The Allentown Voice

07/10/2024

In 2020, urban planning consultants from Chicago took a trip to Allentown to discuss the Vision 2030 plan, a detailed roadmap for development in the city. One of these consultants, Leslie Oberholtzer, said that almost everything has changed since that first trip.
One part of Vision 2030 is the first complete rewrite of the zoning code, called ZONE Allentown. The first two phases, research and drafting, are now ready for community feedback with open houses, office hours and a neighborhood survey. Zoning officials have been working on this third phase for about six weeks.
On July 9, the first of three open houses in Allentown neighborhoods was held at East Side Youth Center, where residents were invited to share their thoughts, ask questions and see the new code. As city officials greeted guests, Oberholtzer, a principal consultant at CodaMetrics, and Kirk Bishop, vice president of Duncan Associates, walked around the room where the new rules, regulations and procedures were posted alongside new city zone maps.
Oberholtzer explained that the first step to using the code is to find your address and the color code for your neighborhood. Depending on what type of building your house is will determine how it’s used, including how many units or accessory dwelling units are allowed.
The new code allows for more building types for residential homes, separating them into several distinctions of single family homes, rowhouses and twinhouses. Building types in mixed-use zones include storefront and general buildings. Other updates incentive affordable housing with exceptions from parking requirements and building height as well as a streamlined process for other use variances without going to a zoning hearing board.
The next two open houses will be at Fearless Fire Company No. 14 on the south side on Wednesday and at Theatre514 on N. 19th St. on the west side on Thursday. ZONE Allentown is also open for office hours in City Hall on July 10 and 11 from 9-11am. The final phase of ZONE Allentown is city approval, so if you have questions, now is the time to ask.

- Alex Caban-Echevarria

More reporting on zoning projects will be published soon on allentownvoice.org.

06/28/2024

For the last few months, housing advocates have been anxiously awaiting the announcement of the Supreme Court’s decision that would essentially decide if homelessness can be criminalized. The Grants Pass decision, announced today, says that cities can enforce bans on sleeping outside.

The decision is problematic when you consider that many cities, like Allentown, do not have a right-to-shelter law. This means something sudden, like an eviction, a medical crisis or a layoff, can leave people with zero options if they can’t afford rent—there is no guarantee that they will find room in a shelter and no guarantee they won’t be arrested for sleeping outside. Our shelters in Allentown are full to capacity, and homeless advocates have been imploring city officials to work on solutions.
Allentown’s Unsheltered Declaration of Rights affirmed the rights of those who are unhoused to rest or enjoy public spaces. The Commission on Homelessness introduced the Declaration of Rights with a simple goal–to remind all of us that those who are unhoused have the same rights to exist and deserve to be treated as such. The Grants Pass decision is an ominous indicator of the dehumanization of the unhoused. City Council voted to reject this declaration on Wednesday, and by doing so, perpetuates the criminalization of our unhoused neighbors in Allentown.

–The Allentown Voice Editorial Board

06/27/2024

A homeless bill of rights on the agenda at tonight’s city council meeting invited a heated debate over the need to affirm the rights of our most vulnerable citizens versus fears that any declarations would make the city “a magnet” for the homeless.

“It does not supercede the law but it does allow people to exist,” explained CeCe Gerlach. City council members expressed concerns that the bill would encourage tent encampments, people sleeping in parks, blocking sidewalks and panhandling. Gerlach explained that anything that is currently illegal, such as public urination, would still be illegal. And whatever is currently legal, such as panhandling, would remain so unless council chooses to write new laws.

A citizen representing the West Park Civic Association, spoke in opposition of the bill. “People are sleeping in West Park every night, why would we invite this problem on ourselves?” she asked (sleeping in parks at nights is against the law in Allentown).

Riley Kreuzer, speaking for the Allentown Commission on Homelessness, explained that this bill was initiated because an increased number of people without homes shared experiences of being dismissed and discriminated against. “As we anxiously await the Supreme Court decision in Grants Pass vs. Johnson, which takes up the question of whether local governments can fine or arrest people for sleeping outside, it again seems pressing that the rights of those living unsheltered be reiterated and spoken aloud,” he said. And he clarified that the commission wants the law to be “enforced equally regardless of housing status, not emphatically enforced to one group while another is overlooked.”

