We Advise
Economic Development
"Every public dollar invested in a private project should produce a measurable public return."
For four years, every economic incentive package, every TIF district and every tax abatement in Kansas City crossed Dr. Troy Nash's desk as Chair of the City Council's Planning, Zoning & Economic Development Committee. Economic development strategy from the person who sat in the chair, backed by EDFP certification and an active development practice.
Available as prime consultant or subcontractor for economic development work.
The Questions We Ask
Who Benefits?
Developers who came before the committee expecting a rubber stamp got questions instead. We ask the same ones for our clients, before anyone else does.
Who benefits from this project?
Public support has to buy something the public can see.
How many jobs, and for whom?
Are those jobs accessible to residents of the surrounding neighborhood?
Does the incentive justify the cost?
Will the public incentives requested produce outcomes that justify the public cost, and would the project happen without them?
"I was not anti-development. I was pro-accountability."
For Cities, Counties & Development Organizations
Economic Development Services
Strategy, analysis and incentive policy for the public bodies that decide where investment goes.
Economic Development Consulting
Economic development strategies and plans from the former Chairman of Kansas City's Planning, Zoning & Economic Development Committee, backed by EDFP certification.
Economic Development Strategic Plans
Multi-year strategies that name where investment should go, who it should serve and how the public will know it worked.
Incentive Policy & Review
TIF and tax abatement policies, and review of incentive requests, from someone who reviewed dozens of TIF plans on the Kansas City TIF Commission.
Corridor & Commercial District Revitalization
Strategies for disinvested corridors, shaped by years of work on Troost, Prospect and 39th Street on Kansas City's East Side.
Grocery & Neighborhood Retail Attraction
Making the case for grocery anchored development: demonstrating market demand, securing public incentives and overcoming site selection bias.
Public Return Analysis
Clear answers to whether a public investment pays back: jobs, tax base and community benefit set against the revenue foregone.
Across Our Practices
Related Services
Economic development work draws on services listed under our other practices.
Economic Analysis
Employment clusters and economic trends mapped to real development opportunities. Urban Planning →
Development Impact
Fiscal impact modeling that gives decision makers the clarity to say yes. Urban Planning →
TIF & Tax Abatement
Structure tax increment financing and abatement programs that actually incentivize quality development. Deal Structuring →
Special Districts
Form CIDs, TDDs, NIDs and other special taxing districts that fund infrastructure without general fund risk. Deal Structuring →
Employment Analysis
Employment trend analysis connected to the communities where we are actively investing. Market Analysis →
Business Corridor Engagement
Shop by shop outreach to commercial stakeholders who know their customers and corridors intimately. Community Engagement →
On the Record
Economic Development, Done in Kansas City
Each account below is published in full on The Record, with the press coverage from the time.
Chair of Planning, Zoning, and Economic Development
2003. Every economic incentive package, TIF district and tax abatement in the city crossed this committee.
Troost Revitalization
2001. An ordinance, with Councilwoman Williams-Neal, that funded a neighborhood-driven planning study for the Troost corridor.
Beacon Hill Redevelopment
Legislation for an $11 million development in the Third District, and twenty years of work in one neighborhood, now home to The Mabion.
Saving Leon's Thriftway
2004. An ordinance to save the Seven Oaks Shopping Center and its grocery store, alongside the effort to bring ALDI to the East Side.
Fighting for the Prospect Corridor
Years of work for investment along the spine of Kansas City's East Side.
The $276 Million Sales Tax
2001. Voters approved a 15-year, quarter-cent fire department sales tax projected to raise $276 million.
18th and Vine Streetcar Feasibility Study
2025 to 2026. Part of the consultant team for the study led by KCATA and KC Streetcar with the City of Kansas City.
Who We Serve
Our Clients
Cities & Counties
Economic development offices and elected bodies
Economic Development Organizations
EDCs, chambers and development authorities
Regional Councils & MPOs
Regional planning and development organizations
Prime Contractors
Firms that need an economic development partner on a public contract
The Difference
Why Dr. Nash
Planning, Zoning & Economic Development Chair
Four years leading the committee (2003 to 2007). Knows how committees evaluate projects, because he led the evaluations.
TIF Commission Experience
Reviewed dozens of TIF plans on the Kansas City TIF Commission. Knows what makes incentive requests succeed or fail.
EDFP Certified
Economic Development Finance Professional, NDC (now Grow America).
Active Developer
254 homes across four MHDC-awarded developments. Our advice comes from projects we carry ourselves.
Ready to Talk About Your Community?
Whether you are writing a strategy, reviewing an incentive request or trying to bring investment back to a corridor, we know the questions the room will ask.
Hiring a prime consultant or building a team? We welcome both.
Contact Dr. Troy Nash directly:
The evidence
What this is built on
The firm does not ask to be taken at its word. 31 accounts of the work, and the 230 published clippings written at the time, are open to read.
We can’t predict the future. We can predict the room.
Public, private, nonprofit or philanthropic, we know the questions that room will ask and where a deal is likely to break. We spent our years doing the work, not writing about it, so our advice carries lived experience, practical knowledge and academic preparation.