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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Elimination of Funding Schools through Property Taxes

The budget talks are ongoing in Pennsylvania and one of the items is how to fund the schools. Some of it centers on how to implement a plan that collects only a partial amount of the entire amount gained through property taxes by schools. Although I am not privy to the discussions, I could imagine concerns that certain school districts will not get a rightful share and the money.

Main Street as an Economic Development Generator

“Back in the day they walked three or four abreast in the downtown on a Saturday night.” That is a familiar quote from residents of a community as they talk about how the downtown has lost favor in the regional marketplace.  Looking at the streets bare and without activity must mean that the town is no longer viable. 

Politics and the Budget

Pennsylvania has gone a couple of months without a budget. It appears that the day to day running of the government has been spared the pain, but things are just not being done. The future of the Main Street program hangs with the budget, so the main street managers have a stake in the budget this year.

Setting Goals and Objectives for Revitalization

One of the first things that groups should do after deciding to revitalize their community is set some goals they want to achieve, and list a number of objectives they need to address. A solid plan with the goals and objects, spelled out in simple terms with a time line for attainment provides a map for the flow of the revitalization.

Death of the Greenline

When you are a revitalization coordinator in a town, you learn to “go wide” with projects so you can have the greatest impact in a community. Business people and governments raise a bunch of money, articulate all their hopes and dreams, and hand them to you to make a reality.

New Opportunities

The winds of political change flew through the state capitol last fall, as we were the recipients of a new governor. Any time the government changes administrations, new priorities bring new programs for communities across the commonwealth.

State Stores in the Downtown

Main Street Managers talk to each other all of the time. One manager will encounter many of the same problems encountered by another manager. One problem continues to come to the forefront of issues relating to the downtown… losing your Liquor Control Board (LCB) state store.

Transit Oriented Development is a Plus for a Community

America of the 1870s saw a lot of towns suddenly appear along the rail lines as the population moved westward. Chicago and Los Angles grew into large cities and rail hubs from small towns, because people wanted to be near transportation. Smaller towns like Sayre, Pennsylvania started as a company-controlled entity as the railroad located headquarters there.

Vision and Development

I was in Phoenixville the other day and found that the new downtown development is being constructed that will soon transform downtown Phoenixville. The project has been in the works since 2010. My working the project through the initial approval process was my first consulting job after the Main Street CDC in Phoenixville.

Disrupting The Administrative Elite

In my last few columns, I have discussed how things work in government. In my August column, I discussed how the administrative elites can make problems disappear through interpretation.  In September, in my interview with Phoenixville philanthropist Manny DeMutis, I discussed how environmental issues impacting local beaver habitats in the revitalization of Phoenixville impacted potential development.

Phoenixville Revitalization — Interview with Manny Demutis

(The following is an interview Barry Cassidy conducted with Phoenixville developer Manny Demutis in Cape May, New Jersey on September 8, 2024.)

Q. Why are you spending a lot of time in Cape May?

We own the Inn of Cape May, an ideal summer setting. I have a house close to the hotel and provide oversight when needed. I try to blend as much work time as I can into days at the beach.

Q.  Saw the live band out in front of the Inn last night. It seems like you drew a nice-sized crowd out there.

Understanding the Administrative Elites

I remember attending meetings with my peers in economic development and being told I could not do what I was doing. I know that sounds odd, but it is true. I have always tried to be creative when doing economic development. I gained expertise because I would read the regulations and examine the process for getting things done. My theory was that if there is a form to ask if you can do it, you can do it if you meet the criteria. 

City Downtowns Contracting

The conversion of office space to housing is not just a potential wave of the future but also a promising avenue for real estate developers and business owners. This trend, while requiring the satisfaction of existing leases in some cases, also presents a unique opportunity in the wake of the remote work shift that has affected downtown businesses across America. More housing would put more people on the street.

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.

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