The Green Machine
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Fair Housing Summit set for April 26
By Steve Althouse 4/3/2012 3:27pmThe future of the Lehigh Valley’s housing avaliability is not only a salient issue, but one that ultimately impacts our region’s quality of life for all residents. The Building a Fair and Affordable Lehigh Valley Summit on April 26th will attract all sectors of the housing industry, government and public. The group will examine issues such as zoning, fair housing for people with disabilities, lending, planning and zoning for inclusive communities. Event: Fair Housing Summit: Building a Fair and Affordable Lehigh Valley Time: 9:30 a.m. through 3:45 p.m. Date: Thursday, April 26 Location: The Holiday Inn, Ninth and Hamilton streets, Allentown This summit is the result of the combined efforts of the cities of Allentown, Easton, Bethlehem, Northampton County, North Penn Legal Services, KNTB Bank and various other interested individuals. The seminar features Jane Vincent, Regional Administrator for the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Philadelphia Region and Michael Allen, Esq. a civil rights expert. For more information and registration click here.
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LVEDC receives historic $3.4 M grant
By Steve Althouse 11/21/2011 10:10pmMonday, November 21st was a day for the LVEDC record books. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of many talented people and agencies, LVEDC was awarded a historic $3.4 M grant from the United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to develop the Lehigh Valley Sustainable Plan during a news conference held at the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley (CACLV) in Bethlehem. The amount was the largest the organization’s ever recevied. As noted above, this was by no mean a solo effort. LVEDC had the cooperation and collaboration of several very talented and important partners throughout the Lehigh Valley whose total efforts produced this regional success. The funding was allocated to the Lehigh Valley Sustainability Consortium, consisting of 11 public and non-profit entities. The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission; Lehigh and Northampton Transit Authority (LANTA); Renew Lehigh Valley (RenewLV); the Lehigh County Department of Community and Economic Development; the Northampton County Department of Community and Economic Development; Wildlands Conservancy and the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, Easton and CACLV. LVEDC served as the lead applicant. It is not an exaggeration that this intiative will positively impact the quality of life for all Lehigh Valley residents. The LVSC will create a sustainable Lehigh Valley by implementing the Comprehensive Plan The Lehigh Valley… 2030, which meets the definition of a sustainability plan and embodies the six livability principles. LVSC will further the adoption of the plan by promoting adoption of affordable housing policies at municipal level and fostering transit related land development to support public transportation. LVSC will also prepare an Assessment of Jobs/Housing Balance and a Regional Economic Development Plan that promotes sustainability. Throughout the development of the Regional Economic Development Plan and promotion of the Comprehensive Plan LVSC will engage the community through public participation sessions. All types of communities will be targeted in this process to ensure all populations are given voice in direction of the region. The Consortium aims to develop stable, working communities by connecting workers with economic opportunities throughout the region and bringing jobs back to the cities. The opportunity gaps and the distributional inequalities in the region will widen unless addressed by aggressive policy that is both sustainable and transformative. The first step of this process will be an update to the report titled An Affordable Housing Assessment of the Lehigh Valley, 2007 including data associated with Housing in the Lehigh Valley, 2008. This update will direct the implementation strategies of the Lehigh Valley Affordable Housing Effort that is housed at CACLV. The Consortium will foster transit related land development as a key component to creating a more livable Lehigh Valley. LANTA will monitor land development and pursue ordinance changes along priority transit corridors. In addition, LANTA will be a key partner in the development of the regional Comprehensive Economic Development Plan. A Jobs and Housing Study will be developed by LVPC and will be the jumping off point for a Comprehensive Economic Development Plan. This Economic Development Plan will focus on increasing economic competitiveness and improving the relationship between job locations and housing opportunities. An economic model will be employed to create and analyze various economic scenarios as part of this plan. Finally, the region will become more sustainable by fostering three catalytic projects — one each in Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton. These projects will directly improve and support existing communities, and increase the access to jobs for these neighborhoods. Throughout all pieces of the work plan, the Lehigh Valley Sustainability Consortium will engage the communities. By utilizing the resources of CACLV all of the partners in the Consortium will have meaningful input from under represented populations of the two counties.
