On Ridge Avenue Progress Would Go By The Initials PHA

Editor’s note:  This could be a game changer if it can be pulled off.  Hoping it is a success.

From Bruce Webb’s chair, pulled to the entryway of his record and cassette store on Ridge Avenue, the decay is inescapable. Across the street, a faded sign for Irv’s Meat Market & Delicatessen boasts, “Home of the Giant Hoagie.” Next door, Ahn’s Fresh Fish & Produce is for sale.

Both stores are vacant, and have been for years.

One recent day, Webb saw two younger men photographing the crumbled Irv’s storefront. Speculators, Webb dubbed them.

“It’s just a matter of time,” Webb, 81, said. “Change is coming.”

The source of that proposed change to a once-vibrant business corridor that stretched from Girard College to Cecil B. Moore Avenue is an unlikely one: the Philadelphia Housing Authority.

Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20150603_On_Ridge_Avenue_progress_would_go_by_the_initials_PHA.html#GVbsus8XvyomgfYd.99

Pittsburgh URA Set To Approve Housing Developments In Larimer, East Liberty

A new day is dawning in Larimer, with the city getting ready to plant the first seeds in a massive effort to revitalize the neighborhood with the help of a $30 million federal grant.

Pittsburgh Urban Redevelopment Authority board members are poised to give the go-ahead Thursday for construction of 85 mixed-income residential units in Larimer and East Liberty, the first phase of a broader $400 million revitalization strategy.

The townhouses and apartments will be built at the site of the former Liberty Park site and Omega Place in East Liberty and the former Auburn Towers site in Larimer.

They were made possible in part because of a $30 million Choice Neighborhoods Initiative grant awarded last year by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Pittsburgh was only one of four cities in the country to win a grant. Forty-three had applied.

Read more:

http://www.post-gazette.com/business/development/2015/04/08/URA-set-to-approve-Larimer-housing-project/stories/201504080115

York’s Northeast Neighborhood Residents Wonder What Impact Think Loud Will Have On Their Community

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

On a wooden table in Gregg Hardy’s kitchen are a handful of cherry tomatoes.

They come from the garden behind his East Walnut Street home that his wife tends, caring for fish in a small pond and cultivating an orange tree, where a single unripe fruit hung one day in August.

While she will spend a day coaxing flowers to grow, Hardy focuses his own labor on the interior — putting in bathrooms, widening door frames and shaping cabinets.

He bought his home for $15,000 in 2003, property records show. He said he put $20 down on it, and spent several years driving down from New York on weekends to fix it up. He is now entrenched in a neighborhood he believes has remade itself into an area families can call home.

Read more: http://www.ydr.com/local/ci_26386670/yorks-northeast-neighborhood-residents-wonder-what-impact-think

Brian O’Neill: Blight-Ridding Bill In Pittsburgh Shows Plenty Of Potential

A map of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with its neighborhoods labeled. For use primarily in the list of Pittsburgh neighborhoods. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Drive down Hamilton Avenue or its side streets in Homewood and you’ll see a whole lot of not there anymore.

City Council is trying to hash out a plan to “land bank” the acres of vacant and boarded-up properties the city controls so they can be cleared for sale. That would take in about half of Homewood and almost half the Hill District.

When I asked Councilman Ricky Burgess, who represents Homewood, if he could give me a quick tour of the problem sites, he said, “You don’t need me. I’m dead serious. Drive down Hamilton Avenue and drive around at your leisure. It’s so bad … it’s breathtaking.”

He was right. It came as advertised.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/opinion/brian-oneill/2014/01/26/Brian-O-Neill-Blight-ridding-bill-in-Pittsburgh-shows-plenty-of-potential/stories/201401260059#ixzz2reCwstxI

3 Pittsburgh Construction Projects Hang In The Balance in 2014

Mellon Arena in downtown Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This year could be a pivotal one in the development of the former Civic Arena site in the lower Hill District, the LTV Coke Works in Hazelwood and the Strip District produce terminal.

