Northern Kentucky groups partner on revitalization workshop

Approximately 45 municipal staff from Northern Kentucky's core cities attended a revitalization and stabilization training workshop last week to learn the tools to transfer blighted neighborhoods into thriving residential markets.

The Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern Kentucky (CDFC), in partnership with the Center for Great Neighborhoods of Covington, Southbank Partners, and Campbell County Economic Progress Authority, hosted the all-day event to show how community, financial, and political support could be cultivated to transform Northern Kentucky's urban areas in a challenging economic climate.

Planning and economic development groups such as the Northern Kentucky Area Planning Commission, Northern Kentucky Area Development District, and Northern Kentucky Tri-ED also sent representatives.

"We spent a lot of time identifying what might be some potential projects," says Jeanne Schroer, executive director of CDFC.  "The biggest roadblock is money.  That, and site control."

Revitalization experts Jeremy Newberg and Wendy K. Smith of Capital Access, Inc. led the discussion.

"What the workshop was really geared to was to give everyone kind of a clear roadmap to the revitalization process," Schroer says.  "The first step was to identify projects that could have the biggest impact for the money spent."

Following site assessments and estimating project costs, the final step is securing funding.

"As far as public funds, we discussed the Neighborhood Stabilization Program and how to strategically use those funds so that, if you get them, you'll get the biggest return," Schroer says.

Schroer says that CDFC plans to use the structure of this workshop as a template.

"This workshop exceeded my expectations," she says.  "There was a lot of synergy, and a lot of collaboration.  I thought it was so valuable that I could very well see us doing future sessions." 

Writer: Kevin LeMaster
Source: Jeanne Schroer, executive director, Catalytic Development Funding Corp. of Northern Kentucky
Photography by Scott Beseler