal facilities, as well as to eventually include other landmark buildings in Downtown. Project partners will work with banks, funds, Energy Service Companies (ESCOs), and others to enable substantive retrofits of Downtown university, healthcare, municipal, and commercial buildings.

The Better Buildings Challenge aims to support President Obama’s goal of helping businesses save nearly $40 billion annually in energy costs, enabling them to grow, invest in new technology, and create American jobs. Investing in innovative clean energy technologies that make America’s commercial buildings more efficient will put Americans to work and save money by saving energy. Atlanta is proud to be one of three cities to be initial partners in this important initiative.

Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award: Steve Fennesy, Editor, Atlanta magazine

The 2011 Atlanta Downtown Design Excellence Award (ADDEA), presented by Central Atlanta Progress and Atlanta Magazine, recognizes newly created and renovated Downtown spaces that demonstrate excellence in design. These awards will be presented in three categories: Community, Office, and Restaurant/Bar.

The award winners are determined by a panel of judges including design, planning, and development experts, and, just as important, you. Public opinion is one of the factors that the judges consider in selecting the winners.

Downtown Development Expo: 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM

Presented by:

Downtown stakeholders showcase their real estate developments, initiatives, and services, providing an excellent networking opportunity for all participants of Downtown Development Day.

To sign up for a booth, call Dan Williams at 404-658-5908.

Breakout Sessions: 10:30 AM - 12:00 PM

The three Breakout Sessions described below will each be offered concurrently from 10:30 am -12:00 pm. More details about panelists and topics will be available shortly.

1. The Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge – Greening Atlanta through Higher Performance Buildings

Led by Mayor Kasim Reed’s Office of Sustainability and in support of the City’s Power to Change sustainability program, the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge (“Atlanta BBC”) is a nation-leading public-private initiative to reduce energy and water consumption 20% by 2020 across participating buildings in Atlanta, with a primary focus on a 400-block area in the city’s Downtown Improvement District.
This informational session, followed by the official launch of the program in the Opening Session, will be hosted by members of the Atlanta BBC Steering Committee. You will gain insight into the newly launched initiative and find out what resources are available to help. Topics will include energy assessments, energy efficiency basics, financing options for retrofits, and how to become involved as a participating partner. Help us pave the way to becoming a top ten sustainable city through high performance buildings.

Panelists:
John Bracey, Technical Projects Manager, Southface
Clark T. Wisenbaker, Attorney, Davis, Pickren, Seydel & Sneed, LLP
Matt Otani, Georgia Power Company
Bill Hosken, City of Atlanta – Mayor's Office of Sustainability
Shyam K. Reddy, Regional Administrator, GSA's Southeast Sunbelt Region

Moderator: Nathan Mize, Senior Manager, The Reznick Group

2. Project list for the Transportation Investment Act – What’s In It, What’s Not, Where Is It Going, and What It Means for Downtown and the City

The Transportation Investment Act puts the future of Georgia’s transportation in the voters’ hands. The Atlanta region, one of 12 regions around the state, consists of 10 counties: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale. Voters in this region will get to decide next summer whether or not to fund the projects drafted by the Atlanta Regional Transportation Roundtable. Come see what projects made it on the list and get your questions answered. Where exactly are the projects located in the Atlanta metro area? Do they complement and supplement existing transportation and land use plans in this region? Will they position Atlanta to compete for businesses and jobs while improving the quality of life and reducing traffic congestion?

Panelists:
Tom Weyandt, Senior Policy Advisor for Transportation, Office of the Mayor, City of Atlanta
Dan Reuter, Land Use Division Chief, Atlanta Regional Commission
Ray Christman, Executive Director, Livable Communities Coalition
Dave Williams, Vice President – Transportation, Metro Atlanta Chamber

Moderator: William R. Moseley, Jr., Lawson & Moseley, LLP

3. Atlanta Streetcar Development Strategy Workshop - Interactive Planning Session

Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District (CAP/ADID) aim to leverage the federal and municipal investment in the Atlanta Streetcar by encouraging investment along the route of this new transit line in Downtown Atlanta. Over 80 acres of land and structures within 2 blocks of the proposed route are considered underutilized. With the streetcar’s connection to MARTA rail, and future connections to the BeltLine, accessibility throughout the region is significantly expanded.
A carefully considered, comprehensive development strategy that supports transit oriented development will ensure real estate investment that capitalizes on the increased mobility and connectivity while improving the quality of life for residents, employees, visitors, shoppers, and students. To that end, CAP/ADID is engaging key stakeholders and beginning this effort to produce the Atlanta Streetcar Development Strategy and Investment Guide to identify catalytic sites and targeted areas for revitalization. During this session, we will share our findings to date and ask you to roll-up your sleeves to participate in hands-on group exercises to provide input and guide the work.

Facilitators:
Jennifer Ball, Vice President, Planning, Central Atlanta Progress
John Skach, Senior Associate, Urban Collage
Caleb Racicot, Senior Principal, Tunnel Spangler Walsh and Associates
Ron Stang, Principal, Stevens & Wilkinson
Herman Howard, Co-Founder + Partner, The Laminin Group

Tour of Streetcar Route and the Gulch: 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Price: $20 for CAP & CREW Members, $25 for non-members

Optional tour of the Atlanta Streetcar Route and the Gulch Area

Tour of Downtown's latest projects with expert guides telling you about new and planned initiatives. We will ride the route of the 2.6 mile Atlanta Streetcar from Centennial Olympic Park to the King Center. Development opportunities will be pointed out along the way. For the second portion of the tour, Jeff Morrison will lead the Unseen Underground walking tour at the Gulch which was awarded “Best Intro to Atlanta History” in Creative Loafing’s Best of Atlanta 2010.