Neuweiler Brewery In Allentown To Get New Life

English: City of Allentown from east side (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Editor’s note:  Allentown is on FIRE with development!

New York City-based Ruckus Brewing would like to put the beer back in the old Neuweiler Brewery in Allentown.

The company announced Wednesday that it had won the right to try to convert the run-down property into a multipurpose development it would call Brewer’s Hill.

The centerpiece of the roughly $25 million project would be a brewery that would produce Ruckus’ line of microbrews and other craft beers on a contract basis, said Josh Wood, a Lehigh University graduate and co-owner of Ruckus.

“It is a big property,” Wood said. “The overall gist of it is about 50 percent — maybe a little less — we plan to use for brewing purposes or something related to that.”

Read more:  http://www.mcall.com/news/breaking/mc-allentown-neuweiler-butz-brewery-20130102,0,6194957.story

Johnstown Fights Blight

Image via Wikipedia

The City of Johnstown, Cambria County, is a post-industrial community just like Pottstown.  Steel was king along with heavy manufacturing.  Those days are gone and communities have fallen on hard times. 

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade.  Johnstown is doing just that.  In an effort to clean up their community and attract middle-income residents, Johnstown has started a program to buy blighted properties, demo them and redevelop the property with a prefabricated home.  These are 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom homes that are Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design certified.  Meaning these homes are energy-efficient.

This program is a joint effort between the Cambria County Redevelopment Authority and the City of Johnstown.  Funding was obtained through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (federal).

They intend to transform the entire South Street neighborhood PLUS they are targeting business development and a business development strategy to bring in new business!

This initial project is only a small dent in Johnstown’s blighted housing stock; however, it’s one house at a time, one block at a time.  And that is just what Johnstown officials intend to do.

York’s Olde Towne East Neighborhood Transformed

Olde Towne East was a down and out neighborhood in York.  Blight, crime, vacant buildings and low property values.  Read this article about how Olde Towne East rose like a phoenix from the ashes and now their neighborhood is a source of pride in York!

http://www.newpa.com/strengthen-your-community/success-stories/million-dollar-makeover/index.aspx

Check Out This Nice Write Up About Lancaster

http://americanquiltermagazine.blogspot.com/2010/03/fantastic-debut-of-aqs-lancaster-quilt.html

This is a great example of how a community takes advantage of its heritage and surroundings.  Pottstown’s leadership needs to look at these success stories and brainstorm about how we can move ourselves forward.