an advisory services panel report downtown allentown...

A N A D V I S O R Y S E R V I C E S P A N E L R E P O R T

Downtown AllentownPennsylvania

Urban LandInstitute$

Downtown AllentownPennsylvaniaEnergizing the Vision for Downtown

March 21–26, 2004An Advisory Services Panel Report

ULI–the Urban Land Institute1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W.Suite 500 WestWashington, D.C. 20007-5201

An Advisory Services Panel Report2

ULI–the Urban Land Institute is a non-profit research and education organiza-tion that promotes responsible leadership in the use of land in order to enhance

the total environment.

The Institute maintains a membership represent-ing a broad spectrum of interests and sponsors awide variety of educational programs and forumsto encourage an open exchange of ideas and shar-ing of experience. ULI initiates research that an-ticipates emerging land use trends and issues andproposes creative solutions based on that research;provides advisory services; and publishes a widevariety of materials to disseminate information onland use and development.

Established in 1936, the Institute today has morethan 23,000 members and associates from 80 coun-tries, representing the entire spectrum of the landuse and development disciplines. Professionals rep-

resented include developers, builders, propertyowners, investors, architects, public officials,planners, real estate brokers, appraisers, attor-neys, engineers, financiers, academics, students,and librarians. ULI relies heavily on the expe-rience of its members. It is through member in-volvement and information resources that ULIhas been able to set standards of excellence in -development practice. The Institute has long beenrecognized as one of America’s most respectedand widely quoted sources of objective informa-tion on urban planning, growth, and development.

This Advisory Services panel report is intendedto further the objectives of the Institute and tomake authoritative information generally avail-able to those seeking knowledge in the field ofurban land use.

Richard M. RosanPresident

About ULI–the Urban Land Institute

©2004 by ULI–the Urban Land Institute1025 Thomas Jefferson Street, N.W. Suite 500 WestWashington, D.C. 20007-5201

All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of the whole or anypart of the contents without written permission of the copy-right holder is prohibited.

ULI Catalog Number: ASA073

Allentown, Pennsylvania, March 21–26, 2004 3

The goal of ULI’s Advisory Services Programis to bring the finest expertise in the realestate field to bear on complex land use plan-ning and development projects, programs,

and policies. Since 1947, this program has assem-bled well over 400 ULI-member teams to helpsponsors find creative, practical solutions forissues such as downtown redevelopment, landmanagement strategies, evaluation of develop-ment potential, growth management, communityrevitalization, brownfields redevelopment, militarybase reuse, provision of low-cost and affordablehousing, and asset management strategies, amongother matters. A wide variety of public, private,and nonprofit organizations have contracted forULI’s Advisory Services.

Each panel team is composed of highly qualifiedprofessionals who volunteer their time to ULI.They are chosen for their knowledge of the paneltopic and screened to ensure their objectivity.ULI panel teams are interdisciplinary and typi-cally include several developers, a landscapearchitect, a planner, a market analyst, a financeexpert, and others with the niche expertiseneeded to address a given project. ULI teamsprovide a holistic look at development problems.Each panel is chaired by a respected ULI mem-ber with previous panel experience.

The agenda for a five-day panel assignment is in-tensive. It includes an in-depth briefing day com-posed of a tour of the site and meetings with spon-sor representatives; a day of hour-long interviewsof typically 50 to 75 key community representa-tives; and two days of formulating recommenda-tions. Many long nights of discussion precede thepanel’s conclusions. On the final day on site, thepanel makes an oral presentation of its findingsand conclusions to the sponsor. A written reportis prepared and published.

Because the sponsoring entities are responsiblefor significant preparation before the panel’s visit,including sending extensive briefing materials toeach member and arranging for the panel to meetwith key local community members and stake-holders in the project under consideration, partic-

ipants in ULI’s five-day panel assignments areable to make accurate assessments of a sponsor’sissues and to provide recommendations in a com-pressed amount of time.

A major strength of the program is ULI’s uniqueability to draw on the knowledge and expertise ofits members, including land developers and own-ers, public officials, academicians, representativesof financial institutions, and others. In fulfillmentof the mission of the Urban Land Institute, thisAdvisory Services panel report is intended to pro-vide objective advice that will promote the re-sponsible use of land to enhance the environment.

ULI Program StaffRachelle L. LevittExecutive Vice President, Policy and Practice

Mary Beth CorriganVice President, Advisory Services and Policy Programs

Nancy Zivitz SussmanSenior Associate, Advisory Services

Nicholas GabelAssociate, Advisory Services

Jason BellPanel Coordinator, Advisory Services

Yvonne StantonAdministrative Assistant

Nancy H. StewartDirector, Book Program

Stella TarnayManuscript Editor

Betsy VanBuskirkArt Director

Martha LoomisDesktop Publishing Specialist/Graphics

Kim RuschGraphics

Diann Stanley-AustinDirector, Publishing Operations

About ULI Advisory Services


On behalf of the Urban Land Institute, thepanel members and staff wish to extend aspecial thanks to the Allentown EconomicDevelopment Corporation, participating

private sponsors, the city of Allentown, and thecounty of Lehigh for their leadership and supportduring this Advisory Services panel.

Special thanks are extended to Mayor Roy Affler-bach, County Executive Jane Ervin, Rob Osbornof the Allentown Economic Development Corpo-ration, Ed Pawlowski of the Department of Com-munity and Economic Development, Bob Wood ofAllentown Ahead, Jack Bradt of the HamiltonBusiness Center, Roland Sigal of the HamiltonBusiness Center, Michael Hefele of Allentown

Planning Department, and Linda Kauffman of Al-lentown Parking Authority.

The panel is indebted to the dozens of community,business, and government leaders who providedunique and valuable insights during the interviewprocess. The panel thanks all of these people foroffering their time and expertise, and for helpingthe panel understand the issues facing downtownAllentown from all perspectives.

Panel members appreciate the hospitality ex-pended to them by the people, businesses, andgovernment of Allentown, which made their stayenjoyable.

Acknowledgments


ULI Panel and Project Staff 6

Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment 7

Overview and Summary of Recommendations 10

Market Potential 13

Planning and Design 23

Development Strategies 29

Implementation Strategies 34

Conclusion 39

About the Panel 41

Contents


Panel ChairAnne WarhoverPresident/Chief Executive OfficerDowntown Denver Partnership, Inc.Denver, Colorado

Panel MembersGuillermo M. AguilarVice PresidentTELACUSanta Ana, California

Elinor R. BaconPresidentE.R. Bacon Development, LLCWashington, D.C.

Thomas CurleyDirector of Urban PlanningHOKNew York, New York

H. Cales GivensPrincipal/Vice PresidentEDAW, Inc.Denver, Colorado

Hermann J. KircherPresidentKircher Research Associates, Ltd.Toronto, OntarioCanada

F. Anthony (Tony) OrbeManaging MemberEquinox Consulting, LLCNew York, New York

Richard T. ReinhardPrincipalNiagara Consulting GroupAtlanta, Georgia

ULI Project StaffAnita KramerDirectorRetail Development

Nancy Zivitz SussmanSenior AssociateAdvisory Services

Jason BellPanel CoordinatorAdvisory Services

ULI Panel and Project Staff


The city of Allentown has been unusually ac-tive over the last seven years, undertakingnumerous activities and programs focusedon downtown. The list is long and compre-

hensive, and includes grant programs for façadeimprovements, loan programs for conversion ofupper floors to housing, tax leniencies for develop-ment on particular sites, specific studies of down-town housing and retail markets, and a masterplan for the cultural arts and entertainment dis-trict.

The overall guide to pursuing, developing, and/or implementing these programs has been theHunter report, a 1997 consultant study. It is clearthat this report has served the city well. Now, witha number of developments in place or well under-way—the PPL Plaza, the streetscape improve-ments on Hamilton Street, the reuse of HamiltonPlaza Hotel, the new Lehigh County HistoricalSociety museum, an addition to Symphony Hall,expansion of the Allentown Art Museum, the ini-tial phase of the Arts Walk, and the America onWheels Museum—the city believes it is time foran updated roadmap for the next round of action.

Certain key challenges remain. The city stillstruggles with attracting enough vibrant retailand commercial development to change the imageof downtown from a place that “no one” comes to,to one that is a center of city life. Blessed with anarray of organizations and departments enthusias-tically interested in downtown, the city still mustmake a great effort to coordinate these interestsfor maximum efficiency and effectiveness.

In recognition of these challenges and the suc-cesses to date, the Allentown Economic Develop-ment Corporation (AEDC), in partnership withthe city of Allentown, the county of Lehigh, and agroup of private sector sponsors, asked the panelto assist in identifying key strategies that wouldresult in bringing community and development in-

Foreword: The Panel’s Assignment

terest back to the downtown district. Specifically,the panel was asked to:

• Identify uses—commercial, residential, visitor,and higher education facilities—that can thrivein downtown Allentown;

• Recommend planning and design guidelinesthat support recommended market components,improve aesthetics, and improve circulation;

• Propose development strategies and specify pri-ority projects; and

Above: Location map. Atleft: Regional map.

Lake Er ie

AllentownBethlehem

Reading

Scranton

Wilkes-Barre

Wilmington

CamdenCherryHill

Philadelphia

Pittsburgh

Lancaster

Harrisburg Trenton

MARYLAND

NEW YORK

OHIO

WEST VIRGINIA

NEW JERSEY

PENNSYLVANIA

209

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206

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B E R K S

B U C K S

C A R B O N

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L A N C A S T E R

O N

L E H I G H

M O N T G O M E R Y

N O R T H A M P T O N

P H I L A D E L P H I A

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Allentown Bethlehem

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• Provide implementation strategies that createstructure and coordination among the largenumber of downtown supporters.

Context and Background InformationDowntown Allentown is centered along HamiltonStreet from 4th Street to 13th Street. It is thisstreet segment specifically that defines the healthand image of downtown, both practically and per-ceptually. The briefing materials provided to thepanel also defined downtown as including blocksnorth of Hamilton Street to Linden Street andsouth of Hamilton Street to Walnut Street.

Allentown is in southeastern Pennsylvania, about80 miles west of New York City and Newark, and60 miles north of Philadelphia. Over the pastdecade, Allentown has become attractive to asmall but growing number of people who are em-ployed in these major metropolitan areas and are

willing to trade a longer work commute for lower-priced housing. Still, Allentown and the surround-ing Lehigh Valley are essentially a separate econ-omy, providing employment for most ofAllentown’s resident population. According to the2000 U.S. Census, 78 percent of Allentown resi-dents work in Lehigh County and an additional 11percent work elsewhere in Lehigh Valley.

Allentown is the seat of Lehigh County and thelargest of three cities in Lehigh Valley. Allen-town’s population, which was 206,632 in the 2000U.S. Census, has remained fairly stable over thelast ten years. Bethlehem, immediately east of thecity, has a population of 71,329, and further east,Easton has a population of 26,263. About 35 per-cent of the population in the Valley resides inthese three cities while 65 percent lives outsidethe cities’ boundaries. It is interesting to note thatAllentown is the third largest city in Pennsylva-nia, after Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, but it iscloser in size to Erie, Reading, and Scranton thenthe two largest cities.

Downtown Allentown was once the commercialcenter of Lehigh Valley—the main shopping dis-trict and employment node. Hamilton Streethosted thriving retail with department storesand a variety of smaller stores, as well as thecounty courthouse, county government, city gov-ernment, PPL headquarters, various bank re-gional office/service facilities, and Class A officespace tenanted primarily by attorneys’ officeswho chose to be near the courthouse.

Downtown Allentown’s role as a commercial cen-ter has dramatically been impacted by a series ofdevelopments, including major retail projectswithin two miles of the center, the demise ofdowntown department stores, the loss of a ClassA office building to a sinkhole, and the develop-ment of suburban office parks. The courthouse re-mains, but attorneys do not appear to need imme-diate proximity as they once did. While specificchanges in the city core would have, by them-selves, impacted the downtown profile, develop-ment patterns elsewhere have seriously impairedthe ability to easily replace those losses. Further,the demographics of the city have changed, with a predominantly lower-income ethnic populationconcentrated in downtown neighborhoods.

Above: The panel dis-cusses observationsduring a walking tour of downtown Allentown.Right: Mayor RoyAfflerbach introduces thepanel’s final presentation.