Both the arena redevelopment and the Buncher Co.’s plans for the produce terminal not only have the potential to generate drama but could pose the first development-related challenges for Mayor-elect Bill Peduto, who takes office Monday.

Nearly two years after the Civic Arena came down, 2014 could bring the first wave of new development to the site, which is considered among the most valuable pieces of real estate in the region.

But there’s a potential fight brewing.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/local/city/2014/01/03/3-city-construction-projects-hang-in-the-balance-in-2014/stories/201401030104#ixzz2pMlbpeNL

Penn Square Consultants Get An Earful

Editor’s note:  Taking care of the root problem needs happen…crime and blight need to be addressed before cosmetics can lure people downtown.  Cleaning up the downtown is necessary but business owners and shoppers need to feel safe above all else.  Without the root problem being addressed, it’s another case of putting lipstick on a pig.

The consultants designing Downtown 20/20 – what Penn Square should look like to attract more out-of-towners – say they’ve gotten an earful of criticism and suggestions at three recent public hearings, and have tweaked the plans to accommodate some comments.

But they also got an earful this week from City Council members, who said that although they liked the ideas, nothing will happen until the city begins resolving Penn Square’s larger issues.

“Nobody wants to go downtown with all the drunks sitting around,” Councilwoman Donna Reed said at a work session with the 20/20 steering committee and the consultants. “It’s just an uncomfortable, disgusting place to walk.”

She said the Downtown Improvement District said its biggest challenge is dealing with public drunkenness, and the city needs to start enforcing its loitering laws and getting rid of the reeking trash containers on North Fourth Street.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/Article.aspx?id=410399

Reading’s Penn Square Beautifiers Looking For A Few Rooters

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

The Penn Street Posse’s Plan A to pretty up the planters on Penn Square didn’t work out.

So Plan B commences Saturday, thanks to a lot of volunteers.

Among them is Diane Salks, owner of Riverview Tree & Landscaping on Pricetown Road in Alsace Township.

She and a crew – most of her 27 employees wanted to volunteer, but she ordered some to stay behind and work – will be planting 95 liriopes with a bluish hue and 45 knockout rose bushes in hot pink and red.

Read more: http://readingeagle.com/article.aspx?id=404689

Art Blossoms In MOSAIC Community Garden Summer Program

Pottstown, Pa – Campers at the Pottstown branch of the Olivet Boys and Girls Club are learning about fresh, organic vegetables while keeping their creativity humming in a unique summer program at the MOSAIC Community Garden at 423 Chestnut Street in Pottstown.

About twenty campers, aged 10-12 years old, are participating in the six-week program.  One morning each week they walk from the Ricketts Center to the garden, where they spend a couple of hours working on an art project and caring for their organization’s two plots as well as the communal plots around the perimeter of the garden.  So far the children have painted benches in whimsical colors, learned how to use binoculars from a birding expert, and painted birdhouses to take home.  They have also taken home collard greens and had the chance to sample blueberries and cherry tomatoes while watering the many plants being grown around the perimeter of the garden.

Funding for the program, which was designed by Pottstown resident Hannah Davis, is being provided by Susquehanna Bank through Genesis Housing Corporation.  Ms. Davis is teaching the art classes along with Natalie Cyphers.

“We’re grateful to Susquehanna and Judy Memberg of Genesis for making it possible for us to offer programming in our first year of operating the garden,” said David Jackson, president of MOSAIC.  “We want young people especially to experience the benefits of gardening and the arts.”

The remaining three workshops will focus on the life cycle of butterflies and making butterfly mobiles, creating mosaic tile stepping-stones for the garden, and making pizzas at the Ricketts Center with ingredients picked fresh from the garden.

The MOSAIC Community Garden is owned and operated by MOSAIC Community Land Trust, which is seeking additional community garden sites for 2013 in order to expand the supply of fresh vegetables and healthy lifestyle choices for Pottstown residents.  Support for acquisition and construction of the garden came from the Pottstown School District, Pottstown Area Health and Wellness Foundation, National Penn Bank, Genesis Housing Corporation, Susquehanna Bank, Lowes, Borough of Pottstown, Davey Tree Experts, and Andrew Monastra, Esq.

