The president of the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA), Toby Rittner, was recently in Kansas City, Missouri to provide an update on the federal perspective of economic development at the Missouri Economic Development Financing Association’s (MEDFA) annual conference. The creative use of economic development incentives was a key topic, with many ideas discussed throughout the 2-day conference agenda.
Brownfields redevelopment financing solutions were one of the main focal areas, as they are increasingly sought after to restore contaminated sites and/or to return abandoned industrial land to productive use. The cleanup and redevelopment of brownfield sites can advance a region’s economy, restore the local environment, and ultimately lead to permanent job creation and greater attraction of external capital to the community.
“How Port Authorities can be used for Economic Development” was also a topic of discussion, noting the powers of a port authority make it a useful tool for economic development, even if the project is not traditional waterfront development or located on a waterway. The panel discussed how Missouri cities have used this important tool in the successful development of a variety of projects throughout the state of Missouri.
Representatives from four Missouri cities (Kansas City, St. Louis, Washington, Springfield) shared strategies they have employed to invigorate their downtown districts and a bus tour of our own KCMO Downtown area featured the redevelopment in the Historic West Bottoms, the Crossroads District, and the new Downtown streetcar line, to name a few.
The evening reception and dinner was hosted at the Gallery event space in the Power & Light District, with UMKC Chancellor, Leo Morton, as the keynote speaker, sharing Kansas City, Missouri’s great entrepreneurial story.
*All 2015 conference presentations are available at MEDFA.com.
About MEDFA
MEDFA provides education and advocacy concerning all economic development financing tools available in the State of Missouri. MEDFA members include individuals, companies and organizations from across the state, including economic development professionals, city administrators, development attorneys, real estate professionals, financial and investment professionals, and economic development consultants.
MEDFA takes an active role in legislative matters in the Missouri General Assembly that may affect economic development financing tools. MEDFA members provide testimony on proposed legislation and work with legislators along with MEDFA’s governmental relations consultant as advocates of economic development financing in Missouri. MEDFA is governed by a Board of Directors composed of 23 members from across the state of Missouri. Membership information can be found on MEDFA’s website at www.medfa.com.