The Urban Land Institute-Washington and Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments are encouraging local governments to apply for a new round of Technical Assistance Panels-or TAPs. The TAPs, one of ULI Washington’s signature programs, are like fast-paced brainstorming sessions with a group of outside experts that identify strategies to address local development or land use challenges.

COG has partnered with ULI Washington to advance its work supporting growth in metropolitan Washington’s 141 Activity Centers. The partnership will deliver three TAPs to strengthen Activity Centers in 2015. Applications must be submitted by 4pm on February 13, 2015 to pdesjardin@mwcog.org and deborah.bilek@uli.org

Click here for an application.

TAPs include 10-12 senior-level experts, who work with their local government sponsor. The panel takes place over 1.5 days, with a report of recommendations completed thereafter. Panelists are selected from the over 2,000 ULI members in the Washington District Council based on the specific nature of each assignment. Panel member expertise typically includes developers, property owners/managers, investors, designers, planners, engineers, market and financial analysts, as well as members of the public sector.

This year, TAP applicants are encouraged to examine the importance of health as it relates to the built environment within Activity Centers-an important focus of both organizations. It is ULI and COG’s intent that at least one of the three awarded TAPs for this cycle will have a health-related emphasis.

To learn more about the program, costs, and benefits, and to review past TAPs, such as the recent Glenmont Shopping Center and Prince George Plaza TAP reports, visit www.washington.uli.org/TAPs Both were conducted as part of the ULI-COG partnership.