In case you have not noticed by now, I am truly an advocate of infill development. I think my fascination with this particular development was highlighted in this interview by CNN with Richard Florida. In the video he highlights how America bounced back after the Great Depression. The recovery was due in part to the flight from inner cities to the suburbs. That flight was a gift and a curse in that it took our best and brightest, along with their wealth, to the emerging suburbs. We effectively built our way out the Depression. Fast forward 75 years, here we are again at a crossroads where everyone from the President to economists are trying to figure out how we recover.

“[We] must get back into the game…[we'll] be condemned to high unemployment and sluggish growth, if the 35% of the economy real estate represents is not engaged.” Patrick Doherty, Washington Monthly

What do I propose? I’m so glad you asked.

America can recover by rebuilding our cities.  The Urban Land Institute noted that there is a demand for attached housing to the tune of 25 million units by 2025; that translates into 3 million acres of infill sites scattered throughout America prime for redevelopment and new uses. If history is any indicator, we will recover-the question is how we will recover. Over the last decade we’ve seen a migration back to the city and the trend is continuing for a number of reasons. Some would argue because my generation, the Echo Boomers or Millennials, want to be near “life” and that tends be in urban centers. The game has changed. We no longer solely prefer the housing options our parents and grandparents had.

Progress has been made to raise awareness about the need to curb carbon emissions by changing the way buildings are built. I applaud the USGBC, Southface and others who are championing high performance building. I propose we shift gears. Now that we understand “green building” as means to curb emissions, we need to understand infill development as alternative to suburban sprawl. Many local governments don’t have policies in place that encourage infill development whereby developers opt for the lesser expensive suburban model.

“There’s a frequent obstacle: neighbors’ opposition to infill development and the extra density it adds. But neighborhood doubts can often be satisfied by collaborative planning and prospects of quality redevelopment near transit stops, as well as attractive makeovers of obsolete shopping centers and low-grade strip commercial corridors. Plus, downtowns, universities and medical centers are new magnets for quality redevelopment.”

From “Compact Real Estate: The Stimulus We Need” Citiwire.net

Construction jobs were halved in Florida, Nevada and Arizona. What if we took the charge to build more sustainable cities? What if we built out half of the 3 million acres with walkable, transit oriented developments? Millions would be put back to work. Instead of putting lipstick on a pig, yes, I’m talking about GM, let’s redirect those funds to help cities incorporate policies that incentivize developers to pursue infill developments.

There is a stimulus package for you.

What is Infill Development?

Infill development is the process of developing vacant or under-used parcels within existing urban areas that are already largely developed.  Most communities have significant vacant land within city limits, which, for various reasons, has been passed over in the normal course of urbanization. A successful infill development program focuses on the completion of the existing community fabric.  It should focus on filling gaps in the neighborhood. Following are 5 reasons why this form of development is needed now.

1. Infill development contributes to a more compact form of development which is less consumptive of land and resources

Many developers are bypassing vacant urban area land for less expensive land beyond our cities edges.  Our current patterns of sprawling, low-density development at the urban fringe are consuming land (including farmlands, wetlands, and other resource lands)  at a much faster rate than population growth.

2. Infill development offers increased mobility for those who can’t or prefer not to drive. It is also an important part of the equation for minimizing traffic congestion.

In-city living offers other transportation choices in addition to the automobile.  Filling in the gaps creates higher average densities, which in turn support more frequent transit service.  Residents who live near where they work, shop, or pursue other activities often can choose to walk, and carpools may be easier to arrange.  Such choice is particularly important for those who can’t drive including elderly, youth, or low income residents who lack a car.  Communities are learning that they cannot build their way out of traffic congestion.  New highways or lane additions typically fill up as fast as they are built as a result of the extended commutes and more frequent vehicle trips required by spread-out development.

3. Fully utilizing existing facilities and services before considering costly service extensions to outlying areas offers savings for local government budgets.

Building expensive new facilities while existing facilities have existing capacity is wasteful duplication in an era of belt tightening. Many local jurisdictions traditionally have averaged the costs of services across all users rather than charging the full cost of serving more distant development.  This has made outlying development relatively less expensive for the developer, while straining local government budgets. In addition, we are racing to construct expensive, new schools in outlying areas at the same time that we agonize over closing and finding new uses for inner city schools.  Growth at the cities’ edges has come at the expense of central cities.  Older buildings in core areas have been abandoned, existing utilities are underutilized and, in general,  new investment has been redirected to the outlying areas.  Infill development also bolsters local government budgets by putting under- utilized vacant land back on the tax roles.

