PRACTICE AREA

Planning & Transport Economics

COMPREHENSIVE & MASTER PLANNING ECONOMICS

Randall Gross is a specialist in community development economics.  He has worked for 34 years on 600+ projects, providing market & financial analysis, land use economics, and strategic planning services for the redevelopment and revitalization of communities.   

He works directly with public agencies, private developers, and communities to understand needs, assess economic assets and potentials, and create targeted implementation plans to meet goals and objectives.  Specifically, he forecasts the market demand and financial feasibility of projects, determines highest and best use for buildings and land, designs creative strategies that better integrate housing and employment, and creates mechanisms to maximize community benefits including job creation and fiscal stability. 

Mr. Gross has particular experience providing input on market potentials, financial feasibility, fiscal impacts, and community benefits as part of Comprehensive Planning efforts. He has particular experience in determining the fiscal impacts of various land uses on municipal budgets, which provides invaluable input to land use, zoning, economic development, and other components of the comprehensive plan. He has worked on a broad range of commercial, industrial, and housing market assessments, to inform the planning process, better integrate uses, manage growth, and to help preserve natural heritage or build exciting urban communities.  His experience working with both private developers and local governments, and as part of teams with planning consultants, has provided him with well-rounded perspectives on planning issues and growth management.

 Typical Inputs to Comprehensive Plans provided by Randall Gross / Development Economics including the following:

  • Economic Base Overview

  • Economic Development Strategies (Target Industry Analysis, Neighborhood and/or Downtown Revitalization components, etc)

  • Market Analysis (e.g., housing, retail, industrial, office, etc)

  • Community Facilities Needs Assessment (e.g., parks and recreation facilities, civic or community centers, cultural arts centers, etc.

  • Land Use Demand Forecasting (long-range market-based projections)

  • Housing / CD Plans (for HUD application)

  • Municipal Fiscal Trends Analysis

  • Land Use Fiscal Impacts Assessment (fiscal cost-benefits of different land uses or zoning districts) as well as Economic Impacts Analysis

  • Infrastructure ROI and Financing Strategies

  • Other Strategic Planning

TRANSPORTATION ECONOMICS & TRANSPORT-RELATED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

Randall Gross / Development Economics (RGDE) brings 30+ years of experience in transportation economics relating to:

 Airports, Ocean Ports, Highway Corridors, Transit and TOD, Rail & Rail Corridors

 RGDE has worked for the public and private sectors in the United States, South Africa and elsewhere on transportation economics and market-related issues.  His expertise includes the following skills:

  • Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).  RGDE works as part of master-plan teams to determine appropriate TOD strategies, forecasts demand by type of use at transit nodes, determines fiscal & economic impacts, and designs financing strategies supporting transit-oriented development.

  • ROI & Fiscal Impacts (Cost-Benefit Analysis).  Tests the public returns-on-investment and net cost-revenue impacts of transportation projects on government budgets.

  • Tax Increment Financing (TIF).  Projects the tax revenues generated through special taxing districts, such as TIFs, through economic modeling.

  • Economic Impacts.  Projects the job, output, and income impacts from transportation projects.

  • Airport Noise Impacts.  Forecasts the impacts of airport activity and noise on property values and economic development.  Determines the type of activity attracted to airport locations.

  • Transportation (Airport, Port, Rail) Utilization & Revenue Projections.  Models the usage and revenue potentials for transportation and sets rates through sensitivity analysis.

  • Transportation & LED.  Determines strategies for using transportation to leverage Local Economic Development, such as through Development Corridors.

  • Transportation & Valuation.  Determines the market value of land taken past and future for transportation projects for the purposes of establishing just compensation.  Mr. Gross also provides expert testimony in compensation cases.

  • PPP & Transportation Finance.  RGDE has provided training in the basics of public-private partnerships (PPP) and transportation finance.