The new population could very well representfresh opportunities, although the current percep-tion is that these demographic changes have takendowntown Allentown one more step away fromwhat it used to be. Further, a major concernvoiced by the city and stakeholders is that thegeneral public—seeing high vacancies and lackof foot traffic—perceives downtown to be unsafe.The city’s police data prove this to be unfounded.The panel believes that it will be critical to changethis common perception as part of downtown’s re-vitalization, and it addresses the issue in its analy-sis and recommendations.


• New projects should be designed to welcomepedestrians and create an environment that en-courages downtown visits.

Prior to developing specific recommendations, thepanel also drew up general supporting guidelines,as follows:

• Downtown should be safe, clean, and friendly. Inother words, trash must be removed, sidewalkscleaned, and lighting improved on side streets.

• The Latino community should be recognized asa strong source of support for retail, housing,and new business. The “cultural divide” must bebridged.

• Signage for streets, places, and parking shouldbe visible and say “we want you here” to bothvehicular and pedestrian traffic.

Specific development recommendations are madein the context of three districts—a concept drawnfrom previous planning documents and further re-fined during the course of the panel’s study. Retailis addressed separately after the discussion of thedistricts as certain retail has a place throughoutand near downtown.

The districts extend from about 4th Street to about13th Street. An existing night club and entertain-ment district between Front and 4th streets isgrowing and developing based on its own energyand initiatives, and supports the three districtswest of 4th Street. The panel believes that the seg-ment of Hamilton Street from 4th to 13th streetsrepresents the downtown core from a practicalperspective and, therefore, this segment is thepanel’s primary focus. The panel notes, however,that activity to the east of this core area, notablythe America on Wheels Museum and Lehigh Land-ing, is vital to the core in terms of linkages and in-fluence. Unique regional attractions such as these,in close proximity to the downtown core, help inseveral ways: They improve the image of the gen-eral area; they expand the number of leisure and

One of the strongest impressions the panelhas of downtown Allentown is that of aplace with extensive activity already un-derway, and of the positive momentum this

has created. The panel supports the continuationof all programs and initiatives but offers recom-mendations regarding additional catalyst projects,priorities, and implementation structure.

From a broad perspective, the panel views thesuccess of downtown Allentown as critical to theeconomic growth of Lehigh Valley. As the largestcity in the Valley and one with the most extensivedowntown infrastructure, a vibrant Allentown isboth a symbol and a reflection of the general well-being of the area. Regardless of where LehighValley residents live or work, a healthy urban coreprovides them with a unique blend of enrichingamenities, facilities, and activities—culture, edu-cation, employment, recreation, homes, and aplace to gather. With commitment from both thepublic and private sectors, the panel believes thatdowntown Allentown can, and will, become themost important urban center of Lehigh Valley.

Prior to developing specific recommendations,panel members identified the following develop-ment principles, intended for use by the city as itconsiders new downtown development proposals.They also served as guidelines for the panel’s work:

• Downtown Allentown should be considered firstfor any development or relocation proposed inLehigh County, i.e., Downtown First!

• Development should result in more people onHamilton Street—a means to address the per-ceived lack of safety.

• Development should provide support for, and beconnected to, existing and future facilities, there-by creating a place rather than individual projects.

Overview and Summary ofRecommendations


recreational destinations, thereby creating astronger overall destination; and they provide anadditional visitor base for downtown attractionsand facilities to draw on.

Commercial DistrictThe panel recommends the development of twonew anchor projects in the downtown commercialdistrict (Hamilton Street from 7th through 10thstreets). The first project should support the dis-trict’s destination hotel, the Crowne Plaza. Thesecond project should create a new destination.Both will bring new users to the PPL Plaza, theCrowne Plaza Hotel, the 800 block of HamiltonStreet, and the Allentown Brew Pub now underconstruction—and will increase the number ofpeople on the street. The first priority will be todevelop a new conference and exhibit center,which will result in increased use of the hotel. Amultipurpose venue should follow. The next stepin realizing these projects will be research to de-termine the requirements of potential users.

The panel emphasizes the importance of complet-ing pending office and retail projects—the 800block and the Allentown Brew Pub—as well asleasing the 30,000 square feet at PPL Plaza. Theseare also catalyst projects for the district, and willplay a key role in raising the level of daily activity.

When completed, the projects will provide a newenvironment, each giving people one more reasonto come downtown.

The Arts DistrictThe catalyst activity in the arts district (HamiltonStreet from 4th Street to Center Square at 7thStreet) primarily comprises the continuation, ex-pansion, and coordination of a wide range of exist-ing projects. The panel additionally recommendsthe introduction of several new projects into thedistrict—a child-focused facility, an open-spaceamenity on the sinkhole site, relocation of existingfestivals to the arts district, and an arts or Span-ish-language theater. Panel members suggest thecreation of a management position in support ofthe district’s cultural activities. The new managerwould coordinate and cross-promote arts and en-tertainment events to maximize their exposureand use. Numerous successful activities will be re-

quired to create a true destination. The panelviews the arts district as one of downtown’s signa-ture areas, and makes its recommendations withthe intent to support and encourage the momen-tum already under way.

Library Residential DistrictThe catalyst for activity in the library residentialdistrict (Hamilton Street from 10th to 13th streets)around Allentown’s main library is housing. Hous-ing in its many forms—townhomes, condominiums,and apartments—will bring more people into thearea and transform the image of downtown. Thehousing stock around the Main Library can be in-creased through infill development, rehabilitation,code enforcement, and the conversion of commer-cial upper floors to residential use. In-town resi-

Above: The 800 block ofHamilton Street is alreadyundergoing revitalization,including: conversion ofthe old Harold’s Furniturebuilding into a brew pub,apartments, and offices;and remodeling of thecorner property for a mixof office, residential, andretail uses. At left: TheBaum School of Art hasbeen a fixture in Allentownfor almost 80 years, andat its current location—5th and Linden streets—for almost 20 years. It isone of the key anchors of the arts district.


dential development has been shown to be one ofthe essential components in the revitalization ofolder downtowns.

Diverse urban housing attracts a mix of profession-als, students, and artists—including those who arelooking for move-up housing from nearby neigh-borhoods, those moving in from other metropoli-tan areas, and those who are looking for a changefrom suburban communities. This area will bemore visually appealing and will become morevital as housing availability and choices increase,and more people consider downtown their home.

RetailThe panel considered the current downtown retailpotential from two perspectives—that of the down-town neighborhood and of the larger region.

To serve the population on the fringe of down-town, the panel recommends development of amodern community shopping center, optimally lo-cated north of Hamilton Street and in close prox-imity to the proposed Multi-Modal TransportationCenter. It is likely that local-serving stores now onHamilton Street would relocate to such a center,allowing for a general upgrade of retail establish-ments on Allentown’s main street.

While the panel does not believe that traditionalretail is coming back to Hamilton Street, the panelsees the potential for niche specialty stores sup-ported by a wider market. Growth in the currentnumber of specialty stores will most likely follow alarger “driver” and therefore the panel’s recom-mendations are conditional on particular changesdowntown.

Implementation StrategiesIn drawing up recommendations, the panel alsofocused on implementation strategies that willhelp Allentown realize its revitalization goals.The panel’s recommended strategies for movingdowntown Allentown into the future are summa-rized below:

• The private sector organizes, leads, and sup-ports a vision for downtown.

• Allentown Economic Development Corpora-tion’s sole purpose is to plan and implementcritical downtown development projects.

• Public agencies with particular relevance todowntown revitalization coordinate and focustheir efforts.

• A “Downtown Summit” educates the citizens ofAllentown and Lehigh Valley on the many posi-tive developments occurring downtown—andsimultaneously invites them to become involvedin shaping downtown’s future.

• A clear and concise agenda specifies exact goals.

• An independent financial expert evaluates fi-nancing tools now in place as well as effectivetools not yet in use for downtown Allentown.

• Better marketing efforts are used to promotedowntown and address both consumers andbusinesses.

• Universities engage in downtown revitalization,whether through location or field projects,thereby providing fresh ideas and insights.

• The city recognizes that any efforts made indowntown must be supported by long-term eco-nomic development strategies for the city as awhole.

Downtown revitalization often is the result ofone project/one step at a time, and Allentown hasclearly taken many steps forward. The city’s agen-cies and leaders have the experience, the inter-est, and the resources to continue progress—andto make downtown a vital center of the city andthe Valley.

The Main Library, locatedon Hamilton Streetbetween 12th and 13thstreets, serves as a com-munity center for nearbyneighborhoods and pro-vides continuity betweenresidential areas anddowntown.


Downtowns across the country are experi-encing renewed interest from businessesand the general public. Many are success-fully being transformed from abandoned

cores into vibrant centers of activity. Given down-town Allentown’s fitting role as the center of thecity and Lehigh Valley, the panel evaluated a rangeof markets and activities to determine how theycan contribute to energizing downtown. Membersconsidered the office market, retail market, hos-pitality market, residential market, and arts andentertainment.

Office MarketOne essential component of vibrant downtowns isan active employment base, which provides day-time use of buildings and infrastructure, and sup-ports other ongoing activities such as restaurants,retail, and service businesses.

Lehigh Valley had 324,247 jobs in 2000, accordingto the Lehigh Valley Commission. The area’s un-employment rate was 5.4 percent in 2002, accord-ing to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor andIndustry. Lehigh County accounted for 65 percentor 210,244 of the Valley’s jobs and had an unem-ployment rate similar to that of the Valley. Allen-town accounted for 26 percent or 55,498 of LehighCounty’s jobs.

Demand for Office SpaceThe Lehigh Valley Planning Commission projectsa growth of over 12,000 jobs in Lehigh Valley by2010. These figures belie the fact that certain sec-tors such as finance, insurance, real estate, andservices are projected to grow, while others, suchas manufacturing, transportation, utilities, andwholesale and retail sectors are projected to de-crease. The growth sectors all rely heavily on of-fice workers.

Downtown Allentown should and can be a reason-able alternative to suburban development for re-

gional growth sectors. It is centrally located in theValley, allowing employers to draw residents fromthroughout the region. Downtown can offer a uniqueenvironment, one that provides accessibility tolunchtime eating places, opportunities to shop andstroll, and proximity to other businesses. At thispoint, however, downtown faces stiff competitionfrom suburban office parks, as evidenced by thelarger number of workers outside downtown. Sub-urban settings often offer parking directly in frontof the building and newer space, and also most crit-ical at this time—a sense of safety. In 2000, onlysome 6,000 persons, representing about 11 percentof the city’s total workforce, were employed down-town. Much of this is government- or utility-basedemployment, neither of which is projected to grow.Further, as suburban office nodes strengthen, em-ployee bases downtown become further weakened.Major office buildings of 40,000 square feet or moreare concentrated outside of downtown, mainly alongRoute 22.

Downtown office employment declined sharplyin the 1990’s due to the collapse of a Class A high-rise office building into a sinkhole, bank merg-ers, and simultaneous growth of suburban officeparks. Since then at least some of the empty bankbuildings have been reused for nonoffice space,and downtown’s employment base appears littlechanged, if at all. The most significant event wasthe recent relocation of PPL employees into a newClass A building, developed by Liberty PropertyTrust, just east of the PPL tower. This move con-solidated existing PPL employees from scattereddowntown sites and did not represent a net in-crease in employment.

Currently, many of the largest employers in Allen-town are on Hamilton Street or within a few blocks.However, they are, for the most part, entities inowned, single-purpose buildings with little needfor outside space. Still, their location downtownprovides prestige and stability, and it brings peo-

Market Potential


ple in on a daily basis. These employers includeLehigh County, PPL, Sacred Heart Hospital/HealthCare System, Good Shepard Home/RehabilitationHospital, the city of Allentown, and Morning Call.Other large employers in Allentown, such as MackTrucks, would not require space downtown giventhe nature of their activities.

The panel notes the importance of new office spacethat is available, or coming on line soon, on Ham-ilton Street. This includes the new building de-veloped for PPL by Liberty, with 30,000 squarefeet of Class A office space available for lease. As Liberty is seeking a single tenant for the en-tire floor, this space has been on the market forsome time. A pending rehabilitation project islocated across the street from PPL at 818-822Hamilton. Both projects are on designated Key-stone Opportunity Zones (KOZs), which indicatesto the panel the value of this program to down-town revitalization.

