The Morning Call's story on the new Main Street manager for Hamilton Street cites Seventh Street as the city's model:
The Main Street program has proven successful on Allentown's Seventh Street, which earned the designation in 2006. The once-gritty corridor now is bustling with the business of shoppers and diners. Storefront vacancies went from 40 percent in 2005 to 5 percent today, said Peter Lewnes, manager of the Seventh Street Main Street program. In securing the program for Hamilton Street, officials hope to mimic that success.
"It is very critical to have somebody to market and push the downtown," Mayor Ed Pawlowski said after the news conference. "We have had individuals off and on being able to focus on the area from their citywide duties as well, but we have not had one concerted effort focusing on Hamilton Street in many years."
2 comments:
comparing 7th and Hamilton neglects the very different models those two commercial areas have taken. Lewnes has been successful because 7th Street has been built up as a district that caters to residents, while Hamilton has been stuck in the failing model of trying to attract suburban shoppers. Resilient commercial areas rely on strong neighborhood interaction---not bigger roads and more parking for suburban shoppers.
Great point. I agree completely.
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