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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Preparing for a Disaster

As I muddle through the plethora of options on flood recovery and mitigation in Downingtown, I have been struck by the FEMA and PEMA staff's professionalism. We have been able to make inroads in flood recovery due to their involvement and participation.

Flood Relief in Downingtown

Recently I was asked to help with the flood relief effort in Downingtown. As in many cases, I am helping at no cost. Unfortunately, the Borough of Downingtown is up against it with the flooding this year. There have been two floods, and the lower-income areas that have typically been located in flood plains and industrial areas were hit hard.

The Borough Building was flooded and the flood mitigation plan was destroyed. My mission was to expedite the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) buyout program.

Equity and Inclusion

What I have found interesting is the debate over what is being taught in schools. For example, when I was young, in Fords, New Jersey, school #14, we said the "Lord's Prayer" right after the Pledge of Allegiance. Then someone would be required to read a bible passage in front of the class. It was almost putting you on the spot. You had to be able to read, and if you went up there and stumbled around, it did not reflect well for you.

Institutional Poverty

While at the recent statewide downtown conference in Reading, I spent a couple of days checking out the city. One of the mobile workshops was held at a public housing complex close to the hotel. 

What Makes the Reading to Philadelphia Train Project so Compelling?

The first time I tried to work on passenger rail service to Phoenixville (Greenline project), I thought we had a good chance of completing the project, and, at the time, the Citizens for the Train group was in high gear. There was a contribution from Liberty Property Trust to do the initial study, and there was participation from Norfolk Southern as we negotiated for the line. 

Office Contraction May Exceed My Estimation

As I toured America the last month or so, I saw that many cities were ghost towns. If there was a large office concentration, those buildings stood vacant. Corresponding retail was either completely closed and all of the inventory pulled off the shelves or closed without notice of closure with inventory and fixtures remaining inside. It was hard to tell if the stores with inventory remaining would ever open. 

Messaging and Vacant Space

I have finished my trip across the country trying to assess public/private space in the cities.

I was gone from May 15 to June 15 and stopped in many cities along the way. I took the southern route to head west and used a northern route to return.

I perceived that the virus has had different outcomes in many of the cities. A common factor was the vacancy rate, and it appeared to be exacerbated by communities that experienced civil unrest. There is considerably less foot traffic in almost all of the towns.

What is Equitable Rail Service?

As social mores and values change, so do the programs offered by various agencies of government. Things become popular, and there are buzz words that are used and not fully understood. One of the things that have been given more prominence recently in the news media is the concept of “equity.”

Space Assessment in America

I think that having my basic existence upset at this stage of my life was a surprise.  I never thought I would spend a year indoors.

Traveling in Italy looking for a house, I became aware of the virus and just got out in time.  Upon arriving back in the U.S., I went to Florida for a while and then again, under emergency action, hightailed it home with one quick stop at a Holiday Inn in Walterboro, South Carolina as at that stage of the virus, the US was putting the clamp on travel.

How Could Tax Increment Financing Work for the Reading to Philadelphia Train Project?

There are many ways to do things in the public sector, and sometimes proposed programs work, and sometimes they do not. I have made my living using programs that do not necessarily work for everyone. There is usually a substantial discussion on why things work or do not work.  Many of these issues are dealt with in planning documents.

Downtown Development as a Profession

Many people ask me “How did you get into the downtown development business?” The fact is that I am not sure how it happened. I remember in the early years it was not really a profession, and it was hard to explain what I did for a living.

Can Something Be So Bad It Is Good?

I have worked in a number of communities that have attempted to revitalize their downtown, and faced obstacles because of poor housing stock surrounding the downtown. The commonwealth attempted to address this problem with the Elm Street program. If the housing stock around the downtown is deteriorating, in many cases it deters people from entering the area.

Future of Main Street/Budget Constraints Imperil Program

It appears that a number of things have not gone well for the Pennsylvania Main Street program the last few years. Severe budget cuts and the loss of a designated specific line item in the Commonwealth budget have hurt the program. The number of Main Street programs across the state decrease annually, as local budgets shrink along with the Commonwealth’s budget.

What Kind of Place is Your Downtown?

Summer is a good season for getting outside and walking around. The warm summer nights could afford many an opportunity to walk around in the downtown. Many times people walk around and really do not pay much attention to anything but the path in front of them.

I would like to suggest the next time you take a walk, do it in your downtown.  You will be surprised at what you see if you pay a little attention to detail.  Towns change over time but some things just remain the same.

Pennsylvania Main Street Program is Imperiled

I am the co-founder of the Pennsylvania Downtown Center and I attend their annual conference. I have not been a main street manager for a few years, so it is more a labor of love to attend than a necessity. The conference is always a good time, but this year I retired early because as I age, 10 PM has become the new 11 PM.

Elections and Downtown Management

I have been in the Main Street Management field for almost 30 years, and I have always found that public service people, like main street managers, come under greater scrutiny during an election year.  Many times, it is derived by inference. Some person running for office or supporting someone running for office normally has an agenda or platform, and if something relating to your program somehow… someway… bears any resemblance to the platform or agenda, you end up in the cross hairs.

Brownfields and Community Development

In many of the communities that I visit, there is a common problem of a contaminated property. It is considered blight, and in most cases, there is a consensus that the blight should be remedied. Sometimes it is a downtown property, as it was in Downingtown, with the O’Brien Machinery property, and other times it is in a residential area like in Forest Hills.

Why Have a Downtown Keystone Communities Plan?

The Commonwealth has created the designation of Keystone Communities. To be eligible for grants, it is a good idea to have the plan and the designation. The designation gets you preferred status for grants. However, to have this status you need to hire someone to be your revitalization coordinator.

Saying YES as Part of Downtown Revitalization

It is a three-letter word but it can mean the difference between success and failure. Yes, YES is a powerful word. I used the word yes quite a bit when I got to Phoenixville.  Using yes and no at the right times is a crapshoot at best, but one must use one’s best judgment.

Why a Main Street Manager is Necessary

The main street process is a known method for revitalization using promotion, organization, economic restructuring and promotion. The four points, when implemented correctly, provide a powerful revitalization process that has provided results in small communities all across the country.

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