After several impassioned pleas from housing advocates to support the bill, council voted to reject it. Gerlach and Santos were the only ones who voted in favor.

06/12/2024

A committee met tonight to discuss the Unsheltered Declaration of Rights. Councilperson Napoli expressed concerns this could allow aggressive panhandling, blocking sidewalks or sleeping in parks. “Some of this is ambiguous,” said Napoli. Councilperson Hendricks said community members felt this resolution was unnecessary. “What’s next, a bill of rights for mail carriers?” he said.

“This is saying we value every single resident in the city of Allentown regardless of housing status,” said Councilperson Gerlach. “In this country, we often make declarations for marginalized communities to reaffirm they belong.” A resident affirmed stating, “when people don’t know they have rights, it’s so easy for those rights to be violated.”

“We are treated differently than those who have homes,” said resident Vanessa Fletcher. “We are chased, asked for ID, police look in our bags and hassle us for being in a park. We are not criminals, we are just trying to survive.”

The resolution was forwarded to the June 26 city council meeting.

06/11/2024

Who needs affordable housing? In Allentown, there are currently 11,000 people on a waiting list for affordable housing--far more than the city has available.

However, the recently opened Bridgeside Estates is an affordable housing option in Allentown. A press conference was held at Bridgeside Estates on May 29th to highlight housing development through funding from the Biden-Harris Administration’s, American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Allentown received $57 million dollars in ARPA funding. White House Senior Advisor Tom Perez visited to discuss Allentown’s progress in building affordable housing.

There have already been roughly 900 applications for Bridgeside alone.

The first phase of the Bridgeside development consists of 51 new apartments. Notably, these are in the place of what was originally the Little Lehigh housing complex with 75 apartments. Twenty-two families have moved in, though the apartments won’t be filled until the end of June. Additionally, the project has yet to break ground on phase two, where the other half of the old residences still stand. With a new developer involved, though yet to be announced, phase two should see completion in a few years.

- Zoe Lachter

06/06/2024

Is it illegal to be unsheltered?

Back in April, the U.S. Supreme Court heard a case centering on a city in Oregon called Grants Pass—this small city has no public shelter but its local law essentially allowed the city to fine or jail someone for sleeping on public land. As we await the court's decision, which is expected at the end of June, housing advocates here in Allentown are concerned about the implications.

At tonight’s city council meeting, an Unsheltered Declaration of Rights crafted by the city’s Commission on Homelessness was put forward to council by Councilperson CeCe Gerlach and Councilperson Natalie Santos. The resolution suggests that every person has the right to housing—and that regardless of their housing status they should be allowed to enjoy public space, have access to medical care and basic needs such as public restrooms. They also have the right to sit, rest or sleep in a temporary shelter and to be notified when illegal encampments are swept so they can protect their belongings.

The resolution was referred to a committee and will be discussed on June 12 at 5:30 pm.

06/05/2024

A large, government-owned property in Allentown was recently sold for $5.5 million to prominent local developer JB Reilly’s City Center Corp. The company plans to create a master planned community, called Northridge, on that property. Will it meet the needs of Allentown’s residents? Read “The Bargain” on our website to learn more.
allentownvoice.org/the-bargain

04/04/2024

Did City Council pull a bait and switch on the $1.2 in ARPA funding promised to local non profits back in December? In tonight’s council meeting a resolution to take the $1.2 million and put it into the city’s general fund brought impassioned comments from the public. While Councilperson Gerlach tried to negotiate a way to earmark the money to implement recommendations from the upcoming housing study, the criticism stemmed from what many in the public saw as broken promises. Councilperson Zucal said the resolution was written because the city never created an allocation process for the money but CED Director Vicky Kistler stated that she previously requested that the ARPA money shift to the city’s budget so they can simplify the application process but got no response from council. The confusion among city council about what occurred over the last few months amplified the frustration felt by the public. “I’m as confused as everyone else,” admitted Councilperson Affa who wrote the resolution with Zucal and Hendricks. After additional back and forth they ironed out a resolution to transfer the money to the general fund so that it could eventually make its way to the CED office for distribution to local nonprofits.

