Feature Story
How to Work With Evil Developers
Mr. Potter from It’s A Wonderful Life. The Evil Developer archetype.
Hollywood hates developers. It’s A Wonderful Life, Superman, Up, The Blues Brothers, Barbershop 2, The Goonies, Poltergeist, Breakin’ 2: Electric Boogaloo (a personal fave) - the list goes on. I guess it’s not good cinema to show the developer listening to the community, revising the plans, and building something everyone loves. When you picture a developer, you picture the bad guy.
In these movies, the issue comes down to money. The community must rally to find the cash to save a building, prevent foreclosure, or protect their neighborhood from being bought up and redeveloped. The greedy, corrupt businessmen can only be defeated by deepening our own pockets. But, y’all, that’s the movies.
In reality, our ability to negotiate is stronger than we realize. But the perceived zero-sum game of evil developer vs. good community members limits our imaginations. Fight-or-flight is not a development strategy. This response keeps us from getting the deals our city needs. Let’s change that.
Create a Property Watchlist. Every neighborhood character-defining properties properties that influence daily life. Track them - work with a neighborhood organization or crowdsource it. Use public information: list of key properties, tax delinquency data, for-sale listings, deed transfers, and permit applications. Know the zoning and potential uses. An early-warning system creates an opportunity for community leaders to present a solution before an asset goes into foreclosure or sells at an auction.
Don’t Settle for a Vape Shop. Mixed-use developers often white-box first-floor retail space and hope for the best. It’s expensive space not built for the needs of local businesses. It sits empty. Everyone hates it. Here’s the move: build a list of local entrepreneurs ready for a brick-and-mortar location. Get them the business support to clean up their books, clarify build out requirements, qualify for funding, and draft an outline of their ideal lease terms. Bring your bench to the developer as early as possible - way before a shovel hits the ground. You've just solved their hardest underwriting problem and made the project better for your community.
Negotiate Like a Developer. Whether a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) is required varies by city. But, if it is publicly owned land or if public incentives are being requested by the developer, CBAs are a must. Either way, push to understand the deal’s numbers and use developer language. "We want affordable units and hope you'll do the right thing" is messy. "We want 20% of units at 60% AMI. How does that impact the proforma and what tools could close the gap?" is a negotiation. Know what you want, ask for it up front, show the math works.
Develop it Yourself. Instead of reacting to someone else's vision, build your own. Learn to run a basic feasibility analysis - what’s the zoning, what are the rent comps, what might construction cost, does it cashflow, could incentives help bridge the gap? People invest in strong visions backed by real numbers. Keeping ownership in the community is powerful. Need help? Call me.
This is a preview of a talk I’m giving at the StrongTowns National Gathering. May 18-20 in Fayetteville, AR. If you have ideas or feedback, send them my way!
Cool Jobs & Opportunities
DIRECTOR AND CHIEF CURATOR OF PUBLIC ART
Indianapolis Cultural Trail. Full time. $85-110k. Indianapolis, IN
NATIONAL POLICY DIRECTOR
Grounded Solutions Network. Full time. $110-145k. Washington, D.C.
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY BREAKTHROUGH CHALLENGE GRANT
Applications close 5/15. $10M for solutions related to design and construction, finance, and service and delivery programs.
Client Highlight
PERMANENT, AFFORDABLE FOOD ACCESS
Bronzeville Food Co-op gathered volunteers and community members in Columbus, OH, for a strategic planning retreat facilitated by Winter Wheat.
Many of our neighborhoods struggle with food access. Particularly in markets dominated by Kroger, we have seen store closings create (or worsen) food deserts in our cities. Attracting a full-service, chain grocery to a market that doesn’t meet metrics like traffic counts, number of residents, and discretionary income levels is extremely challenging. However, when you live in a neighborhood like this, you know the need. What can you do?
Bronzeville Food Co-op (BFC) in Columbus, OH, is part of a growing trend to build locally-controlled groceries in underserved neighborhoods. BFC is a group of community members and local nonprofits focused on building a community-owned store in the Near East Side. Their store will focus on high-quality local food and reinvest profits into the neighborhood.
Last month, BFC brought in Winter Wheat to facilitate a Strategic Planning Retreat anchored in the financial realities of building and operating a permanent grocery store. We went beyond alignment and vision - this retreat provided tactical review of potential development scenarios and created a strategic roadmap for execution. Groceries are hard and take sustained capacity and funding over many years - but the path is proven and possible. Can you see potential for this in your neighborhood?
Events & Trainings
CONFERENCE SEASON
So many gatherings, so little time.
CNU Congress
May 12-16. Fayetteville + Bentonville, AR
StrongTowns National Gathering
May 18-20. Fayetteville, AR
*I’m Speaking!*
International Placemaking Week
June 24-26. Detroit, MI
What I’m Reading
A 1973 classic with deep relevance for today, arguing growth should benefit people, not corporations. “The key factor of all economic development comes out of the mind of man.”
This work inspired environmental and buy local movements, pointing out people "…are rightly suspicious of, and resistant to, radical changes proposed by town-based and office-bound innovators who approach them in the spirit of: 'You just get out of my way.”
Brighten the Corners is a monthly(ish) roundup from Winter Wheat on development, policy, and the places we share. Each edition brings you real talk on projects, opportunities, practical solutions, and the occasional fight worth having.
Winter Wheat officially became a certified Woman Owned Business (WBE) in April!
A Final Note
THAT’S A WRAP ON #2
“I never forget that we are sowing winter wheat which the coming spring will see sprout and other hands than ours will reap and enjoy.” - Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Until next time,
Be curious. Be factual. Be kind.