Jan 27, 2012

Where's the Rent?

Recently, this blog explained the heavy handed way that City Center Investment Corporation had acquired virtually all the buildings across from the arena site. Yesterday, The Morning Call reported the compelling story about how a luncheonette tenant on 7th Street was told to vacate, for being a couple days late with her rent. I was glad the newspaper picked up on the story, but like the rent check, they're a little late. In the article they refer to the displaced merchants of the arena site has having served low-income shoppers. Perhaps the reporters didn't notice, but the luncheonette clientele are not from the west end. It's not the fine dining favored by the Administration. The same reporter, before the eminent domain hearing, referred to the merchants as selling discount clothes and cheap electronics. While it's nice that they're injecting a little humanity into the plight now, the damage has been done. The same reality applies to recent revelations about the Earned Income Tax in the NIZ. As the picture below shows, we no longer have a center city; We have a square block of rubble with the surrounding properties all owned by virtually one person. Welcome to the Transformation.

the rent collector is boxer Abe Simon, training for his heavyweight fight with Joe Louis in 1942; the photographer asked him to look mean. the bottom photograph is by The Morning Call.

6 comments:

  1. Where is your vision, Man?

    I see a magnificent $ 160.0 million dollar PAWLOWSKI PALACE of SPORT.

    I see 2.5 million people pedaling down Turner Street in order to take in exciting ice hockey action in the NIZ.

    I see good times just around the corner, if only the Government can be allowed to just continue to spend other people's money wildly so that the Brooks Group and a bunch of other well-connected Crony Capitalists can make huge, record-setting profits.

    VIKTOR TIKHONOV

    ReplyDelete
  2. What is this stuff?
    Exerpt from Mr Hanlon's mailing:
    >
    "Bill 101 Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone

    An Ordinance signifying the desire and intention of the City of Allentown to organize an industrial and commercial development authority under the Economic Development Financing Law, of 1967, P.L. 251, as amended, for the purpose of acquiring, holding, constructing, improving, maintaining, owning, financing and leasing, either in the capacity of lessor or lessee, industrial, special or commercial development projects and serving as successor contracting authority to the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Authority for purposes of administering, providing financing for and undertaking all other activities related to the Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone established pursuant to the law governing Neighborhood Improvement Zones, Article XVI-B of the Pennsylvania Fiscal Code, 72 P.S. Section 1, et seq; also to be referred to as Article 178 of Title Eleven, Authorities, Boards and Commissions, of the Codified Ordinances of the City of Allentown."

    ReplyDelete
  3. anon 4:24, i've been asked to become part of the new Arena Authority, as the puck.

    bill 101 appears to be another city holding authority, specifically for the NIZ

    ReplyDelete
  4. MM,

    Ms. Patrice Sidoione of The "ALL THAT SALON", formerly in Allentown, PA but forced out "for the good of the arena", predicted this chaos months ago. It started with the closing of the thriving businesses between 6th and 7th Streets and now it has reached beyond the borders and is in the pockets of the surrounding municipalities...


    Yes, it's about to get hectic, but I have one question? Why did it take other surrounding locations to be affected for the situation to become a widespread travesty or cause an uproar? THINK ABOUT IT!

    - Alfonso Todd

    www.5minutes2shine.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  5. alfonso, it's of no surprise to me or my readers, which i will address tomorrow. molovinsky on allentown is published everyday, except saturday. i will reduce the price to 5 cents for financial administrators in all surrounding municipalities.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Mike,

    Who outside of the Pawlowski Administration and associated cohorts are for this project? Besides the stenographic media coverage I never hear anyone advocating for this project.

    Scott Armstrong

    ReplyDelete

ANONYMOUS COMMENTS SELECTIVELY PUBLISHED. SIGNED COMMENTS GIVEN MORE LEEWAY.