Just a few years ago Allentown and the local Chamber of Commerce were conducting Vision meetings for the merchants of Hamilton Mall. While these soon to be displaced saps thought that they were planning Hamilton Streets' future, Reilly and Browne were cooking up the NIZ. On a more regional level, in 2011 the valley received $3.4 million dollars to study development. This hunk of HUD cash was distributed to local agencies, who like baby birds with open beaks, ate it up. The baby birds included LVEDC,LVPC,CACLV,and LANTA. A special director was hired and community meetings were conducted to collect your input. They named this disappearing $3.4million Envision. You can now attend the final meetings where the conclusions are available; Imagine that.
ADDENDUM: There is a mistaken notion that a grant, especially a federal HUD Grant, has little bearing to our pockets. Apologists for this bureaucratic waste say well at least the money is being used locally. If the money is being wasted locally or not, this waste is being repeated locally, regionally and nationally. Grant writing specialists are prized employees in all levels of government. Although due diligence needs to proceed any project or expenditure, the grant process has assumed an expensive life of it's own.
I have been to all the "public input" meetings and will be at the last one. These meetings seem like a joke because they wanted public input much only what they want was included in the plans so far. Should be interesting to see what the final plan is.
ReplyDeleteJB Reilly luxury apts going like hot cakes downtown...not like you predicted.
ReplyDeleteanonymous antagonizer@6:19, I don't know how they're going, and neither do you. it's very odd that they're framing them out of wood. even a couple of construction workers there told me that they never seen anything like that.
ReplyDeleteMorning Call reported it...half of 175 units are spoken for with deposits already...your way way off in your doomsday predictions downtown.
ReplyDeleteblog mentor@6:40, i see you started your day of cyber-stalking. the morning call seems to act like a press agent for City Center, more about that in another post. the deposits are only $100, and are fully refundable, so in essence it's only gestures, not real deposits in the rental industry. i trust that your renting one of the units?
ReplyDeleteA few points:
ReplyDeleteLanta doesn't get any funding from any city government, and very little from the counties that run it.
I can't speak about the quality of the buidlings downtown, but they must be up to code.
$100 refundable deposits should have been something the Morning Call had known about. Your are right about them cheerleading for City Center; but nor more than reporter Tim Darragh does for Obamacare.
Journalism is dead in America. We have crony capitalism and crony journalism.
Luxury condos in Allentown..does anyone realize what an oxymoron that even is.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great view you'll have at the top- miles of dilapidated neighborhoods, trash strewn lots, overgrown parks. That is hilarious! These people are delusional. Who in the hell is going to move downtown- oh wait, I forgot the FABULOUS school district and the unparalleled safety of the modern gas lines.
bwah hahahahaha Keep Dreaming