There's not many mid size cities that can boast having two national chain stores within one center city block, Allentown could. Not too many cities could say that one of those stores was one of the biggest producers in a chain of over 7000 stores, Allentown could. There's not many cities that are ignorant enough to tear down their most successful block, a virtual tax machine, Allentown is. This horrible mistake took a combination of political arrogance and public misconception. The arrogance is well known, so let me concentrate on the misconception. The perception was a few undesirable people, buying cheap things. The reality is Family Dollar sells the same merchandize in their suburban and rural stores. Rite Aid fills the same prescriptions and sells their standard merchandize. The new upscale stores, visioned for the arena front, will never produce the sales tax produced by Family Dollar and Rite Aid. The arena will never have that amount of employees, nor produce that much earned income.* The traffic congestion and lack of parking for arena events will destroy the new restaurants. Welcome to the white elephant, welcome to the ghost town.
Shown above and below is the early morning delivery to Family Dollar, every week of the year.
*sales tax and earned income currently going to city and state will now go to debt service for arena
above reprinted from December of 2011 ADDENDUM JUNE 5, 2024:Since I wrote the above post almost thirteen years ago, nobody can say that there is still shopping on Hamilton Street. I know that there's a few stores still open, but it's certainly no longer a shopping district. Exactly what kind of district it is is debatable. I think urban office park is most descriptive. One would think that after $2Billion of taxpayer dollars, there would be much more vitality.
The saddest part of this boondoggle is that many residents believe these billions of tax dollars will be replaced by newly generated ADDITIONAL tax dollars now coming to Pennsylvania as a result of the NIZ.
ReplyDeleteSimple math tells us this will NOT happen in our lifetimes. It seems, our failing Morning Call isn’t very good at math.
It looked bad. These stores gave a bad appearance. Hamilton Street had just been de-cluttered with the canopy's being removed and these weren't the type of businesses the city wanted to show off it's main street. An urban renewal project was needed and turn Allentown (at least Hamilton Street) into a 21st-century city. Make it a mini Fifth Avenue, you know? And you know the rest of the story......
ReplyDeleteI wish the intentions were that pure. I suspend rather a state sanctioned real estate scheme, by and to benefit a small group of people.
DeleteI'm pleased with the improvements downtown and the new buildings make it seem possible for Allentown to have a nice downtown. The PPL Center, the DaVinci Center and the Strata buildings give the impression that downtown Allentown is bustling and on the verge of a come back. That said, I have to agree with critics that there is almost no street level presence of new residents and downtown feels like an "urban office park" after everyone has driven home. It seems like downtown needs a few anchor stores that new residents could walk to. The 3 story Giant at 23rd and Arch Street in Philadelphia is a great example of a store that might work wonders for the street level vitality in central Allentown.
ReplyDelete10:28 AM. Allow me to glibly summarize your comment as “nice buildings, no people.” Remember “Neutron Jack?” It was a name given to Jack Welch when he first took over GE and he proceeded to improve profits by firing people. At the time, the neutron bomb was in the news, and it was said to kill people but leave buildings intact. That was how some viewed Welch’s reign at GE…buildings remained but the people were gone.
DeleteI wonder if JB Reilly’s first name is actually Jack.
Michael,
ReplyDeleteI noticed an uptick of people hanging around 7th and Hamilton Street in the last couple of evenings… it must be high school graduation season. I wonder how the surrounding businesses are doing with all the extra people mobbing the downtown? I imagine they had to call in extra staff to take care of the hordes of people flooding the restaurants and the stores had to extend their hours for the extra business that was generated.
(Sarcasm Intended)
I remember back in the day Allen High using the School District Stadium for graduation ceremonies. Because of the weather issues… all high schools moved their ceremonies to the new Stabler Arena on the southern campus of Lehigh University. Now that venue sits empty most of the year… as the new venue of choice is the PP&L Center.
Just Sayin!
A wawa (w/out) gas dispensers, a small market (perhaps in the underutilized Allentown Market), and a premium liquor store would help. People live in those apartments, they need to start having local options. One can lament the loss of many older facades, but to be honest, many were decrepit. Sometimes older building should be preserved, sometimes it does not make sense. As one drives down Hamilton now (as I do practically every weekday morning for work) one can see an attractive street coming into place. They need to control the motorbike gangs (decent effort as of late), stop the stupid double parking everywhere and repave hamilton, it is a nightmare of hodgepodge cutting and patching due to construction and gas line replacement. Some of the dips are damaging to vehicles and wheels. The PPL Center desperately needs more events. The new entertainment venue should help put some feet on the ground. If there is a reason to be downtown, people will come. Right now, a couple of restaurants an empty arena, an underutilized symphony hall, ain't cutting it.
ReplyDeleteMichael, the last comment about more events at the arena. Made me think about Symphony Hall and the fact that very little happens there in that venue. That would be a great place for Comedians, Singers, Bands. The State Theatre in Easton, The Keswick Theatre in Glenside, are bringing acts to their stage and doing a great job of it.
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile the lonely Symphony Hall sits there underutilized. Wait until JB Reilly’s Archer Music Hall opens and has bands coming into town. That could be the final nail in the Symphony Hall coffin!
I seem to remember Symphony Hall was making good progress in the turn of the millennium. What was hotly contested was when their prime parking lot, SE corner of 6th & Linden, was planned to become symphostrata, or something. Mrs. Eichenwald on CIty Council lamented that the handicapped parking, and short walking distance for the Hall’s clientele, was being sacrificed for NIZ without equivalent replacement. Another example of single factor planning (or multi-dimensional diabolical destruction) messing up a good thing for the advantage of another.
ReplyDelete