MOSAIC Community Land Trust (CLT) has an office and art gallery at 10 S. Hanover Street in downtown Pottstown.  They welcome donations in support of their mission to increase homeownership, develop community gardens, and support the arts in Pottstown.  Membership in the CLT is open to all; details can be found at their website at www.mosaiccommunitylandtrust.org or by calling David Jackson at 484-949-4235.

Braddock Looks To New Kevin Sousa Restaurant As Urban Renewal Project

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

Editor’s note:  Now this is walking the talk! Good luck Chef Sousa!

Even more people are going to think chef Kevin Sousa is nuts: He’s not only opening his next restaurant in busted-down Braddock, he’s also moving his family there.

At a press conference today at County Executive Rich Fitzgerald’s office, the multi-tasking co-owner of Salt of the Earth in Garfield — and Station Street Hot Dogs and Union Pig and Chicken in East Liberty — announced that he’s opening a restaurant in the former Cuda’s Italian Market building at Eighth Street and Braddock Avenue, a desolate corner in one of the region’s most desolate business districts.

As a sign of his commitment to this broke but the once-bustling borough on the Monongahela River, Mr. Sousa decided he’s going to live there, too, in the old Ohringer Building just down the street.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/stories/local/neighborhoods-south/braddock-looks-to-new-kevin-sousa-restaurant-as-urban-renewal-project-641021/#ixzz1yHTCD9Sl

Enterprising Homeowners Changing The Landscape Of Ailing Neighborhoods Through ‘Blotting

When Buck Harris and his partner, Mike, bought a 145-year-old Italianate house to restore adjacent to Cleveland’s Ohio City neighborhood two decades ago, the neighborhood ambience included drug shootings and corner prostitutes.

“It was a war zone,” Harris says. “The neighborhood was in dramatic decline at the time. It was known as where you go to get heroin.”

Now, as Harris and other intrepid homeowners have gobbled up the vacant and foreclosed lots surrounding their houses over the years and worked to wipe out drug-related crime, the area has been transformed. Many of the nearly block-long lots, or “blots,” they have created look as if they were lifted from a verdant suburb, with mature trees and a wide expanse of lawn.

Harris’ neighborhood is just one example of how enterprising homeowners are changing the landscape in many depopulated cities, bringing the look of spacious suburbs to abandoned urban neighborhoods.

Read more: http://realestate.msn.com/inner-city-suburbs

Philadelphia’s Market East Set For Extreme Makeover

Image via Wikipedia

Market East, the shopping district stretching from City Hall to Independence Mall, is best known for its hodgepodge of discount clothing emporiums, “we buy gold” shops and vacant buildings, all set to the soundtrack of the music blaring from storefront speakers. Over the years, there have been many attempts to gentrify this neighborhood — and so far, all have failed. But now, a makeover seems imminent.

After years of false starts, change is now coming fast. Last month, The Inquirer and Daily News announced they will relocate to the vacant Strawbridge & Clothier department store at Eighth and Market (with $2.9 million in city financing). This summer, Nutter signed a bill (introduced by outgoing City Councilman and billboard enthusiast Frank DiCicco) to create an outdoor advertising district in Market East to replace the grit with Times Square-style glitter. Philadelphia Real Estate Investment Trust is planning to renovate and upgrade the Gallery Mall, and a 2009 city plan — now finally coming to fruition — calls for the redevelopment of the south side of the street’s 1100 block. The rumor is it will be anchored by a Target.

Read more: http://www.citypaper.net/news/2011-12-08-market-east-development-project-philadelphia.html

Roy’s Rants Launches New Blog

As of this morning, we have created and launched a new economic development and revitalization blog called Progress Pennsylvania.  The blog will be solely focused on promoting economic development efforts from around the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Seventy-four of our revitalization posts from Roy’s Rants were copied and transferred to Progress Pennsylvania as well as remaining here on Roy’s Rants.  It seemed only proper that this body of work should have its own home going forward.

