John C. Downen

Director of Impact Analysis

Phone: 518-899-2608, Ext. 115
Email: jdownen@camoinassociates.com
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John Downen

John conducts economic and fiscal impact analysis, District Improvement Financing (DIF) buildout and revenue analysis, benefit cost analysis, geographic competitiveness analysis, strategic planning analysis, spatial analysis, and workforce analysis for private- and public-sector clients. John also directs Camoin’s Impact Analysis team, ensuring accurate accounting of projects’ economic and fiscal impacts.

Prior to joining Camoin Associates, John spent 15 years at a university-based public policy institute, providing relevant research to inform public- and private-sector decisions. He conducted economic and fiscal impact analyses of major tax increment financing (TIF) incentive offers, evaluated the performance of strategic industry clusters, developed a list of recommended Opportunity Zones, and created an Economic Opportunity Assessment Tool to rank municipalities’ suitability and need for investment. He has also conducted industry studies, contributed to an analysis of the economic and fiscal implications of transferring over 30 million acres of federal land to state ownership, and performed extensive spatial analysis in support of HUD Fair Housing Equity Assessments.

John holds a master’s degree in economics from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree in English literature and physics from Georgetown University.

Real Results

Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Proposed NYC Casino | Karp Strategies/Silverstein Partners | John modeled the economic impacts of constructing and operating a $4.2 billion luxury casino hotel in Manhattan’s Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood. Operations included four 10-year revenue forecasts and associated visitor spending. John also estimated the state and local fiscal impacts of casino operations, including gaming, income, lodging, sales, and property taxes generated under each scenario.

Geographic Competitiveness Analysis | ElectriCities of North Carolina | John conducted a geographic competitiveness analysis of six North Carolina regions. This involved evaluating the regions on industry-specific site selection criteria compared with other metros across the US to assess relative competitiveness for industry attraction and expansion. John selected 15 factors considered essential or important to companies in the site-selection process, standardized the individual values, and developed a single score. This allowed ranking and comparison of 380 metropolitan areas and the six study regions.

DIF Master Plan | City of Fitchburg, MA | John conducted the buildout and revenue modeling for a proposed downtown development district. This involved estimating the assessed value of known projects and projecting the midterm and long-term new growth development potential of other district parcels and the associated DIF revenues they could generate.

Prioritized Site Selection for Affordable Housing Development | Broome County, NY | John used GIS and spatial analysis to identify parcels in Broome County that could be suitable for affordable housing development. He considered floodplains, proximity to existing sewer and water lines, parcel size, current land uses, proximity to transit lines and public schools, and the assessed value of existing structures to narrow down a list of potential candidate parcels. Working with the client, he ranked the candidates based on selected features.

Benefit Cost Analysis | City of New London, CT & Mohawk Northeast | John conducted the benefit cost analysis for a PIDP grant request from the US Department of Transportation. The port facility expansion will include a new bulkhead and rail spur, facilitating a mode shift away from trucks to barge and rail. John followed USDOT guidance to value, project, and compare project benefits and costs over the 20-year analysis period. The project won a $7 million grant.