Allentown officials unveil Center City Initiative

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - There's no signs of revitalization efforts in Allentown's downtown slowing down anytime soon.

Just a few months after the grand opening of the PPL Center in the Neighborhood Improvement Zone, city officials introduced a plan to improve areas beyond the NIZ.

The plan is a partnership between the city, corporate investors and the Community Action Committee of the Lehigh Valley.

 Initiative Over the next six years, nearly $6 million will be pumped into a 10-block radius surrounding the NIZ. More than half of those funds are from eight local corporate investors.

Mayor Ed Pawloswki called the plan another step in the right direction for Allentown.

 "To make sure that energy and momentum really hits all areas of the city," said Pawlowski.

"The Center City Initiative" looks to improve the overall look and feel of the neighborhood with a multi-prong plan. One of the focal points of the project is physical and design improvements.

The initiative also looks to boost the housing market, by getting rid of blighted structures and fostering home-ownership.

Also included in the plan is attention to reducing crime and improving public safety.

The initiative also looks to change public perception of the city through marketing campaigns. Christi Dominquez lives in the 500 block of Gordon Street.

Her neighborhood is included in the new initiative. "I'm excited because it could mean some dynamic things happening in center city," said Dominguez, who will serve as a co-chair of the education committee.

Despite her involvement with the initiative, Dominguez admitted some apprehension she shares with some of her neighbors.

“I have seen what urban renewal can do, and it can create stark contrast of segregation.  Where the NIZ is a block and a half from here, and you could fall into an even deeper pocket of poverty," Dominguez said.

But city officials remain confident the plan will only boost the entire city.

 "You are always going to have those concerns with any development project, but we've brought in thousands of jobs, many residents are working of those jobs. We're seeing this economic synergy take place which is helping to benefit the entire community," Pawlowski said.

Source: WFMZ.com