The panel also is aware of efforts to lease vacantolder and rehabbed office space within severalblocks to the east of this node. This kind of avail-ability will begin the process of providing morecompetitive space downtown.

RecommendationsBased on the observations and analysis discussed,the panel makes the following recommendations:

• Create a dense node of employment and a visu-ally appealing new image in order to reestablishdowntown as a place to do business. This can beaccomplished by filling available new and re-habbed space and complimenting the PPL officecluster by completing the 800 block. The qualityof the new PPL building and the public plazacreates an anchor for this node. It can furtherbe anchored by the PPL tower and CrownePlaza Hotel.

• Direct any subsequent office development to lo-cations in close proximity to the new PPL build-ing and plaza.

• Seek the support of the largest non-governmentdowntown employers such as PPL and the near-by health care institutions to promote their lo-cation as a viable place for business.

• Make downtown Allentown the priority of allLehigh Valley economic development agencieswhen they assist prospective employers lookingto locate in the Valley.

Near right: This renova-tion and remodeling proj-ect at 818-822 Hamiltonis in a Keystone Opportu-nity Zone, a site-specificstate designation that re-duces or minimizes stateand local taxes. Far right:The PPL office tower atHamilton and 9th streetsstands out as the visualanchor for downtownwhen approached fromoutside Allentown.


• Develop awareness among businesses outsidethe city center that they have extensive parkingopportunities downtown. Outreach to realtors,the Chamber or Commerce, etc. Place signagethroughout downtown to insure awareness andinvite use.

• Continue to address the perceived lack of safetythrough media coverage of new development ofany kind in the downtown area.

Consider a program like Philadelphia’s Ambas-sador Program as a means to address safety con-cerns. The program’s Web site provides the fol-lowing description:

In their instantly recognizable and distinctiveteal uniforms, the Center City District’s commu-nity service representatives (CSRs) providepublic safety, hospitality, and outreach serviceswithin the boundaries of the Center City Dis-trict seven days a week. Patrolling on foot, theyare equally prepared to direct a lost tourist, pro-vide outreach to homeless individuals, or radiopolice as necessary. Uniformed, but unarmed,the CSRs are an effective deterrent to crime byserving as the ‘eyes and ears’ of the Philadel-phia Police Department. CSRs also serve asgoodwill ambassadors to the public.

Such a program is most effective after effortshave been implemented to keep downtown clean.

Retail MarketThe potential for retail development in downtownwas one of AEDC’s and the city’s main interestsdue to the area’s long and distinctive history asthe primary retail center for the city and the en-tire Lehigh Valley.

Three factors affect the current and near-termmarket for retail: existing and projected supply inthe surrounding area as well as in downtown; de-mand generated by the resident population baseboth in nearby neighborhoods and regionwide;and demand generated by office workers and thehotel. Each of these factors is addressed below.

Competitive SupplyDowntown’s distinctive role as a retail center ap-peared to end by 1996, when Hess’s—the last ofthe major downtown anchors—closed. This also

led to the closing of many smaller shops. At thesame time, regional and community-serving shop-ping centers were developed outside the city core,following residential development and locatingwhere vacant land was readily available. Emerg-ing suburban shopping centers not only offered analternative to downtown shopping, they eventu-ally supplanted it, providing the type of “modern”shopping environment that consumers had cometo expect and be comfortable with. It is worth not-ing that this shift in consumer support from down-town to the suburbs was repeated across thecountry over the last several decades.

The area’s existing retail stock is extensive andclose to the city, as indicated by the examples of

Lehigh Valley Shopping CentersMajor Shopping Centers Size1

Lehigh Valley Mall, Whitehall 1,100,000

Whitehall Mall, Whitehall 665,985

MacArthur Shopping Center, Allentown 604,100

Northhampton Crossings, Easton 522,170

Palmer Mall, Easton 458,542

South Mall, Allentown 378,000

Westgate Mall, Bethlehem 270,000

MacArthur Town Centre, Allentown 260,000

Tilghman Square, Whitehall 250,000

Neighborhood and Community Shopping Centers

Allen Street Shopping Center 46,500

Airport Shopping Center 75,000

American Parkway Shopping Center 80,000 2

Crest Plaza Shopping Center 156,000

K-Mart Plaza 161,218

Mountainville Shopping Center 115,000

Parkway Shopping Center 135,000

1Square feet of gross leasable area.2 Estimated.Source: National Research Board, Shopping Center Directory, 2001.


major and neighborhood shopping centers in thefigure on page 15.

Even today, the number of suburban shopping cen-ters continues to grow in Lehigh Valley. As dis-cussed in the February 24, 2004 issue of ShoppingCenters Today, three separate open-air, lifestyle-type centers have been proposed in the Valley.While it is likely that only one will actually be builtin the near future, this simultaneous interest is in-dicative of the growing strength of the retail mar-ket. The development teams for each of the threeproposed centers have a track record of successwith such generally upscale formats. Bayer Prop-erties and Forest City Enterprises propose an800,000-square foot open-air center called TheSummit in Bethlehem Township on Route 33, andare aiming for a 2006 opening. Poag & McEwen,the firm that originated the term “lifestyle cen-ter” proposes a 700,000 square foot lifestyle centerin Center Valley off of I-78, with a targeted open-ing in 2005. Stanberry Development proposes a 410,000 square foot hybrid lifestyle-powercenter at the intersection of Routes 22 and 512in Hanover Township, also with a planned open-ing in 2005.

Freestanding “big-box” stores continue to prolif-erate, with two proposals for the Leigh Parkway/Lehigh Street area—one for a Wal-Mart, the otherfor a Lowe’s.

Nevertheless, it is important to recognize thatdemand for downtown retail in Allentown has notdisappeared completely. On the one hand, a newconcentration of retail outlets appealing to thelower income groups in nearby neighborhoods hasemerged. Bargain stores in particular are abun-dant, although they do not necessarily sell at bar-gain prices. On the other hand, a group of retailershave successfully appealed to a citywide marketfor “funky” clothing and unique merchandise, suchas Garden Gate Natural Food, Planet Earth, MishMash, and a new children’s clothing store that sellsbaptismal outfits. Also, long established retailerswho have concentrated on goods and services witha stable demand, such as a jewelry store offeringclock repair services, have found a niche that iscommercially successful. More of these establish-ments could operate successfully and will likely beidentified in the upcoming downtown retail study.

Destination restaurants also have found a nichein downtown Allentown. Through the interviewprocess, the panel learned that at least two long-time destination restaurants, the Federal Grilland Bayleaf, are located downtown, and a newrestaurant, the Loop, has recently opened in thearea. The panel also learned that the AllentownBrew Pub, with 300 restaurant seats, is underconstruction as part of the conversion of the Har-old’s Furniture building, and the leasing of spacefor a large-scale destination restaurant is underdiscussion for the new PPL building. The brewpub is particularly noteworthy because it is lo-cally owned by the family who started and runsthe successful Bethlehem Brew Works. The place-ment of their second facility on Hamilton Streetis a strong positive statement that a location indowntown Allentown is viable when serving thewider region.

In addition to recognizing successful individualstores as a starting point, it is important to recog-nize that the older built environment along Hamil-ton Street provides a potential environment simi-lar to that created by “new” concepts in shoppingcenters. Such concepts include the lifestyle cen-

The Bay Leaf is an estab-lished, successful desti-nation restaurant indowntown Allentown.


ters noted earlier, town centers, main street de-velopments, and mixed-use developments. Theyemphasize, among other things, public gatheringspaces, entertainment in the form of a leisurelyphysical environment and restaurants, pedes-trian-scale and pedestrian-friendly layouts, andunique design and architecture. Many are basedon what older downtowns such as Allentown’sonce offered. Because Hamilton Street’s olderbuilt environment remains largely intact, it willprovide an ideal setting for these “new” concepts.

Demand from ResidentsTo become a true center for the city and region,downtown Allentown must serve all segments ofthe population—both close-in neighborhoods andcommunities across the region. It is important,however, to understand the size and nature ofthese constituencies.

Population. Allentown had a population of 106,632in 2000, according to the U.S. Census—a modestincrease of 1.5 percent over the 1990 Census popu-lation. Little growth is currently projected for Al-lentown over the next decade, most likely due a di-minished supply of large tracts of vacant land.

According to the city’s statistical information, thegreatest population growth occurred in neighbor-hoods abutting or close to downtown (referred toas “Center City”), where the population increasedby 1,273 people—a 3.8 percent increase since 1990.With 33,671 people, Center City was also the areawith the largest population in 2000, home to 32percent of the city’s population.

Lehigh County, the county in which Allentown islocated, and Northampton County, the adjacentcounty to the north, make up the Lehigh Valley,a region with 579,156 residents. The region itselfgrew 7.6 percent since 1990. Projections for theValley indicate that its population will grow an-other 7.6 percent and reach 620,471 by 2010,with 42 percent of the growth taking place inLehigh County.

Households. In contrast to the slight citywide pop-ulation increase, the number of households inAllentown decreased slightly, by 1.7 percent, be-tween 1990 and 2000. Similar to changes in pop-ulation, the greatest change occurred in Center

City, where the number of households decreasedby 8.9 percent. These seemingly divergent trendsare reflected in the fact that the city’s averagehousehold size increased from 2.36 to 2.42 per-sons per household, and average household sizein Center City increased from 2.47 to 2.73 per-sons per household. These increases signal thearrival of more children, a trend likely to con-tinue in the near future.

Income. Overall income of Allentown’s residentsis somewhat lower that that of Lehigh and North-ampton counties. The per-capita income in Allen-town was $15,869 in 1999 and the median house-hold income was $32,078. The per-capita incomeof Lehigh County residents was $21,897 and themedium household income was $43,449. Per-capitaincome of Northampton County was $21,399 andthe medium household income was $45,324.

Income is not evenly distributed throughoutAllentown—the neighborhoods immediately northand east of downtown are the poorest in the city.

Ethnicity. Over one-half of Allentown’s Latino pop-ulation currently lives in Center City. Overall, 24.4percent of Allentown’s population is Latino, achange from 1990 when 11.7 percent of the popula-tion was Latino.

Demand from Other ActivitiesDowntown workers are important as a source ofdaytime patronage. Although downtown employ-ment has changed little over the last eight years,several recent and pending projects will stimulategrowth of this daytime population. Occupancy ofthe 30,000 square-foot space at the Liberty build-ing will potentially add 100 to 130 office employ-ees. The new KNBT bank, restaurant, and per-sonal service outlet in the Liberty building willadd another 20 to 50 new employees. The reloca-tion of PennDOT into older buildings vacated byPPL will add some 300 additional employees tothe downtown area. Finally, the redevelopmentof the 800 block will add employees, although theexact configuration of the buildings is not knownat this time.

Guests at the Crowne Plaza Hotel also are an im-portant source of retail patronage, particularly foreating establishments. Future developments in

the arts district and events-oriented developmentalso will provide additional support for retail.

RecommendationsIn general, retail is a “follower” of rooftops andoffice space rather than a leader, unless there areunusual circumstances—those simply do not existin Allentown. Consequently, the historic retailfunction of downtown Allentown can no longerbe re-created. Moreover, it is obvious to thepanel, based on our local inspections, a review ofdominant market factors, and our experience, thattraditional retailing is not coming back to down-town Allentown.

To draw up meaningful recommendations, thepanel considered downtown retail potential fromtwo perspectives—that of downtown neighborhoodresidents and of the larger regional population.

The panel recommends development of a moderncommunity shopping center anchored by a majorsupermarket, drug store, and a range of conve-nience merchandise outlets, as well as personaland financial services to serve the new residentswho have migrated to downtown’s fringe neigh-borhoods. The recommended shopping centershould provide between 120,000 to 150,000 squarefeet of gross leasable area and preferably be de-veloped north of Hamilton Street. A location inproximity to the Multi-Modal Transportation Cen-ter may be of particular interest because of its ac-cessibility by car as well as public transit.

The most important feature of such a shoppingcenter will be its appeal to the neighborhood cus-tomer base. The high concentration of Latinoresidents in proximity to the site, and to down-town Allentown in general, should provide direc-tion for the tenant mix. The development of theshopping center will likely lead to relocations ofneighborhood retail from Hamilton Street to therecommended site, which would be a desirablechange facilitating the upgrading of retail onHamilton Street.