4. Renewed infill and investment in our central cities is crucial to the overall economic health of the surrounding region

Infill development brings increased numbers of residents to support in-city city commercial centers.  A more efficient business climate can result from employment centers located in close proximity  rather than in scattered sites.  The health of central city downtowns is intertwined with that of the region as a whole.  For a region to be well-positioned to compete in a global economy, it must have at its vortex a thriving central city which can provide the vitality and draw to fuel the region’s economy.

5. Infill development can bring new opportunity and improved qualify of life for in-city residents

The migration of higher-income residents, together with the best jobs, educational opportunities and services from many central cities, has left low-income residents isolated.  It can be very difficult for them to learn about and travel to distant jobs, especially if dependent on transit that requires multiple bus transfers, or carpooling to scattered job sites.  Reduced population and average income in cities also produces fewer tax dollars to support public services, and local businesses.  Fewer opportunities and positive role models, can contribute to loss of hope, increased anti-social behavior and crime.  These trends further fuel middle-class migration from cities.  In contrast, in-city neighborhoods offer living opportunities in neighborhoods with distinctive character and more opportunity for social interaction than sprawl development typically provides.  Infill development can return jobs, purchasing power and new amenities to an urban neighborhood.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvT3Ul50mW4

East Point Plaza, Suffolk, VA (Streetview Rendering)

Rebuilding the fabric of inner cities has been a passion of mine since understanding the power of design and infill development-more specifically small-scale infill development. Small-scale infill can be classified as projects comprising less than 100 housing units and fewer that 10,000 square feet of commercial space. There a several definitions for this type development but it is my personal favorite. In the recent issue of Urban Land Magazine (City Futures, March/April 2010), Sam Newberg wrote an excellent piece entitled “Little Infill”. In his piece, he notes that 20 million attached housing units will be needed by 2025 and that some 3 million acres of greyfield sites will become available for redevelopment.

“They [small infill developments] are favorites of the planning and development industry for their compact urban scale, innovative design, and positive impact as catalysts for their neighbors.” Sam Newberg, Joe Urban, Inc.

I’ve long championed infill development, especially in smaller, less developed cities. Migration patterns have already begun shifting back to urban centers and smaller cities are positioned to take advantage of these trends. Small mixed-use infill projects do not fit most institutional investor business models. To date, I haven’t seen any REITs (Real Estate Investment Trusts) that focus on this segment of the market. Project cost can vary widely dependent upon product and construction type. Location also is a large factor. Cities where infill development is more prominent, financing may be less of a challenge to secure versus others where suburban (greenfield) projects are given priority. Greenfield projects are understood, safe and, in the bank’s view, offer less risk.

In an interview with Tom Powell, advertising executive and developer, he provided insight into how he found success in his development East Point Plaza. The project houses his ad agency’s offices, has 32 apartment units, street level retail and has a programmable plaza. Powell needed more space for his ad agency and his search lead to this development. “It was a once in a lifetime opportunity”, says Powell. East Point is the first private investment into the Fairground community in several decades. The project cost $4.1 million to restore. It’s Downtown Suffolk, VA location is literally ‘on the other side of tracks’ and pushes redevelopment into an underserved community. Powell noted the tax credit application process took longer than actual construction which began March 2009. Occupancy permits were issued in January 2010. Commonwealth Architects served as lead designer and produced a very innovative and efficient design both the community and city embraced.

Loft unit at East Point Plaza

East Point Plaza and other projects like it will become more popular as the migration back to cities continue. There may be a learning curve in many communities where density is often looked upon negatively. However, if cities begin to educate and show their support of infill development, developers are likely to fall in line. In my experience developers often take the most profitable route toward a project and if there are incentives in place to make small-scale infill more attractive, we’ll be seeing more of it in our cities. Are there are any communities in your city that have been impacted positively by an infill project?

