Afternoon in Allentown

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Spent the afternoon Downtown. Catalyst a trip to the Social Security office.  Need replacement card so I can get married 🙂 Unfortunately, (and also inexplicably) the office closes (the only day a week it does..) on Wednesdays at noon. But hey, my fault for not checking.

So not having ate yet, I decided I wasn’t going to let the trip go to waste. Belly growling I parked the car and walked up Hamilton.

No secret I’m a cheerleader for the Cities revitalization efforts. Even for a suburbanite like myself I recognize the importance of the city regionally. Healthy Allentown is good for Lower Mac.

I’ve come around to the NIZ. Generally skeptical of “ABC” tax gimmicks I recognize some are better than others. We got the good (CRIZ = keeping money local) and the bad (TIF diverting local money away for future maintenance obligations). And then we have our unique NIZ courtesy of Sen. Browne. Even for the biggest of naysayers it’s now becoming hard not to acknowledge what’s happening. From 7th St. to Hamilton to the Waterfront, NIZ has been a positive catalyst.

Downtown was bursting with action all over. Success can only be measured by walking through the city and feeling it organically in terms of one critical criteria which is people. It’s not measured in millions of dollars spent or brick and mortar laid. It’s people living, working & playing. That’s the measure of success for a downtown. Today it definitely felt like Allentown is well on it’s way.

Here are just a few of the photos I got. The measure of success. People living, working and playing.

Live-work-play: Dining

On my walk from 4th street to Billy's I passed 3 restaurants with packed fill with al fresco dining.

On my walk from 4th street to Billy’s I passed 3 restaurants with packed full with al fresco dining. Pictured here is Billy’s downtown diner.

Live-work-play: Recreation

At least a dozen kids playing in the PPL plaza spray park.

At least a dozen kids with parents playing in the PPL plaza spray park. Others stop and watch.

Live work play: Work

Folks on lunch break enjoying the sunny day taking advantage of the great pedestrian facilities all over Hamilton. Fantastic urban design.

Folks on lunch break enjoying the sunny day taking advantage of the great pedestrian facilities all over Hamilton. Fantastic urban design.

Live-work-play: Shopping downtown!

Shopping once again on Hamilton? Yup. I bet many thought window shopping would never return.

Shopping once again on Hamilton? Yup. I bet many thought window shopping would never return.

Live-work-play working: Small businesses investment to go with the big business investment

And of course a shout out to my friend Josh Macgown and his Mobile Genius store front. Josh, a Lower Mac resident chose to locate one of his storefronts downtown. Mainly because of clutzes like me he is always very busy repairing iphone screens!

And of course a shout out to my friend Josh Macgown and his Mobile Genius store front. Josh, a Lower Mac resident chose to locate one of his storefronts downtown. Mainly because of clutzes like me he is always very busy repairing iphone screens!

Live-work-play: Here come the Phantoms!

The Phantoms are coming! New storefront selling all your phantom gear.

The Phantoms are coming! New storefront selling all your phantom gear.

Live-work-play: Tradition!

Ended my afternoon downtown with an Allentown original Yoccos dog. (make that 3 everything with pickles)

Ended my afternoon downtown with an Allentown original Yoccos dog. (make that 3 everything with pickles)

I wish I had more time to take more pictures today. Speaking of living, working and playing I should have got a pic of my friend Tara who I ran into. Originally from the burbs she’s now literally Miss Allentown. Any demographer will tell you “young professionals” now prefer more walkable urban environments. She represents that. She’s just one of many friends who feel that way, but she’s the poster child. Homeowner in Allentown (West End), works downtown, raising her kid with her b/f there. Committed to downtown.

 

Wehr Dam – South Whitehall Township

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I’ve been following this issue with interest over the last couple months. Primarily through “Molovinsky on Allentown“. The blog’s author Mike Molovinsky is a state house candidate running as an independent in the 183rd. Mr. Molovinsky has long been a champion of preserving Allentown Parkways historic WPA structures. Here his focus turns west to South Whitehall Township.

