Rick Reinhard, photographed in Halethorpe MD for Rice University’s Rice Business Magazine, 19 July 2023. Photo by Mike Morgan.

Rick Reinhard

Principal

Rick Reinhard is principal of Niagara Consulting Group and associate at the Lakelands Institute. He served public-private economic-development partnerships and city governments for 30 years before devoting the last five years to working for the United Methodist Church. Reinhard’s previous positions include serving as deputy executive director of the DowntownDC Business Improvement District, managing director for urban development and infrastructure finance at the Urban Land Institute, president of Central Atlanta Progress, chief executive of the Ilex Urban Regeneration Co. in Derry, Northern Ireland, and chief of staff to the mayor of Buffalo, New York.

A tsunami of emptying houses of worship—up to 100,000, according to one religious source—is washing across America. Developing intelligent reuses and redevelopments for these properties will make the difference between a community flourishing and struggling. Housing advocates view underused faith properties as natural sites to develop projects that help close the great national gap on affordable housing.
The original purpose of Buffalo Niagara Medical Campus was to serve as an anchor district, similar to those in areas around universities, museums, hospitals, and other anchor institutions throughout America.
Washington, D.C., is on the verge of welcoming a new business improvement district (BID)—the Anacostia BID in the southeast quadrant of town—bringing the city’s BID tally to nine and presenting new opportunities to dramatically transform more neighborhoods and bolster the city’s overall economic well-being. What can other cities learn from the success of the capitol’s business improvement districts?
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