Westminster Eagle column by Kevin Dayhoff: Economic development will revitalize Pennsylvania Avenue in WestminsterEconomic development will revitalize Pennsylvania Avenue
Is rezoning for business development the right idea for a comeback on Pennsylvania Avenue?
By Kevin Dayhoff kdayhoff@carr.org Posted on www.explorecarroll.com 8/27/08 (573 words)
At a recent meeting of the Westminster Common Council, it was announced that Councilman Greg Pecoraro will chair another Pennsylvania Avenue initiative, and that Councilwoman Suzanne Albert will serve as vice-chair.
You may recall it was on Sept. 18, 2002, that a previous Pennsylvania Avenue committee announced its findings.
Previously, there had been a number of community-based initiatives to address crime on Pennsylvania Avenue; which had started to become a matter of heightened public discussion in 1999.
One of the immediate impetuses to form the 2002 initiative was the February 2002 groundbreaking for the Carroll Arts Center. At the time, there was enthusiasm to unleash market forces on Pennsylvania Avenue and extend the Westminster business footprint back to the area by encouraging art and cultural venues and businesses.
The 2002 Pennsylvania Avenue initiative resulted in an extensive set of recommendations pertaining to various ways government could stimulate revitalization of this critical area of town. The recommendations addressed public safety, housing and economic development opportunities. It included changing the zoning of the area to open it up to art studios, professional offices, coffee shops, barber shops and beauty parlors and the like.
In short, it aimed to restore the area to what it looked like -- and what made the area of town successful -- before the disastrous November 1979 decision by the then-Westminster mayor and council to rezone this thriving business section of town to strictly residential.
Prior to 1979, Pennsylvania Avenue looked like East Main Street, with a successful mix of residential and business uses of property.
Almost 30 years later, East Main is flourishing with art shops, coffee houses, professional offices, and residential housing -- mixed together in an approach that looks like a traditional town in the 1800s and 1900s. It looks like the very recipe of property uses that made Westminster great.
Most, but not all, of the 2002 committee recommendations were adopted. However, the one proposal recognized as the best long-range systemic solution -- economic development -- never materialized.
As a result, since then, even more opportunities have been lost as constraints in water supply have stopped almost all economic development in Westminster. However, if rezoning efforts had been in place, adaptive reuse of properties on Pennsylvania Avenue could have presented wonderful opportunities for Westminster (because a property's existing water allocation could have been transferred).
Providing Pennsylvania Avenue property owners with the opportunities currently available to East Main Street would give owners alternatives in land use that they have been denied since November 1979.
How we treat an area that needs attention says a great deal about who we are as a community. And one of the best solutions to our budget problems is expanding our business footprint and the commercial tax base.
I recently spoke with Pecoraro, who is considered by many as a national authority on urban planning and public policy analysis. He says he has an open mind on the solutions for Pennsylvania Avenue, and emphasized that he wants to hear from citizens and explore any option that may help.
"I've put a great deal of thought into it. I want to build upon our successes; (and) be honest about what did not work," Pecoraro said.
The time has come to take a fresh look at the job creation and business opportunities on Pennsylvania Avenue. After many years, problems persist. It's time to try a different approach. The stakes are high for all of Westminster.
Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kdayhoff@carr.org.
You may recall it was on Sept. 18, 2002, that a previous Pennsylvania Avenue committee announced its findings.
Previously, there had been a number of community-based initiatives to address crime on Pennsylvania Avenue; which had started to become a matter of heightened public discussion in 1999.
One of the immediate impetuses to form the 2002 initiative was the February 2002 groundbreaking for the Carroll Arts Center. At the time, there was enthusiasm to unleash market forces on Pennsylvania Avenue and extend the Westminster business footprint back to the area by encouraging art and cultural venues and businesses.
The 2002 Pennsylvania Avenue initiative resulted in an extensive set of recommendations pertaining to various ways government could stimulate revitalization of this critical area of town. The recommendations addressed public safety, housing and economic development opportunities. It included changing the zoning of the area to open it up to art studios, professional offices, coffee shops, barber shops and beauty parlors and the like.
In short, it aimed to restore the area to what it looked like -- and what made the area of town successful -- before the disastrous November 1979 decision by the then-Westminster mayor and council to rezone this thriving business section of town to strictly residential.
Prior to 1979, Pennsylvania Avenue looked like East Main Street, with a successful mix of residential and business uses of property.
Almost 30 years later, East Main is flourishing with art shops, coffee houses, professional offices, and residential housing -- mixed together in an approach that looks like a traditional town in the 1800s and 1900s. It looks like the very recipe of property uses that made Westminster great.
Most, but not all, of the 2002 committee recommendations were adopted. However, the one proposal recognized as the best long-range systemic solution -- economic development -- never materialized.
As a result, since then, even more opportunities have been lost as constraints in water supply have stopped almost all economic development in Westminster. However, if rezoning efforts had been in place, adaptive reuse of properties on Pennsylvania Avenue could have presented wonderful opportunities for Westminster (because a property's existing water allocation could have been transferred).
Providing Pennsylvania Avenue property owners with the opportunities currently available to East Main Street would give owners alternatives in land use that they have been denied since November 1979.
How we treat an area that needs attention says a great deal about who we are as a community. And one of the best solutions to our budget problems is expanding our business footprint and the commercial tax base.
I recently spoke with Pecoraro, who is considered by many as a national authority on urban planning and public policy analysis. He says he has an open mind on the solutions for Pennsylvania Avenue, and emphasized that he wants to hear from citizens and explore any option that may help.
"I've put a great deal of thought into it. I want to build upon our successes; (and) be honest about what did not work," Pecoraro said.
The time has come to take a fresh look at the job creation and business opportunities on Pennsylvania Avenue. After many years, problems persist. It's time to try a different approach. The stakes are high for all of Westminster.
Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kdayhoff@carr.org.
20080827 WE Economic development will revitalize PA Avenue weked
http://explorecarroll.com/opinion/760/economic-development-will-revitalize-pennsylvania-avenue/
Related on www.kevindayhoff.net: Westminster File PA Ave
Related on www.Westgov.net: Westminster File PA Ave
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.