To encourage niche market specialty stores thatcould be supported by a wider market, the panelrecommends the following initiatives, each to suc-ceed the establishment of a larger “driver:”


• After the pending two restaurants are firmlyestablished, consider expansion and promotionof existing destination restaurants to create a“Restaurant Row.” The key point here is towait until after the two new restaurants haveproven successful.

• After a second college (satellite) campus locatesin downtown Allentown, encourage the estab-lishment of eating places nearby that appeal tocollege students.

• After an increase in residential development inthe downtown area, either through upper floorconversions to lofts or through new townhouseclusters, pursue the addition of convenience-oriented retail space, personal services, andlimited medical and dental services for thelocal population.

• After further development of the arts districtand upper floor lofts for artist residences, en-courage district retail that specializes in locallycreated art, commercial art, and antiques.

Finally, the panel understands that the city is inthe process of contracting with a consulting firmfor a detailed study of the downtown retail mar-ket. The panel recommends that final, specific di-rection be taken from this study.

Hospitality MarketBased on interviews with industry participants,the panel learned that Lehigh Valley’s 2003 hoteloccupancy rate was 63 percent, reflecting over850,000 room nights. The overwhelming bulk ofvisitors (88 percent) drive to the Valley, with themajority (60 percent) traveling from a startingpoint within the Middle Atlantic region. The im-portance of the visitor industry is suggested bythe economic impact of these visits—in 2001, themost recent year for which data is available, visi-tors to Lehigh Valley provided well over $500 mil-lion in direct or indirect sales, creating almost9,000 jobs and generating almost $100 million intax revenues.

Hotel facilities in downtown Allentown function inseveral ways. They provide local businesses withrooms for incoming business trips and for off-site


meetings, and they provide facilities for visitorsto Allentown, whether for leisure, business, orconference/convention trips. The hotel guests are,in turn, an additional source of demand for otherdowntown activity, particularly restaurants.

Downtown now has a first-class, newly renovatedCrowne Plaza hotel with 229 rooms, well poised tocapture a share of the current visitors and to in-crease visitor presence downtown. Prior to the re-opening of the Crowne Plaza, no other hotels werelocated within walking distance of Hamilton Streetbetween Front and 13th streets. The Crowne Plazaoffers meeting rooms that can accommodate 900people, but cannot provide for exhibit space at thesame time or for groups larger than 900.

Maintaining and expanding support for the hotelwill be a critical to energizing downtown. The pro-vision of additional space for exhibits and meetingspace could be a means to provide that additionalsupport.

RecommendationsThe panel considers a conference and exhibit fa-cility to be a viable option in downtown Allentownand recommends that the city undertake the nextlevel of research. This would entail evaluating ex-isting conference and exhibit facilities in LehighValley as far as level of use, user profile, and typeof space and services now offered, as well as iden-tifying users not now serviced by the existing facilities.

Development of such a facility adjacent to, or insome way directly accessible to, the Crowne Plazawould be optimal. The panel recommends that Ham-ilton Mall and the two buildings between the hoteland the mall be investigated as possible sites, andthat potential linkage be studied.

The owner and manager of the hotel should be aprimary participant in discussions regarding aconference and exhibit facility.

The panel also recommends that free or reducedrate parking be explored for downtown guests.As the vast majority of guests from outsideLehigh Valley drive to the area, parking costsare likely to be an important factor in their lodg-ing decisions.

Residential MarketResidential development has been shown to beone of the key components of vibrant downtowndistricts. In fact, in many cases residential devel-opment is the anchor. The panel understands thatthe city is in the process of contracting with a con-sulting firm for a detailed study of the downtownresidential market, so that a quantitative approachto discussing this market would be redundant. In-stead the panel focused on highlighting promisingniche market types that may be overlooked becauseof a lack of supporting historical evidence locally.

Recent Market ActivityFirst, the panel noted numerous nascent residen-tial activities in and surrounding downtown, all ofwhich point to a beginning of the type of residen-tial mix a vibrant downtown requires:

Lofts. The panel observed the following nascentloft activity: redevelopment of the Schoen’s Furni-ture building into 30 loft apartments; renovationof a former mill at 128-132 North 8th Street into20 loft apartments; and renovation of the Harold’sFurniture building to include 12 loft-style apart-ments above the new Allentown Brew Pub andrestaurant.

These projects are supported by the Upper Floorfor Housing Program—which provides no-interestloans of $5 per square foot of rehabilitated interiorspace, not to exceed $75,000 per project—and/orby the Pennsylvania Keystone Opportunity Zone(KOZ) program.

Seniors’ Housing. The panel observed the followingnascent housing activity for seniors: renovation ofthe Trojan Powder and First National Bank build-ings into 62 apartments for the elderly. This proj-ect is supported by the KOZ program.

Rehab in Old Allentown. The panel observed thefollowing nascent rehab activity in Old Allentown:homeowners are undertaking rehabilitation ofolder homes.

Weed and Seed. The panel observed the followingnascent “weed and seed” activity: systematic codeinspections in target area; and secured Lead PaintRemediation Grant from HUD for target area.


Proposal for Infill Townhomes. The panel observedthe following nascent infill townhome activity: awell-known suburban developer, Nic Zawarski &Sons, is interested in placing 34 townhomes on KOZsites near Walnut and 8th streets. The sites are cur-rently surface parking lots.

Proposal for Luxury Apartments. The panel ob-served the following nascent luxury apartmentactivity: City Line Construction’s proposal forthe 800 block of Hamilton Street includes fourluxury apartments.

Emerging Demographic TrendsSecond, the panel reviewed the population seg-ments that demographers have identified asnew sources of demand for downtown and urbanhousing:

“Young Literati.” A mix of young executives, pro-fessionals, and students who live in multifamilyapartments, condos, and townhouses near privateurban universities. They have few children. Theyare free to pursue their interests in art, fitness,and travel.

“Bohemian Mix.” An integrated mixture of writ-ers, artists, students, executives, and actors. Agroup that is dominated by singles, and has thesecond lowest index for children.

“Urban Achievers.” A bimodal group with a young/old profile, single students mixed with older pro-fessionals in business, finance, and public service.

A thriving arts district, an inventory of com-mercial and residential properties with histori-cal and/ or architectural significance, and rela-tively low acquisition costs will be prerequisitesfor attracting these segments of the market todowntown.

Further, the panel notes the small but growingnumber of transplants from New York and NewJersey, many of whom still work in those metro-politan areas. The diminished supply of availableland in Allentown and the urban orientation ofthese newcomers also points to a market segmentthat can be serviced well by a range of downtownhousing opportunities.

Near right: An example ofa private home renovationtaking place in downtownAllentown. Far right: Penn-rose Properties, the largestdeveloper and manager ofresidential properties inthe state, has expressedinterest in convertingthese two buildings intoapartments for seniors.


RecommendationsThe panel considers it especially important thatAllentown’s Latino neighborhoods be supportedthrough residential improvement programs. On-going upper story conversions and new develop-ment on Hamilton Street should support all seg-ments of the market. Both the nearby and largerarea markets will be well-served by developmentof infill townhome and multifamily housing. Thesetypes of housing provide an attractive alternativeto single-family homes in the suburbs. They alsoprovide a larger number of units per single devel-opment and create a significant visual and neigh-borhood impact. Therefore, the panel recommendsthat the city put a premium on completion of the34 townhomes and identify other possible multi-family sites in the vicinity.

Arts and EntertainmentThe panel was particularly interested in exist-ing arts and entertainment facilities and pro-grams, and the extensive plans already in place, as these can differentiate, define, and energize a downtown.

The panel views the arts district as one of down-town’s signature areas—a destination that candraw people from throughout the region. Thereis a greater concentration and diversity of artsand entertainment facilities in downtown Allen-town than in any other place in Lehigh Valley.As originally conceived, the district was to bebuilt around an “Arts Walk.” The panel believesthat the linkages will be reinforced and expandedby the expansion of the Arts Walk, programmingof the Arts Park, and by targeted areas of addi-tional arts development. Visitors to the district,in turn, stimulate the development of restaurantsand new retail.

There is no movie theater in downtown Allen-town. The existing demand is currently served bylarge-scale, multiplex theaters located in LehighValley Mall. Due to the distribution territories forfirst-run movies existing at this time, which thepanel has not investigated in detail, such a first-run theater may not be feasible downtown. Nev-ertheless a second-run arts movie house or Span-ish-language theater with two or three screens

A view of Symphony Hallfrom a segment of theArts Walk.


may well be warranted, but will need further in-vestigation.

RecommendationsThe panel considers it important to improve coor-dination and cross-promotion of existing arts andentertainment events, and to expand the pro-gramming of Symphony Hall and other adjacentfacilities. The relocation of some festival activitiesnow taking place outside downtown to the artsdistrict would also strengthen this area. Boardmembers and directors of all arts institutionsshould be primary participants in discussions ofexpanded programming and cross-promotion op-portunities.

Subsequent to the enhancement of existing facili-ties, programs, and activities, the addition of anappropriate regional attraction to downtown Al-lentown could significantly add to the revitaliza-tion of the area. Of greatest interest would be amultipurpose venue offering a large range of pop-ular events. These could include concert perfor-mance presentations with broad appeal—musicals,traveling Broadway productions, and fairs and ex-hibitions, as well as sporting events. A new facil-ity incorporating the latest technology regardinglighting, sound, state-of-the-art electronics and al-ternative, flexible configurations would provide adistinct advantage over any existing facility inLehigh Valley.

The greatest benefit to downtown Allentownwould be achieved if such a facility could be lo-cated on a site bordering Hamilton Street. Due tothe parking requirement of such a venue and thefact that most large parking structures in proxim-ity to Hamilton Street are underused in the even-

ing, it would be unnecessary to build new parkingif the multipurpose facility was located nearby.Potential sites may include the 0.86-acre vacantparcel immediately east of the new PPL building,and abutting properties directly adjacent to an800-car public parking garage. Several other loca-tions could potentially be assembled but may re-quire more demolition.

A well-operated venue of this type may offer 120to 150 events annually in its introductory period,with an even higher number once maturity isreached. The addition of several hundred or evena thousand persons to Hamilton Street duringevening hours, on a frequent basis, would repre-sent a vast improvement over current conditions.Its multiplier effect would have a very beneficialimpact on the hospitality industry. Such activityalso would contribute to a perception of greatersecurity, which usually results from increasedpedestrian traffic on the street.

The panel also considers it important to offer chil-dren a broader range of entertainment optionsthan are currently available downtown. The panelrecommends that the city explore development ofan attraction of interest to children such as a chil-dren’s museum or a “Discovery Zone” facility, or atechnical (how things work) museum. An attrac-tion for families, including children, will add to theoverall cultural offerings of the area.

The panel recommends that a traffic study be un-dertaken to determine the ability of downtownstreets to accommodate such events.


Three planning and design tools are specifi-cally relevant to the city’s initiatives in down-town Allentown: a vision plan; connectionsand linkages to the larger area; and design

and development guidelines.

Vision PlanThe Allentown vision plan shows the location of,and relationships among, various opportunityareas suggested by the built environment.

Library/Residential AreaThe panel took particular note of the Main Libraryand its vicinity between 10th and 13th streets. Thisneighborhood around the library is already wellestablished and it bridges Hamilton Street. Thestreet’s scale and character are compatible withthe qualities of a vibrant urban neighborhood.Building size and distribution allow in sun andlight, with opportunities for small shops, on-streetparking, and street trees. The library serves as acommunity center and magnet for nearby residen-tial areas, extending the urban fabric to downtown.Neighborhood residents use the library and sup-port small businesses and restaurants nearby.

Infill opportunities in the mid-block regions aroundMaple and Court streets, and architecturally sig-nificant buildings appropriate for renovation, willallow for further strengthening the residentialcharacter of the area. The plaza space in front ofthe library provides an opportunity for outdoorgatherings, with perhaps a café on the groundfloor and vendors, food carts, and outdoor tablesbringing activity out onto the street.

Business CoreThe concentration of office space and commercialamenities provides a business core for downtownbetween 7th and 10th streets. The PPL tower, thenew Liberty office building, and the Crowne Plaza

Hotel anchor this area. The height of the tower,the excellent design of the Liberty building, andthe open space of the plaza create a strong centralpoint. Infill and rehabilitation projects for addi-tional office space and supporting amenities, suchas a conference and exhibition space, would en-courage and expand recognition of this area as thebusiness core.