03/07/2024

Urban parks are especially important in a dense, formally industry based city like Allentown--a city that once lacked easy access to the natural environment, as the remnants of the industrial era still linger in the city, especially by the river. Could a riverwalk change how Allentown views the Lehigh?​

Urban parks are especially important in a dense, formally industry based city like Allentown, that once lacked easy access to the natural environment, as the remnants of the industrial era still li…

01/29/2024

With some help from other community institutions, the city of Bethlehem looks to implement eviction prevention and rental assistance measures through mediation, court representation and rental funding.

01/12/2024

At yesterday’s State of the City address, we got a rare chance to glimpse inside the new Waterfront building. The event took place inside the partially completed ground floor with sunny views of the Lehigh River at the rear of the building.

Wearing a bright pink tie, Mayor Tuerk addressed the crowd covering both his wins and his hopes for the future of the city.

He also lauded the 7600 construction permits that were issued in 2023, bringing the total value of improved property in the city to $4.68 billion. (Yes, billion).

The mayor also mentioned that he has updated the city inspection process, switching from “unreadable” paper inspections reports to digital inspections. The city is now doing 30% more rental inspections per month.

01/08/2024

People have long said that it never rains at Musikfest.

Musikfest was stopped midway and postponed due to the sudden storming this summer. As part of the increasing environmental impact of rains and other environmental extremes that Allentown and the Lehigh Valley have encountered due to climate change “it never rains at Musikfest” is becoming increasingly refuted.

As the planet warms, extreme weather patterns are more likely to be seen which means more flooding instead of the occasional or lack of rain that Musikfest has boasted in the past.

What does this have to do with the Lehigh River and our drinking water quality?

We are seeing increase flooding in the Lehigh Valley, and warehouse development might have something to do with it. By CL

01/02/2024

In 2024, Allentown will need to identify all their lead pipes so that they can be replaced, says the Lehigh County Water Authority. How will this impact you? Head to http://allentownvoice.org/allentown-has-a-lead-problem/ to read our feature story: "Allentown has a lead problem. But it’s more complicated than you think."

Allentown has a lead problem But it’s more complicated than you think.By Maddie Davidson The aching, whining pipes, settled underground decades ago, are resting not-so-peacefully beneath our sidewa…

12/22/2023

For over twenty years, my family has lived in Montgomery County, PA. We have been drinking tap water since moving to the area in 1997. But in 2018, my father was diagnosed with bladder cancer. We live just downstream from the Willow Grove air base, with a small stream, the Pennypack Creek, running through the area. According to the EPA, the nearby air base used fire-extinguishing foams that contained chemicals that have seeped into the groundwater. These chemicals, called PFAS (polyfluoroalkyl substances), aren't just found in my hometown’s drinking water. They are everywhere. In our bodies, in our water, in our soil, in places across the country…including here in Allentown. -Alena Ruckh

For more about the impact of PFAS, the forever chemicals, read our feature story Something in the Water on our website

Something in the Water By Alena Ruckh Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove. Photo by By Alena Ruckh It’s December, 2018, junior year of high school, just short of my 17th birthday. I s…

12/20/2023

Two West Allen Street homes are the first of five that the agency plans to sell to first-time homebuyers.

11/04/2023

On a chilly Saturday morning, city council battled out the details of the upcoming budget to a packed room in council chambers with the remaining $12.2 million in COVID relief ARPA funds on the table. Residents took turns speaking at the podium, asking for city council to spend money on certain projects and to avoid increasing fees and taxes. But when it came to discussion of distributing the remaining ARPA money two projects dominated the conversation -- the community center proposed by Community Action Lehigh Valley and a 12-unit affordable housing project proposed by Ripple.

As the Allentown Voice previously reported in our story The Gold Rush, city council never created a process for appropriating ARPA funds, nor established a clear purpose for how to use these funds. Therefore, allocation of the remaining $12.2 million devolved into a heated debate. Councilperson Gerlach’s proposal to give $1.5 million to Ripple and $1.5 million to Community Action were rejected by a council vote. After over three hours of discussion, council ended up voting to allocate the remaining ARPA funds to include $1 million to Ripple and $1 million to Community Action with $1.2 million for a community investment fund with the goal of creating a process for local non-profits to request funding.

