AIA SDAT Allentown Preliminary Report
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Transcript of AIA SDAT Allentown Preliminary Report
Allentown, PA SDAT:Creating a Sustainable City Center
A Sustainable Design Assessment Team ProjectSeptember 27-29, 2010
The SDAT Team Mission
• The SDAT team was charged “to strengthen the functionality and sense of place while increasing the sustainability of our center city”:– Improve transportation options– Create a more visually appealing
streetscape– Improve use of downtown
buildings– Increase market rate housing
Hamilton Street• There are not one, not
two, but four Hamilton Streets– Government Center– Arts Center – Restaurant/business
center– Neighborhood mixed
use center• Each has its assets
and its problems
9th
Stre
et
5th
Stre
et
12th
Stre
etOld Allentown
Neighborhood Mixed Use
Regional Destination
Government Center
Assets
• Strong, largely intact texture of historic buildings
• Compact, walkableenvironment
• Key activity clusters –restaurants, arts institutions
• Committed public and private sector leadership
Problems• Weak retail environment• Low building utilization –
vacant storefronts and empty upper floors
• Poor visibility, unclear entries and lack of connectivity to other community assets
• Negative perceptions – real problems?
• The present and future of Hamilton Street and of Old Allentown are closely related – what happens in one, strongly affects the other.
• Strategies for the two areas should be coordinated
• Linkages between the two areas should be enhanced.
Guiding Principles• Allentown is a diverse
community – racially, ethnically and economically. The city must recognize its diversity, and build on it for the future.
• Neither the city of Allentown nor Hamilton Street can be all things to all people – resources need to be focused strategically on key issues.
A Regional Destination
Range of Cultural Arts Attractionsand
Entertainment
A Regional Destination• Enhance Hamilton Street as a restaurant
destination
A Regional Destination
• Expand and raise the profile of the Allentown arts community
• Hamilton Street is the hub• Building Arts Identity
A Neighborhood Asset Hamilton Avenue: 10th to 12th Street Neighborhood-oriented service retail:
Old Allentown and West Walnut Celebrate the community diversity Encourage housing over commercial
A Neighborhood AssetHamilton Avenue: 10th to 12th StreetPrecedent: “StoreWorks” NYCHomeownership and neighborhood retail
program in 1-8 unit buildings
Increase Housing Choices
• WHY?– Build stronger housing
market– Create more economic
diversity in and around Hamilton Street
– Get more activity and purchasing power onto Hamilton Street
– Build 24/7 downtown
Increase Housing Choices• HOW?
– Build the middle market – not ‘means-tested’housing
– Create more downtown living options
– Incentivize more home ownership and rehabilitation in Old Allentown
– Market center city as a good place to live
Building From Strength
• A district approach: More feet on the street• Add restaurants that offer quality and
diversity– and BUZZ!• New uses to extend length of stay
Restaurant Recruitment: Winston Salem
• Emphasis on existing owners/operators
• Local expansion• Up to 37.5% of
project cost• Up to $150K• Avg. loan of $75K• Downtown rehab
grant program
Capture Business Opportunities• Restore historic Americus Hotel as a
Downtown destination• Capture hospitality / conferencing / special
events business• Extend hours of activity and economic
growth Downtown
Building the Base• Increase coordinated marketing efforts
among ALL Allentown cultural arts groups• Increase coordination between arts
programming and restaurant / hospitality businesses
• Coordinated retail corridor merchandising
Arts & Entertainment Districts
Anti-establishment(guerilla)
Establishment
Transitional
Transitional
MAKING THE ARTS VISIBLE:EPHEMERA
Arts & Entertainment Incentives
• Align incentives• Customize façade
grants– E.g. promote
animated, sculptural, neon
• Artist housing• Restaurant
development• Window display
assistance
Managing the District
• City (DCED)• Redevelopment Auth• Chamber (Main St)• AEDC• LVEDC• County
City planning agency
Chamber of commerceBusinesses
Property owners
Arts organizations
SBDCsCivic
associations
Industrial development
agency
Banks
Public works agency
Preservation groups
Transit agency
Tourism agency
Neighborhood residents
Schools
Historic Preservation
Historic Preservation Hamilton Street’s historic buildings form a remarkable (and enviable) collection of historic resources.