From NY Times | Making History In a Brooklyn Neighborhood

When Habitat for Humanity New York City consulted an architecture firm on its new site in the Ocean Hill section of Brownsville, Brooklyn, it received a response that switched on a light bulb. The firm, Dattner Architects, said that Habitat could proceed with its plan to build 12 town houses on the trash-strewn vacant lot, but that the site was actually capable of supporting many more units in apartment form — 41, to be exact.

The result, nearly three years and one entirely new development model later, is the largest creation in Habitat’s history, an $11.6 million three-building complex on Atlantic Avenue, complete with LEED Gold certification. About 10,000 requests were received for the 41 slots; the applicants eventually selected were required to make down payments of 1 percent on the building’s condominiums, which ranged in price from $75,000 to $200,000. They were also required to invest 300 hours of work, which Habitat, a nonprofit organization, calls “sweat equity,” in the development.

“In the past, they were building single-family dwellings, not a 41-unit complex as they did here on Atlantic Avenue,” said Rosalyn Jolly, a hospital clerical associate who recently moved from a cramped one-bedroom in Bushwick into a two-bedroom in the complex with her 15-year-old daughter. “It’s a wonderful thing.”

Now, perhaps with the notion that it is onto something, Habitat has begun altering its model in New York City. The volunteers so often photographed putting up the walls of a standalone house, sometimes with a smiling Jimmy Carter in tow, are now helping erect larger buildings (alongside future residents). And the city’s branch of Habitat just learned last week that it will receive about $10.5 million in funding from the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, part of a $2 billion outlay to help nonprofits and governments expand their services for affordable housing.

In the South Bronx, a 50-unit co-op building on Fox Street is mostly finished, and in February, Habitat will begin taking applications for a development a few blocks away. The 63-unit building on Prospect Avenue at Macy Place, for which final city approval was recently granted, is rising above the neighborhood, visible from the elevated train platform of the 2 and 5 subway lines down the street. Volunteers are to start work there in March.

“New York is a very dense city,” said Ingrid Gould Ellen, a professor of public policy and urban planning at New York University’s Wagner Graduate School of Public Service. “So I think that building to the density levels that fit into the neighborhood landscape makes a lot of sense.” The affordable-homeownership market, she said wryly, “is not a market that is glutted right now.”

Yet Habitat is taking on this new role of low-income condominium developer at a difficult time for such housing in New York. In fiscal year 2009, a 16-unit Habitat development in Bedford-Stuyvesant was the only below-market-rate homeownership deal to close with the city’s Department of Housing Preservation and Development. (In 2008, the total number was 24; in 2007, 27.) While Habitat works in ownership situations, the rental market is also struggling; the number of affordable units available per 100 extremely low-income households in New York State fell to 36 from 38 in 2008, according to theNational Low Income Housing Coalition.

This situation exists despite Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg’s $7.5 billion affordable-housing initiative, created in 2003, which seeks to “create or preserve” 165,000 units. With 97,000 units financed thus far, according to the housing agency, the plan is on track to meet its goals by 2014, but demand remains high; the city’s vacancy rate is 2.9 percent.

In this environment, Habitat has tripled its number of units under construction in the past six months — thanks in part, it says, to its sweat-equity ownership model.

“Ideally, in our quest to serve as many families in need as possible, what we want to do is to be as nimble and as entrepreneurial as possible,” said Josh Lockwood, Habitat’s executive director in New York City.

Applicants, 90 percent of whom are typically rejected quickly, must submit to a home visit and interviews as well as maintain a 620 credit score. Under a loan agreement between Habitat and the State of New York Mortgage Agency, buyers putting in 300 hours of work on their buildings receive a 2 percent interest rate, which Habitat buys down to zero percent. In addition to the 1 percent they put down, buyers make monthly payments equal to a third of their incomes.

“We don’t give anything away,” Mr. Lockwood said. “These families have to build their own homes.”

The cost of building for Habitat is reduced further by fund-raising and the large pool of volunteers. Of course, given market conditions and land availability in the city, not every new endeavor can be as ambitious as the Ocean Hill complex.

In the Bronx, Habitat’s two new buildings are partnerships with the Blue Sea Development Company, which has worked with the city on affordable housing in the past. That means about three-quarters of the units will not be sold under the Habitat sweat-equity terms described above — although they will still be sold below market rate, and are therefore considered affordable housing. Indeed, the word “Habitat” isn’t in evidence on the banners on those buildings (the words “Affordable Housing” are); Habitat says it is marketing its share of the units through its normal means.