The Dam and Bridge are visually linked as the centerpiece of South Whitehalls flagship park.

The Dam and Bridge are visually linked as the centerpiece of South Whitehalls flagship park.

First, generally I support Dam removals. There are numerous environmental reasons and rationales. I also think historic preservation is important. So here, in this unique case we have competing historic and environmental arguments. Both things I’m concerned with. In this case I think the dam’s aesthetic and historic significance trumps the environmental concerns.

Like covered bridges, Mill dams are a part of our history. As Mike points out, we don’t build em anymore. Our area once had many. Some have been removed and more are likely to be. If there is one case for a single century old dam to be preserved I think that case can and should be made at Wehr.

I spend a good amount of time in this park since it has one of the areas best novice disc golf courses. I play it a couple times a year. So I’m familiar with it. I for one would definitely miss the dam since it’s clearly visually linked to the covered bridge as the centerpiece of this beautiful park.

Wildlands has stated the dam is neither historic nor aesthetic. As a general supporter of the wildlands and the work they do, I feel compelled to call them out on that statement. Seems a little insincere. Wildlands does important work. But I’m sorry, No one goes to that park without focusing their eyes on that Dam and Bridge. 

I do acknowledge the scientific arguments. But believe use of a little common sense in this unique case dictates recognizing that this dam/bridge combo is unique. Basically, there are lots more dams for the Wildlands to remove. Let’s keep at least one in the name of historic preservation.

 

How do we safely move freight in Lower Macungie/Greater Lehigh Valley?

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For better or worse we’re now in the business of moving freight in Lower Macungie Twp. Much of our former agriculture land (which was at one time very high ROI, low impact and great for property values) is now or about to become warehouses. (very low ROI and extremely high impact terrible neighbors)

Moving freight is now a huge part of our local and regional economy. Because of that, local governments have to address the issue.

How do we achieve balance between the needs to move freight and safety/quality of life?

How do we achieve balance between the needs to move freight and safety/quality of life?

In Upper Macungie distribution warehouses probably always made sense due to a location directly adjacent to I-78 with direct highway access to all points N, S, E & W. In Upper Macungie they have the ability to separate the trucks from residential portion of the township. Here in Lower Macungie we are much further from interchanges. Therefore, trucks coming in and out of the township to and from the warehouses are frequently ending up on local residential roads. Day and night trucks rumble through Macungie and Alburtis intermingling with pedestrians and residential neighborhoods. In Lower Macungie we see them on local roads such as East Texas Rd, Spring Creek Rd, Sauerkraut Ln, Willow Ln ect.

In the next 10 years the amount of warehouses will double. The biggest of these mega warehouses are forecasted to generate up to 40 trucks an hour 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. The problem will only get worse.

We need answers. Moving forward how do we balance the needs of a safe, livable community with the need to efficiently move freight? I’m not sure there is a blueprint. Are there any other examples of areas that have gone this far overboard with distribution warehouses? 

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Gridlock stymies both progress and reform

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Most residents in PA support liquor store privatization and a severance tax on fracking. (both notions supported by polling)

Yet we get neither done. And barring a last minute effort by Gov. Corbett we once again kick the can down road concerning desperately needed pension reform.

Thank about it. PA remains the largest natural gas-producing state without a severance tax. We’re the only backwards state with full on state stores. Both very clear cut issues to most reasonable folks. But we get no action on either since neither entrenched side will ever blink.

Why? We have hyper partisanship and a special interest vice grip on PA politics.  Is it any wonder Independent registration is at record highs?

Shameful.

Moving forward the hyper partisan crowd will crow about “victories”. Meanwhile underlying issues worsen. No one really ‘wins’.

‘Progress’ for Democrats and ‘reform’ for Republicans are words associated with action forward. But because too many leaders are governed by self interest we again get neither. It’s a shame because basically we’re trying to get to the same place. That is a sustainable state budget not reliant on brinksmanship and games year in and year out. Whose gonna stop playing the games and lead?

