Divestment, crime, highway intrusion, have blighted your neighborhood.  When investments do occur they are not planned or balanced with proper public policy and often lead to economic and cultural gentrification.

You can upend and own that process. We can help!

Jim Sweeney is a planner and community leader.  He spent 14 years revitalizing the most challenging neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio, a former floodplain neighborhood called Franklinton,  aka“ The Bottoms”.  He built energy and pride in the forgotten community, developed over 150 affordable housing units and was the visionary behind the transformation of East Franklinton as a permanent arts destination.  Then he led the way to make it happen.  Franklinton, although still very much in progress, is now a national model of how a community non-profit with passion and a strategy can change their world for the better. 

We want to bring that formula to your project!! 

Our Associates

Just as your community needs diversity, so does the team helping to build it. 

Our associates are a happy band of planners, artists, builders, architects, makers, market researchers, fundraisers, political folks, and more. 

We each bring unique perspectives and skills to the table. What we share is a passion for great communities.

We know that not every job requires every tool. We'll put together the right team for you.

Arts Organization

Michael Bush

Empty Bush

Arts are of course know for many great things but organizing is rarely at the top of the list. Every community needs a great arts leader and arts organization.  Michael is that leader in Franklinton and can get show your community how to do what we did.

Legal Expertise

Adam Rosen

TRF Legal

Adam Rosen is a partner and founder at TRF Legal, a boutique law firm focusing on center-city and small town development projects. His passion is community building and forming attorney-client relationships with a letter of engagement.

Architecture/Design

Amanda Dunfield

Ad Astra Design LLC

Amanda is an architect who believes that good design can change lives. She seeks to be a part of projects that create positive impacts on the world, the community and its neighbors.  A self-proclaimed building whisperer, Amanda loves unraveling the stories of old buildings and working with them as they evolve into their next phase of life. 

Adaptive Reuse

Chris Sherman

CDS Services

The old and "abandoned" buildings in your community may be your best asset. Don't listen to the "it would be cheaper to tear it down" skeptics.  Chris knows how to make them useful without breaking the bank. He's done over 200,000 square feet that are now creative spaces in Franklinton including 400 W. Rich.

Cultural Institutions

Kimberlee L. Kiehl, Ph.D.

A former CEO and COO at several nonprofits, Kim advises leaders on the building, strategy development and day to day management of cultural institutions,  A systems thinker, she is adept at bringing pieces together to form new initiatives. 

John Doe Thing 

Creative Solutions

Andrew Lundberg

Lundberg Industrial Arts

An artist's artist and a maker's maker - Andrew does it all. He’s a true-believer and early adopter of the Franklinton Arts District. He brings the big ideas and knows how to build them.

Fundraising

Elissa Schnieder 

Fierce Ohio

A political lobbyist and fundraiser, Elissa has helped organizations raise millions through a myriad of strategies including, individual major gifts, capital campaigns, grassroots house parties, workplace giving, online as well as through community  campaigns.

Real Estate Development

Brian Higgins

Arch City Development

Brian's been building communities for a couple decades now!  He brings the hard-core expertise and experience in housing development, market analysis, commercial/retail expansion, green development, creative finance or planning.

Affordable Housing

Reginald Johnson

REMA Global

 A developer and lender, Reginald has developed and managed conventional, LIHTC and Mixed-use multi-family housing in Franklinton and across the country. He brings the big ideas, financial modeling and planning to a variety of projects. 

John Doe Thing 

Maker Culture

Alex Bandar

Columbus Idea Foundry

Alex is Founder and "Chief Mischief Maker" at the Columbus Idea Foundry. Alex and his maker-space idea helped Franklinton turn the corner to become a true creative community. The maker space is a new approach to economic development and STEM education.    

All the stuff we do

If you're ready for a fresh approach to revitalization, we're ready for you!​

Revitalize for Inclusivity 

This is our passion and our specialty.  We delve into the challenges and opportunities in your community and build your strategy from the ground up. Along the way we energize the entire environment. Our plans are alive. 

We learned our lessons in "the Bottoms" - the most challenging real estate environment in Ohio.  Wiped out by flooding in the last century the community was stagnate and desolate. Our several projects included going deep into the affordability toolbox to build 150  ownership and rental units using  HOME, CBDG, NSP, LIHTC, and a variety of local programs.

Get Organized

A plan is only as good as the community leadership that owns it.  We'll not only give you the map forward, we'll make sure you have the right team in place to make it real over the long haul. Whether it's a Community Development Corporation, Special Improvement District, Downtown Redevelopment District, or a combination - we'll find the right fit for the challenges and opportunities of your community.

We'll make sure you have a real seat at the table.

Get Creative

Few things are as universally revered and accessible as art. And few people are more adventurous or community minded as artists. We'll help you carve out safe and permanent spaces for creatives and help them enrich and shift the whole dynamic of the neighborhood. 

Also...

Tell Your Story

You have great stories need to be able to tell them - even the little ones! The way to do that these days is with a series of short powerful videos that get passed around on social media. We have the tools, skills, and we perspective to give you just what you need -  you don't need "Gone with the Wind!"     

Come Hear Ours!

Come see it! Like you we're very proud of our community and what we've done here. We've even gotten the attention of several national publications (see below) and our Plan was named best economic development plan of 2014 by APA and ULI. Our tours range from a six-hour deep dive to fun team-building outings

Read our Press

No need to take our word for it!

We've gotten the attention of all the local media outlets as well as several national publications over the past several years.