Historic Preservation -Why it is Important
For commercial districts: •Sense of Place •Provides connections to a communities’past.•Welcoming environment; attractive to visitors.•Combination of ‘historic’ and ‘new’ provides dynamic places.
Old and New: PPL Plaza
Historic Preservation -Why it is Important
For adjacent residential neighborhoods:• Enhances neighborhood livability• Walkable communities – pedestrian
connection to adjacent Old Allentown and other historic neighborhoods.
• Provides restaurant and retail for nearby residents.
Historic Preservation
Miami Beach
A vehicle for economic development
Historic Preservation
Farr’s Department Store
Historic Preservation
Tools for Rehabilitation:• Design Guidelines – provide direction for
property owners and the City.• Façade Improvement Programs• Federal Investment Tax Credits • Other City & County programs to support
rehabilitation of historic properties
Historic PreservationTools for Rehabilitation – by City• Create a ‘Downtown Allentown’ National
Register District for Hamilton Street – to lay the framework for property owners to more easily use Federal ITC’s.
• Educate property owners on federal ITC’s and other incentives for rehabilitation.
• In addition to Façade Program, City to consider other programs to assist small building owners.
Historic Preservation
Preservation & rehabilitation of historic buildings should occur both at the large and small scale.
.
Historic PreservationPreservation & rehabilitation of historic buildings should occur both at the large and small scale.
The DowntownCenter Square
Public Realm
The DowntownCenter Square
Public Realm
TENTH 2 TWELTH THE CIVIC ZONE
7TH
T H E D O W N T O W N D I S T R I C T
HAMILTON STREET
The DowntownCenter Square
Public Realm
T h e h e a r t o f d o w n t o w n
The DowntownCenter Square
Public Realm
T h e h e a r t o f d o w n t o w n
The DowntownCenter Square
Public Realm Short Term
Repair and replace pavement
Replace street furniture
Address sign impact to monument
Provide interpretative materials for Center Square
Light the top of the monument
The DowntownCenter Square
Public Realm
Long Term
Stage a design competition
Investigate alternative traffic movements through square including two-way on west site of Hamilton
Establish visitor kiosk
Incorporate appropriate interpretation of historic site and monument
Change uses around perimeter to allow cafes, market spaces, performance venues, etc.
The DowntownCenter Square
Public Realm
Long Term
Stage a design competition
I n t e r n a t i o n a l D e s i g n C o m p e t i t i o n for P i o n e e r C o u r t h o u s e S q u a r e P o r t l a n d , O r e g o n
Out of 162 submissions, five finalists emerged, from firms based in New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Los Angeles, Boston, and Portland. The Portland team, "a group of rabble-raising architects, writers, and an artist" led by chief designer Willard Martin]. Their design received an "Architectural Design Citation" from Progressive Architecture magazine in 1981
The DowntownCenter Square
Public Realm
Long Term: Create a transformative project
Stage a design competition
Investigate alternative traffic movements through square including two-way on west site of Hamilton
Establish visitor kiosks
Incorporate appropriate interpretation to give some sense of Allentown’s rich place history
Change uses around perimeter to allow cafes, market spaces, performance venues, etc.
The DowntownThe Hamilton Street Experience
Public Realm
The DowntownPublic Realm
The Hamilton Street Experience: 5th to 9th
Creating a signature gateway experience to the Downtown
Integrate signature art element
Incorporate lighting as a key design feature of the art
Develop a downtown building lighting program to enlarge the experience of the your historic and contemporary architecture
The DowntownPublic Realm
The Hamilton Street Experience: 5th to 9th
The DowntownPublic Realm
The Hamilton Street Experience: 5th to 9th
The DowntownPublic Realm
Historic Lancaster District Fort Worth, Texas Avenue of Lights
The Hamilton Street Experience: 5th to 9th
The DowntownPublic Realm
The Hamilton Street Experience: 5th to 9th
The DowntownPublic Realm
The Hamilton Street Experience TENTH 2 TWELTH
The DowntownPublic Realm
The Hamilton Street Experience TENTH 2 TWELTH
Linking Destinations
• Traffic / Parking– One-way operations– Update coordinated
traffic signals
– Ample parking supply
• Wayfinding / Parking Linkages
Linking Destinations
• Wayfinding / Parking Linkages
Linking Destinations
• Transit / Bikes / Peds
Linking Destinations
Change the Housing Market• Market rate housing will
bring $$$ to Hamilton Avenue.
