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Former Military Bases: A Renaissance of Economic Renewal

Many communities have successfully transformed their defunct military bases into economically prosperous locations, proving there is economic life after base closure.

By Jenny Vickers

griffiss research and technology park Entrance to the Griffiss Research and Technology Park in Rome, NY. Mohawk Valley Edge

 

An 11,820-foot runway and an old military hangar once used by the Air Force is now home to Empire Aero Center, a maintenance company utilizing these facilities to repair airplanes. In fact, this runway, one of the longest in the Northeast, was the pivotal factor in Empire’s decision to leave its headquarters in Miami, FL and relocate to the Griffiss Airfield at Griffiss Business and Technology Park in Rome, NY.

Griffiss Business and Technology Park, formerly Griffiss Air Force Base, is one of hundreds of military bases that were targeted for closure and reuse under the Base Reclosure and Alignment Act (BRAC) of 1988. Under BRAC, more than half of the civilian jobs lost have been replaced, over 50,000 jobs have been created, over 1,000 job-generating tenants have relocated to former bases, and nearly 27,000 acres of former base land have been transferred for public use. Since 1992, the Department of Defense’s (DoD) Economic Adjustment Office has awarded over $500 million in grants to 105 bases that have closed. A General Accounting Office report shows that base closures have saved the military $16.7 billion, and will generate more than $6 billion a year in future savings.

These defunct military bases have been transformed into centers of economic prosperity, where thousands of companies are relocating due to the bases’ infrastructure and intermodal access, lower cost, and availability of land and office space.

When Griffiss Air Force Base closed in 1998, a total of 4,529 jobs were lost at the base. The community felt defeated.

“After the base closed, housing prices plummeted, smaller retailers felt a blow and some closed, churches lost parishioners, two elementary schools in Rome closed, and a population left,” says Rob Duchow, Vice President for Marketing and Communications for Mohawk Valley EDGE, a regional economic development agency helping with redevelopment at Griffiss.

Since then, the Griffiss Redevelopment Planning Council (which later became the Griffiss Local Development Corp.) has worked with Mohawk Valley EDGE and community leaders to transform the base into a thriving business and technology park.

“The redevelopment has made Griffiss the economic leader for the city of Rome and even the entire region,” says Duchow. “Over the last 10 years, more than $265 million has been invested at Griffiss Park in infrastructure and capital projects, and today nearly 5,000 people work at Griffiss.”

Baldwin Park: An Award-Winning Development

Amidst tree-lined streets and homes designed in the architectural style of pre-1940s central Florida, children ride bikes on sidewalks; families picnic in community parks; and business people and shoppers take advantage of the miles of trails and sidewalks to walk to nearby office complexes, shops, and restaurants. Not too far away, birds soar through blue skies over 240 acres of federally reserved parkland.

It’s hard to tell that this site in Orlando, FL was once an Army Corps and Air Force base and the Orlando Naval Training Center—where over 650,000 naval recruits received basic training before it was closed in 1999.

Today Baldwin Park is a thriving mixed-use community containing 35,000 square feet of retail space; 1.5 million square feet of office space; and 8,000 residents. These businesses and residents support 6,000 permanent jobs and generate more than $1.5 billion in property tax value, more than $30 million in annual property tax revenue, and more than $180 million in payroll. In 2005, Baldwin Park won the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) National Award for Smart Growth Achievement.

Baldwin didn’t become an award-winning development overnight. When Orlando received the base from the federal government, it was transferred by the city to a private developer who had to almost completely rebuild the base’s infrastructure, dismantling 200 miles of underground utilities and 25 miles of roads, and demolishing all but five of the 261 existing structures. The developer also paid $1.7 million to cover additional cleanup costs and set aside 468 acres of protected wetlands and parks.

Out Of Ashes Flies The Phoenix

“When Lowry Air Force Base [in Denver, CO] closed in 1997, it wasn’t exactly the type of place businesses wanted to relocate to,” says Hilarie Portell, Director of Public Relations and Marketing for the Lowry Redevelopment Authority. “We had to demolish 300 buildings, tear up roads, replace utilities, and create an environment where businesses could operate. Five years later, numerous business and industries are experiencing growth and a better quality of life due to Lowry’s central location and convenience. Doctors that commuted an hour each way can now walk to their office. You can’t attach a value to that convenience.”

lowry air force base Duplexes in the redeveloped Lowry Air Force Base in Denver, CO. Photo by Lowry Redevelopment Authority

 

Pinnacol Assurance, the biggest provider of workers’ compensation insurance in the state of Colorado, moved from a suburban location off of a highway to Lowry. “Pinnacle was able to cut overhead and utilize space in their new, modern building,” says Portell. “Employees now have the convenience to walk to lunch and run errands and not have to worry about driving.”

Business and industries have succeeded in Lowry because of the central location, close proximity to customers, and the available labor pool. Lowry Air Force Base is now seen as a major mixed-use office, commercial, residential, and recreational center—with 3,300 homes and apartments, over 100 employers, a retail town center, 13 schools, and 800 acres of parks.

 

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