With 30 years of experience in real estate development in both the private and public sectors, the new executive director of the Charleston Urban Renewal Authority says there's "no silver bullet" to reviving a city's downtown.
Ron Butlin, 59, who previously worked for urban renewal agencies in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and Pensacola, Florida, said urban hubs are most often bolstered through several smaller projects.
"It's a combination of lots of small to medium things - then all of a sudden, you wake up and go, 'Wow, this town's really changed,'" Butlin said.
A native of Southern California, Butlin worked as a lender for Wells Fargo for years after the passage of the federal Community Reinvestment Act, specializing in real estate.
"That's where I got some exposure to affordable housing, housing tax credits [and] taxes on bond financing," he said.
He later went on to head commercial real estate for a development firm in Colorado Springs that had purchased a massive, 70-acre downtown urban renewal project.
"I was the company representative to downtown Colorado Springs, dealing with the renewal authority there [and] trying to get this project going," Butlin said.
But, as the real estate industry suffered through the Great Recession, an opportunity opened for Butlin to transition from the private to the public sector.
He worked for four years as director of the Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, where he managed a business improvement district and downtown development authority.
"I've always loved downtowns, and I've always wanted to figure out a way to do development [there]," Butlin said.
The private sector faces unique challenges in the context of urban renewal projects, such as limited land for new construction and zoning restrictions, Butlin said. Developers of such projects need to approach them with a different mindset.
Companies that specialize in home building, for example, think relatively short term, he said.
"In home building, you can buy a lot and build a house, and the whole period takes a year," he said.
In urban redevelopment, in which developers generally renovate older, historic buildings for new uses, the process takes longer and usually costs more money.
Figuring out what works in downtowns across the U.S. isn't as difficult as one might think, Butlin said.
"The adage is, build something you want to live in, and other people will come, too," he said. "Make it something you think is really cool. If you like it, and your citizens are enjoying it, you'll discover other people want to do it, too."
One thing people like? Living close to dining and attractions.
That's why mixed-use developments - buildings with residential and commercial uses - are the way to go in downtowns, Butlin said.
"I haven't been here long enough to know, but zoning is often a challenge for mixed use, and downtowns tend to be old zoning styles," he noted.
While he's still new to Charleston, Butlin says there are strong opportunities that can work to the city's advantage.
Being a state capital, for example, is significant, he said.
"I know there's a lot of empty office space here, but while it's a bad thing in the short term, it creates an opportunity for people to come here without having to build from the ground up," he said.
He echoed other groups that focus on downtown, such as the Charleston Area Alliance, noting the need for more residential units to benefit not only young adults, but also empty-nesters.
"I'm optimistic in the intermediate term that some of these warehouses could become affordable lofts," he said.
In a city nestled in the mountains, the geographic barriers can pose challenges, he said, but they also create a certain density in downtown Charleston that works in its favor.
He's also seen the benefits that come when cities modernize their streets.
"Current urban planning says, 'Shrink the streets, make them two-way [and] create a lot more pedestrian areas along streets,'" Butlin said. "Streets are a public space, so make them available for more than one kind of public use."
He's also the first to admit it can be incredibly difficult to get the private sector to invest in urban renewal projects.
"The public sector needs to set the stage, create the framework and improve the infrastructure that needs to be improved, so you create the template to make it a place where people want to be," Butlin said.
"And then, private investment comes in and says, 'You're right, we do have people that want to be here.'"
He admits it's something of a chicken-and-egg scenario, but said it can be done in Charleston.
He added that the East End and West Side also are important components to maintaining a thriving city.
"I would love to have a developer want to talk about maybe accumulating a block or half a block and renovating some of the houses," Butlin said. "Some are still pretty interesting and have some historical value."
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