Sustainable Development

The Center for Creative Land Recycling, in partnership with the CA Department of Toxic Substances Control held a free half-day workshop and walking tour in Vista, focusing on recycling underutilized land for economic development, renewable energy, and affordable housing.

The fourth biennial Sierra Fund conference, focused on finding ways to reclaim and remediate mine-scarred lands in the Sierra, took place at the Sacramento State University on May 8th and 9th. The full slate of programming was kicked off by Elizabeth “Izzy” Martin, CEO of the Sierra Fund, who spoke about the grip that absentee landowners have over the land in the Sierra. The stage for a frank conversation about land-use and equity was further set by Lawrie Mott, a former scientist with the National Resources Defense Council, who begged the question: “Can our 20th Century water systems survive the 21st Century climate reality?”

The Center for Creative Land Recycling (CCLR) and New Partners for Community Redevelopment (NPCR) are featuring a Redevelopment Rodeo at its upcoming "Economic and Community Revitalization Through Planning and Brownfield Redevelopment" conference in Albany, NY on June 7th and 8th. 

Sarah Sieloff is the Executive Director of the Center for Creative Land Recycling.  She is also the 2016 ULI SF Chamberlin Young Leader in the Non-Profit/Public Sector, and a member of ULI’s Redevelopment and Reuse Product Council.

CCLR and its partners, Maul Foster Alongi (MFA), the Skamania County and the City of Stevenson, WA, hosted a Vision-to-Action workshop to inspire the future redevelopment on the former Hegewald Veneer Mill Site.  Vision-to-Action is a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)-funded program that helps communities brainstorm ideas for redevelopment on local brownfield sites. This event was focused on the former Hegewald Veneer Mill located just north of the Rock Cove Assisted Living on SW Rock Creek Drive in Skamania, Washington. Please visit CCLR’s Facebook page for photos of the event.

Land is a finite resource, and the fight to make space for urban housing is a continuous battle. As job and population growth continue to outpace housing production in many US cities, displacement and rising rates of homelessness have caused a public health crisis. In the Bay Area and New York, we examine some companies who are finding ways to mitigate the need for housing.

The Urban Land Institute is an independent global nonprofit with over 40,000 members representing the entire spectrum of real estate development and land use discipline. Since 1947, they have been organizing Advisory Services panels to support local governments address challenging real estate and land use issues facing their communities. Panels bring together the best and brightest from ULI’s diverse membership—developers, planners, financiers, market analysts, economists, architects, designers, and public officials—to provide practical solutions and objective advice not available from any other source.

On October 3rd, Center for Creative Land Recycling provided a half-day course focusing on redeveloping environmentally challenged property, with a special focus on transit-oriented development and infill in the Puget Sound region. 

The EPA is offering an exciting program to create walkable, healthy, and economically vibrant neighborhoods though local food systems development. Local Foods, Local Places is the new program that offers technical assistance during a  two day workshop while developing a plan of action for communities who want to develop local food systems.

USDA Rural Development’s Socially Disadvantaged Group Grants (SDGG) provides financial support for community groups to conduct leadership trainings, craft business plans or conduct strategic planning sessions. The program prioritizes projects that provide technical assistance to socially-disadvantaged groups through co-ops and cooperative development centers. Members of cooperative or a cooperative development center should contact their local rural development office with questions or apply. Application Deadline: August 5th (paper submission); August 1 (electronic submission)