Thanks for your support and we look forward to continue delivering news and information with no-nonsense!

You can click on the link below or click on the link to the right of your screen under Economic Development!

http://progresspennsylvania.wordpress.com/

Scranton: Northeast Pennsylvania’s Economic Growth Engine (Part One)

I recently had the pleasure of being given a tour of downtown Scranton by Mayor Chris Doherty.  Here are some thoughts and observations from my experience.

Mayor Doherty is a very down-to-earth person.  I was impressed by his friendliness towards the residents of Scranton and his commitment to the city.  We were joined by developer Charlie Jefferson.  Charlie developed the Connell Building and is working on some other projects in Scranton.  I will be writing a separate article about Charlie and his projects.  These two gentlemen made my trip enjoyable and highly productive!

Mayor Doherty gave me some basic information, before we left the office, about what has gone on in Scranton during the ten years he has been mayor.  When Mayor Doherty took office there were 22 empty buildings in downtown Scranton.  Scranton had hit a low point.  He decided his focus as mayor would be finances, the parks system and the downtown.  Former Governor Ed Rendell gave Scranton $140 million during the eight years he was in office.  It has certainly been put to good use.

One thing which pleasantly surprised me is the walkability of the downtown, for a mid-sized city.  The nice grid pattern of the streets, good signage and cleanliness were huge pluses.  I felt completely safe.  Scranton has a low crime rate for a mid-sized city.  As we walked and talked it became readily apparent that Scranton has turned the corner.

There are plentiful and diverse restaurants in the downtown which include things like Thai, Lebanese and Vegan.  A high-end steak house is also under construction downtown.  It will be along the lines of Morton’s or Ruth Chris.  We walked through the construction area that is being framed-out.  The influx of new center city residents, the Commonwealth Medical College, the University of Scranton, two courthouses, a municipal building, Steamtown Mall and new companies setting up headquarters downtown have swelled the demand for goods and services.  There is substantial foot traffic downtown, a key ingredient to redevelopment.

Mayor Doherty has built three new parking garages and rehabilitated one to make sure adequate parking is available for downtown visitors, shoppers and workers.  Lack of parking had been an issue that kept people from coming downtown.

Several companies have relocated or grown their businesses downtown.  An old Woolworth’s store is now home to Morgan Stanley Smith Barney & Fax Serve, which combined employ 200 people.  A high-end salon opened downtown that has grown to 80 employees.

Downtown Scranton has a Hilton Hotel and a Radisson Hotel.  The Radisson is the former Lackawanna Railroad Station.  Talk about an adaptive reuse success story!  We went inside so the mayor could show me around.  It is fantastic!  Both hotels are large and well-kept.  I asked Mayor Doherty what the occupancy rate averaged and he said “85%”.  Scranton hosts many events, conferences and meetings which help keep the hotels full and visitors coming into Scranton.  The mayor made a good point by saying people visit Scranton, leave impressed and spread the word!

The University of Scranton is located downtown and home to 7,000 students.  The university is growing by leaps and bounds.  Currently there are two enormous construction projects taking place that total more than $100 million.  The university is also considering the establishment of a law school which would be another huge economic boost for Scranton.  The University of Scranton is a key partner, along with the city, in transforming the downtown.

Commonwealth Medical College is building a campus downtown.  This is Pennsylvania’s first medical school to be built in 50 years.  The school is now leasing space and is in their second year of operation.  In September, the student body will move into the school’s new permanent downtown site.  The medical school will be responsible for bringing 800 new jobs and 600 students into downtown Scranton.  Six hundred new apartments/condos will be needed in the next five years as a result.  (If the law school becomes a reality; housing demand will sharply increase above the current projection for 600 units, fueling further economic development downtown.)

During our tour, we walked past the building used as the fictional Dunder Mifflin Paper Company headquarters in NBC’s hit mockumentary, The Office.  Scranton was on the list of possible locations being considered.  When it was discovered the bar across the street from the building was named The Office, Greg Daniels decided it was perfect.  The Office has brought a great deal of free publicity to Scranton and has increased tourism.  There are monthly tours offered (March through December) and conventions, for fans of The Office, that bring many people to Scranton.