10/06/2023

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/sep/27/canada-study-homelessness-money

Canadian researchers show unhoused people don’t waste money on ‘temptation goods’ – and hope to alter public opinion

08/25/2023

Emmanuel United Church of Christ will soon become 12 "deeply affordable" apartments, built inside of the building's sanctuary by nonprofit Ripple Community Inc.

08/21/2023

“Nonprofits play an important role in stabilizing our housing market,” Sherri Binder, executive director of Ripple, told city council in June of 2022. The idea of stability is key. While making sure there are enough structures available to house everyone is a vital step forward, Allentown will need to invest in the resources that ensure long-term success. This means supporting programs that enable residents to thrive, set up roots, and build neighborhoods that foster stability and a sense of belonging.

This is the ethos behind Common Roots–a non-profit organization in Meadville, PA, a small city on the other side of the state that is experiencing similar issues when it comes to aging industrial-era homes and a desperate need for affordable housing. In 2017, they raised money and purchased a house, and using a combination of volunteer labor and grant funded construction work to rehabilitate it, turned it over to a cooperative group of residents who agree to work together to establish leasing agreements, budgets and to build rental equity. The value of property owners like Common Roots is the commitment to the renter’s autonomy. “Once you get a big developer involved, there’s all these restrictions about how it's managed, and the residents don’t have a voice at that point,” said Julie Wilson, executive director of Common Roots.

For our examination of affordable housing solutions in Allentown, check out our feature story The Gold Rush via the link in our bio or at allentownvoice.org

08/17/2023

Allentown City Council will soon vote on whether to change the zoning in the former site of Allentown State Hospital.

08/14/2023

If you were given millions of dollars to help our city, what would you do with that money?

Community Action Lehigh Valley recently asked Allentown to contribute money towards a proposed community center on Ninth Street using COVID recovery funds. “Most children that get in trouble do so between the hours of 3:00-6:00 pm while they are waiting for their parents to get home from work,” explained Dawn Godshall, executive director of Community Action, to city council. Community Action wants to build a space for youth to do their homework, play sports and learn job skills and they are currently in negotiation with the Allentown School District to purchase the shuttered Cleveland Elementary School property for the center. Will they get the funds?

To find out who is benefiting, and who is missing out on these recovery funds, click the link in our bio or head to our feature story The Gold Rush at allentownvoice.org.

08/10/2023

If you’ve driven past 314 Lehigh Street, you may have noticed a lot of new construction. After tearing down nine out of eleven buildings in the Little Lehigh public housing complex for redevelopment, the new structures are starting to take shape.

The original housing was built in 1975 and included 76 residences managed by the Allentown Housing Authority (AHA), but was in need of repair. Pennrose, a mixed-income developer who also replaced an aging public housing development on Hanover Avenue, is nearly done with the construction of 50 apartment units and a community building that will replace Little Lehigh with Bridgeside Estates.

According to the AHA, Bridgeside Estates is just part one of the total development which will ultimately include almost 100 total units. However, phase two has been delayed until residents of the two remaining buildings find new homes. Pennrose will not be involved with the second phase of the project.

This new affordable housing complex operates under a different system than AHA’s public housing–Pennrose is using a tax credit for new low-income housing construction to help finance the project. As a mixed-income community, Bridgeside Estates will reserve units for residents making a specific percentage of the average area income. This means 6 units will be allocated for those making less than roughly $14,000 a year, 20 for residents making less than $35,000 and 24 for residents making less than $42,000. These values will change annually depending on the updated average income in the Lehigh Valley. As another public housing project in Allentown is replaced with a mixed income community, it signals a shift from the public housing system in favor of mixed-income housing.

Pennrose aims to complete the 50 units by winter 2023 and expects leasing activity to begin this summer. According to Pennrose, prior residents will be given preference.

Click the link in our bio or head to our feature story The Gold Rush at allentownvoice.org to find out more about this and other affordable housing developments in Allentown.

08/07/2023

On May 25, 2022, Allentown’s City Council held an open forum for members of the public to share opinions about how the city’s COVID relief money should be spent.

“We feel that housing is really the bottom line for the constituency that we serve,” said Kathi Krablin of Valley Youth House. “Without an inventory of affordable housing for households with modest means the city will become home to only those who are well-off.”

“Safety is the number one issue in this community, everyone wants to feel safe,” said Dr. Hasshan Batts of Promise Neighborhoods. “Safety comes when people feel a sense of hope, of belonging, and of agency, meaning that they can make purposeful decisions in their lives and in their communities.”