• Reuse of historic buildings will provide better housing mix and lead to a greater diversity of residents.
• Reuse of vacant structures will reduce vacancy on the street.
How?• Reusing historic structures
can be complicated and expensive.
• Market currently cannot generate enough cash flow to cover the costs of development.
• An environment needs to be created that encourages and supports developers.
Where To Start?
The market has made a start between 8th and 9th Streets.
Focus around Center Square -- the most difficult projects that could have the greatest impact
The Low Hanging Fruit ..Focus on
1. Buildings already owned by the city
2. Buildings that can make the biggest impact
3. Buildings clustered together to create a critical mass
4. Buildings that will be of the highest quality
First Tier of Development• 9 buildings in varying
sizes
• 3 project clusters
• huddled together to create critical mass
• 116 new residences
• in the next 4 years
Residential Project Clusters
historic new total S.f. cost
Schoen Building 22 0 22 45,000 $6,800,000.00
Hamilton Row 28 18 46 55,000 $8,250,000.00
12 N. 7th Street 8 0 8 10,000 $1,500,000.00
First National site 0 40 40 55,000 $8,100,000.00
Totals 58 58 116 165,000 $24,650,000.00
The Schoens BuildingTurn this into … this
703 - 717 Hamilton AveTurn this …
703 - 717 Hamilton AveInto this …
12 N. 7th StreetThis … into this.
First National BankTurn this … into this
The Proforma
What’s needed to build these projects? $24,650,000Developer equity at 5% $1,232,500What can the income stream support in loan payments?
$9,500,000
What dollars do we need to find? $13,917,500
… and where do we find them?
Finding the Dollars1. Give the buildings away
With a financing gap of around 55% for these projects, the building do not currently have any “value” to existing owners.
2. List the historic structures on the National Register
$2,120,000 could be raised through historic tax credit parterships
Finding the Dollars3. Provide matching
façade grants
Our 3 project clusters include 11 facades. Matching façade grants of $30,000 would total $330,000. Increase the current $200,000 pool of funds available for these projects and others.
Finding the Dollars4. Vacant upper floors
Fund a $3 million loan program, covering 50% of project costs or $50,000 per residential unit.
Our project clusters would use $1.4 million of these funds for the Schoen’s building, the Hamilton Street Row and 12 N. 7th
Street.
Finding the Dollars
5. Explore New Market Tax Credits
These can raise as much as 39% of the project cost for housing projects in low income communities, such as the Hamilton Street corridor.
Finding the Dollars6. Create a housing trust fund
Raise dollars that can be loaned to developers of housing at discounted rates by
- giving ground leases, and reaping some rewards once projects cash flow
- state dollars- federal dollars- foundation dollars
Finding the Dollars7. Parking
Developers of historic buildings must have ample parking nearby. Work with them to provide
- free vacant lots- free parking in under-utilized parking structures- a discounted residential parking program- free parking for residents at parking meters
… And Why Should You Do This?• Downtown residential can
leverage much more than just housing units
• There will be $$ to spend living right in downtown
• The tax base will be increased for the city
• You can all reap the benefits of these developments – every store owner will have more customers; every restaurant will have more patrons
Increase Home Ownership in Old Allentown
• Encourage qualified neighborhood renters to become home owners– Provide homebuyer education
and counseling– Ensure homes are in decent
condition• Encourage middle income
households to buy and rehab houses. – Facilitate process– Provide financial incentives to
cover ‘market gap’
Housing Timeline
Immediate 1-3 years 3-5 years 5+ yearsAdd 40 downtown units
Add 80-100 downtown units
Continue
Initiate downtown/Old Allentown marketing campaign
Continue Continue
Initiate incentives for homebuyers and rehabbers in Old Allentown
Continue Continue
Organize For Success
• Choose, prioritize, focus, execute.
• Concentrate resources around strategies
• Build ongoing partnerships
• Become a community for everyone.