The multipurpose venue recommended in theprevious chapter, while not directly a businessamenity, would provide nighttime support forrestaurants in this area. Use of the undevelopedsite next to the PPL Plaza for such a facility is ap-propriate because it requires less demolition thanother downtown sites while allowing for use of oneof the largest existing parking structures.

Center SquareCenter Square—the intersection of Hamilton andSeventh streets—marks the main southbound en-trance into downtown. This is the historic cross-roads of the city, clearly designated by the his-toric monument. The panel believes that there aresome unique opportunities in this area due to thesink hole on Seventh Street.

Seventh Street, beyond being the southboundartery into downtown, is the linkage between theethnic neighborhood to the north and the Hamil-ton Street corridor. The panel proposes an activepublic open space on the sinkhole site to providean open space amenity in the area, as well as toencourage citywide markets and festivals. Light-frame park structures should be built to accommo-date a variety of events such as flower shows andfarmers’ markets, etc. The sinkhole site is consid-ered appropriate for park space because it is un-likely to be practical as a development site.

It will be important that streetscape improve-ments in this area be continued.

Planning and Design


Arts DistrictSymphony Hall, the Allentown Art Museum, theBaum School, and the Lehigh County HistoricalSociety museum form the heart of the arts districtcentered on the Arts Park—the “living room” ofthe area. Conversion opportunities, from commer-cial use to residential and/or artist workspace, areextensive in this area and are key to expandingthe district. Infill potential exists at 6th and Lin-den streets for additional artist space.

Civic CenterThe proximity of federal, county, and city build-ings creates a de facto civic center—a post office,the old and new county courthouses, and CityHall. The old county courthouse and post office inparticular are attractive landmarks for this area.Given that government activity is not expected to

grow, little change is expected in the civic center,but all together the current activity provides adistinct downtown anchor.

Connections and LinkagesIn order to keep the city’s revitalization focus onHamilton Street, activities that may take place out-side the downtown core should be carefully evalu-ated to ensure that they support downtown, or ata minimum, do not divert resources and energyfrom it. Potential activities to monitor fall intothree categories: land use; transportation and ac-cess; and greenways and place-making destinations.

Land UseIn order to create a healthy city core—locatedwithin a five-minute walk from Center Square—future development activities in the area must beguided by two supporting principles:

Vision plan.

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Key:

Parking

Apartments

Office

Mixed-Use Office/Retail

Multi-Modal Transportation Center

Arts Walk

Residential Infill Business Core

1. Library

2. Conference/Exhibition Facility

3. Crowne Plaza Hotel

4. PPL

5. Multipurpose Venue

6. Educational

7. Symphony Hall

8. Infill

9. The Baum School of Art

10. Allentown Art Museum

1 1 . City Hall

12. City Square

1 2 3

4 4 5


• A longer-term influence zone. This is generallya one-mile radius around Center Square. Revi-talization of neighborhoods, infill housing, andpreservation of Old Allentown historic buildingswithin the zone will enliven downtown. Similar-ly, development of ethnic retail districts to thenorth and east, and revitalization of communityretail districts along 7th Street and the westsegment of Hamilton Street will strengthen thedowntown city core.

• Increased employment opportunities adjacentto the core. Bring more employment adjacent tothe city center through brownfield developmentat three major industrial areas (along the corri-dor between Route 22 and I-78) to provide ac-cessible employment to inner city and down-town neighborhoods.

Transportation and AccessIn order to make downtown an easy place to findand get around in, transportation and access mustbe planned and developed according to the follow-ing guidelines:

• Establish gateways to downtown from the majorarterials and interstates—I-78 and State Route22. Use signage, landscape and lighting, as wellas quality development at these points.

• Distinguish the three main arrival points todowntown through landscaping and signage toprovide an attractive introduction. The threemain arrival points are 15th Street/ HamiltonStreet on the west, Center Square, and Ameri-can Parkway/Hamilton Street on the east.

• Differentiate the eight major routes to down-town based on local versus first-time visitor

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Arts District/Civic Center

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usage to make lighting, landscaping, and way-finding signage effective. The eight major routesare I-78/South Pike Avenue, I-78/Lehigh Street,Hamilton Street/Cedar Crest Boulevard, Tilgh-man Street/Cedar Crest Boulevard, 22/15thStreet, 22/7th Street, 22/American Parkway, andHanover Avenue to Hamilton from the east. Oncecompleted, the new American Parkway Bridgewill also become a well-used visitor route.

• Evaluate the one-way pairs and two-way streets.For example, the panel strongly recommendsthat Hamilton Street (from the river to CedarCrest Boulevard) and 7th Avenue (from StateRoute 22 to Union Street) become two-way. Asmentioned earlier, these streets may need to ac-commodate greater traffic volume during largedowntown events.

• Relocate the bus routes from Hamilton to Lin-den and Walnut streets in order to make Hamil-ton Street more pedestrian friendly.

Greenways and Place MakingIn order to create a more livable downtown, thedowntown area should be linked to surround-ing areas through greenways, bikeways, andpedestrian-friendly access streets. These shouldbe planned and developed according to the follow-ing guidelines:

• Pursue development and programming of ex-isting and proposed parks and public places.This includes the programming—special events,concerts, etc.—for the library plaza, PPLPlaza, Jordan Creek Park on 4th Street, and thepark at the end of 7th Street; re-landscaping ofCenter Square; completion of and programmingfor the Arts Park; a new festival park at the

Land use strategy.

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Hamilton Street15

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Hanover Avenue

Union Boulevard

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America

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Lehigh Landing andAmerica on Wheels

Key:

Neighborhood

Industrial Park

Core (5-minute walk)

One-Mile Radius

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sink hole site on 7th Street; and completion ofthe Lehigh Landing Riverfront Park.

• Link the existing and proposed parks through asystem of greenways, following existing creeks,streambeds, and the Lehigh River.

• Link the existing and proposed parks throughbikeways.

• Link neighborhoods adjacent to the core to Ham-ilton Street via pedestrian streets. For example,Church Street, Penn Street, and Jefferson Streethave the potential to be more pedestrian friendly.

Design and Development GuidelinesThe panel recommends the following:

• Parking garages should be prohibited on Hamil-ton Street. Any new garages should be located

between Walnut and Maple streets and betweenLinden and Courts streets.

• Once approval is received from the state, thecity should install signage that is clear and di-rectional for wayfinding and that includes cul-tural and entertainment destinations, majorcivic buildings, and public parking.

• The streetscaping program should continue to4th Street through the civic center to tie in withthe existing plan.

• Building height should be controlled and re-stricted to six floors along Hamilton Street from10th to 4th streets. The panel suggests a heightlimit of four stories in the more residential por-tion along Hamilton Street between 10th and13th streets.

Transportation andaccess.

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Hamilton Street

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15th

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Local Entry Hanover Avenue

Union Boulevard

Lehig

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Regi

onal

Entr

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American Parkway Region

al Entry

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Loca

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Key:

Gateways

Arrival Points

Core (5-minute walk)

2-Way

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• The panel supports the Hamilton Street FacadeProgram and encourages the city to adopt theregulations contained in the plan.

• Design review is important to safeguard againstincompatible design. Design guidelines providedirection in terms of scale, materials, color, set-backs, and the like.

Places and linkages.

Lehigh Landing andAmerica on Wheels

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Tilghman Street

Hamilton Street15

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Hanover Avenue

Union Boulevard

Lehig

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7thS

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Key:

Bikeways

Greenways

Pedestrian Streets

Parks

Trexler Memorial Park

7th Avenue Park

Jordan Creek Park

Lehigh Landing and America on Wheels

Public Spaces

Library Plaza

PPL Plaza

New Festival Park

City Square

Arts Park

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Muhlenberg College


The downtown development plan preparedby Hunter Interest, Inc. in 1997 focused onmethods and recommendations for market-ing downtown Allentown, as well as recom-

mendations for physical improvements. The panel’sdevelopment strategies attempt to build on thoseearly concepts and provide specific guidelines forphysical and economic development of HamiltonStreet between 4th and 13th streets, with limitedspillover to some adjacent streets. At the sametime, the panel recognizes that other developmenthas been taken—or will take place—outside thedowntown core. It therefore proposes that physi-cal linkages be provided between these projectsand downtown.

The panel recognizes that the dynamics of devel-opment in Allentown have changed (due to suchfactors as the growth of competing centers inBethlehem and Easton, and the recent influx ofimmigrants to Allentown), and that some earlyplanning concepts are therefore obsolete. Thepanel has attempted to offer a fresh and bold ap-proach to development strategies that the publicand private sector of Allentown can pursue to re-gain and enhance downtown’s vibrancy.

Development PrinciplesFirst, it is important that Allentown adopts devel-opment principles or guidelines to assist in priori-tizing development efforts, action items, and re-sponses to development proposals. Otherwise, it iseasy to lose focus and in the end accomplish little.The panel suggests that all proposed projects bescreened according to the following guidelines:

• Downtown First! Downtown should be consid-ered first for any proposed new development orrelocation in Lehigh County. The city govern-ment and the Allentown community are well ontheir way to promoting development in the citycore, and already have begun the planning and

implementation of several downtown develop-ment projects. However, a more focused andconcentrated effort is needed. The panel recom-mends that priority be given to downtown de-velopment. This would mean that any new de-velopment proposed in the city limits be giventop priority for consideration and approval, ifthe developer agrees to locate downtown and isin line with the following guidelines and strate-gies. Any relocation that requires city approvalshould also be given priority if that relocation isto downtown.

• The development should result in more peopleon Hamilton Street. More people on the streetare the best advertisement for the fact thatthere are reasons to be downtown. It also is apractical means to address the negative percep-tions of safety.

• Development should strengthen and be con-nected to the key downtown centers suggestedin this report (such as the arts district, confer-ence and exhibit facility, and the PPL Plaza).

• New projects should be designed to welcomepedestrians with main entrances on HamiltonStreet (not on a side street) and facades shouldallow pedestrians to see into the buildings.

In addition to these guidelines for specific proj-ects, the panel suggests the following overall de-velopment guidelines:

• To ensure that new developments are success-ful and attract their optimal market, downtownshould be made clean, safe, and friendly. De-velopment projects in downtown Allentownneed to be supported by a public infrastructurethat is user-friendly and makes people feel safe.Trash and graffiti communicate neglect and lackof safety. Removing the trash and cleaning thesidewalks is essential for development to suc-ceed downtown. The money spent on keeping an

Development Strategies

area clean and safe has a high rate of return inthe form of sales and property taxes. Lightingalso is paramount for a sense of safety by work-ers who stay downtown after hours, as well asfor nighttime visitors and residents in the area.The lighting along Hamilton Street is excellent;more lighting is needed on streets off of Hamil-ton, particularly around the arts district.

• The ethnic divide that is prevalent in Allentownmust be addressed. The Latino community mustbe recognized as a strong source of support forretail, housing, and new businesses. Acceptance,communication, and recognition are key to break-ing down barriers and to viewing that commu-nity as part of the solution, not the problem.

• Downtown directional signage and pedestriansignage should say “we want you here” to Al-lentown’s visitors. Without such signage, dri-vers and pedestrians are easily confused andwill end up not arriving or coming back.

• Downtown parking is a challenge in almost everycity. If it is not free and within ten feet of thecustomer’s destination, it becomes a disincen-tive. Recognizing that this problem will neverbe totally solved, mitigating the negative im-pacts of this perception needs to be given atten-tion. Good directional signage is essential.

StrategiesFor the purpose of drawing up development stra-tegies, the panel divided downtown into three dis-

tinct development opportunity areas or districts.The district concept is an expansion of some dis-tricts already in place, and a further refinement ofthe district concept suggested by the Comprehen-sive Plan and the Hunter Downtown DevelopmentPlan. The panel recommends that the districts beprecisely defined to emphasize the numerous po-tential activities downtown:

• The Commercial District. This area will be con-centrated on Hamilton Street between 7th and10th streets.

• The Arts District. This area will comprise theeastern portion of downtown, specifically be-tween 4th and 7th streets, and between Lindenand Walnut streets.

