R.I. needs asset-based approach to economic development

A onetime staffer in then-Gov. Bruce Sundlun’s office in the early 1990s, Scott Wolf joined Grow Smart Rhode Island as executive director in 1999. Since then the nonprofit has been vocal in opposing sprawl in Rhode Island. Wolf spoke with Providence Business News recently about how the state is spending stimulus money and working to encourage economic development.

PBN: How is Rhode Island doing spending the federal stimulus money?
WOLF: We’ve seen a lot of improvement since January. The governor has designated two very savvy people – Kevin Flynn, who heads the Division of State Planning, and Mike Saul, the interim director of the R.I. Economic Development Corporation – to coordinate the solicitation of ideas. The other action we thought was positive was the establishment of a four- or five-person unit in the governor’s office to work full time on allocation of the stimulus money.

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PBN: A lot of the stimulus money is going toward transportation infrastructure. How is that being spent?
WOLF: Grow Smart recently reviewed how Rhode Island and other states were spending discretionary transportation funding from the stimulus package. Rhode Island was one of only 11 states that allocated 100 percent of that to repair of existing roads and bridges. They’ve adhered to “fix it first” principles, which mean you maintain before you build new infrastructure.
We were also pleased to learn from the Grow Smart America report that 7 percent of our allocation for transportation is going to sidewalk repairs, bike-path improvements and other areas that don’t involve motor vehicles. That’s above the national average.

PBN: Is the state doing a good job on economic development?
WOLF: We think there are some good initiatives, particularly in establishing Rhode Island in offshore energy development through wind power. And the governor and the legislature have both supported the completion of the commuter rail line between Wickford and downtown Providence, including the intermodal facility at T. F. Green Airport.
But we have some fundamental concerns about the state’s approach. … At a broad, philosophical level, Rhode Island needs a more assets-based approach, rather than a liability-based approach, but I think strategies are starting to change. Too often Rhode Island tries to play the economic-development game on the opponent’s home court. For example, we’ve spent a lot of time trying to attract large businesses to suburban greenfield sites, where you’d have a large one-story building. We don’t have a lot of sites of that sort compared to rural states like Tennessee or Indiana. That’s playing to our weakness. But Tennessee and Indiana cannot in any way match our collection of historic buildings and mixed-use neighborhoods, which are very appropriate to medium and small businesses.

PBN: What are some of Rhode Island’s assets?
WOLF: We have a tremendous collection of mills and factory buildings throughout the state. The historic tax credit program that provided an incentive for revitalizing those buildings is now suspended. It’s always been a counterweight to environmentally destructive and inefficient commercial sprawl. …
Our compactness is a major asset. Historically we’ve had relatively efficient patterns of development that make it easy to move around. …
Another asset is the concentration of colleges, universities, and health care institutions. …To better capitalize on the research coming out of those institutions, we recommend the R.I. Economic Development Corporation (EDC) increase the number of staff people it has working with them. Right now the RIEDC has 50 employees, and only one full-time person and one part-timer work in that area.

PBN: How have your organization’s priorities fared this year in the General Assembly?
WOLF: We and our allies were able to get some extra earmarked funding for the operation of the R.I. Transportation Authority. The legislature didn’t follow the options we’d proposed, but they did achieve the result we were seeking – enough dedicated funding so that RIPTA could avoid future service cutbacks, at least in the short term. That was done through a two cent increase in the gasoline tax.
Another plus in this session was the General Assembly’s decision to maintain at least some funding – $2.5 million – for an important affordable housing initiative, the Neighborhood Opportunities Program. And the governor and the General Assembly did continue the spend down from the 2006 housing bond. •INTERVIEW
Scott Wolf
POSITION: Executive director, Grow Smart Rhode Island
BACKGROUND: Wolf was already a veteran community and political activist before joining Grow Smart Rhode Island in 1999. He was a senior staffer for former Gov. Bruce Sundlun from 1991 to 1994. From 1995 through 1999, Wolf served as executive director of The ’98 Project, a national organization sponsored by labor, senior, environmental and social service organizations. He also served as manager of the 1994 Ron Sims for U. S. Senate campaign in Washington State; directed the Rhode Island Governor’s Office of Housing, Energy, and Intergovernmental Relations; and was president of Scott Wolf and Associates, a political and public policy consulting firm.
EDUCATION: Wolf is a 1975 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University.
FIRST JOB: At age 15 he worked at Trifari Jewelry in East Providence, cleaning shavings from jewelry castings.
RESIDENCE:
Providence
AGE: 56