Protecting Your Port: Best Practices & Lessons Learned From the Providence Working Waterfront Alliance Chris Hunter Advocacy Solutions

 Encroachment of condos, small craft marinas, and other incompatible mixed uses are threatening ports and water-dependent industries across the country: Port of San Diego Port of New York/New Jersey Maine Florida North Carolina  Industry must be proactive in communicating the incredible economic importance of our nation’s ports and water-dependent industries.  Ports need to frame the debate before developers frame it for you with glitzy renderings of condos, boardwalks, and marinas. Overview

 Port area businesses often have strong working relationships. Use this existing capacity to GET ORGANIZED!  Create an umbrella organization/coalition and coordinate all activities under that branded organization.  Successful examples:  Portland Working Waterfront Coalition  Maine Working Waterfront Coalition  San Diego Working Waterfront Group  Providence Working Waterfront Alliance Get Organized!

 People find working waterfronts fascinating. They love big ships, tugs, and ports filled with busy ship traffic.  Too often though, the public and elected officials have no idea what actually goes on in ports that are right in their own back yards. Without proper background information they often view oil tanks, asphalt/coal/salt piles, and containers as ugly and something that should be located “somewhere else.”  Get the word out about the commerce and activity going on in your port:  Publicly announce the formation of your coalition  Profile port area companies  Personalize the impact: How will it affect the fisherman, the small business owner, city residents working in the port?  Commission an economic impact study  Explain regional impact and exploding growth in international shipping volumes  Op-eds and letters to the editor to local newspapers  Actively maintain a coalition website  Reach out to community and business organizations  Build and maintain a supporter mailing list Tell Your Story

 Give the public and elected officials an up close view of port businesses and operations  Elected official tours  Port/waterfront festivals  New Bedford Working Waterfront Festival  Media tours  Get people on tugs! Get People To the Port

 Ports are uses of regional benefit and must be protected from the more narrow property tax maximizing interest of local municipalities. Legislation or enhanced regulations are often needed.  Educate elected officials about regional economic impact/benefit and the unique needs of water-dependent businesses.  Proactively introduce legislation  Examples:  Maine Working Waterfront Access Program  Massachusetts Seaport Bond  North Carolina working waterfront property tax legislation  Florida working waterfront property tax ballot question  Special Area Management Plans Proactive Legislation

 Ports and working waterfronts are unquestionably threatened.  When their value is properly communicated however, the public and elected officials can become some of your biggest supporters.  Make sure you frame the issue as about jobs, resources, and the economy. Don’t let developers frame the issue as pretty condos vs. “ugly” uses.  Create a lasting constituency of working waterfront supporters. Take Away Points