THE CITY SUMMIT
FOR ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY
ACTION PLAN RECOMMENDATIONS
APRIL 2010
Introduction
On March 26, 2010, 48 business, government and community leaders met to work together to develop recommendations for an action plan to assist the City of Lebanon achieve economic sustainability. Following are recommendations resulting from The City Summit in order of priority voted by the participants.
These recommendations are not necessarily those of the Lebanon Valley Economic Development Corporation, the host and facilitating organization for The City Summit.
Recommendations
1. Develop a plan to sell or lease city owned properties to property tax paying entities. Implementation would be by hiring a consultant to conduct an analysis of the properties to determine potential use and value. Property sale could be by auction, negotiated sales or by a developer attraction effort through Request for Proposals. Priority would be given to the property at the corner of 9th and Cumberland Streets with a goal of re-developing the site into a parking garage with first floor retail/office leasing. The industrial zoned parcels on Schneider Drive should also be actively marketed with completion of a base line environmental study by the city prior to sale. It is recommended that the city designated selected properties as eligible for LERTA tax incentives in coordination with the school district and county commissioners. LVEDC could assist with this action item. [12 votes]
2. Develop high end residential loft spaces by attracting a major downtown developer capable of creating residential units for young professionals. Implementation will require a marketing study to determine the feasibility of the project. Funding for the study and developer attraction costs would be from the revenue generated from establishment of a proposed business improvement district which will assess a tax on the business located in the district. The group making the recommendation envisions all non profit organizations working together to achieve this goal. [10 votes]
3. Enter into an energy savings consortium to achieve an estimated 25% savings on annual utility costs. This would be implemented by sending Request for Proposals to energy consortiums for competitive bids. The Lebanon Valley Chamber of Commerce has volunteered assistance with this action item. [10 votes]
4. Develop a micro-brewery business in the downtown area. Implementation would require providing a grant and low interest loan to a private developer, in addition to business plan and marketing plan assistance. [10 votes]
5. Seek Enterprise Zone designation for selected areas of the city by application to the PA Department of Community and Economic Development. [8 votes]
6. Consolidation of City & County services by hiring a consultant to study efficient and effective consolidation. The estimated cost of the study is $10,000 to be shared between the city and county. [6 votes]
7. Designate all developable properties as eligible for LERTA tax incentive. The local Economic Revitalization Tax Assistance Act allows cities to designate economically distressed areas eligible for a reduction of property taxes resulting from improvements to the properties for up to 10 years. To be effective an agreement to participate from both the county and school board should be secured. LVEDC could assist with implementations of this action. [3 votes]
8. Implement a Core Community Revitalization project with the aim of achieving 60% residential owner occupied housing within 2 years instead of the current 40%. A coordinating group would be formed composed of the CLA, Housing & Redevelopment Authority, the Spanish American Civic Association and Habitat for Humanity. The project would be funded by state and federal incentives and United Way. [3 votes]
9. Remove housing funds from the City's CDBG grants and replace them with $100,000/year from the County's Act 137 funds for housing programs. This will require the cooperation of the County Commissioners. [2 votes]
10. Improve first impressions on entering the city from the west by renovating the exterior of the box factory building. This would be paid for by government and property owner funds. [2 votes]
11. Consolidate ownership of city owned properties under a single non-government entity to permit direct sale of the parcels. [2 votes]
12. Recovery Zone Bonds of up to $1.5 million in 2010 could be used by businesses expanding or moving into the city. This tax exempt financing requires a designation of eligibility by the County Commissioners. LVEDC could facilitate this financing. Use of the funds will also require approval by the Jackson Township Industrial Development Authority, currently the only agency in the county authorized to make tax exempt private loans. LVEDC administers the program. Consideration should be given to creating a city industrial development authority for financing within the city. LVEDC could facilitate creation and management of the city authority. [2 votes]
13. Develop "Claus A" office space downtown, tied in with HACC. [1 vote]
14. Develop new condo and townhouse projects for ownership by young professionals within a mixed use (retail) development. Funding would be through the CDBG grant. [1 vote]
15. Review the current permit and fee revenue structure. A consultant would be hired through an RFP process. The projected cost is $10,000. Alternately volunteer business leaders could be recruited to conduct the study.
16. Launch a beautification effort in the City that includes street litter control, recognition of residents and property owners who maintain or beautify their properties, and having banners along main thoroughfares. Enforcement would be by the police department.
17. Develop a "brand" image and marketing plan related to a new vision and mission statement for the city. This would be accomplished through a volunteer task force and a trained facilitator from the local business community. A new website would be an integral part of the "branding" and marketing.
