ALLENTOWN, PA – October 2, 2015 – The Lehigh Valley Planning Commission honored seven local public, private and non-profit projects for planning and development excellence at the 2nd Annual Lehigh Valley Planning & Development Gala and Awards last night at DeSales University in Center Valley.
A panel of judges selected this year’s winners and honorees based on originality and innovation; compatibility with the community; effectiveness and results; how the community was engaged; and transferability of the project, plan or ordinance.
- Plan, planning policy or ordinance – Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods: The Center City Initiative (a.k.a. Upside Allentown)
- Land development/use – Easton Intermodal Terminal
- Open space project or initiative – Weona Park Mini-Golf Course, Pen Argyl Borough
- Environmental or revitalization project or initiative – Hoover Mason Trestle, Bethlehem
- Transportation project or initiative – Chrin Interchange, Palmer Township
- Multi-municipal cooperation project or initiative – Heidelberg, Lynn, Lowhill and Weisenberg Townships in Lehigh County
- Community of Distinction for a strong commitment to quality and effective planning and development over time – Bushkill Township
“These plans and projects are the region’s best. They showcase the relationship between the public and private sectors and the thousands of good citizens that make the Lehigh Valley community truly great,” notes Becky Bradley, LVPC Executive Director.
Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods: The Center City Initiative is a city program created in conjunction with six Allentown nonprofit organizations that focuses on community and neighborhood revitalization in the 10 blocks surrounding the city’s downtown core.
The City of Easton’s New City Hall and Intermodal Transportation Facility is located on a 2.35-acre parcel along South Third Street. It consists of a three-story mixed-use building and a four-story parking deck with 338 parking spaces and eight bus loading/unloading platforms. The mixed-use building houses the bus terminal, a restaurant, retail spaces, and Easton City Hall.
The Open Space award winner was for a complete rehabilitation of Pen Argyl Borough Weona Park’s miniature golf course, the only municipally owned municipal golf course in the region. The goal was to maintain the historic ambiance of the park and existing course while promoting ADA accessibility. The construction also included stormwater improvements, as well as the addition of native plantings.
After being left to decay for several decades, the 1906 Hoover Mason Trestle at the historic Bethlehem Steel was transformed and given a new life by the City of Bethlehem Redevelopment Authority. This one-third-mile-long promenade offers unique and publicly accessible views of the historic steel plant, the new SteelStacks campus, and the south side of Bethlehem. Located on the largest Brownfield site in the US, the HMT is part museum, part circulation walk, and part attraction conceived and built to tie together an arts and entertainment complex.
The Route 33 Charles Chrin Interchange Project involved construction of a new full-diamond highway interchange, bridge overpass and associated improvements at the existing crossing of PA Rt. 33 and Main Street in the northern end of Palmer Township. The interchange is at the center of an 800-acre site that will be developed as a mixed-use development containing industrial, distribution, office and retail components, known as the Chrin Commerce Centre. The project is a model example of a public-private partnership, representing cooperation and collaboration between a private developer and various levels of government through all stages of the project, from planning to funding to construction.
The four townships who received the multi-municipal award have been working together since the late 1990s when they entered into an Intergovernmental Cooperative Agreement to share manpower and equipment as well as to purchase specialty equipment for road paving and repairs. Another collaboration is the Northwestern Lehigh Recreation Association’s fields and lots. This arrangement has allowed all of them to save money and provide better services to residents.
Over the years, Bushkill Township has shown a continued commitment toward articulating its long-term community vision and of aligning that vision with both its neighboring municipalities and the broader ambitions of the region. The Township has been instrumental in advancing the goals of Nazareth Council of Governments. Additionally, Bushkill Township is among only a handful of municipalities in the Lehigh Valley that have adopted an official map, which it did in 2007 to leverage protection of sensitive areas throughout stream corridors and along steep slopes.
About the Lehigh Valley Planning Commission: LVPC was formed by Lehigh and Northampton counties in 1961 to guide the orderly growth and development of the two counties. Since its creation, LVPC has been dedicated to providing the best planning possible for the counties and 62 municipalities in the Lehigh Valley. For more information visit http://www.lvpc.org/ or contact 610-264-4544.
Information Provided By:
Tracey Werner, Blabbermouth Communications
tracey@blabbermouthcommunications.com