There is more to come in Part II on Thursday



One Of My Adaptive Reuse Posts Catches Eye Of Scranton Mayor

Image via Wikipedia

This is one of those moments that makes sitting here blogging away every day worth the effort.

I wrote a post for Code Blue’s The Pulse blog about an adaptive reuse project, here in Pottstown, that would transform the old armory building on King Street into luxury apartments.  This would be significant as there are several other projects lining up along the same lines.  If this project is successful, it could jump-start redevelopment in the central core neighborhood.

As an example of adaptive reuse in a central downtown neighborhood, I cited the Connell Building project in Scranton‘s central business district.  My post and reference to Scranton’s renaissance caught the eye of Scranton Mayor Chris Doherty.  As a result, I am traveling to Scranton on Tuesday to meet Mayor Doherty and get the mayoral tour of Central Scranton.  I am more than a little excited!

Here is a link to my post about the armory project:

http://codebluepulse.blogspot.com/2011/01/pennsylvania-state-armory-building.html

There will be a posting and lots of pictures from my trip!

***New Blog Category***

A new category labeled Revitalization has been added so that readers, specifically interested in municipal revitalization/economic development, can find all related posts under this subject in a single location.

I went back through all 930 posts to ensure they were all included.  As of this writing, there are 60 posts about revitalization and economic development in various Pennsylvania cities and towns under the Revitalization category.

York City Making Improvements To Market Downtown

Image via Wikipedia

One year ago, Roger Brooks visited York City and came up with 33 recommendations how downtown York could market itself and attract people.  This idea should sound familiar to Pottstown residents after a ULI study and recommendations were made for Pottstown.

What did York do with these 33 recommendations?  Do you suppose they ignored them or possibly took an expert at their word and went about trying to carry out these ideas?  I know, sounds pretty zany, doesn’t it!

Mr. Brooks gave York a 3 – 5 year time frame to make the changes.  Like Pottstown, York has a downtown entity similar to PDIDA, called Downtown Inc.  Their Executive Director, Sonia Huntzinger reports they have completed 18 out of 33 recommendations in the first year!

Some of these recommendations, Pottstown has already completed (mainly the cosmetic ones).  One unique recommendation, completed in October, was a “best of” guide.  Downtown Inc. released a Downtown Destination guide which promotes downtown York!

Brooks recommended that York brand itself as “America’s Industrial Art and Design Capital”.  The York County Economic Development Corp. has developed “Creativity Unleashed” to support this effort.  The idea is to attract young professionals and artists to York along with tourism.  A logo was developed to be used by organizations and companies in their advertising to help promote this rebranding.

How refreshing to see that the county and the city work together to achieve these goals.  How refreshing to see the vigor with which York is embracing these recommendations for positive change.

If you would like to check out Downtown Inc.’s website site, click here: http://downtownyorkpa.com/

To view their 25 page Downtown Destination brochure, click here:

http://downtownyorkpa.com/storage/Destination%20Guide%20ALL%20Pages.pdf

To view Creativity Unleashed info, click here:

http://downtownyorkpa.com/creativity-unleashed/

If this doesn’t inspire you, check your pulse!

Philadelphia’s Logan Triangle – 35 Acres Of Blight

Here is a story about a large blighted area, in an urban environment, and the challenges it brings.

Philadelphia’s Logan section had a particular problem back in 1986 which you may remember.  Some of the land was not properly prepared before homes were built and the houses began sinking, making them eventually unsafe for habitation.  This area, called the Logan Triangle, is 35 acres of land that was formerly a creek bed.  The water was diverted but when the land was “filled in” it was not done properly.  The City of Philadelphia relocated 950 homeowners from this tract of land and tore down those homes.  Now a large open and unoccupied area exists that has become a trash dump.  There are rodents, stray cats, animal feces, mountains trash and crime.

What to do?