 

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House bill proposes changes to Sunshine Law

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PA is a sunshine state. This requires by statute that government meetings are open to the public. This critically important concept ensures elected officials are transparent and accountable to voters.

PA’s sunshine laws require elected officials conduct official action and conduct deliberations leading up to official actions in the sunshine.

There are only a few justifications for holding private executive sessions. These include: Personnel matters, discussion of pending litigation, considering the purchasing or lease of land and labor and arbitration issues. 

H.B. 1671 sponsored by Rep. Rick Saccone (R), would more stringently define when a public body could enter private executive session meetings to conduct business. In recent testimony considering the bill widespread abuse of executive sessions was revealed across the Commonwealth. 

“The committee heard very detailed and disturbing testimony from reporters, organizations and citizens about instances where public bodies improperly went into executive session to circumvent  Sunshine Law,” said Saccone. “Abuse of executive session privilege appears to be widespread, with government entities apparently calling private meetings outside the bounds of the law Action clearly needs to be taken.” – Rep. Rick Saccone 

House Bill 1671 would streamline the definitions of instances when executive session can be used. It would also require an audio recording of the executive session so if an allegation arises that the meeting was improperly held, it can be verified later by a judge.

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Young residents want walkability.

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At last night’s meeting we had 5 letters that were very clearly a school (High School?) Social Studies project or something similar.

They were all in identical format and were physically mailed to the township which is what leads you to believe it was a project. They were also all very good. Thoughtful and thoroughly researched.

What was interesting is that 4 of the 5 dealt with walkability issues. When selecting a topic to write local gov’t about almost all decided to write asking for more walkability. This is in line with study after study that says young adults want to live in walkable/connected communities. 

It’s not surprising at all. Living on Lower Macungie Rd. and driving Brookside frequently you see scenes like the one below every single day. Whether it’s on foot, bike or here on a skateboard we have tons of walking on our corridors by young people in very unsafe situations.

In my opinion this currently represents a safety issue. Yes, we want to encourage more walking. But the fact is we already have ALOT of walking right now. Most of our arterial and connector roads are poorly equipped and fail miserably as complete streets. We need to think less in terms of “connector” and “arterial” and more in terms of Complete Streets and Boulevards. We need to work in partnership with Penndot to retrofit key corridor roads as multimodal complete streets.

Young adults walk daily on dangerous corridors in the township.

Young adults walk daily on dangerous corridors in the township.

 

Apologies…

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My apologies for not writing agenda preview posts the last 2 meetings. Since breaking my hand…. the more word intensive posts take double the time. That coupled with the amount of correspondence we got before the Hamilton Crossings vote, a ramped up wedding season (my day job) and heading down to Washington for a smart growth conference for a few days left very little time for blogging.

Starting yesterday I’ve been able to start typing with both hands again so expect the previews to start up again the first August BOC meeting.

A reminder: Links to past agenda previews can be found here.
Also I try to tag all my posts so the search function works well. If your ever interested in any particular issue just search for it in the search-bar. Of course you can always email at ronbeitler@gmail.com

 

Smart growth America pairs local leaders with responsible developers

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Spent time in Washington DC attending the Smart Growth America Local Leaders Council Policy summit. The conference paired 60 members of the national bi-partisan council of elected officials with responsible smart growth developers. (LOCUS) Issues such as project development and financing, transit oriented development and revitalization were topics of individual seminars.

For me, after 6 months as a newly elected official what’s been most frustrating is our current crop of local developers. (The usual suspects…) The ones who do most of the mega greenfield projects in the area. There is so much inertia for status quo. Many developers are unwilling to or offer nothing but resistance to building innovative projects. Or worse they package typical cookie cutter sprawl with whatever the current smart growth buzzword is in a misleading fashion. The result is projects sold under somewhat false pretenses. Locally a recent example would be the Allen Organ “dual use zone”. (Words have meanings)

The challenge for us is to attract developers who not only have experience building and marketing successful smart growth projects but more importantly genuinely want to. This is precisely the innovative approach of the Local Leaders Council and LOCUS. If we try to force developers who want to turn cornfields into dollars as quickly as possible regardless of the impact to build better projects we’ll get more mediocrity. We can’t regulate developers into building good projects. Nor should we try.