“The hope is that we can use both models,” Mr. Lockwood said.

Either way, new residents are happy. Taking a group of visitors through her family’s earth-toned two-bedroom at Atlantic Avenue, Mirian Rodriguez spoke with pride, and some surprise, about the construction skills she had learned over the last year.

“I knew what Sheetrock was, but I didn’t know how to put it in,” she said. “You had to be on your knees.” She works part time at Jamaica Hospital; her husband, Miguel Baez, works as a porter in Manhattan.

Their place is filled with new appliances, a gift from her parents (“It was on sale,” she says), along with a big-boy bed for her son, Adrian, and all the Hot Wheels paraphernalia that can fit in one child’s room. It’s a far cry from the tiny one-bedroom they rented in Cypress Hills, Brooklyn, with crime and commotion in the hallways. The new place is quiet and comfortable, and it smells good.

“We’re very thankful,” she said. “It’s ours.”

Full | Making History in a Brooklyn Neighborhood

US Army Forces Command & US Army Reserve Forces Command HQ - Under Construction

At first glance, you would think Fayetteville, NC was the mecca of affordable living. The city was voted one of America’s most military-friendly cities and has received quite a bit of national press over the past several months; primarily, for having one of the best performing real estate markets in the country. While  most markets are experiencing double-digit declines, Fayetteville’s growth has been consistent and the city has experienced double-digit appreciation year-over-year.

Rank: 5

Metro: Fayetteville (N.C.)
Share of homes with increasing values: 53.23%
Median value: $119,800
Annual change: 13.12%
Quarterly change: 2.22%

Source: BusinessWeek “The 30 Strongest Housing Markets In the US, August, 2009

If you’ve ever driven Interstate 95 through North Carolina, chances are you’ve driven through or refueled in Fayetteville. Fayetteville, NC has been the news a lot recently; not because it’s Julianne Moore’s hometown (and mine) but because of what’s going on there. The city is in the middle of a rather significant transformation and the country has been watching. Fayetteville is a part of the Sandhills Region and is located within Cumberland County, NC, which is home to Fort Bragg. Fort Bragg is on track to be one of the largest Army installations in the world. As a result of a 2005 BRAC commission recommendation, Fort MacPherson (GA) is scheduled to close. The US Army Forces Command and US Army Reserve Forces Command will be moved to Fort Bragg by March, 2011 and some 40,000 new residents will be added to the area. That’s huge for a city with a population just over 115,000. There is a gold rush underway all to accommodate the incoming troops and their dependents. How will the city manage this growth?

FORSCOM has a $30 billion annual obligation authority for defense and other contracts and provides unmatched opportunities for enterprising businesses who want to compete for these dollars. As a result, many defense-related companies have made the move or are in the planning stage to relocate to the Fort Bragg region. ~ BRAC Regional Task Force

The Disconnect

The Wall Street Journal reported on a Zillow finding that Fayetteville was experiencing double-digit appreciation. Is it good? Maybe for the developers. See, the city of Fayetteville has been largely reactive instead proactive as it relates to this new growth. Infrastructure improvements once delayed have become priority, and a zoning ordinance that hadn’t been revised since 1974 is being revamped. There is evidence of this lack of vision all throughout my hometown. Sidewalks are almost nonexistent in the most populated areas and the public transportation is like many smaller cities, inefficient. It’s safe to assume that the variables used in measuring the increases were partial.

Not only is Fayetteville the sixth largest city in North Carolina, it is also the flattest. Development continues to go out instead of up. I have spent several months researching infill opportunities there and sought to compare and contrast other projects that had been completed. I found one. A sole project downtown that everyone points to when asked about infill development in the city. It’s a well-designed building at the corner of Hay Street and Ray Avenue. Hay Street is the Main Street for the city and an attempt is underway to revitalize the entire downtown area. I understand the project sold out before construction was complete. It wasn’t large enough to create critical mass, but it was large enough to serve as a prototype for what can be accomplished in the city.

I’m not certain I follow the logic in repeating the history and development model that’s proven to be unsustainable but, as far as the city is concerned, there is no other model to follow. Largely, the prevailing housing options in Fayetteville and surrounding communities are single-family detached homes on cul-de-sacs. This model works here because land prices are still relatively cheap and construction prices have remained level compared to other parts of the country. Developers haven’t been challenged to do anything differently or engage in more sustainable development.