The Urban Land Institute (many in Pottstown are familiar with this organization) recommended turning the area into a large green project in 2009.  Something like a community garden, urban farm, tree farm or anything green would be the way to go.  This idea has merit and has garnered much support.

Other ideas from developers have been commercial or residential.  However, before any building starts land remediation would need to take place.  Estimates put the cost at $60 million dollars to remediate the entire 35 acre area.  Because of the poor economic conditions, the expensive land remediation project is prohibitive for developers.  One developer wants to build a supermarket, senior housing and a banquet hall and is still interested in doing so.

A big problem is the city only owns 10 percent of the lots on the property.  The city has no extra money at this time to purchase the additional properties which are owned by various government agencies, private owners and the Logan Assistance Corp.  Maintenance of this blighted former neighborhood is daunting and expensive for the city.  Basically the area is not maintained. 

For 25 years this area has been allowed to go downhill due to lack of direction, financial issues, ownership issues etc.  Those who live in this area wish the city would do SOMETHING.  Nobody wants to buy a home here.  As houses bordering this giant swatch of trash become available (owners die) they will remain empty.  The blight will spread because no one wants to live next to a crime ridden trash heap.

This story does not have a happy ending.  Presently nothing is in the works to transform this cancerous blight.  The longer this area continues to fester the further the blight spreads and the more disillusioned surrounding homeowners become.  One resident stated they get so disgusted they don’t feel like doing anything.  That statement says it all!

Redevelopment Venture In Easton

This is yet another example of a local redevelopment effort from The Morning Call.  Through their state representative, Bob Freeman, Easton secured a $200,000 grant from the PA Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program.  Another $100,000 is anticipated from PA’s Growing Greener II grant fund.

Here is the Link: http://www.mcall.com/videobeta/e81b9413-cb17-4305-9798-952ea8770478/News/Redevelopment-Plans-moving-Forward-on-Easton-s-Pomeroy-Building–

Thank You!

Many thanks to my friends at SavePottstown! and Pottstown’s Blog for their kindness and support!  Look what has been accomplished by working together, supporting each other and speaking with a unified voice and having a unified vision.  It is awesome beyond words.

This is only the beginning.  I know my friends at SavePottstown!, Pottstown’s Blog and others in the local media are deeply committed to moving our community forward and making it all it can be.  Groups like Code Blue and Citizens For Pottstown’s Revitalization are crucial to keeping the public focused on the tasks at hand.

We are at a fork in the road right now.  All things are aligning that will give Pottstown a choice in which direction to head.  We can keep the good old boy network, things like they have always been, don’t like change, the same people running the show etc… or we can boldly move forward and propel Pottstown to its rightful place in our region and Pennsylvania.

Change is scary and it is not easy.  People will resist, some people will lose their power while others will gain power.  If we truly care about our fair city, we need to leave our personal feelings and agendas behind and do what is best for Pottstown.

It is time to move forward and stop living in the past.

Power to the Pottstown people!

Wilkes-Barre Urban Renewal Project Shows What Can Be Accomplished

I think this is a great example of urban renewal, blight eradication, working together, finding available money and utilizing elected officials to facilitate change.

The City of Wilkes-Barre has worked with Senator Bob Casey and Congressman Paul Kanjorski to obtain $950,000 in federal funding that will be put toward the $13.7 million dollar renovation of Coal Street Park into the future home of the Wilkes-Barre Penguins Hockey Team.  This ice skating rink has been an abandoned and blighted property in the city of Wilkes-Barre for the last seven years.  No city general fund revenue has been allocated toward this endeavor but instead the project is being funded by state and federal grants.

Coal Street Park is in a high traffic area and a gateway to downtown Wilkes-Barre.  The property spans 31 acres and will receive an extensive renovation.  Moving the Penguins into the city will bring 20 full-time and 40 part-time jobs, bring more consumers/money into downtown Wilkes-Barre and add to the quality of life for city residents.  Currently the W/B Penguins are located in suburban Plains Township.

There is money out there.  This is why a cohesive and unified vision is needed for Pottstown.