- What are the strengths of the downtown area?
- What are its weaknesses?
- And are there any specific needs for downtown?
The NDA has received its non-profit status and is now working to become a member of the PA Downtown Association. A part of becoming a member is submitting a downtown profile and these questions will allow the profile to be completed.
Feel free to answer these questions and provide your insight here and/or attend the [DISREGARD: "NDA's Economic Development Committee meeting tonight at 6 p.m. at the Nazareth YMCA" Sorry everyone was out of town last two days and this was on Tuesday not Thursday Ross].
7 comments:
As a person who lives in Bushkill and drives into town everyday to use the post office, bank, etc., I can tell you that without a doubt, lack of parking is the biggest weakness. I cannot envision a successful downtown until a few parking lots are built. When the building on Broad Street across from the fire station was for sale, the Borough should have taken a long look at buying it to demolish and turn into metered parking.
The empty lot on south main street would appear to be ideal for a parking garage. The one in Bethlehem on Main & Broad is not too hard on hte eyes and provides much needed parking in that area as well. We can do that here, too.
Our downtown really needs a boost. I understand that there are experts in the area of downtown revitilization projects who evaluate the town and figure out how to best stimulate the area. I would love to see this happen as well.
Unfortunately, the main street area has become a revolving door of businesses, with the exception of a few well established ones.
The area, with the square as an anchor, has the potential to become what I think could be a destination if built out nicely and by giving people a reason to come (i.e., weekly/monthly downtown events in the nicer months).
One of the biggest factors I see that is keeping the downtown from booming is the lack of business (by this I mean offices) in the area. You look at Main St. in Bethlehem, and there are a lot of offices in the area that bring in a daily influx of employees that utilize the services located there. Also, they city has put a lot of effort into revitalization to draw in new businesses, which for the most part, have been extremely successful.
Another factor that is going to weigh on our Main Street is the development of Nazareth Crossing, which is being touted as a "Main Street USA" type environment. With its proximity to Rte. 33 and other shopping along 248, my guess is that it will take the lions share of local business and will further increase the collapse of existing business.
As for parking, I personally have never had a problem finding a space, even if it is two or three blocks away, and funds spent on a parking facility could be better utilized towards revitalization efforts.
The planners need to put together a compelling reason to draw people to Downtown Nazareth. To do that, they will need to attract those types of businesses (such as boutique restaurants, unique shops and specialized services). To do that, there will probably need to be some major rule changes, such as parking requirements for restaurants, and possibly tax breaks (which would potentially be made up for through increased revenues in the businesses).
Our downtown has great bones, but unless we put the right meat on them, it will never become a destination.
What are the strengths of the downtown area?
1) The downtown has an excellent anchor (the hardware store). Personally, this is the “reason” that I visit the downtown. It is up to the rest of the area to keep me there when I walk out of the hardware store. And right now there isn’t a lot that keeps me there.
2) It is compact; I can easily walk my way through the downtown area
3) It has a tremendous potential
What are its weaknesses?
1) Lack of parking. As someone who lives within two blocks this is not an issue for me. But I can see that this would be a number one issue.
2) Many business fronts are closed or empty, meaning that I might walk past four business fronts and only one actually has a business operating in it.
3) It is not particularly aesthetically pleasing in some respects. I have seen great improvement in several of the facades and it is clear that many of the business take great pride in their physical appearance. However, others look like they have not been painted or maintained in decades (e.g. hardware store) and are simply ugly.
4) Some current businesses have “odd” or inconsistent hours of operation
And are there any specific needs for downtown?
1) The downtown needs dedicated and creative entrepreneurs. Unique businesses will thrive and generate curiosity.
2) There is a need to clean the place up (paint, repairs, etc.) and commitment to keeping the area nice. Some towns have districts where there are ordinances that dictate how a place must look (although some go too far in the details by specifying colors, sign fonts, styles, etc)
3) As an artist I would love to see street art or public sculptures or fountains. But I am biased; most people might not care about that kind of thing. I am very pleased to see Peter Cree move a studio in on Broad Street.
4) Should be more pedestrian/bicyclist friendly
5) Nazareth downtown needs to decide what it wants to be.
Downtown Nazareth was a BIG disappointment to me after living in towns with great downtown areas (i.e. Burlington,VT's Church Street, Birmingham, MI and Rochester, MI). We should be looking to these towns to figure out how they do it so successfully. These towns are also close to large shopping centers, but this doesn't take away from the downtown area. The downtowns offer what the shopping plazas do not offer. Please research these other great downtowns and let's try to imitate what they have.
Papier Boy,
Good to hear from you again and thank you for the remarks and insight.
You should come to our next meeting as I think some of your ideas could be implemented without too much effort.
I also appreciate everyone else's comments and I'll be forwarding them to the NDA for inclusion in their profile.
Best wishes!
Ross
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