The Challenge

My search for sites was and continues to be pretty challenging. I have looked at three. One was in immediate vicinity to Fayetteville State University, and the other two are near Cape Fear Valley Hospital. I thought that if any area had potential for redevelopment, it was these two; the sites were located near the city’s largest employers. Well I was wrong. Growth doesn’t occur within the city limits but on the outskirts, where there is plenty of land. I was rather disappointed in my hometown because I’d assumed they’d reached a phase where they were ready to shed the image of Fayettenam and embark on a new direction; one that would retain some of the knowledge capital being produced locally and shipped out.

I met with the leadership of BRAC Regional Task Force (BRAC RTF) and if any organization locally “gets it,” they do. A quick Google search or glance through the phone book will reveal find few (if any) planners in this city that are not employed by the city (try it). I found one. BRAC RTF brought a much-needed element to the planning process. Engineers do all of the site planning and programming there, and it’s evident in the no-creativity-at-all sprawl throughout the city. It’s actually rather depressing. I left Fayetteville in 1997 and returned for a short while in 2008/9. Other than a few retailers and more vinyl-sided homes, much hasn’t changed in the All American City…the race is on to get it right.

The Opportunity

Ground has broken on Military Business Park, a planned one and half million square feet project located along the All American Defense Corridor. Some predict this  Southeastern North Carolina corridor could be the equivalent of Research Triangle Park, located about an hour and a half away. Smaller cities around the country have an incredible opportunity to position themselves as economic development generators once the real estate markets recover. Local leadership will have to make in-town development a priority and provide incentives for developers to do so.

If Fayetteville really leverages this national exposure, they can serve as a model for what other cities of its size can accomplish with vision and proper execution. The hunt is still on for the right opportunity in my hometown, and we’ll see how things progress over the next few months. Do you know of good examples of small towns that have made efforts to create car-free cities?

Southview Preliminary

by Yahya E. B. Henry

What makes the perfect site? In real estate, the old adage of “Location, Location, Location,” is still true but the locations are changing. You were considered golden if you secured a large undeveloped tract of land with proper zoning that could be developed relatively easily. The story is changing a bit.

Southview is a community I co-developed in 2007.  I located the 62-acre site and, with the team, entitled the property for 143 lots with 3 dedicated out parcels for future commercial use. The entire property was zoned for a low-density residential use that would, after improvements, allow for 2-3 lots per acre. My partners in the project recently made an attempt to rezone the out parcels from their current residential designation to a commercial use. We did not anticipate any resistance from the city as the Comprehensive Plan (Comp Plan) designated this area as a gateway and our property for commercial use. The opposite was true – the city council was resistant to our proposal for rezoning so we resubmitted under a by-right scenario for another 22 residential lots. Southview is now a solely residential subdivision with 165 lots.

Southview is located in Franklin, VA and is part of the Hampton Roads region of Southeastern Virginia. We were convinced, at the time, there was a market for moderately-priced new homes in this market. Primary work centers were 30-45 minutes away and you really could not navigate anywhere without a car; public transportation was not an option. The neighboring city of Suffolk had several high profile projects under construction and the average home was being delivered in the $300-400,000s. Our product would be half that. Did they come? Did anybody come? No.

Ten years ago this project would have been considered the goose’s golden egg: zoning in place, utilities on site, and a seller who wanted to sell. It seemed as if the stars were aligned, but actually a storm was brewing. My former employer’s business model identified land that could be developed, solve the problems (entitlements) and secure development plan approval. Once the approvals were in place, we’d then sell the property to a regional or national builder. 2008 rolls around and the bottom falls out.

We initially began marketing the property in the three million dollar range. It was not a huge a project but potentially a profitable one if all went well; but things did not all go well. Our primary builder had entitled 209 lots immediately across the street and had another 360-home community under construction in the northern part of the city. Main customer – out. The next client we introduced the property to pulled back. This cycle looped continuously for the next 2 years. I spoke about that outcome here in an earlier post. As of today, we are still marketing this property – for a million less – at two million dollars. You can bet this negatively impacts my level of  interest as well.

