Allentown There's No Renaissance Going On

I don't care how many videos, websites and puff pieces appear in the media Allentown IS NOT undergoing a renaissance. A renaissance implies Allentown is experiencing a rebirth or there is some sort of spontaneous resurgence going on here. In actuality taxpayers are risking $1b in an attempt to reinvent the city. That's certainly not what I think of when it comes to the term "renaissance".

Let Me Explain
This hype is implying Allentown is returning to it's glory days. That simply is not the case. Back in those days if you lived in Lehigh County and wanted to catch a train you HAD to come to Allentown. If wanted to purchase a fur, musical instrument, furniture, see a movie or shop in large department stores Allentown was the only game in town (so to speak). In other words people were nearly forced to come downtown for their needs.

Over the years everything once to be found only exclusively in Allentown has became available to those living outside the city. At this point anyone wanting to see a movie will not find one theatre in Allentown. Today's Kmarts and Walmarts make the no longer existing Hess's, Leh's and Zollingers look pale in comparison. Anyone hungry for a meal can go nearly anywhere within a mile where they live. No need to drive downtown, pay for parking and walk a block or two. I could go on endlessly listing all the businesses that could only be found exclusively in Allentown at one time.


Reinventing The Wheel Is Fruitless
Other then the arena there's nothing being built within the NIZ that will create any kind of exclusivity for Allentown that cannot be found elsewhere. If we're going to label this as some sort of "renaissance" it would require Allentown recreate what made it a prior success in the first place. And that was build stuff downtown that outside areas cannot offer.

Hotels, got a bunch of those. Food joints, got a bunch of those too. Office buildings, are you kidding they're every few feet everywhere you look. Outside of new restaurants these office buildings were second worst idea. Without going into detail take Talen Energy and National Penn Bank office buildings as two examples. Talen is likely to move after a work force reduction. National Penn (with it's merger) will reduce it's work force and no longer will Allentown be it's main headquarters. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand major corporations constantly move their offices to greener pastures every five years or so. Short term gains are not a long term success.

What NIZ Funds Could Have Done Better (Create A Uniqueness)
The arena should have been built at 'Riverfront'. In the first place there's easier access. The same restaurants, offices and a hotel could have just as easily been built down there and most likely (if they had adequate parking) been more successful both event and none event nights. The view certainly would be better. In addition whether people liked them or not there were some 40 businesses that would still be on Hamilton Street paying taxes like they once had. It would have saved the cost$ wastefully spent to force them out via eminent domain as well as the tax loses by them no longer being located there. How dumb is that!


Let's Talk About What Draws People In the First Place
Ever have to take a trip out to the LVHN campus out on Cedar Crest Blvd. or to Philly for a medical visit? They're both packed. Why.. because people have a need to go there.

Ever visit Musikfest or the Sands Casino? They're packed. Why.. because people want to go there.

Ever go to the Allentown Farmer's Market. it's packed. Why.. because people want to go there.

What they all have in common is their distinctive uniqueness. They provide something people can't find elsewhere. Someone explain to me exactly makes Allentown so unique that people would want to come here for what they can't find elsewhere. Better medical care? Better schools? Safer, nicer neighborhoods and homes?

NIZ (other then the arena) hasn't created one thing that can't be found elsewhere. We can throw whatever amount of taxpayers dollars we want but none of it's going to stick unless Allentown has something other communities can't offer. We once did, but no more. Thus this is nothing like a "renaissance" of what Allentown once was known for.

Cheap rents can only take you so far until the tax advantages run out. An arena is only good as it's next event and usually isn't profitable. Allentown is far from alone in what's happening in nearly every large city, but it surely isn't a shining beacon either. Let's not kid ourselves. Trying to BS our way into success isn't going to work over the long haul no matter how concerted the effort or how many may pretend otherwise.

Mistakes were made (deliberately or otherwise). A far more conservative approach would have been to concentrate our efforts on the Riverfront area which most needed our attention, assumed less risks and no doubt cost taxpayers far less It's too late to fix this. We're already too deep to turn back. That's the reality we now face. All that's left is to try and spin this, create puff pieces in the media and hope some people will naively buy into what we're selling. Time will tell if that's possible. Stay tuned. I'm not very optimistic, but we shall see.

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