The 82-member Carbon County Association of REALTORS®, based in the borough of Lehighton in the foothills of the Pennsylvania Poconos, knew their three-stoplight town needed help. After suffering the loss of its traditional industries – garment mills and the railroad - decades ago, the four-block business district was in a…...
Wisconsin’s Commercial REALTORS® Partner With State & Local Governments to Make Smart Growth
Wisconsin's 575-member Commercial REALTOR® Association (CARW) walks the walk when it comes to its commitment to economic development and wise use of the land. In 2012, CARW put a NAR Smart Growth Grant to work in providing research and input to Wisconsin’s Economic Development Corporation. CARW’s participation helped to develop…...
Hampton Roads (VA) REALTORS® Co-Host “Better Block” Effort With Smart Growth Grant
One weekend in early November 2013, the 3,000-member Hampton Roads REALTORS® Association [HRRA] co-hosted a block party launching a plan to turn a tired commercial/ residential area into a vibrant arts district. Using a $15,000 Smart Growth Grant, HRRA helped to pay for the “Better Block Weekend” including arranging for…...
Greater Rochester (NY) Association Helps Village of Lima Keep the Charm While “Growing Smart”
The charming village and agricultural township of Lima, in the Finger Lakes region of New York, was in danger of falling victim to reckless sprawl and development. 'Big box' stores of dubious aesthetic value were creeping in, detracting from the architecture that had been in place for well over a…...
Medina County (OH) REALTORS® Help Bring Dying Main Street of Seville Back to Life
The village of Seville, Ohio had been hard hit by the recent recession, and before that, by the imposition of a set of extremely limiting zoning codes that left its once-charming main street commercial district 33 percent unoccupied. It was anchored at each end by shuttered gas stations, constituting unsightly…...
Memphis REALTORS® Help Bring Home “Complete Streets”
In Memphis, Tenn., as in many other American cities, the urban core and older suburban neighborhoods were crisscrossed by high speed multi-lane road networks, facilitating automobile and truck traffic but completely isolating certain areas of the city. The system was contributing to related problems of neighborhood blight, poverty, obesity, and…...
Greater Nashville Association Partners With Local Government to Breathe New Life to Tired Light-Industrial Area
The 3,000-member Greater Nashville Association of REALTORS® is committed to making its communities healthy and livable. And, that includes putting resources behind their convictions. Most recently, they used a $10,000 Smart Growth Grant from NAR to support NashvilleNext, a three-year process to help the region’s most challenged communities. The Nashville…...
Traverse (MI) REALTORS® Put Three Smart Growth Grants to Work
With just 625 members, the Traverse Area Association of REALTORS® (TAAR) is a small but mighty force in northwest lower Michigan. Decades ago, it helped develop the database system that is now the heart of the electronic Multiple Listing System. Now, with no fewer than three NAR Smart Growth Grants…...
Greater Capital Area Association Takes the Lead in Smart Growth – Twice!
Development in Montgomery County, MD, just north of the nation’s capital, is growing fast. The Greater Capital Area Association of REALTORS® (GCAAR) wants to make sure it grows smart, as well. Two Smart Growth Grants from NAR have been helping it do so. The 8,500-member association used the first one…...