Economic Development Digest 
 
| Economic Development News
EDA 2020 Public Works Grants Available Now

The Economic Development Administration has published the FY 2020 Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance Programs Notice of Funding Opportunity. EDA's Public Works and Economic Adjustment Assistance programs provide economically distressed communities and regions with comprehensive and flexible resources to address a wide variety of economic needs.
EDA and NIST Announce $1 Million Disaster Challenge

The Economic Development Administration , in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the First Responder Network Authority , announced the Accelerate R2 Network Challenge. The program is a $1 million grant challenge to address the nation's most pressing disaster response and resiliency (R2) challenges with innovative technologies.
Pasadena Announces New Marketing Campaign

Texas above the words Pasadena Powering Possibilities
The Pasadena Economic Development Corporation (PEDC) and the City of Pasadena are proud to announce the launch of a new marketing brand for Pasadena.

"The message of this marketing brand exemplifies what Pasadena is all about," said Mayor Jeff Wagner. "The tag line Powering Possibilities has more than one meaning. From an industry standpoint, a huge portion of the energy resources that power our country are refined and produced right here. Because of that strong economic foundation, our jobs, our schools and our residents are blessed with the power to achieve countless possibilities."
Livable Centers Planning Study Call for Partners

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H-GAC's Livable Centers Program call for planning study partners is open. This is not a request for proposals from consulting firms.

All eligible partners must complete a Notice of Intent to Apply by Friday, December 6.  Final Applications are due Tuesday, January 21, 2020.
 
To date, 29 livable centers studies are complete and represent $467 million in locally sponsored capital improvements with an additional $567 million identified in H-GAC's Regional Transportation Plan. The objectives of the Livable Centers planning studies are to:
  • Help create quality, walkable, mixed-use places;
  • Create multi-modal travel choices;
  • Improve environmental quality; and
  • Promote economic development and housing choice. 
For more information, or questions about upcoming deadlines, email [email protected].
How Startups Help Cities Measure Economic Development

The most prosperous American cities have been able to establish a foothold in innovative, technology-driven industries. This economic development path tends to be paved by young, high-growth companies that achieve technological breakthroughs, create new markets, and yield quality job growth.The challenge for leaders guiding these types of strategies is that it's difficult to identify the set of local companies on the cusp of achieving significant, valuable product and process breakthroughs-what Brookings calls the "economic development frontier." But understanding that frontier is critical for strategy because it is increasingly the key source of new innovation, growth, and prosperity for any city or state.
Disaster Recovery Program | IEDC 

The International Economic Development Council (IEDC) is placing experienced economic development professionals as volunteers in economic development organizations throughout 
the region that can use expert input doing various
tasks such as: 
  • Attracting inward investment
  • Business outreach, retention and recovery 
  • Community outreach, finance, flood control and mitigation
  • Grant writing, strategic planning, and training/education
Thanks to U.S. Economic Development Administration funding, the volunteers-- who typically come for five days and then do supplementary work remotely--are completely free of charge to communities in the region.
 
For more information, contact Joshua Owens at 832-681-2613.
 
|CEDS Updates
September Gulf Coast Labor Market Analysis- Teachers and Support Staff Return to Payrolls

Nearly 20-thousand Houston-area teachers and school support staff returning for the new academic year boosted an otherwise lackluster September jobs report and helped push unemployment lower.  Overall, the region added just 6,400 jobs last month, when considering losses reported nine of the ten remaining industrial sectors, with most declines reflecting typical seasonal patterns. The construction industry was the only other sector to add jobs in September, putting 4,700 people to work. Parker Harvey, Regional Economist at Workforce Solutions, says hiring in the Construction sector is substantially above the long-term average. "September was the best month for job growth in this sector so far this year," he said. 
 
| Funding Opportunities
Community Facilities (CF) Direct Loan & Grant Program | Ongoing

U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Community Facilities (CF) Direct Loan & Grant program provides funding to construct, enlarge, or improve essential community facilities in rural areas.  The program has more than $2 billion available for rural communities to build or modernize education, health care, municipal and public safety facilities this fiscal year.


Economic Opportunity Challenge | January 28, 2019

In the United States, many families face extensive barriers to achieve success. The Economic Opportunity Challenge aims to build a more vibrant economic ecosystem by scaling an impactful, evidence-based solution that sustainably creates economic opportunity for low-income families. The Economic Opportunity Challenge is a public competition launched with the support of Lever for Change to award $10 million to the most scalable, transformative, and proven solution aimed to meaningfully expand economic opportunity for low-income individuals in the US. This opportunity is for nonprofits with annual budget of $1 million or more. Learn more

 
Upcoming Developments 
Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants is planning a hotel with 204-room as part of Laneways, a mixed-use project in Midtown. The hotel is expected to open in 2022.
 
McKinley Memorial City has broken ground on the southwest corner of Bunker Hill Road and Katy Freeway. The mixed-use development will include a nine-story, 190,000-square-foot office tower and a 332,231-square-foot apartment building with retail on the ground floor. The office tower is expected to open in 2021, and construction of the apartment will follow.
 
World Houston 44 broke ground at 4120 Consulate Plaza Drive, near George Bush Intercontinental Airport. The $44 million, 134,415-square-foot industrial project is World Houston International Business Center newest addition. The project is expected to be complete in 2020.
 
A nine-story apartment complex started construction at 2404 Navigation Blvd. The 300-unit will project will include 7,000 square feet of restaurant space in the first floor. At 400 Jensen, another 332-unit project will break ground early next year. Both are expected to deliver in 2021
 
Sam Houston Distribution Center broke ground at the corner of Fallbrook Pines Drive and Windmill Park Road. The 833,720-square-foot industrial project is expected to deliver in 2020.
 
A 500,000-square-foot industrial center is coming to Humble. The project, named 59 Logistics Center, will be built on 11 acres at 17440 U.S. Highway 59. The center is expected to be complete in late 2020.
 
A medical office will begin construction at Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital. The six-story, 150,000-square foot project at 18123 Upper Bay Road is expected to cost $40 million and open in 2021.
 
A $16 million, 90,000-square-foot aviation and aerospace training facility is coming to Houston Spaceport. It's expected to be complete in 2021.
 
Th Allen has broken construction on its phase along Allen Parkway, next to the Federal Reserve building. The 34-story hotel/condominium tower will include 99 condo units above 178-room Thompson Hotel. It is expected to take three years to build.

Compiled from reports in Houston Business Journal, Houston Chronicle, and Texas A&M University Real Estate Center

 
Upcoming Events
November 15 | State of the County | GHP | Houston

November 20 | Accelerate R2 Network Challenge| EDA | Online
 
November 21 | State of the Port | GHP | Houston
 
December 4 | SWREDA Annual Conference  | NADO | Santa Fe
 
December 5 | Houston Region Economic Outlook | GHP | Houston
 
December 10 | State of the Airports | GHP | Houston
 
December 13 | Sales Tax Workshop | TEDC | Austin 


The Economic Development Digest is published monthly by the

Houston-Galveston Area Council, 3555 Timmons Lane, Suite 120, Houston, TX 77027
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