University of Minnesota – Â鶹ÊÓƵ Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:38:18 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 /wp-content/uploads/2019/04/cropped-favicon_logo-32x32.jpg University of Minnesota – Â鶹ÊÓƵ 32 32 Exploring the Use of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program for Multifamily Buildings /projects/exploring-the-use-of-the-property-assessed-clean-energy-pace-program-for-multifamily-buildings-3/ /projects/exploring-the-use-of-the-property-assessed-clean-energy-pace-program-for-multifamily-buildings-3/#respond Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:38:18 +0000 https://portal.epicn.org/case-stories/exploring-the-use-of-the-property-assessed-clean-energy-pace-program-for-multifamily-buildings/ Read More... from Exploring the Use of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program for Multifamily Buildings

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. The Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Program is a loan program that provides financing for energy efficiency upgrades and renewable energy retrofits for commercial, industrial, and multifamily residential properties. PACE helps property owners overcome the challenge of gathering up-front capital for energy improvements, and makes it easier to transfer the cost of the improvements if the owner decides to sell the property. Nationally, PACE has been a successful tool for retrofitting residential properties. Thus far, PACE has not been used to finance any multifamily residential projects in Ramsey County. Ramsey County project lead Mary Lou Egan worked with a student in Jennifer Edwards’ PA 5721: Energy Systems and Policy course to investigate the potential use of PACE for multifamily residential projects, using case studies of such projects in other states. The student’s final report is available.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. The Rush Line is a future bus rapid transit line that will provide all-day, high-frequency
transit service in Ramsey County between Saint Paul and White Bear Lake by way of
Maplewood, Vadnais Heights, Gem Lake, and White Bear Township. The new infrastructure that will be constructed as part of the project will have storm water impacts that will need to be mitigated. Ramsey County project lead Frank Alarcon worked with students in Amir Nadav’s SUST 4004: Sustainable Communities Capstone to explore context-appropriate storm water management techniques that could enhance the aesthetics and recreational value of the areas surrounding the Rush Line’s stations and guideway. The students’ final report is available.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. The mission of Ramsey County’s Workforce Solutions (WFS) program is to strengthen the economic success of the community through personalized and effective workforce development. It serves as a resource for both job seekers and businesses by providing training opportunities and personalized assistance in searching and applying for jobs. Businesses also receive assistance with recruiting, screening, training, and retaining workers. WFS staff know there are many program participants who experience transportation barriers that prevent them from accessing or keeping jobs. Ramsey County project lead Max Holdhusen worked with a team of students in PA 5041: Qualitative Research Methods, taught by Dr. Greta Friedmann-Sanchez, to conduct a needs and barriers assessment of transportation resources and options through interviews with employers in suburban Ramsey County that face challenges in recruiting and maintaining job seekers due to a lack of public transportation options. The students’ final report, presentation, and a poster summarizing the project are available.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. The Riverview Corridor is a proposed modern streetcar line along a 12-mile route that will connect the Union Depot in downtown Saint Paul and the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport and the Mall of America, as well as the neighborhoods in between. Business owners along W. 7th Street have raised concerns about the streetcar’s impact on on-street parking, disruption to businesses during construction, pedestrian/bike safety, aesthetics, noise, and long-term impacts on the affordability of commercial-retail space along the corridor. Ramsey County project lead Frank Alarcon worked with a graduate to conduct focus groups and interviews with affected business owners to acquire a deeper understanding of their issues and concerns early in the planning process, and inform an upcoming Draft Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) and future planning for construction and operation of the modern streetcar line. The student’s final report is available.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. Ramsey County wanted to create a single web-mapping application designed to improve coordination among city and county public works departments of road construction and maintenance projects included in their respective five-year plans. Ideally, the application would display the projects proposed by all participants on one platform, and project information could be updated continuously to reflect funding changes, construction delays, and other timeline adjustments. In addition, the application would allow users to identify potential geographic or temporal conflicts among constructions projects, and would include a public interface to allow residents to view the status of upcoming and ongoing projects. Ramsey County project lead Matt Koukol worked with a team of students in Justin Hansen’s GIS 5574: Web GIS and Services course to design a data model, data-presentation methodology, and prototype application, using the County’s enterprise geodatabase and ArcGIS Online as the platform for the web application. The students’ final presentation describing the application is available.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. Ramsey County wanted to assess the accessibility for visitors and clients of County-owned service facilities to make informed decisions about future capital investment in or relocation of these facilities to better meet the needs of the public. Ramsey County project lead Max Holdhusen worked with a graduate student in David Haynes’ GIS 5578: GIS Programming, who used GIS analysis to determine public transit access to three Ramsey County Corrections Facilities. Based on this analysis, the student concluded that midday
transit access is inadequate for residents of northwestern Ramsey County, and that if the central corrections facility were moved slightly to the northwest, it would be located in a region of higher client density and transit accessibility. The student’s final report, presentation, and a poster summarizing the project are available.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. In 2011, Ramsey County set goals to reduce energy use and incorporate renewable energy into its operations. In its most recent Strategic Energy Plan, Ramsey County formally established goals to reduce carbon emissions across county operations by 30 percent by 2025 and 80 percent by 2050 compared to 2008 levels. However, the County lacked a strategic approach to achieve these goals. Ramsey County project lead Mary T’Kach worked with a team of students in Fred Rose’s PA 8081: Science, Technology and Environmental Policy Capstone Workshop to explore potential strategies and policies County departments could use to incorporate climate resilience and adaptation strategies into their programming, operations, and budgeting. The students’ final report, presentation, and a handout and poster summarizing the project are available.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The City of Ramsey sought to improve its communication and engagement efforts with stakeholders (residents, business owners, and commuters). Students in Dr. Dan Milz’s Planning and Public Policy capstone analyzed the City’s existing engagement plan, developed and field-tested communication and engagement tools in conjunction with proposed changes to Highway 10 and ongoing redevelopment planning for The COR downtown area, and offered recommendations for future engagement efforts. A final report and poster are available.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2018-2019 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with Ramsey County. Historically, Ward 1 Precinct 9 in St. Paul, which encompasses the Frogtown Neighborhood, has experienced lower-than-average election turnout when compared to the rest of the state, especially among voters ages 18-24. Ramsey County project lead Joe Mansky worked with students in Dr. Scott Abernathy’s POL 1914: Generation Now: Young Adult Political Action first-year undergraduate seminar to explore strategies for increasing youth voter turnout and candidate engagement in the precinct.

]]> This project was completed as part of the 2017-2018 Resilient Communities Project (rcp.umn.edu) partnership with the City of Ramsey. The COR, the city’s mixed-use, transit-oriented development along the Northstar Commuter Rail Corridor, was intended as a vibrant destination in the community, with a variety of uses of varying intensities within walking distance of each other. With less than half of The COR currently developed, Ramsey staff will soon be updating The COR development plan, and wanted assistance identifying appropriate strategies for including the public in the plan update process, as well as with analysis that can inform development of the plan itself. Students in Dr. Fernando Burga’s Land Use Planning class assessed current conditions in The COR, identified key placemaking principles that could inform future development of The COR, and proposed specific outreach and engagement strategies that leverage placemaking principles to gather public input in the planning process. The students’ final report is available.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

Resilient Communities Project Contact Info

University Faculty Contact
Fernando Burga
Urban and Regional Planning
Assistant Professor
hfburga@umn.edu

Local Government / Community Contact
Tim Gladhill
Community Development
Community Development Director
tgladhill@cityoframsey.com
763-433-9831

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