Site Location

Southview’s Location, Location, Location did not equate to the ‘opportunity’ we thought it once presented. I’m not saying this model doesn’t work - it’s economically beneficial  for developers of conventional subdivisions. It’s been proven that homebuyers are willing to pay more for a walkable environment close to services, their employer, and venues of entertainment. Southview did not allow that. It was simply more of the same and we’re paying for it. What do you think, is this part of the reason suburbia isn’t sustainable?

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by Yahya E. B. Henry

Ready

My passion for sustainability has been a gradual expansion of many ideas that I initially accepted then questioned. Albert Einstein said that questions were the beginning of genius. The more I learned about our energy dependence, peak oil, climate change, gentrification, urban development and land use, the more I explored how each were interrelated. My journey lead me to resign from a very promising career in land brokerage and development where aside from making a great living; I begin to notice I was, in fact, a part of a problem. After coming to understand that low-density suburban development was unsustainable, I knew a shift was forthcoming. I was a part of an organization that developed conventional subdivision; yes, those monsters that inevitably aid in sprawl, cause traffic congestion, deforestation and consume massive amounts of land. Evidence suggests that the building sector accounted for nearly 30% of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions and I knew there had to be a better model to follow. My attempts to interest my then partners in infill development largely fell on deaf ears. A part of my goal was to hopefully influence a decision that would allow for more infill development – development near existing infrastructure, work centers, services, and public transportation. The entrepreneurial bug bit me and I left. This is where things really got interesting

Not too long after my resignation the market took a nose dive. For a new development services company the landscape was not pretty. In what seemed to be the blink of an eye, certainties like liquidating building lot inventory and anticipated revenue dried up. People I knew personally were experiencing unbelievable financial hardships. Without heed or warning, times became challenging very fast. Birthed out of those challenges was a determination to rebuild better, stronger, more wisely and of greatest importance, sustainably. I decided not to sell out to a business model that had been dying for a half century. I opted for the road less traveled and the status quo was forever interrupted.

Fire

Out the gate my very first development proposal was to redevelop eight city blocks in Norfolk, VA. Truthfully, I really didn’t know what I was doing. All I knew, for certain, was that I had to come up with a development plan that would profoundly impact the lives of many. What I didn’t learn until much later was that the life that would forever be changed was my own. Along the way, I learned a lot about failure and the need to persevere. Once my 600,000 square foot proposal died, I, again, had to reassess. It was a gradual process of refinement.

The team I had assembled decided to pursue one of the most well located sites in the area, a one and half acre parcel. We prepared site plans for a five-story, 120,000 square foot hybrid building that combined office, retail and residential uses into one building; a development that had never been done in the region. It didn’t take long for experience to teach me that people don’t respond well to change; anything new had to be tested and proven. My philosophy at the time was, “Create the market where there is none.” When you’re a bootstrap entrepreneur looking to build a 30 million dollar building, you have better had plenty of testing behind you – I had none.

With limited resources I flew to Miami to meet with a prominent developer who I felt would be an ideal partner. The pro forma we created showed the building to be cash flow positive with great returns on investment. I was confident and prepared. Another lesson learned: confidence and preparation have nothing to do with opportunity. The developer I met with has a national pipeline with projects in some of our largest cities. In short, he is a giant in real estate development. I learned that his “proprietary” projects are 100 million dollars and greater. Well, I was about 70 million bucks shy. Knowing that my greatest proposal was not worth his time/energy left me feeling inadequate and unprepared; where did I go wrong? I had been assured by trusted friends that HE was the guy. HE was going to catapult me and Ariba to the next level. As of yet, it hasn’t happened.

Aiming

You see, after losing a considerable amount of money and expending an incredible amount of time and energy in what I thought was going to be the next big idea that wasn’t; I lost confidence in myself. In short, I gave up. However, after about a year of being out of the spotlight; I had time to cry, heal, and then regroup. This new direction for me and Aribra represents the rebirth and I want you to be a part of it. I decided to invite you in and close out failure as an option. There ARE no excuses now. I read a lot and discovered that there are numerous stories about men and women who made a small fortune, lost it all (marriages, finances, businesses, etc.), and found themselves rebuilding. Well friends, this is my second time around. I NEVER thought this would be my story, but it is and I am going to embrace it fully and completely. I am finally at a point where I can share openly; without shame, the highs and lows that I will face on this journey. I welcome you to walk with me and perhaps we can build something together.