Franklinton- Cutting Edge Community Webinar
Join us on September 16, 2015, 1 PM – 2 PM
Want to see how cutting –edge sense of place is happening in Columbus? Jim Sweeney, Director of Franklinton Development Association will present a webinar Wednesday September 16th at 1:00pm on how Franklinton is being transformed into a Creative Community District which was awarded the 2014 National Planning Excellence Award for Innovation in Economic Development & Planning by the American Planning Association. This power point will be a sneak peak to the tour Jim will give as part of Heritage Ohio’s annual conference on October 7th.
Jim Sweeney earned a bachelor’s degree in television production from Ohio University and a master’s degree in city and regional planning from The Ohio State University. Before joining Franklinton Development Association (FDA) as executive director in 2002, Jim worked as a land-use planner and zoning staff at the Mid-Ohio Regional Planning Commission where he created land-use plans for small cities and townships and the Franklin Country Greenways Plan. Jim also worked for Main Street Connections as a retail-revitalization researcher and planner. In 12 years as Executive Director of the FDA, Jim has led efforts to revitalize Franklinton through several real estate projects and community initiatives designed to reshape the built landscape, especially around quality and affordable housing, but also the perceived landscape of the community. In a community that did not see the creation of a single new house in over 80-years, the FDA has created or helped created of over 150 new or rehabbed affordable housing units – most of which are strategically located to support revitalization. Under Jim the FDA started several neighborhood initiatives and was the primary catalyst for the East Franklinton Creative District Plan and its on-going implementation.
Under Jim’s leadership the FDA was named “2009 Ohio CDC of the Year” by the Ohio CDC Association. Jim is a spokesperson and advocate for equitable and sustainable inward-ward city growth, repeatedly recognized as one of the top-ten community leaders by the media, and has been profiled in most of the local newspapers and magazines including Columbus Monthly.
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