• The Library Residential District. This area willcomprise the neighborhood surrounding theMain Library, specifically between 10th and13th streets, and between Linden and Walnutstreets.

The Commercial DistrictThis development area should be limited to Hamil-ton Street between 7th and 10th streets to consol-idate existing developments and provide a criticalmass of office, commercial, and entertainment-based activities.

New Conference and Exhibition Space. As dis-cussed previously, the panel recommends that theHamilton Mall structure be converted into a state-of-the-art, flexible exhibition and conference facil-ity to complement and draw from the CrownePlaza Hotel. The panel believes that this willstrengthen the hotel’s business, promote extendedstays, and provide much needed meeting spacethat cannot otherwise be accommodated at the ex-isting hotel.

The new exhibition and conference facility, whichthe panel views as an immediate priority, shouldhave the following components:

• Flexible space;

• Free or reduced parking fees for guests andemployees;


A view looking east alongHamilton Street towardCity Square. HamiltonMall is the low-rise build-ing with the curvedawning. The CrownePlaza Hotel is the thirdbuilding farther east.


• First priority and assistance with availablegrants and/or tax relief, in the form of KOZsor other financing;

• Possible incorporation of the Visitor Center anda relocated Chamber of Commerce in the facil-ity; and

• Signage directing traffic to downtown frommajor thoroughfares.

The panel recommends that the next level ofresearch be undertaken to determine the pre-cise nature and size of an exhibition and confer-ence facility.

Office Projects. For the downtown area to suc-ceed, a critical employment mass should be cre-ated to attract a stable consumer base. The panelrecommends that two main actions be taken inthis regard:

• Complete leasing of the Liberty building. The30,000 square feet of office space will bring ap-proximately 100 new employees to downtown.Therefore, the panel recommends that fillingthis space be given top priority before otheroffice sites within the city limits are approved.

• Promote a quick start of new Class A officespace, making use of the proposals that havebeen presented for the site at 9th and Hamil-ton streets.

Multipurpose Venue. The main developments en-visioned for this district focus on the creation ofa new multipurpose venue complex. Conceivably,this complex could be located on a vacant parceladjacent to the new PPL building and abuttingparcels fronting Hamilton and 9th streets. Thefacility could take the form of a multifunction the-ater incorporating the latest technology such aselectronic sound and lighting, audiovisual tech-nologies, and should be able to offer numerousconfigurations to appeal to different size audiencerequirements.

The multipurpose venue should complement othertheaters in Allentown by featuring attractions thatcannot readily be accommodated at those sites.Events like off-Broadway productions, musicals,jazz festivals, etc. will address popular culture,

in contrast to Symphony Hall, which caters to amore focused and narrow audience. The multi-purpose venue could host as many as 150 yearlyevents, and should be designed for such use. Theadjacent PPL Plaza can be an outdoor extensionof this facility so that an indoor/outdoor atmos-phere is created. This will also contribute to bring-ing people to Hamilton Street.

The panel believes that the location of this facilityon the proposed site will benefit Hamilton Streetand will make use of the existing Hess’s parkinggarage, which is currently underutilized. The mi-crobrewery project now under construction couldbe a strong component of the multipurpose venueproject and would provide the synergy, criticalmass, and 24-hour activity necessary to its success.

The Arts DistrictThe arts district includes Center Square at 7thStreet and extends eastward to 4th Street. Thepanel views the arts district as one of downtown’ssignatures areas—a destination that can attractpeople from throughout the region. It is importantto capitalize on the identity of this district throughthe following specific actions:

• Solicit the location of additional college or uni-versity activities. Expand the focus of the driveto include specific arts and drama programs aswell as an entire branch;

• Continue to support conversion of upper storiesto lofts to encourage artist studios, combinationartist housing and gallery space, and living

This underutilized parkingdeck with 733 spaces wasoriginally constructed forHess’s Department Store.It is located between 8thand 9th streets behind thenew PPL building.


gram manager be hired to assure maximum uti-lization of arts district offerings.

The panel recognizes that the Americus Centerand the Capri Theater represent eyesores and lostopportunities. The panel supports the city’s effortsto monitor the status of the property and recom-mends that the owner be made aware of the city’svision and plan for the area.

The panel also recognizes that the post office isunderused, but does not consider it a negativefactor. The building is an attractive landmark, andsupports an appropriate downtown activity.

The Library Residential DistrictThis development area should be distinctly differ-ent from the other two districts. The focus shouldbe on strengthening its residential character andproviding for infill housing to include market-ratehousing of different types, namely townhomes,condominiums, and apartments.

As the Allentown Looking Ahead comprehensiveplan correctly states, “Housing plays a vital andprominent role in assuring the health and prosper-ity of the community.” This applies appropriatelyto bringing a stable supply of new residents todowntown, which will provide a local consumer-base for new businesses. At the same time, de-mands in infrastructure, services, and the recentmigration of Latino and other minorities to neigh-borhoods adjacent to downtown make a compel-ling case for a determined focus on providing arange of adequate housing. Downtown develop-ment also should capitalize on changes in lifestyleas discussed in other portions of this study, togenerate new housing development opportunitiesas follows:

• Develop new infill, market-rate housing onempty lots, underutilized parking areas, or onsites now occupied by decrepit housing. Typicalindividual new developments in this area shouldbe small in order to maintain the historic char-acter of the district.

• Restore historically significant buildings. Thepanel recommends that the city work aggres-sively to restore and maintain historically sig-nificant residential structures, and to make useof all available financing mechanisms that incen-

space for residents who prefer to live near art-related activities;

• Expand opportunities for artist space with anew building at Linden and 6th streets;

• As the number of residents and visitors grows,encourage development of area galleries andcafés;

• Complete the Arts Park;

• Expand the Arts Walk and link new develop-ments and activities;

• Investigate the potential for a second-run artsmovie theater or Spanish-language theater, or ameans to provide such films in one of the exist-ing institutions;

• Expand programming at Symphony Hall;

• Relocate festivals and events now taking placeoutside of downtown to the arts district;

• Develop an active public open space on the sink-hole site to provide an open space amenity forabutting neighborhoods to the north, as well asto encourage citywide markets and festivals;

• Investigate the potential for a child-focused fa-cility or wing of an existing facility, such as achildren’s museum; and

• Coordinate and cross-promote arts and enter-tainment events. In order to effectively accom-plish this, the panel recommends that a pro-

A view from HamiltonStreet of a segment of theArts Walk with uniquestreetscape features. Thissegment is adjacent tothe Sovereign building.


tivize investment in these properties. Thisshould include the aggressive use of historic taxcredits, etc.

• Continue to market the Upper Floor for Hous-ing Program so that small merchants can es-tablish businesses on the ground floor of theirbuildings while using the upper floors for liv-ing quarters.

• As properly addressed in the comprehensiveplan, renter-occupied properties in this districtshould be aggressively inspected, and absenteelandlords should be fined with stiff penalties iftheir properties are not maintained properly.Vacant properties should be inspected for codeviolations, unsightly maintenance, etc.

For the above programs to succeed, the city as awhole should start a dynamic and aggressive out-reach program that involves the entire communityin planning and implementation programs. Suchoutreach and involvement will require the follow-ing steps:

• Involve neighborhood groups and nonprofitorganizations;

• Form neighborhood improvement associations;

• Support lifestyle community and ethnic groups;

• Involve colleges and significant employers. In-vite the schools of architecture and arts pro-grams of adjacent colleges and universities toparticipate and conduct local charettes with theresidents;

• Promote mixed-use housing;

• Provide live/work space;

• Enforce maintenance of renter-occupied and va-cant properties; and

• Enforce absentee landlord ordinances and pro-vide stiff penalties if properties are not properlymaintained.


The staff of the city of Allentown and relatedagencies should be congratulated for theprogress they have made in implementingpositive change over the past few years. A

number of worthy projects have been undertaken;and a number of others are in the pipeline.

Many interviewees noted that, for the first timein many years, the conditions are right to affecta renaissance in downtown Allentown. City staffshould be cited for their professionalism, coopera-tion, and determination. Regional entities shouldbe commended for recognizing how importantdowntown Allentown is to the future success ofthe region.

If Lehigh Valley is to truly prosper from growththat has been projected, downtown Allentown mustserve as the urban core for the region; it must betreated with the care and purpose that the region’scapital deserves. Just as downtown Allentown isblessed with the advantages of an urban center(the arts, historic structures, cultural diversity),so it is burdened with some of its liabilities.

RecommendationsFollowing are the panel’s recommendations forimplementing successful downtown revitalizationstrategies as downtown Allentown moves intothe future.

Private Sector EngagementThe private sector must organize, lead, and sup-port a vision for downtown. The private sectorneeds a strong downtown partnership, with top-level representatives from major private and non-profit stakeholders at the table. It is a long shotthat a downtown will become successful by relyingsolely on the public sector for leadership. Publicsector leaders need help formulating and imple-menting strategies. Strong downtowns havestrong downtown partnerships, led by major em-ployers and property owners, and these partner-

ships help sustain downtown revitalization activi-ties. For discussion purposes, the panel namessuch a partnership the “Downtown Partnership.”

Downtown Allentown today has a unique opportu-nity to form a strong Downtown Partnership withthe leadership of both longtime downtown stal-warts and players new to the scene:

• Major longtime employers such as PPL, Allen-town Morning Call, Lehigh-Carbon CommunityCollege, Sacred Heart Hospital, and Wachoviaand other banks;

• Developers and property owners new to town—e.g., Liberty Property Group, Pennrose Proper-ties, Landmark Communities, and AllentownBrew Pub;

• Minority group leaders such as the HispanicChamber of Commerce; and

• City officials and authority heads.

The Partnership should proceed with some of thepriorities identified by the able Allentown Aheadtask force set up by Mayor Afflerbach.

The Partnership should maintain a focus on:

• Vision. Making sure that the vision for down-town Allentown is formed, marketed, andimplemented.

• Maintenance. Downtown’s sidewalks should befree of litter and snow, and decorated with flow-ers and banners.

• Security. Downtown should not just be safe, but should be perceived as safe, through pro-grams like Philadelphia’s Downtown Ambas-sador Program.

• Public space management. Downtown shouldhave well-regulated and well-animated publicspaces.

Implementation Strategies


• Marketing. A marketing program is outlinedbelow.

The Partnership should collaborate with AEDC,the city of Allentown, and other entities. Theable leadership of city officials needs the privatesector’s assistance if downtown Allentown is tobe revitalized.

Private sector leadership will provide constancyacross city administrations as political leadershipchanges. Depending on the nature of activities un-dertaken or desired by the Partnership and theinterest of the general business community, thePartnership may eventually wish to reexaminethe feasibility of a formal organization.

AEDC RoleThe city should designate Allentown EconomicDevelopment Corporation as having the sole pur-pose of planning and implementing private sectordevelopments for downtown Allentown. In theprevious key recommendation, the panel advisesthat a private sector partnership be formed, de-voted to the sole purpose of making sure thatdowntown Allentown is clean, safe, friendly, ac-cessible, and that it has the appropriate vision. In this recommendation, the panel suggests thatAEDC be given a similarly clear focus—to planand implement critical downtown developmentprojects. While the board of the first organizationis to come primarily from the major private sec-tor and nonprofit leaders (with some city repre-sentation) the private sector also must make surethat it participates actively and fully in the gover-nance of AEDC.

In essence, the panel suggests that two organi-zations—the Downtown Partnership and AEDC—work in tandem to ensure the future success ofdowntown. The panel believes there is no reasonwhy either of these initiatives needs to waitlonger than a day. Time is critical. The continuedsuccess of the Crowne Plaza Hotel and remainingdowntown retailers and restaurateurs, the futuresuccess of the Allentown Brew Pub, the Americaon Wheels Museum, and housing developments alldepend upon people’s confidence in downtown Al-lentown. That confidence depends on immediateaction that improves downtown and its environs.

A small group of private sector stakeholders—with assistance from the mayor’s AllentownAhead task force—could begin work immediatelyon maintenance, security, marketing, and otherinitiatives to be supported by the DowntownPartnership. AEDC could begin tomorrow to de-velop and construct a work plan of priority down-town development projects.

The director of the Allentown Department ofCommunity Development and his senior staffare critical to the future implementation of down-town projects and programs, and should be in-cluded on the board of the Partnership (and con-tinue to be on the board of AEDC). He will play acritical role in coordination of activities betweenthe two organizations, and in the coordination andfocus of city agencies and authorities on down-town revitalization.

