Leadership Brentwood deadline today

With only about 18 hours to spare, I submitted my Leadership Brentwood application for the Class of 2010 Wednesday afternoon. I'd love to have you as my classmate (that is, if I'm accepted. This feels a lot like applying for college -- a selective college. Only 15 will be accepted).
Entering its 20th year, Leadership Brentwood, sponsored by the Brentwood Cool Springs Chamber, and its alumni have been the catalysts for many of the city's most dynamic, needed, and, yes, fun, initiatives. For instance:

• Town Center redevelopment plan: Class of 1999
• Frisbee golf course at Crockett Park: Class of 2005.
• Citizens Fire Academy: Class of 2003
• Wrote grant that resulted in Boiling Spring Academy restoration: Class of 2004.

To learn about more projects completed by past Leadership Brentwood classes, visit http://www.leadershipbrentwood.org/lead-brent/project.php.

The alumni lists reads like a Who's Who of Brentwood, though not everyone is household name. In fact, most graduates are local government, business, civic and community leaders who do their work -- and leading -- behind the scenes.

If selected, the program costs $500. (Many businesses will sponsor their employees. It never hurts to ask.) The deadline to apply is noon today. So get to it if you're interested. The application is available online at www.leadershipbrentwood.org.

TIF for your thoughts

Next up: Town Center brainstorm, and cookies!
As predicted, Thursday night's City Commission work session on Tax Incremental Financing and how it might work in Town Center wasn't nearly as fun as the previous week's brainstorm hosted by the city's environmental committee.
Maybe that was the problem. It was a TIF meeting instead of a brainstorm.
Don't get me wrong. The presenters, attorney and Tennessee TIF expert Mark Mamantov and investment guru Rick Delaney of Morgan-Keegan gave detailed presentations on how this type of investment can be used to jump-start projects. Unfortunately, it seems almost certain that without county as well as city support, TIFs would not pump enough extra cash into Town Center projects to make the special financing worth it. And apparently Williamson County has declared it's not interested in TIFs unless they are for big corporate projects like Nissan that bring in lots of high-paying jobs.
The meeting did accomplish what it set out to do: It provided the city commission information about TIFs (and PILOTs and GOs and other such things that mostly went right over my head).
What it didn't do was give any traction to help spur Town Center discussion along, though I suppose just having all the interested parties in the same room breathing the same air was a start.
So may I suggest a second meeting of all who attended last night. Let's schedule an old-fashioned brainstorm session, much like the green committee did. Make it mandatory or at least "highly recommended" for City Commissioners and key staff to attend. Make it so enticing that everyone with any interest in Town Center will beg for an invite. Introduce Commissioner Anne Dunn to everyone involved, so she will never again have to say "I don't know who to deal with" when referring to those who have expressed interest in or made investments in the downtown commercial district.
Have white boards all over the room for ideas on how to get things started. Talk about the pros and cons of a master plan openly and with open minds. Breakout out into small groups with each commissioner assigned to a group of property and business owners to simply listen to what they have to say. And vice versa. Start forging new relationships.
And most importantly, advertise and provide some really good desserts. That always brings a crowd. In fact, I volunteer to bake cookies.
In the meantime, I would love to see comments posted here from those who attended Thursday night's TIF session. Or, feel free to email thoughts to me at brentword@comcast.net.

On TIFs and Town Center

Thursday work sesson open to public

No doubt it won’t be as entertaining as last week’s public forum sponsored by the city's Environmental Quality Coordinating Committee, but Thursday’s special City Commission work session may prove to be far more valuable.
Property and business owners in the Town Center area have been invited to hear, along with the commission, a presentation on tax increment financing (TIF) options available under Tennessee law for the city’s downtown commercial area.
The meeting begins at 5 p.m. in the commission chambers.
So, just what is a TIF anyway?
Attorney Mark Mamantov will share information on what TIFs are, what's needed for them to work effectively, and the legal aspects and requirements associated with their use within the Town Center area.
Rick Delaney from the investment firm Morgan-Keegan will address the practical applications of issuing TIF bonds in today’s credit market; the attractiveness of TIF bonds to investors; the potential risk to the city, and the use of TIF Bonds for projects such as the Nissan headquarters, which opened in Franklin last year.
“This is mainly a meeting to disseminate some facts to the commission through a workshop concerning development of the Town Center,” Mayor Betsy Crossley told me Wednesday. She explained that in a nutshell, TIFs use the property tax increases collected from an improved property to carry out public improvements in the area through the use of bonds rather than using the new taxes to pay for general fund services.
Since Tennessee laws concerning TIFs differ from other states, Mamantov will outline them and answer commission members’ questions.
Private/public sectors must work together
Crossley acknowledged that Thursday’s meeting will be rather limited “since it is regarding a specific technical aspect of development.” She added, however, that she is “happy that there are individuals discussing development in Town Center like (Brentwood architect Walter Kassidon’s) Brentwood Future group. As you have said, there is going to have to be public/private partnership to bring a plan together for the redevelopment.
“… I look forward to continued future dialog with Town Center landowners and developers regarding what the vision for that area should be.”
David Green, spokesperson for the grassroots Citizens for Town Center (www.brentwoodsfuture.org), said the organization is “delighted to see the City Commission examine alternate ideas for moving the Town Center project ahead. While we have not taken a stand on TIF, we think it is a great idea for the city to examine any and all ideas for helping advance the progress of Town Center redevelopment.”
“TIFs are very complicated and can be a great benefit for our city,” Mac Kelton, a Brentwood resident and local investor, said. “It all depends on attitude. If the approach is ‘how can we do this?’ then great ways will be found. If the approach is ‘what can we do to prevent this from happening?’ then we will get different results.
“I am looking forward to see the approach taken. Forward thinking and can-do spirit is needed.”
Respect for property owners' rights
“As a City Commissioner I would love to see the property owners, the chamber and the city all working together to really push and promote this redevelopment,” Commissioner Regina Smithson wrote me. “As I have stated from the beginning, I believe every property owner has a right to develop their property the way they want and on their time table. Our city government can and should only do so much.
“I welcome any and all property owners or any developer with a plan to bring it to me. I will be glad to sit down and do what I can as a City Commissioner to help make it happen.”
The redevelopment of Town Center, defined as the 55 acres roughly bordered by Old Hickory Boulevard, Church Street, I-65 and East Park Drive, has been a major source of hope and frustration since first discussed as a Leadership Brentwood project a decade ago.
So far the city has invested more than $2 million in infrastructure improvements within the C4 Town Center zoning district.

Thursday’s public meeting takes place in the Brentwood Municipal building, 5211 Maryland Way.

BJ has real Brentwood news today!

This morning's Brentwood Journal has some interesting stories you may want to check out.
And later today I'll be previewing Thursday night's City Commission work session. This meeting has been scheduled to learn about tax increment financing options available under Tennessee law that can be used to help spur development in Town Center.
I understand property and business owners have been invited to attend and I hope they will. But anyone with an interest in Brentwood's "downtown," should mark their calendar. The session begins at 5 p.m. in the commission chambers, second floor of the Municipal Building.

In the meantime, here are links from the Journal to stories about:

• The city's Capital Improvements Program and Concord Road widening, http://tinyurl.com/n6lac2
• Saturday's Summer Reunion of former Hardscuffle residents, http://tinyurl.com/momess
• and Jefferson's, a new sports bar coming to Maryland Farms. http://tinyurl.com/lx44dw