Community Revitalization Desktop Guide

Downtown: Downtown is the seat of government and educational institutions; the destination for tourists and visitors; and the central gathering place for citizens. Downtown is a prime contributor to the tax base, and downtown often provides the best chance of attracting regional disposable income because it houses the largest concentration of arts, entertainment, dining choices, and events. Today, cities and towns are re-creating their downtowns through sophisticated management, marketing, and major private investment. They are wooing suburban residents back to higher density urban living with new housing products, new destinations and a turn-of-thecentury atmosphere that encourages shopping, strolling and people watching. SEE CASE STUDY ONE University or College: Universities are anchor institutions that draw faculty and other employees, students, parents and alumni to town and create the potential for substantial economic growth. Colleges’ and universities’ success in attracting students and faculty depends in part upon the quality of life they can offer. A safe, attractive town can enrich the campus experience and attract outstanding faculty and students. Throughout the nation, universities and colleges have reconnected with their towns in order to take advantage of the available “If the surrounding area is a really vibrant, wonderful college town with lots of things to do that really complement life on campus, that will give you an advantage.” – PRESIDENT JOHN A. FRY, FRANKLIN AND MARSHALL COLLEGE 4 space many towns can offer to expand campus offerings and to join together to create shared amenities. In addition, universities have proved to be powerful incubators for new businesses and products that create jobs and revenue for the municipality and the region. SEE CASE STUDY TWO Abandoned Properties or Brownﬁelds 5: Cities and towns are using the reclamation of vacant structures and land as a means to generate market recovery. In the last 15 years, Pennsylvania lost 420,000 acres of farmland to development at a time when an estimated 10,000 to Case Studies 1 – 2 1. Government Building Moves Back Downtown: McKeesport In 2004, Governor Rendell ordered implementation of the 2000 Downtown Location Law, which encourages state agencies to place their ofﬁces in downtown locations and thus support the revitalization of downtown business districts. New downtown ofﬁces in Butler, Scranton, Conshohocken and McKeesport have stimulated the downtown economy and supported the vibrant atmosphere many towns are recreating. McKeesport in Allegheny County, with help from the State, moved its municipal building from the edge of town to a former bank building in a central downtown location. In the fall of 2006, Governor Rendell provided McKeesport’s Mayor Jim Brewster with $4.4 million for downtown improvements to sewers, streetscapes, and parks, as well as the establishment of the downtown government ofﬁces. Working together, the state’s Community Action Team and city ofﬁcials identiﬁed this four-block section of the business district as an area where state resources could leverage additional investment, sparking future growth.” a The investment is expected to attract over $10 million in additional private, local, county, and federal sources. “We’re building on the strength of what we already have,” said Bethany Bauer, McKeesport’s city administrator for community development. b As Mayor Brewster continues to focus on economic and residential development and improvements to McKeesport’s infrastructure, recreational facilities, and public safety, the city is also paying attention to supporting local organizations that can contribute to cultural renewal. These include the Heritage Center, a repository of local history, and the local symphony, theatre company, and historic Carnegie Library. 2. Universities as Economic Engines: Lafayette College of Easton and Lehigh University of Bethlehem Lafayette College, in the Lehigh Valley city of Easton, has invested $9.6 million in the redevelopment of an 11-acre downtown neighborhood adjacent to the College’s campus. The goal for the redevelopment area on North Third Street is to transform it into an arts avenue anchored by an arts center. The project beneﬁts both the College and Easton, offering the College needed additional space and providing Easton with help addressing downtown blight. In 2001 the college spent $4.5 million of the $9.6 million to convert a warehouse on Third Street into a major new arts center, and since then has spent around $5 million to acquire abandoned industrial buildings, a former club, and an empty restaurant and improve the streetscape while it completes its plans for new uses, which likely will include artist studios, restaurants, and shops. A $3 million Commonwealth of Pennsylvania grant was made to Easton in 2002 in response to the private sector investments. The state’s $3 million will be used to improve Third Street, bringing buildings the College purchased into compliance with Easton codes, razing two condemned structures, façade improvements, and parking enhancements. d After years when town and gown relationships were among the top ten worst in the nation, Bethlehem and Lehigh University found something they could agree on—Campus Square. The $25 million project, spearheaded by University President Gregory Farrington and completed in 2002, transformed gravel lots into student residences, retail space, and parking in the city’s SouthSide neighborhood on the edge of the University. Campus Square restaurants and shops, along with a seasonal farmer’s market and art and music events, attract both students and Bethlehem residents. The project blended the University campus with the City and revitalized the City’s struggling South Side neighborhood. e Further City and University cooperation was visible in 2004 when Bethlehem and the University jointly became PA’s ﬁrst Keystone Innovation Zone, receiving grants for technology and transportation upgrades and job creation. The revitalization of the South Side attracted Northampton Community College to open a large new campus in the neighborhood in 2005. The State then leveraged these improvements with a $2.5 million grant for the $24 million Lehigh Riverport retail and residential complex. Riverport is providing stimulus for an additional adjacent project, the $450 million Bethlehem Works, a retail, residential, commercial, and entertainment complex planned for the land once occupied by Bethlehem Steel. BethWorks is predicted to bring in $4 million annually in tax revenue for Bethlehem, and as many as 9,000 new jobs. GOAL ONE: CHOOSE ONE ASSET-RICH REDEVELOPMENT AREA step one: identify key economic and physical assets 10

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Community Revitalization Desktop Guide

PA Community Revitalization Desktop Guide Table of Contents How To Attract High Impact Investment to Core Communities Goal One: Choose One Asset-Rich Redevelopment Area Interviews with Pennsylvania Mayors Goal Two: Prepare Redevelopment Area for Market Interviews with Developers who Have Invested in Pennsylvania Cities and Towns Goal Three: Welcome Investment Interviews with Developers who Have Invested in Pennsylvania Cities and Towns Goal Four: Apply Strategies That Work Conclusion

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