I think the city needs to focus on a few issues and concentrate on these issues to revitalize the city. Below are the issues I think the city needs to address if they want to revitalize the city.
I think they need to:
1. Deal properly with the run-down vacant properties in the city as tax revenue is often lost on vacant properties.
2. Aggressively attack quality of life issues such as graffiti, litter, trashed properties, illegal dumping, and parking problems.
3. Create a more inviting environment for visitors visiting the city such as offering free parking for a few hours near the downtown areas.
4. Push for more home owned properties throughout the city.
5. Aggressively deal with the absentee landlords and slumlords in the city.
Above are five things I think the city needs to do if they want to revitalize Allentown. Building a hockey arena and office buildings is not going to bring back Allentown. Run-down vacant properties affect the city in many ways by decreasing property values, infest more crime, safety & fire hazards, reduce city tax revenue, and negatively affect the quality of life for city residents and visitors.
Having graffiti, litter, trashed properties, and trashed neighborhoods also are quality of life issues I think the city needs to focus on. Having all of these in many of the center city neighborhoods is not an attractive site for residents or visitors.
The city needs to create a more inviting environment for people visiting the city. One thing I think they should do is offer free parking for a few hours in parking decks close to the downtown areas. This would allow visitors to come into the city and park worry free while they shop at the local shops and eat at the local restaurants throughout the downtown area.
Right now the city is 52% rental with over 27,000 rental properties in the city. It is a known fact that home owned properties raise property values and home owned properties are usually more well kept then rental units. I think the city needs to push for more home owned properties.
I think they need to aggressively deal with absentee landlords and slumlords. The city keeps saying they are working on a plan and trying to do everything they can legally however myself and the VP of the Allentown Tenant Association we run have presented them with multiple ideas and multiple strategies used in other cities with success. It is time to stop beating around the bush with the issue and attack it aggressively.
We want businesses to come into the city and we want people to visit the city but if we don't deal with the issues mentioned then nether are going to happen as much as they could. I hear from people who live outside of the city all the time telling me they don't come into Allentown unless they really have to.
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