OCCD Fall 2024 Quarterly Meeting

I have been attending Ohio Conference of Community Development events since 2013. I have had the honor to serve on the OCCD Foundation Board and the OCCD Board of Directors. As incoming Vice President of the Board of Directors, I want to thank OCCD leadership as well as Executive Director Patricia Richards for their confidence in me to manage the responsibilities of Vice President as well as express my genuine appreciation for their support. I am incredibly excited for this opportunity!

To the membership, I want you to know that it is my goal to assist OCCD with organizing trainings and conferences which meet the various needs of Ohio community development professionals by providing valuable educational and networking opportunities. As we begin to plan for Winter, Spring and next summer’s activities, I encourage you to reach out to myself, other board members, or Executive Director Patricia Richards with ideas you might have for future trainings and conference sessions.

On October 24^th, we will meet at Embassy Suites in north Columbus. I hope to see the majority of you in person. The conference will also be livestreamed for those unable to travel. The majority of the meeting’s agenda will focus on mobility and transportation. I’ve summarized the planned sessions below. I hope you’re as excited as I am to hear from incredible Ohio professionals about their innovative work. I believe each session will offer the audience something to take back to their community no matter how big or small. 

• The Greater Ohio Policy Center will present recent research and reports published by the organization to help guide Ohio communities in the implementation of innovative approaches to connect neighborhoods and create safe streets.
• We will also hear from Central Ohio transit partners working on the LinkUs project. LinkUs plans include major investments in transportation improvements to be made possible through a new levy set to appear on Columbus voters' November ballot. Planned transit improvements through LinkUs include the addition of new bus rapid transit options, sidewalks and trail connections. LinkUs hopes to increase opportunity for every resident as Central Ohio remains one of the fastest growing regions in the U.S.
• Keeping with the transportation theme, the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission will present on the future of Amtrak in Ohio. The federal government is looking to invest funding into the expansion of existing and construction of new Amtrak passenger rail lines throughout Ohio. Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission staff will provide an overview of the processes taking place to secure funding, the future of the Amtrak projects connecting Ohio communities, as well as the community and economic development impacts Ohioans can anticipate will result from the addition of passenger rail options.
• Tony Core, Senior Attorney at Squire Patton Boggs, will provide a legislative update for membership. This informative session will fill you in on all the latest community and economic development news from the State House.
• After recent mass evacuations from multifamily properties resulting in hundreds of displaced residents, Columbus has adopted a new Relocation Assistance Code which holds property owners responsible for relocation costs when there are repairs resulting in temporary relocation or a unit is deemed unoccupiable. City of Columbus Human Services staff, Columbus City Attorney’s Office staff and a representative from the Legal Aid Society of Central Ohio will share real examples of harmful negligent landlords and the at times disastrous impacts their actions have on residents’ lives.

This autumn we are also looking forward to a November Trainings and Networking Conference. The planning committee for this session prioritized insuring that both State grantees and Entitlement communities can attend two full days for valuable trainings. Trainings will be beneficial for professionals of all experience levels. Nikki Reese, City of Troy, chaired the planning committee. Thank you, Nikki for leading the organizing and development of this conference. The agenda for the event is posted online. This conference will be held at the Nationwide Hotel and Conference Center in Lewis Center. I hope to see you there!

Lucie McMahon, OCCD Vice President