Instead we must attract the ones who understand the market for these projects, have a tract record of success and genuinely want to be responsible developers. A market for places combining the best of suburbia with the best of new urbanism design have been demonstrated nationwide. Lower Macungie must either compete or fall behind. I want to compete.

To help address this, Smart Growth America has provided an online tool local leaders can use to connect with responsible developers with demonstrated success in delivering mixed-use, multimodal smart growth projects. LOCUS developers are investors and businesspeople whose business model is based on smart growth and are interested in promoting the model nationwide.

Local leaders from around the country gathered in Washington DC to discuss smart growth policy issues. - Photo Smart Growth America

Local leaders from around the country gathered in Washington DC to discuss smart growth policy issues. – Photo Smart Growth America

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Looking forward to Smart Growth America local leaders summit

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Next Sunday-Monday I’ll be attending the Smart Growth America Local Leaders Policy Forum in Washington D.C.

Mayors, Councilmembers, Commissioners, agency directors and other officials from around the country will gather for the Local Leaders Policy Forum in Washington, D.C. “Revitalizing Communities” is the theme. The summit will feature interactive seminars on smart growth implementation; feature speakers who are the innovative leaders spearheading community change; and provide strategic networking opportunities with other top leaders.

I will be blogging and tweeting from the forum.

Seminars I’m looking forward to include:

  • Smart growth leadership: Politics, message branding and case making
  • Bringing back main streets and neighborhood retail (Very relevant to LMT since we are considering a new Neighborhood Commercial zone)
  • Managing revitalization in high growth markets. (Allentown!)
  • Smart growth:  Taking a triple bottom line approach.

Wrapping up TIF

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The TIF for Hamilton Crossings passed tonight 3-2.

Brian Higgins yes
Ryan Conrad yes
Jim Lancsek yes
Ron Beitler no
Doug Brown no

The bottom line is this. The Township will be getting a new and much anticipated shopping center. One that I believe was a certainty with or without the TIF. And that is great news for residents. According to one poll, over 80% of residents support the project but not necessarily the TIF funding.

I shared this basic sentiment as I generally supported the project but had concerns with misusing a funding mechanism designed for distressed communities.

I sincerely believe the township could have and should maintained more revenue resources (100% of revenue instead siphoning off 50% back to the developer). This is revenue I believe we’ll eventually need over the course of the next 20 years to mitigate the giant strip centers inevitable and unpredicted negative impacts. These impacts are normal with rapid development of the type LMT will see over the next 20 years as LVPC predicts our population will continue to boom. These concerns relate primarily to traffic but also other issues as well. For example, this project will make it harder to rely on the state police. The traffic issue is compounded by the fact that the traffic impact fee did not apply to the project. The impact fee is designed to give us the resources to make future improvements. I honestly believe we ended up being the “dumb money at the card table” too quick to give away important resources better served dealing with future impacts.

Every land development of this type and magnitude comes with the good (more shopping options, jobs ect) but also the bad. (traffic, crime ect) The challenge for leaders is to mitigate the bad as much as we can. This is why I believe the decision to forfeit critical and much needed revenue (esp. in light of recent tax increases )was fundamentally shortsighted.

Huge part of smart growth is accounting for financial health over multiple lifecycles. It’s the longview. That means setting up the township to be financially strong over the long term. Its seeking net positive ROI beyond the immediate windfall. Tonight by passing TIF we failed to do that.

So to wrap this issue up we’re getting the new center…. But we were always getting the new center. We’ll just have less resources to insure its negatives don’t eventually outweigh its positives. And the developer will have a slightly more padded profit line. They are clear winners. But the community will have more local shopping options and the jobs that come with them. Like I said, +’s and -‘s. But overall inevitable progress forward.

After the vote I’m mostly disappointed in myself that I wasn’t able to make a more compelling argument to get other Commissioners who voted yes to take a harder look at the big picture.

Learn more about Hamilton Crossings

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