The Morning Call has spun Reilly's NIZ since before it began. The newspaper, whose building was included in the NIZ map even though it was on the wrong side of Linden Street, has acted as a virtual press agent for Reilly's NIZ, aka City Center Real Estate. A half dozen reporters, who have come and gone, have written a hundred articles promoting every new building in Reilly's empire.
Yesterday's article concedes that the vendors have turned over in the Market place, but reports that now it's a hopping success. It's nice for Reilly that he never had to hire a publicist. He in turn bought the Morning Call building for a cigarette warehouse. As if the state taxes diverted for his debt service wasn't enough, Pat Browne sweetened Reilly's pot with the state cigarette tax.
While this blog covered the story of the displaced former merchants of downtown, the newspaper never had a word to say about their plight. You may not be able to read about Reilly's Art Walk Market place, that article is a treat for Morning Call subscribers only.
ADDENDUM: The previous Morning Call Reilly promotion on Wednesday told us that Allentown developers poured millions of dollars into office space. The article did refer to a unique tax plan, but didn't elaborate on how unique it is. There has always been tax incentives for center city, at least since the 1970's. Those incentives, such as the KOZ (Keystone Opportunity Zone), gave developers reduced taxes. The NIZ actually takes employee state taxes and gives them to Reilly for his debt service on the buildings...So we have privately owned buildings being paid for by the public. We taxpayers then also have to pony up or give up for other state services. This year Pa. held back on $100 million which was going to be used for school vouchers. Over $70 million went to Reilly's debt service, you do the math.
Check out the 1100 block of Hamilton Street next time you are downtown, it's transforming from a deteriorating, slummy block of absentee owner rentals and decaying businesses into a vibrant and rapidly improving block. There's a lovely building on the SW corner of 11th & Hamilton that has been recently restored. I'd always been so worried about the segment of Hamilton Street between the Library (12th Street) and the PPL Building (9th Street) and I have to honestly say that the on-going improvements are amazing.
ReplyDeleteReally? Perhaps I am missing your sarcasm. I went to the boost mobile phone store there two days ago to get get a new phone. It was the shell of a store, the bored sales person had little interest in doing anything but directing me to a better stocked nearby location on America's Parkway. It was also easy to find parking, what does all this indicate
Deleteanon cheerleader@8:08, I'm there all the time, as my own photos on this blog can attest. Yes, our taxes are being used for facade grants and new sidewalks, because Reilly wants a nicer view for his new apartments. I won't be printing all of your type nonsense comments, the Morning Call already does that for Reilly.
ReplyDeletescott@8:18: Yes, those stores have new lipstick, but the operations are still the same. The barbershop, like all the others in town, especially on 7th, have a "doorman". Years ago I did a whole photographic series on Allentown barbershops... couldn't image doing that now a days... at best I would have a broken camera, or worse there might be a missing blogger.
ReplyDelete“There has always been tax incentives for center city, at least since the 1970's”
ReplyDeleteIt’s funny, I’m old enough to remember when downtown property owners PAID an additional tax to fund the Downtown District Improvement Authority (DIDA). I believe the amount of the tax was equal to a property’s city property tax bill. It wasn’t voluntary, and I think that non-payment carried the same consequences as not paying one of your other property tax bills.
I’m not cheerleading for the DIDA, but you have to marvel at a time when downtown improvements were directly funded by the property owners who directly benefited from them.
Today, we all pay for the improvements to make downtown property owners (owner) millionaires and billionaires.
My, the progress we’ve made!
Does Allentown even have a Mayor? This guy is absent more often than any other employee in the entire City. He spends his days with his harem of mean girls that he has surrounded himself with on the fifth floor causing infighting between departments. He ignores the real issues plagued by the City and its employees because somewhere there is a photo opportunity for him that he may miss. The City needs a leader, not a photo happy drama queen.
ReplyDeleteanon@5:16: I print your comment with some hesitation. Years ago I had more sources at city hall for feedback on such complaints, but they have mostly aged out. As a blogger I want to be open to problems not discussed elsewhere, but not host unwarranted accusations.
ReplyDelete