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Zip Codes, Not Borders
by Mountain Girl ~ May 30th, 2008. Filed under: Development, Infrastructure.Friends of 15211.org are attempting to help the neighboring community of Allentown with their revitalization efforts and it got me to thinking-why the division between Allentown and Mt. Washington?
To uncover that, we need to think about the differences between the neighborhoods. Neither has a thriving business district (yet). Empty storefronts exist in both areas, although there are pockets of legitimate businesses on both Main Streets. There is definite buy-in from certain groups within each community, but Mt. Washington clearly has more stakeholders and that’s because of population and money. (Money talks and it talks loudly. It’s shaped a lot of the development, and lack thereof, in our community.)
While it’s true that Allentown does not have the same assets (aka the view) and hence does not have people clamoring to buy homes there, it has a lot of attributes that make it almost easier to develop in many ways. Allentown has a contiguous Main Street while our business district is chopped up into sections. The streets and sidewalks are wider and Warrington Avenue provides quick and easy access to the bustling Southside.
The neighborhoods on the east side of town seemed to have discovered the merit in working together with their “East End” effort. A regional approach to development in favor of staying within the boundaries of their neighborhoods has resulted in investment and more sustainable development. While our joining forces may seem daunting, more participation means more capacity and more capacity means more visibility. Hopefully, greater awareness then leads to more funding.
Our neighbor Allentown is fighting an uphill battle when it comes to perception. Not including them in our efforts doesn’t help us and it only hurts them.