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LVLRI: Public Notice for Nov. 21 meeting
By Steve Althouse 11/14/2011 11:10pmThe Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Initiative is supporting the Allentown Commercial and Industrial Development Authority (ACIDA) on an application for an Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Brownfields Cleanup Grant to perform remediation on at the eastern 30 acres of the formerly part of the Allentown State Hospital. The site consists of areas formerly used for agricultural land, a small incinerator site and area used for landfill activities located east of, but not including, the State Hospital “Main Campus”. The proposed Cleanup Plan and an Analysis of Brownfields Cleanup Alternatives is available here for review and comment. A public meeting to solicit input on the draft application for grant funds and the Draft Cleanup Plan and Analysis of Brownfield Cleanup Alternatives will be held on Monday, November 21, 2011 at 4:00 P.M. in the 3rd floor Conference Room of City Hall (435 Hamilton Street, Allentown, PA 18101). All interested parties are encouraged to attend. Please provide any comments to Holly Edinger at (610) 266-6775 or hedinger@lehighvalley.org
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Pa. DEP Secretary to tour Lehigh Valley sites
By Holly Edinger 8/16/2011 3:32pmSec. Krancer: Nominated by Gov. Corbett on Jan. 18th.This Friday Pennsylvania Department of Enviornmental Protection Secretary Michael Krancer will be the guest of the Lehigh Valley Land Recycling Intiative (LVLRI) and will tour three of the region’s top projects: The Allentown Waterfront Redevelopment, the Simon Silk Mill in Easton, and the Bethlehem Steel Site in LVIP VII. Secretary Krancer will meet with some of LVEDC’s public-sector partners in each city during his scheduled four-hour visit. The tour will be an opportunity for the secretary to see first-hand how all three projects once they are completed will address environmental concerns, create new jobs and provide tax revenue for each of the cities. Revitalization of brownfields is critically important to the Lehigh Valley. Properties that were considered lost forever have now become viable economic vehicles once again. To learn more about how LVLRI helps our community click here.
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What happened in Hellertown?
By Holly Edinger 7/25/2011 7:45pmHow can sustainabile growth benefit a community? In April LVLRI, through our tenacious approach in redevelopment, gained national recognition at the 2011 National Brownfields Conference. With this came accolades and benefits to the Lehigh Valley. The Environmental Protection Agency selected the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township to receive Technical Assistance to explore smart growth and sustainable design Cathy Kichline, Hellertown’s Borough Manager and host of the workshop said both communities were very pleased to be chosen by EPA for this seminar. “Both Ryan Bouma of AECOM and Susan Gitlin of EPA facilitated the discussion on key community issues, constraints and interest and design for sustainable development of three sites within the Borough. All three sites were either underperforming commercial, infill redevelopment or brownfield. Using the concepts identified in Smart Growth, such as allowing mixed use zones, using urban dimensions in urban places, foster walkable places and using green infrastructure to manage stormwater, amongst other tools, the groups created a site development that will expand economic opportunity, protect the environment and improve the overall quality of life. These site specific design concepts are available for public viewing at the Hellertown Borough Hall.” Another community member, Kim LeBrake, AIA of MKSD architects, offered her perspective as a community member, “What are the Sustainable Growth Guidelines? I was lucky enough to find out. I was invited to attend a sustainable growth workshop in Hellertown sponsored by the EPA Office of Sustainable Communities, made possible by a grant awarded jointly to the Borough of Hellertown and Lower Saucon Township. Only 32 of over 350 communities across the nation were successful in obtaining this grant. Through this program the EPA strives to create partnerships with communities to improve their quality of life by explaining how the Smart Growth Principals can benefit a community. Being a design professional, I work with the concept of “sustainability” on a daily basis with my client and their projects. This workshop introduces these key sustainability concepts to empower change at a community level. The workshop invites members of a community to the table not only to introduce these concepts but to facilitate an open forum for how “sustainability” can benefit the community. This discussion between the stakeholders identifies the positive elements already existing in their community as well as areas which can be improved. Although each community is different, the Smart Growth Guidelines emphasize the development of a strategy which is unique to the community’s assets. The key concept of this strategy, which can supplement the community existing master plan, focuses on protecting open space, revitalizing the existing town center by directing new development where service already exist, looking at transportation options to reduce driving while creating “walkable” neighborhoods which are safe, accessible, and places people want to live, work and play in. In layman’s terms, walkable and efficient town planning can help communities save money, reduce traffic, and become healthier. I was encouraged to see the enthusiasm by all participants. Each member, whether they were residents, business people, or community leaders bring a unique view of their community to the discussion and were all ready to jump in to make a positive impact on their community. As a resident, business owner and designer I was grateful for the opportunity to participate in the ongoing task of creating a vision for the joint communities of Hellertown and Lower Saucon.”