Role of Public AgenciesThe city should coordinate and focus public agen-cies toward the goal of revitalization. Allentownhas a full range of public and quasi-public agenciesand authorities with responsibility for various ser-vices, which directly impact the downtown andits revitalization. These agencies and authoritiesmust be brought into the process of establishingthe development and implementation strategy fordowntown Allentown’s revitalization, and adoptthe resulting downtown revitalization agenda asa priority. Each unit of government should havea specific role and responsibility in the revitaliza-tion process.

The panel suggests that this process be carriedout as follows:

• Identify agencies with particular relevance todowntown revitalization. These include the citydepartments of Finance, Community and Eco-nomic Development, Public Works, Police, theAllentown Commercial and Industrial Develop-ment Authority, Allentown Arts Commission,Center City Hamilton Mall Review Board, His-torical Architectural Review Board, Human Re-lations Commission, Allentown Housing Author-ity, Parking Authority, Redevelopment Authority,Shade Tree Commission, Vacant Property Re-view Board Blighted Property Review Commit-tee, and the city Planning Commission.


• Each agency and authority completes an inven-tory of financial and human resources. Thepanel suggests that this be managed by an out-side consultant or staff from the mayor’s officeto assure consistency of approach and focus ondowntown revitalization needs.

• Each agency and authority then prepares aone-year action agenda with specific workitems, milestones, budget commitments, and al-location of staff to support the downtown revi-talization, with annual reviews and updates.

• Regional and state cooperation is critical to thedowntown agenda implementation strategy andthe overall health of Allentown. Key regionaland state agencies include: the Lehigh CountyDepartment of Community and Economic De-velopment, Governor’s Action Team, LehighValley Economic Development Corporation, andthe like. These entities also should participateactively in the establishment of the downtownAllentown revitalization agenda, complete anassessment of resources they can bring to thetable, and establish a short- and long-term ac-tion plan of support.

Key elements of cooperation include: schoolfunding; transportation; tax revenue sharing;and economic development.

These elements all require long-term commitmentand cannot be addressed within the scope of thisreport. However, the panel wants to stress the crit-ical nature of each. Cities must have good schoolsto attract and retain families—the current schoolfunding system results in severe disparities whichcan only be resolved through regional and/or statecooperation and action. The economic health ofLehigh Valley’s urban center is key to the healthof the entire region. Goal setting and regional co-operation are needed to insure that Allentowncaptures a significant proportion of the thousandsof new jobs projected for the region by 2010.

Downtown SummitThe city should convene a “Downtown Summit” toeducate the citizens of Allentown and Lehigh Val-ley on the many positive developments occurringdowntown—and simultaneously invite them toparticipate in shaping its future. Many significant

improvements have occurred in downtown Allen-town over the past few years, and many more areunder way. The panel’s interviews indicated thatthere is a large gap between the city’s knowledgeof these projects and public awareness. Further,many groups and individuals have expressed in-terest in being a part of Allentown’s progress and,in part, their feeling of being left out of the revi-talization process.

One way to raise public knowledge and enlist sup-port is to convene the Downtown Summit. Thecity could enlist the support of local professionaland civic groups, as well as universities, to con-duct such a half-day or all-day event. The mayorand the chair of the Downtown Partnership shouldcohost the summit.

Clear and Concise AgendaAn effective implementation strategy requires aclear and concise vision, message, and priorities,which will be established in part by the Down-town Summit. Although it is premature to iden-tify the areas of focus, based on interviews withnumerous stakeholders, the panel suggests thefollowing:

• Add so many units of housing, so many per year,by such and such a date;

• Improve so many arts/entertainment facilitiesby such and such a date; and

• Make downtown clean, safe, and friendly byimplementing the following activities: twice-a-day litter pickup; so many police on foot pa-trol; and so many downtown festivals and eventsper year.

Whatever three or four key foci emerge from thesummit must also be the key elements of revital-ization. The mayor, the Downtown Partnership,AEDC, and city agencies and authorities, as wellas county, regional, and state stakeholders willrally around the vision and priorities.

The mayor will espouse them as a priority of hisadministration, assess their progress in his stateof the city addresses, and accordingly prioritizehis requests for funding and other support to thegovernor and federal government. City agenciesand authorities will use the revitalization vision


and priorities as the basis for their action agendasand budget priorities. The Downtown Partner-ship will focus its efforts in support of the visionand priorities.

With such clarity and focus, the city can effec-tively call upon the good will of the state and thefederal government to support downtown Allen-town’s revitalization, and will more effectively beable to approach the federal government with spe-cific requests for assistance.

Evaluate Financing Strategies The panel commends the city of Allentown forits creative use of financing mechanisms to spurdowntown development. Its Design AssistanceProgram, Hamilton Street Facade Grant Pro-gram, Upper Floors for Housing RehabilitationProgram, and others clearly are having a posi-tive impact on the downtown, as is the effectiveuse of the KOZ program and other state and fed-eral programs.

The panel recommends that the effectiveness ofthe programs be evaluated—now that there is atrack record—to determine whether funding lev-els are appropriate, how programs are utilized,whether they are achieving objectives, whethersome could be merged for more effective admin-istration, the effectiveness of oversight, etc. Ifgreater incentives are needed to spur investment,the city might consider providing limited-term taxabatement, phase-in of full property value assess-ment, etc. If owners are reluctant to improve build-ing upper floors for housing because this is nottheir core business, the city might explore the op-tion of master leasing. Residential developmentprofessionals and property managers who are at-tracted to projects of greater scale than two orthree units could be encouraged to lease the up-per floors of multiple properties.

The panel suggests that the city explore the bene-fits of establishing a Tax Increment Financing(TIF) district as a source for financing various de-mands of the downtown revitalization agenda. Al-though the program varies by jurisdiction, in gen-eral through a TIF program, incremental taxesover the base (property and/or sales taxes) arecommitted to repaying bonds issued to cover in-frastructure and other public improvements with

a specified purpose. Such bond funds might beused for developing a conference center, publicinfrastructure such as parks and street improve-ments, etc.

The city agency/authority resource assessmentdiscussed above will show where city resourcesmight effectively be committed to downtown revi-talization. Public resources and agency budgetsmust be coordinated and focused. For example,perhaps a portion of the parking revenues couldbe devoted to the effort, as has happened withsewer funds.

The panel recommends that an independent finan-cial expert be engaged to advise the city on thebest use of its public resources for downtown re-vitalization and to establish an overall financingstrategy. This expert could also advise on stateand federal financing mechanisms. Possible fund-ing resources for consideration include:

• Federal brownfields funds;

• Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) funds;

• Downtown Business Improvement District tax;

• HOPE VI;

• Bond financing;

• National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) artsfinancing;

• Foundations; and

• Historic and Low Income Housing Tax credits.

Marketing StrategiesDowntown Allentown needs to be better mar-keted, both to consumers and to businesses. Thepanel’s suggestions for business-to-consumer mar-keting include:

• PPL Plaza and the Arts Park lot can and shouldbe used—immediately—for public events andfestivals. Programs could include, during goodweather months, a weekly afternoon “party,” ala “Parties in the Plaza” in Syracuse or “Thurs-days in the Square” in Buffalo, or a weekly farm-ers’ market. PPL Plaza also can be animatedwith outdoor cafes/vendors and white BryantPark–style chairs.


The Downtown Partnership and AEDC shouldreach out to partnerships with local colleges anduniversities, including Muhlenburg, Cedarcrest,Lehigh-Carbon Community College, Lehigh,Lafayette and others, as well as to larger institu-tions, such as the University of Pennsylvania, Penn-sylvania State University, and others, to work onprojects and programs for downtown Allentown.For example, the University of Pennsylvania’sDepartment of Urban and Regional Planning andPennsylvania State University’s Department ofLandscape Architecture should be invited to Al-lentown to work on further implementation ofsome of the recommendations from this report.

Perhaps a local benefactor would consider fund-ing an Allentown urban design center that wouldregularly partner with area and statewide col-leges and universities to work continually ondowntown projects.

Long-Term StrategyStrategies for downtown Allentown must be im-plemented with support from the city’s overalllong-range economic development strategy. It willbe important to envision and maintain a long-termimplementation approach. Potential links be-tween downtown revitalization and city economicdevelopment include brownfields redevelopment,regional cooperation and resource allocation, andbusiness retention and attraction strategies.

• The city should consider relocating some festi-vals and events—currently held in city parks—into the downtown area.

• The Downtown Partnership should developcross-promotions with restaurants on eveningsthat the symphony is playing, on festival week-ends, etc.

• The Downtown Partnership should develop a once-a-month Arts Walk among facilities indowntown Allentown.

• The Downtown Partnership should lead retail-ers to promote themselves to downtown em-ployees and residents.

The panel’s recommendations for business-to-business marketing include:

• The Downtown Partnership and AEDC shouldensure that downtown office, retail, and enter-tainment space—as well as land—are being ade-quately marketed by state and regional market-ing entities and should educate them as to themany positive changes occurring downtown.Such entities would include the Lehigh ValleyEconomic Development Council, the LehighValley Convention and Visitors Bureau, and theState Department of Economic Development.

• The Downtown Partnership and AEDC shouldensure that downtown office, retail, and enter-tainment space—as well as land—are being ade-quately marketed by private sector entitiessuch as realtors and hotels.

• Work with universities. Downtown Allentownneeds the best and brightest minds of LehighValley, of the region, and the state working onits opportunities and on its problems.

At the same time, downtown Allentown repre-sents a living laboratory that today’s generationof students increasingly insists on experiencingas part of their undergraduate and graduateeducation—and represents a city scale that ismanageable yet significant.


Introduce New Types of Projects The objectives of new types of development proj-ects are as follows:

• Ensure the longevity of the major downtownhotel through expansion of amenities like a con-ference and exhibit center. Guests at a thrivinghotel, in turn, provide support for other down-town activities;

• Expand the notion of a multipurpose downtownthrough a venue that accommodates attractionsnot readily serviced by other downtown facili-ties. An emphasis on popular culture will serveto open downtown to a wider audience;

• Solidify the number of destination attractionsand create another anchor through the develop-ment of America on Wheels; and

• Open downtown to population segments notcurrently well served. Projects such as a chil-dren’s museum or section of a museum, and anactive public space on the sinkhole site couldserve the broader population well.

Strengthen ImplementationMechanismsThe objectives of the implementation mechanismsare as follows:

• Place the private sector in its rightful place asthe leader of downtown’s success through for-mation of a strong downtown organization;

• Position the city’s development arm for greatereffectiveness by directing it to focus solely ondowntown;

• Coordinate responsibilities, finances, and agendaof all stakeholders—public, private, and community—relative to downtown through in-depth evalu-ations and summits; and

The extent to which government and non-profit organizations have focused their con-cern on downtown Allentown is impressiveand vital. They have an established history

of productive planning efforts and, more recently,a track record of effective development projects.

The panel considers the following three directionsto be key to the continuing and expanded successof downtown revitalization:

• Continue pursuit of development projects simi-lar to those already underway, such as residen-tial of all types and the Arts Park/Walk;

• Introduce new types of development projectssuch as a conference and exhibit center; and

• Strengthen implementation mechanisms.

Continue Similar ProjectsThe objectives of the continued pursuit of devel-opment projects similar to those already under-way are as follows:

• Transform the image of downtown both visu-ally and practically by providing a range ofhousing products;

• Strengthen downtown’s competitive statusrelative to suburban office space by support-ing new/rehabbed office development;

• Respond to the retail market realistically byserving close-in neighborhoods with a shoppingcenter north of Hamilton Street and encourag-ing the niche restaurants and retail establish-ments that serve the larger market to locateon Hamilton;

• Expand on the interest generated—and thepromotion opportunities presented—by theArts Walk and Arts Park, and the arts districtas a whole.

Conclusion


• Let people and businesses get involved in down-town immediately through outdoor events, co-ordination of existing programs, and overallmarketing of downtown successes.

The panel believes that these objectives sum upthe needs and direction of downtown Allentown,and that Allentown is well on its way to achievingsuccess. Downtown revitalization is often the re-sult of one project/one step at a time—Allentownhas clearly taken many steps. It has the experi-ence, interest, and resources to continue itsprogress and make downtown the center of thecity and of Lehigh Valley.


