Norristown Residents Ask Commissioners How To Revitalize The Area

Map of Pennsylvania highlighting Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

NORRISTOWN, PA — Conversation at the commissioners “conversations” meeting at Norristown Municipal Hall largely focused on bringing Norristown back to its glory days.

Peggy Dellisant, a Norristown resident who used to own Main Changes Clothing, said the town needs foot traffic on Main Street to make a comeback.

“I just retired. I watched Main Street die a slow death,” she said.

Dellisant said that the abandoned prison on Airy Street is beautifully made, and turning it into something modern would help to bring the foot traffic into Norristown that the businesses need.

“The prison on Main and Airy is coming apart,” she said. “It really would be a shame to see that building just deteriorate. This town really needs a lot of help.”

Read more: http://www.timesherald.com/general-news/20140227/norristown-residents-ask-commissioners-how-to-revitalize-the-area

Hundreds Sign Online Petition Against Norristown Apartment Plan

Location of Norristown in Montgomery County (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  We totally agree!  Enough already with the “subsidized housing” in First Suburbs communities!

NORRISTOWN ­­— A change.org online petition against the proposed, 96-unit, mixed-income apartment building slated to go into a Montgomery County parking lot in Norristown has attracted more than 227 petition signatures. The developer, Pennrose Properties of Philadelphia, is waiting for a Tuesday evening decision by the Norristown Zoning Hearing Board on whether to grant requested variances for the project following a two-hour zoning hearing last month.

Under a headline, “Montgomery County Commissioners and Norristown Municipal Council: Stop the Subsidized Housing Project in Downtown Norristown,” the petition alleges that “Norristown has over 53 percent of all of Montgomery County’s subsidized housing units and it doesn’t need any more.”

“The project directly contradicts the 2009 Norristown Comprehensive Plan in three key ways.  It adds additional subsidized rental units.  It subtracts 204 critically-needed parking spaces from the Downtown Business District.  It is not a true Mixed-Use project, but instead, is a self-contained residential community,” the petition said.  “It is our belief that, if built, the project will have a negative impact on the entire Municipality.  It will cause the surrounding neighborhoods to suffer and hurt the Arts Hill and Downtown Business District.  As Norristown is the County Seat, the impact will be felt by the entire County.”

The petition concluded, “the third largest County in the Commonwealth and one of the wealthiest in the United States, can do better.”

Read more:  http://www.timesherald.com/article/20130325/NEWS01/130329666/hundreds-sign-online-petition-against-norristown-apartment-plan#full_story

Norristown Borough Adopts $25.5 Million Dollar Budget With 12.74% Tax Increase

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Norristown Borough Council unanimously adopted their 2011 budget tonight that features a tax increase of 12.74%.   No layoff’s were announced.

Interestingly enough, Norristown’s budget is approximately $14 million dollars less than Pottstown’s budget.  Wonder why it costs so much less to run a larger borough??????