1. Making it in Massachusetts: Tools for Cities to Attract and Retain Businesses Special thanks to today's sponsor:

2. Project Team Principal Investigators David Soule, Ph.D. Senior Research Associate, Center for Urban and Regional Policy Shelley McDonough, Sociology Department and Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University Barry Bluestone, Ph.D. Russell B. and Andrèe B. Stearns Trustee Professor of Political Economy Director, Center for Urban and Regional Policy, Northeastern University Research Associates Charles Coffin, Center for Urban and Regional Policy

3. Acknowledgements Attleboro Kevin J. Dumas, Mayor Michael Milanowski, Attleboro Redevelopment Agency Brockton John T. Yunits, Jr. Mayor Nancy Stack-Savoie, City Planner Chelsea Jay Ash, City Manager Fitchburg Dan H. Myott, Mayor Daniel Curley, Fitchburg IDC Haverhill James J. Fiorentini, Mayor William Pillsbury, Community Development Director Holyoke Michael J. Sullivan, Mayor Jeffrey P. Hayden, Director, Office of Economic and Industrial Development Lawrence Michael J. Sullivan, Mayor Frederick Carberry, Community Development New Bedford Frederick M. Kalisz, Jr., Mayor Robert Luongo, New Bedford Economic Development Council Pittsfield James M. Ruberto, Mayor Deanna Ruffer, Community Development Director Revere Thomas Ambrosino, Mayor Frank Stringi, Community Development Director Springfield Charles V. Ryan, Mayor Robert O’Brien, Senior Financial Advisor to the Mayor Worcester Michael O’Brien, City manager Julie Jacobson, Assistant City Manager

4. Financial and Program Partners in Phase 2 NAIOP Foundation Massachusetts Chapter of NAIOP NSTAR 12 cities Executive Office of Environmental Affairs -- Smart Growth Technical Assistance Grant Office of Commonwealth Development Massachusetts Department of Business and Technology

5. Fundamental Proposition Cities have the ability to create their own destinies, but they can benefit from having sophisticated partners to help them develop the tools and information needed to compete successfully.

6. Deal Makers Deal Breakers Action Steps

7. Deal Breakers/Deal Makers 1. The economy is changing so fast, we need to work together. Self-Assessment Tool 2. Cities suffer from negative perceptions. Website Evaluation 3. City sites have problems. Overlay Districts 4. The permitting process is a stumbling block if it is unpredictable. Pre-Permitting 5. Money is important (incentives) but not until the deal is ready. District Improvement Financing

8. Lead Actors State Governments City Governments Regional Agencies Business Universities Public/Private Partnerships

9. What did we do? Survey 4,000+ corporate real estate and development professionals on location decisions: NAIOP (National and Massachusetts Chapter) CoreNet Global Strong consistent response 2 parts to the survey: Rate importance of 34 factors Open-ended section

10. What topics did we ask about on the survey? Permitting Processes Labor Development and Operating Costs Business Environment Transportation and Access Quality of Life/Social Environment

11. Which of the 34 factors received the highest scores? On-site parking Rental rates Availability of appropriate labor Timeliness of approvals and appeals

12. Which of the 34 factors received the lowest scores? Municipal minimum wage law Access to rail Informative municipal website Strong trade unions

13. When asked what they thought was most critical, what did respondents tell us? Proximity to major highways, airports, and transportation routes Rents, land costs, and lease costs Availability of appropriate labor pool Permitting, approvals, and appeals processes Amenities and services nearby Pro-business/development friendly city

14. What does all this mean to cities? The usual suspects (taxes, incentives, etc.) aren’t necessarily the most important. There are a number of factors that matter to firms that cities can do something about (permitting, attitude).

15. What does all this mean to cities? There are things that matter to firms making location decisions that are tougher for cities to address directly (labor, location), but cities need to recognize them and develop strategies to deal with them in order to win.

16. What does all this mean to the commercial real estate industry? Cities are attractive opportunities for development. They need help staying on your radar screen. They need to partner with you to compete in the 21 st century. With your practical advice and insight, cities can tailor effective responses to opportunities in different sectors.

17. Where do we go from here? Self-assessment tool for cities Evaluation of city websites for information required by location specialists 21 st century economic development training seminar for municipal professionals and policy officials

18. How can others help?

19. Appendix: Survey Items Permitting Process Predictability / clarity Timeliness of approvals / appeals Permitting ombudsman Zoning by right Fast track permitting Municipal reputation for economic development Municipal website Awareness of strong neighborhood organizations Labor Availability of appropriate labor pool Competitive labor costs Existence of municipal minimum wage law Existence of strong trade unions Development / Operating Costs Property tax rates Local tax incentives Land costs Rental rates Quality / capacity of infrastructure Brownfield contamination Business Environment Critical mass of similar firms in area Municipal reputation as a good place to work Proximity to research institutions and universities Transportation & Access Public transportation Onsite parking for employees Access to major highways / airports Access to railroads Proximity to restaurants and shops in area Traffic congestion Undesirable abutting land use Quality of Life / Social Environment Municipal reputation as a good place to live Affordable housing for employees Crime rate in the area Physical attractiveness of area Availability of cultural / sports amenities Quality of local primary and secondary schools