MILLVALE ELM STREET

WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW WITH ELM STREET?

Elm Street Newsletter1.doc

Five-year Revitalization and Sustainability Plan for the Millvale Elm Street Neighborhood

The Millvale Borough Development Corporation (MBDC) in conjunction with Millvale Borough have received a $25,000 State planning grant to complete a Revitalization and Sustainability Plan. Completion of the planning grant is a requirement of the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development and PA Downtown Center in order to apply for official Elm Street designation and additional funding.

Third Sector Development was awarded the contract to complete the study and is currently gathering data. Third Sector has held one public meeting and plans to hold additional public meetings to keep residents up to date. Once the study is completed in October the Borough will apply for official elm Street designation.

Once an official Elm Street District Millvale Elm Street will be able to apply for Residential Reinvestment Grants which provide funds for physical improvements in neighborhoods.

Third Sector Development is asking for feedback from Millvale Residents please take a moment and complete the following surveys:

Elm Street Program Survey

Elm Street Housing Survey

Elm Street Housing Tenure Survey

Take a look at the Millvale Elm Street RFP and Scope of Work to better understand how Elm Street will effect you and what to expect moving forward.

RFP.doc

ElmStreetscopeofwork.doc

Renovate & Repair Loan Program

The purpose of the Keystone Renovate & Repair Loan Program (R&R loan) is to help:

Prevent homeowners from becoming victims of unscrupulous lending practices (i.e., high interest rates and costs, more money borrowed than needed, pre-payment penalties, etc.).

Homeowners prioritize their home repair spending so that the work that they get done is what their home really needs.

Improve Lancaster's aging housing stock for its current residents and future generations.

For more information about the Renovate & Repair Loan Program click here.

Renovate & Repair Loan Program application (PDF)

What is Millvale Elm Street?

Elm Street aims to improve the situation of Pennsylvania’s urban neighborhoods while linking revitalization efforts to those in adjacent/nearby Main Streets/downtowns. With the long-established Main Street Program as a model, Elm Street as learned from some 40 years of experience by many successful and not-so-successful neighborhood revitalization programs throughout the nation. The Elm Street Concept is structured around simultaneous actions in five focus areas, integrated through a community-based strategic planning process. The elements of the so-called “five-point approach” include:

♦ Clean, Safe & Green

Arguably the most important factor in a neighborhood’s health is how safe and pleasant people believe it to be. Dealing with crime and cleaning up features in the neighborhood that are, or seem to be, unsavory/unsafe is a critical first step in changing the community for the better.

Another facet of neighborhood safety deals with movement to and through the area. Part of ensuring safety in a neighborhood includes providing safe routes for children to walk/bike to school, for residents to access commercial developments, and for recreation.

Clean is a bridge between safety and greening.

Greening is relevant to a neighborhood’s image, appearance, and health issues. Landscaping, trees, and other plantings impact the visual appeal of residential and commercial streets alike, with mature trees and healthy, maintained landscaping elements creating a consistent and cared-for appearance.

* Neighbors & Economy

Underlying economic factors—such as employment rates and homeownership levels, among others—heavily influence neighborhood health. Obviously, low income and high unemployment can lead to lower homeownership rates and to poor property upkeep.

Depending on the level of distress, a neighborhood may require interventions to stabilize aspects of its economy—special home buyer programs, gap financing for housing rehab, new job skills training, and other initiatives are all commonly used to improve a neighborhood’s economic conditions.

¤ Design

The character of a neighborhood is often the difference that makes a place special. The overall “feel” of a neighborhood street and the familiar appearance of its houses can signal the unique atmosphere of the community not only to its own residents but also to citizens in the larger region. Design includes a range of features; it is about everything that is visible when walking or driving through the neighborhood.

Architecture is the most obvious aspect of design. Not only consistency of architectural style but also general features like number of stories, roof shape (hipped, gabled, etc.) and the prevalence of building features—such as porches or stoops, bay or dormer windows, and garages—can influence the overall design rhythm of a neighborhood.

Streetscape, including landscaping, also plays a role in a neighborhood’s design features. From street trees to planting pits to traffic circles or parking bump-outs, the vegetation or lack thereof in a neighborhood can make a significant difference in the appearance of a street. For example, planted median strips can make a street appear more “green” while also creating a narrowed appearance that tends to slow down through-traffic. It is not uncommon for consistent site plans, landscaping, and mature street trees to unify a neighborhood even if the architectural styles are eclectic.

► Image & Identity

Image refers to how the neighborhood is viewed by non-residents: Main Street/downtown business owners, regional citizens, city employees and local officials, and residents of adjacent or nearby neighborhoods. Identity describes how residents view or feel about their own neighborhood—for example, whether they view it as safe, friendly, and attractive. It is not uncommon for the identity of a neighborhood to contradict its image in the region.

Identity is more closely tied to whether residents become engaged in their own community, whether they desire or plan to stay, and whether they invest in updates and repairs to their own properties. Just as image can affect neighborhood identity, identity can impact image over time, especially when property owners and residents see their neighborhood as a good place to live. Residents with a strong sense of neighborhood identity and translate this vision into regular home maintenance, care in selecting tenants for rentals, and the sustenance of an active neighborhood association, and well attended neighborhood events.

≈ Sustainable Organization

Neighborhood revitalization requires the knitting together of many varied threads of activity. Factors as distinct as safety, building conditions, income levels, public school performance, cleanliness, and residents’ level of engagement, to name a few, play a significant role in neighborhood stability. Coordinating activities and programs that can identify and address problems across this diverse spectrum calls for an organization capable of operating flexibly and efficiently, often through partnering with other groups and public agencies