Hillsborough County MPO 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan: Economic Evaluation of LRTP Plans

The Tampa Bay Regional Planning Council’s REMI model was incorporated into this study to estimate the benefits that would result from implementing the transportation projects made available through an increase in the sales tax. Today and into the future, the economic health of Hillsborough County and its ability to remain competitive in the globalized economy depends on the efficient transport of people and goods. Two investment scenarios were considered for this analysis: a “With Sales Tax” scenario and a “Without Sales Tax” scenario. It was found that the “With Sales Tax” approach results in higher job creation totals and gross product impacts than the “Without Sales Tax” approach while the “With Sales Tax” scenario also was better able to accommodate the speed of economic growth with lower levels of congestion.

Hillsborough County Metropolitan Planning Organization – Hillsborough County MPO 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan: Economic Evaluation of LRTP Plans [full PDF]

Estimating the Impacts of PlazaCorp Investments Related to the Acquisition of the Arcadia Ramp in Downtown Kalamazoo on the Region

The REMI econometric model was used by the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research after they were approached by PlazaCorp, a Kalamazoo-based firm that acquires property for redevelopment and development, engages in property management services, and “reimagines” sites for adaptive reuse. This study revolved around the construction of a 118-room hotel in Kalamazoo, Michigan and, more specifically, the economic impacts of the six projects within the larger construction effort. PlazaCorp needed to know if the $40 million they were set to invest on this hotel construction and development project was going to result in a substantial return and account for a net positive on the Kalamazoo region.

W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research – Estimating the Impacts of PlazaCorp Investments [full PDF]

The Economic and Environmental Impacts of a Corporate Fleet Vehicle Purchase Program

The Sustainable Transportation and Communities Group at the Center for Automotive Research prepared a study for AT&T on its announced 10-year program to buy or convert 15,000 of its vehicles to cleaner technology. These planned fleet vehicle purchases and modifications were found to support an average of 1,000 jobs per year from 2009-2013 and would reduce gasoline consumption by more than 49 million gallons over ten years and trim CO2 emissions by 211,000 metric tons, which equated to removing 38,000 vehicles from the road a year. The estimates of economic and employment impact for the years in which the fleet purchase program was operating at 100 percent was formulated using an economic and demographic forecasting REMI model and the modeling analysis revealed the program at 100 percent would create or support more than 1,100 jobs annually, with annual compensation for these jobs averaging $65 million while generating about $10 million in tax revenue.

Center for Automotive Research – The Economic and Environmental Impacts of a Corporate Fleet Vehicle Purchase Program [full PDF]

The Economic Impacts of Candidate Freight Transportation Initiatives in the Kansas City Region

Within the scope of a more comprehensive investigation the Mid-America Regional Council and Kansas City Smartport, as well as both the Kansas and Missouri Departments of Transportation were seeking to evaluate the potential economic impacts of various freight transportation initiatives that may be undertaken within the region. The overall study used REMI simulation software and included a series of deliverables focused on identifying freight infrastructure needs and assessing Kansas City’s regional transportation advantages, resulting in targeted strategies and messages for the region. The study deliverables were freight directory, business survey, focus group summary, freight infrastructure investment plan, regional freight assessment, freight flow analysis, and freight and the environment in Kansas City. The analysis considered nine separate scenarios and arrived at the conclusion that some combination of those scenarios or even the substitution of equally viable alternatives would inevitably lead to increased commerce within the region and a degree of attendant prosperity.

University of Tennessee – Economic Impacts of Candidate Freight Transportation Initiatives in the Kansas City Region [full PDF]

Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine: An Economic Impact Study

The L. William Seidman Research Institute at Arizona State University prepared a report for the Salt River Project and the Navajo Nation that examined the direct, indirect, and induced economic impact of the Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine for the period 2011-2044 at the county and state level using an Arizona-specific version of the REMI regional forecasting model. During that time period, the operation of both facilities accounts for approximately 112,720 full-time or equivalent job years throughout Arizona, including 32,912 direct job years and creates significant indirect job creation in the retail trade, health care, and construction sectors. Researchers found that gross state product and real disposable income were higher than the baseline scenario with the operation of both facilities and that the principal beneficiary of the economic impacts was the host county for each facility.

Arizona State University – Navajo Generating Station and Kayenta Mine: An Economic Impact Study [full PDF]