Anne WarhoverPanel ChairDenver, Colorado

Anne Warhover is president and CEO of theDowntown Denver Partnership, a private, non-profit corporation. The Partnership, a group ofthree separate corporate entities and one quasigovernmental entity, markets downtown as a vi-brant and diverse place to work, live, play, and in-vest. A $6 million dollar annual budget providesfunds for services designed to give downtownDenver a competitive edge as the business centerand entertainment destination for the RockyMountain Region. Services include keeping down-town clean and safe, retaining and recruiting jobs,facilitating housing development, marketing en-tertainment and retail destinations to the metroarea residents, and producing three major annualevents. In her role as president, Warhover is re-sponsible for implementing the policies set by fourseparate boards of directors who represent 475member businesses and over 600 downtown prop-erty owners.

Prior to joining the Partnership in 1992, Warhoverwas a vice president of First Interstate Bank ofDenver. As a banker for over 15 years, she pro-vided corporate banking services to regional andnational customers and managed the CommunityRelations Department. She graduated from theUniversity of Colorado.

Guillermo M. AguilarSanta Ana, California

Guillermo Aguilar, AIA, has more that 25 yearsof experience managing and developing large com-plex projects. As a project executive, he has pro-vided professional services including architecturaldesign, program management, environmental plan-ning and design, master planning, and real estate

development for construction projects totalingover $3 billion.

With his strong management approach, extensivedevelopment planning, design, and constructionexperience, Aguilar has successfully completedprojects to meet design and aesthetic goals whilesimultaneously meeting timetables and budgetaryrequirements. The types of projects he has workedon include but are not limited to schools, medicalfacilities and hospitals, hotels and resorts, residen-tial multifamily buildings, and office and multiusebuildings. Aguilar has proven his knowledge, pro-fessionalism, and ability to work in various areasof the development and program management fieldin multiple projects with many types of privateand public institutions.

Aguilar received a bachelor of architecture fromthe National University of Mexico, a master ofarchitecture from Tulane University, and a masterof landscape architecture from Harvard University.

Aguilar is a registered architect in California, a full member of the Urban Land Institute, anda member of ULI’s Residential NeighborhoodDevelopment Council. In addition, he serves as amember in the Blue Ribbon Citizens OversightCommittee for school construction in Los Ange-les, overseeing over $10 billion of school bondconstruction.

Elinor R. BaconWashington, D.C.

Elinor Bacon has more than 25 years of experi-ence in housing, real estate development, andcommunity development in the public and privatesectors. Bacon formed E.R. Bacon Development,LLC, a real estate development and consultingfirm, in 2002. The firm’s primary clients have beenForest City Washington and the Housing Author-ity of the City of Spartanburg. The firm is cur-

About the Panel

rently codeveloping two market-rate infill town-house developments with six and ten units respec-tively, in Baltimore, MD, and a 500-unit mixed-in-come, mixed-use for sale and rental HOPE VIdevelopment in Spartanburg, South Carolina. Thefirm’s development focus is on urban infill; mixed-use mixed-income projects involving rental and/orfor-sale housing and retail; and adaptive use of his-toric buildings.

From January 2001 to April, 2002, as presidentand CEO, Bacon launched the National CapitalRevitalization Corporation (NCRC), a public realestate development corporation established by theULI Washington D.C. District Council. NCRC’smission is to spur economic development in theDistrict, primarily in neighborhoods of need.

From June 1997 through December 2000, Baconserved, under Secretary Andrew Cuomo, asdeputy assistant secretary for the United StatesDepartment of Housing and Urban DevelopmentOffice of Public Housing Investments. In this ca-pacity, she administered the $4.2 billion HOPEVI Program and other public housing capital pro-grams with annual appropriations of approxi-mately $2.5 billion.

Before joining HUD, Bacon was a private real es-tate developer and consultant in Baltimore whereshe established her firm, Bacon & Company, in1985. The company focused on affordable hous-ing, adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and de-velopment management of public purpose urbanprojects. Prior to forming her company, Baconworked for more than ten years in the field of pub-lic sector housing and community development atthe city and federal levels, and for the Johns Hop-kins Hospital.

Bacon has a master of arts degree in Chinesestudies from the University of California, Berke-ley, and a bachelor of arts degree from the NewSchool for Social Research.

Thomas CurleyNew York, New York

Thomas Curley is director of urban planning atHOK. His projects can be found on six continents

for clients as diverse as the Walt Disney Company,the Guggenheim Museum, the city of New York,the Untied States Air Force Academy, the Na-tional Capital Planning Commission, the Districtof Columbia, the New Jersey Nets, and the Smith-sonian Institution, among many others.

Curley has designed new towns in the Philip-pines, China, and Australia, and recently com-pleted a submission for the 2008 Olympic Vil-lage in Beijing. He was the lead designer forPhase II EuroDisney in Marne la-Valle, and pro-vided strategic planning for 9,000 acres of Disneyproperty south of the Disney World resort in Flo-rida. His most recent works include the recon-struction of downtown Beirut, for which he wonan international design award for excellence fromthe Congress for New Urbanism. In addition, hewas one of the authors of the Legacy Plan for theNational Capital Planning Commission. Curleybelieves that to be called to service on public proj-ects is the highest honor an architect can achieve.

Thomas Curley graduated from the Southern Cal-ifornia Institute for Architecture with graduatedegrees in architecture and urban design.

H. Cales GivensDenver, Colorado

Throughout his career, H. Cales Givens haselected to use his consensus building skills on avariety of project types for diverse clients. Dueto the nature of his focus—urban revitalization,community planning and design, parks and green-ways—many projects have been sizable and verymuch in the public domain. The Potomac Yard,Lakelands, Celebration, and now Stapleton inDenver, Colorado, are among the high-profilenew communities he has worked on, and St. Louiswas the site of an award-winning downtown plan-ning project.

At 4,000 acres, Stapleton is the largest urbanredevelopment site in the nation. As principal incharge, Givens has overseen EDAW’s work forthe past four years, which encompasses masterplanning, design guidelines, a major urban parkand greenways design, urban drainage, sustain-ability, civic meetings, and design review. The



project is destined to become a national model forurban revitalization within the next decade.

In pure acreage, Givens’s largest project to dateinvolved the 1,000,000 acres owned by the St. JoeCompany in western Florida. The preparation of amarket-based business plan and investment strat-egy for land development required Givens to workwith a cross-disciplinary staff that included landplanners, economic specialists, facilitators, and in-formation technology specialists. He also was in-strumental in organizing and facilitating threemajor workshops in six weeks during the plan-ning process.

Many of Givens’s projects have received local andnational awards from the ASLA and the APA, in-cluding the St. Louis downtown development ac-tion plan; Stapleton; the Lansdowne (LoudounCounty, Virginia) corporate center master plan;the Potomac Yard (Alexandria, Virginia) masterplan; and a memorial to the 56 signers of the Dec-laration of Independence.

Givens holds a bachelor’s degree in landscape ar-chitecture from Virginia Polytechnic Institute andhas served as a member of the College of Archi-tecture Advisory Board. He also is a member ofthe American Society of Landscape Architects.

Givens has been an active ULI member since1988, serving on the Mixed-Use Council and par-ticipating in numerous Advisory Service panels inNorth Carolina, Illinois, Ohio, and California, tack-ling local issues ranging from football stadiumsand downtown plans to transit corridors and baserealignment and closure. He is currently vicepresident and principal in the Denver office ofEDAW, Inc.

Hermann J. KircherToronto, OntarioCanada

Hermann Kircher was for 25 years president ofthe international real estate market research firm,Larry Smith and Associates Ltd. After mergingthat firm with Coopers and Lybrand, he servedfor 12 years as partner responsible for real estateand retail consulting services at Coopers and Ly-

brand (now Pricewaterhouse Coopers). He openedhis own consulting practice in 1992.

Kircher has completed strategic, market, and fi-nancial feasibility studies for major retailers, towncenters, vacation resorts, housing agencies, thehospitality industry and office developments. Healso has been responsible for more than a thou-sand shopping center market studies for develop-ers, retailers, financial institutions and publicagencies. Furthermore, he conducted extensiveresearch on developments combining retail andentertainment including West Edmonton Mall, theMall of America and Mills Centers. In addition, hehas been an expert witness before courts andquasi-judicial agencies regarding lease valuations,rent arbitrations, expropriation hearings and zon-ing, as well as impact issues.

Kircher’s professional affiliations include theUrban Land Institute where he has been a mem-ber of the Entertainment Development Council,and the Urban Mixed-Use Development Council.He also is a member of the National Retail Feder-ation, International Council of Shopping Centers,and the Retail Council of Canada. He holds masterof business administration and bachelor of com-merce degrees from the University of Toronto.Besides his extensive consulting background inCanada, his international assignments includemajor research studies in the United States, mostEuropean countries, Africa, South America, andthe Middle East.

F. Anthony (Tony) OrbeNew York, New York

Tony Orbe joined Insignia/ESG in February 2000as senior managing director in the firm’s CapitalAdvisors Group. With more than 25 years of realestate experience, Orbe’s focus at Insignia\ESG islarge, complex investment transactions such asjoint ventures.

Orbe began his career in 1972 at a major financialservices firm. In 1979, that company asked him toopen the New England investment office. There,he led his staff in the development of three of-fice/R&D parks, and the acquisition and redevel-opment of three regional malls. All projects were


brought in under budget and exceeded the pro-forma expectations.

In 1986, Orbe was named officer-in-charge of realestate operations in the Northeast. In that capac-ity, he oversaw five regional offices. He restruc-tured and energized an existing organization,managing a $7 billion portfolio of mortgages andequity. He established an aggressive asset rede-velopment plan that reinvigorated the equityportfolio. Notable projects for which Orbe was re-sponsible include 660 Madison Avenue (Barney’sstore) in Manhattan, the Centre Square Complexin downtown Philadelphia, and Woodmont Plaza insuburban Washington, D.C.

In 1991, Orbe assumed additional responsibilities,overseeing the firm’s interest in two firms, an in-vestment management organization and a large-scale projects development firm. Along with theNortheast real estate portfolio, Orbe assumedleadership of the Midwest real estate operation,bringing total assets under his management toover $15 billion. He also supervised the New Busi-ness Development Unit. In 1992, Orbe was se-lected to lead the Real Estate Investment Man-agement Group, servicing and managing all of thefirm’s international and pension fund clients. In1995, Orbe, along with several other senior invest-ment executives, formed Equinox Investments,Inc., a consulting and investment firm servicingthe institutional market.

Orbe is a 1968 distinguished military graduateof the Baruch School of Business Administration,City College of New York. He is an active memberof the real estate industry and several of its asso-ciations including the Real Estate Board of NewYork and the Urban Land Institute. He also is anactive member of the community, serving as afounding director of the Grand Central Partner-ship, and as a trustee for the Children’s Aid Soci-ety, the Bellevue Association, and the Citizen’sBudget Commission.

Richard T. ReinhardAtlanta, Georgia

Richard Reinhard has spent two decades leadingnonprofit, urban revitalization corporations in theUnited States—making center cities clean, safe,friendly, and accessible; attracting and retainingbusinesses; developing housing and commercialproperties; and creating good urban design. In thesummer of 2004 he will begin working abroad asexecutive director of a large, new, urban regener-ation company in Northern Ireland.

Reinhard has led downtown improvement organi-zations in Richmond, Buffalo, and most recently,in Atlanta, where he led Central Atlanta Progressand its four affiliates, with combined budgets of$11 million a year. Reinhard has served as chiefof staff to the mayor of Buffalo and as chief oper-ating officer of a real estate development corpo-ration headquartered in Toronto. His consultingorganization, Niagara Consulting Group, has un-dertaken forming a medical campus in Buffalo,developing a citizens’ plan for Niagara Falls, andcurrently is working on forming a streamlineddowntown organization for Detroit.

Reinhard has a bachelor of science degree fromthe College of William and Mary and a master ofbusiness and public management degree fromRice University. He was a Loeb Fellow at theHarvard University Graduate School of Design.

Reinhard has served as an adjunct faculty mem-ber in urban planning and public policy at VirginiaCommonwealth University, the University at Buf-falo, and Georgia State University.

an advisory services panel report downtown allentown...

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