Downtown Marketing and Development

Insights and observations on the redevelopment and revitalization of post-industrial towns on the Route 422 Corridor in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

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The Rise of Vintage

While in London for the Phillies game, my wife and I had a little bit of free time to shop and dine out. In Chelsea, we visited the John Lewis Department Store. It was a full-blown department store with electronics and appliance departments. I think it was six floors packed with goods. In the ladies' clothing section, I took a seat while my wife browsed the English fashions.  

Filling Vacant Storefronts After the Pandemic

I am currently in Portland OR on my cross-country journey to evaluate the recovery from the 2021 lockdown. I was deeply impressed by the transformative power of innovative strategies and the strategic use of ground-floor retail. These approaches are not only breathing new life into the towns but also fostering a sense of optimism and advancement.

Downingtown Property Owners and Residents to Address Flooding

As a property owner in Downingtown for the last twenty years or so, I have experienced three floods that have affected the community. They all caused a lot of damage, and it took a long time to recover. The flooding during Hurricane IDA was particularly devastating.

The thing about Downingtown is that, in many cases, if it is not raining, there is no problem, and it is time to move on. I tried to work through the process to address flooding issues and found the process onerous locally. 

Establishing a “Sense of Place”

When Fred Kent created and ran the Project for Public Spaces, he inspired me with the placemaking concept, and I became very interested in learning. He was somehow ousted later, and the group of 400 people he put together internationally collapsed under new management. 

I always remember what he said about how you can only hold someone’s interest for about 100 feet when they are walking in a downtown setting. Figure twenty-five feet per storefront would be like four storefronts in terms of distance.

The Second Round of Lockdown Study

I plan on another nationwide evaluation of downtown vacancies due to the 2021 lockdown.  This time, I will leave a few days before I did in 2021 and hope it does not get upper 90s temperatures in some of the locations, as I encountered in 2021. 

I will also be able to have solid data on office vacancies in many of the big cities during this round. Still, I can also quickly determine the office vacancies in some small towns that I need to rank in the system. 

Please Follow the Narrative

Since the last column, I have been involved in some level of controversy, which has put my professional judgment at odds with a narrative. My credentials in the area of aberrant behavior are substantial — In both my behavior and the behaviors I seek to change. Although much has changed in my personal life, the memories of what would be a potentially good place to be aberrant are fresh in my mind.

Dealing with Open Air Drug Markets

I remember watching The Wire on an HBO binge. I had worked in Baltimore, both in the county and city. In the city, I worked in the Patterson Park Area and did tenant conversions from renter to homeowner. In the Wire lingo, I worked in Prop Joe’s area. I laughed about how they set up “Hamsterdam," an open-air drug market.

Towns Struggle with Post-Pandemic Adjustments

Many cities throughout the United States are struggling with the post-pandemic world. Much of the problem was self-induced when we all went into hiding and started working from home. Only a little was happening in the downtowns, and most was happening took place outside. 

Technical And Administrative Elites in Today’s Society

My first job out of college was working for the AFL-CIO in the international headquarters across from Layfette Park in Washington, D.C. I was tasked with compiling a manual explaining the new Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1971 and managed speakers at ten workshops nationwide. I had a lot of time on my hands and was tasked with the federal register monitoring on the Act.

Life in America – Homeless Encampment Edition

The lockdown of 2021 created an upheaval in many lives. Everyone had to shelter in place for a year. This created many issues in our daily routine. My wife and I got to know each other well as we worked from home. We each got a monthly paycheck, even though my work was in slow motion because it was public sector work.

Politics and Development

The more I am out on my own working, the more I realize that politics is the essence of doing downtown development deals. Since I have worked in so many places, I have a fairly good idea of what it takes to get a project done. Elected officials, commission members and citizens all have a say in development. When a developer attempts to work in a town, there is always a need to work with the locals.

The Importance of By-Laws in Non-Profit Management

I have created many entities in my days as a revitalization coordinator. I have managed my share of 501 (C) 3 and 4s, in a number of different states. The one thing the organizations had in common is they all had by-laws.

By-laws should never be a secret document, and anyone joining a non-profit board should get a copy of the bylaws upon joining the board. The by-laws are the rules of the organization and procedures for conducting business

Transportation and Downtown Development

Transportation plays a big part of the success of a town that is revitalizing. You want your town to be automobile accessible, but at the same time, you do not want a super-highway running through your town. It is a delicate balance of convenience and walkability is always hard to achieve.

The Vacant Lot as an Asset

In a downtown, there are series of spaces that could be considered public spaces. The sum of those public spaces makes up the whole… that would be the downtown. When you are dealing with public spaces, it is necessary to devise a strategy for each place. It is not good enough to just devise one strategy when you have problematic spaces within the downtown.

How to Assess Your Downtown

The first thing that is necessary to do is look at your downtown. I believe the best way to assess is to spend some time in the downtown sitting on a bench and observe. Watch the people come and go in the downtown and see how they react to the space. I try to just act as a normal person in the downtown and try to make it not very obvious that I am there to observe to get a true sense of what is going on.

Downtown Constraints

Any time you start working in a new town you must analyze what constitutes the downtown, and how existing elements can work for or against the revitalization. I always spend some time observing the downtown. You can learn a lot just by watching. 

Revitalization: Who Benefits?

Recently I went to a meeting of two towns, located side by side, that wanted to join in a common revitalization effort. I sat there a while and listened to the discussion.  Everyone was hot to revitalize and then someone stood up and said they did not want to revitalize because their rent would go up. The meeting went downhill as the woman went on to say that her taxes would increase and more people in the downtown means that the landlords would want more rent.

Changing It Up

I am going to expand my focus to deal with the issue of change and introducing change in an area. I have worked in a number of different communities throughout the commonwealth and have introduced change as part of the main street manager program.

The Main Street Program Has Lost Funding, What Now?

Many towns lose funding for the main street program after a number of years in the program. Budget cuts in state sources and local commercial development funding can make public commercial reinvestment dollars scarce. Some towns are left only with remnants of a main street program because of funding difficulties.

Organizing for Revitalization

Most towns in Pennsylvania have, at one time or another, organized for revitalization of the downtown. Sometimes revitalization happens and sometimes it does not. The problem with if it does not happen is that many years pass before it is tried again. 

Each attempt will have its origins in a group of people with diverse backgrounds and varying skill sets. The direction of the group is often swayed by the prejudices both good and bad to different parts of the revitalization puzzle.

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Barry Cassidy posted The Rise of Vintage in the Downtown Marketing and Development group
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