Allentown wants public input in downtown development plans

With major changes over the last two years and a streetscape that “is changing on almost a daily basis,” members of the public are being invited to discuss future development in downtown Allentown, Mayor Ed Pawlowski said.

A meeting is planned for Oct. 21 at the Lehigh County Government Center at Seventh and Hamilton streets. At the meeting, city consultant Goody Clancy and Associates of Boston will discuss options for land use and transportation initiatives as well as the physical appearance of the downtown.

“The downtown urban design plan is helping us get ready for future projects and to guide the city on how we want those projects to shape the downtown,” Pawlowski said. “The city and our consultants are interested in the opinions of members of the public.”

Good Clancy is preparing a downtown urban design and development plan for the city. It held initial public meetings in an open house format in August, as well as downtown sidewalk discussions with residents and employees.

“The big picture is that we’re at a stage now when they [consultants] have several ideas and choices need to be made on what we want,” said Alan Salinger, chief planner for Allentown. “We want input from the public on what they’d like to see.

Topics for discussion include transportation needs and the use of public space.

The consultants will make presentations at 5 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. with 45-minute open discussions following each presentation.

Goody Clancy will be joined in the presentation by the traffic and parking consulting firm of Nelson/Nygaard, also of Boston; Code-A-Metrics, a zoning and codes specialist; and the Allentown engineering firm of Barry Isett and Associates.

The study is scheduled to be completed in December.

Source: LVB.com