Except for the 800 block of Hamilton Street, the merchants of center city are on their own about snow and litter. After the snow finally melted, the parking spaces and sidewalks were back to the accumulated litter and left over leafs from the fall. Although disruption of service can be expected with so much construction, what we're seeing is total disregard for the existing, taxpaying businesses of downtown. Although their state taxes are being funneled to the beneficiaries of the NIZ, they are not receiving even basic service. Although Pawlowski and Company may think that they can deter service until the arena project is complete, do a cleanup, and people will come, the locals don't roll that way. Perceptions and patterns are made over time, and a few new shiny buildings won't change that.
above reprinted from December of 2013
UPDATE FEBRUARY 3, 2021: Seven years since I wrote the post above, so I suppose the future is here now. The arena has been built, there are many new shiny buildings, and Pawlowski has been removed. The former merchants of Hamilton Street are all gone now, and there's no longer even a pretense of Hamilton as a shopping venue. While there's many new office workers, real revitalization only exists in the developer's brochures.
Miss old allentown! Never going to b the same, as many other cities!! I miss lehs,zohlingers,hess and others! Feeling safe when outside,seeing children out playing until dusk! I lived in the 900 blk north 5th st. Many great memories!!
ReplyDeleteThe world is changing and many think it is not for the best intrests of the average American citizen.
ReplyDeleteI worked on Hamilton street in the late 80s in the 1000 block and honestly nothing was different then. Allentown took it's redevelopment tax and did nothing with it to support the businesses. The only thing we saw was a guy going up and down the sidewalks with a glorified leaf blower a couple days a week
ReplyDeleteWith the thought that the pandemic introduced/forced the "work from home" paradigm that might survive into the future, I wonder what effect this changed landscape might have on the new downtown structures?
ReplyDelete