“It’s an immediate opportunity to help people, communities, and small businesses that the pandemic hit the hardest,” said Armando Jimenez of Make the Road PA. “Listen to the community.”

“Add the creation of affordable housing as a specific priority,” said Sherri Binder of Ripple. “Invest the funds in a way that will have transformational impacts on the community for generations.”

“I ask the city not to spend another dollar but to invest, because investments come back. We’re so quick to spend money without knowing what the return on investment is,” said Pas Simpson of One Big Smile Foundation. “We need to have a real plan that attacks the poverty in our city.”

So what spending plan did Allentown develop? Click the link in our bio or head to our feature story The Gold Rush at allentownvoice.org to find out.

08/06/2023

It’s not too often that a large property opens up in a city—but when the state demolished the historic Allentown State Hospital on the east side, 195 acres of prime real estate was up for grabs.

What happened next was a bit of a shock—former senator Pat Browne introduced a bill in 2022 that would sell the property to J.B. Reilly’s City Center Investment Corp for just over $5 million. There were no bids and the details of how the deal came to pass was mired in secrecy.

City Center unveiled their plans for the development, known as Northridge, to a packed room on Saturday at the East Side Youth Center. Amid the glossy renderings of the housing, retail, and green space that they plan to bring to the property, one thing was notably absent--affordable housing.

When asked, representatives from City Center confirmed that the company has no intention of including affordable housing in the development.

07/06/2023

In 2006, former Allentown Mayor Ed Pawlowski created the Commission to End Chronic Homelessness (CECH) and gave themselves a deadline: 2017. The plan outlined several objectives including developing affordable housing, improving access to the identification needed to enter shelters, mental health services, drug and alcohol support, medical/dental care, and employment and vocational support services. They also aimed to improve rental education, rental assistance and eviction prevention services.

What did they accomplish and were they successful? Examining a timeline of a decade of work, specific problems emerge – for our analysis of the city’s effort to end homelessness head to https://allentownvoice.org/featured/commission_timeline/

06/29/2023

What’s the process to get access to the millions of dollars in Allentown’s American Rescue Plan (ARPA) funds? That was the big question during last night’s meeting of the Community & Economic Development Committee. On the table was $2 million in ARPA funds requested by developer Jonathan Strauss to build an affordable housing unit on the parking lot next to the Life Church on South Eighth Street. The proposal itself seemed uncontroversial—Strauss is building a four-story building for 52 residents whose incomes would range from $13k-$55k. Because Strauss is relying on Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency tax credits, the building will be monitored to ensure it remains affordable. Strauss urged that the “for-profit sector should be leveraged by the public sector” to help meet the demand for affordable housing.

Public comments overwhelmingly supported the project. “John Strauss actually lives right around the corner from where he wants to build this affordable housing,” said resident James Whitney. “It’s just great to see a developer who is also a neighbor. We don’t get that very often.”

But criticism quickly turned to city council for their stagnation in appropriating ARPA funds and the lack of transparency for how specific requests are entertained.

“I think it's unfair that the process is not a process,” said Jessica Ortiz, executive director of the Ortiz Ark Foundation. “I'm not a big developer. I don't have the friends or associates that he has, I don’t have the experience, I don’t have the fancy grant money. I don't get rich off of this. My goal is to help our community create a safe place, because that should be a right not a privilege. So what I'm asking is when will we have a process so that we can come up here? Who gets to get supported? We are being pushed out as businesses, as homeowners. I have people sleeping on our nonprofit lots because they don’t have housing because there’s nowhere for them to go.”

“I love this project and I’m in full support,” she continued. “But when are the rest of us going to get the support from the city and from council?”

Strauss’s ARPA request will come up for city council vote on July 19.

06/27/2023

As a crowd gathered along North Sixth Street to celebrate the mayor’s proclamation in support of the Sixth Street Shelter’s work, the wind nearly blew the decorations away. Allentown was just about to be hit with the worst air quality they ever experienced, as smoke from the Quebec fires started to blow into our city. Mayor Matt Tuerk read the proclamation, announcing June 6 as Sixth Street Shelter Day and affirming that housing is a human right – a statement that would be put to the test in the following days as the unsheltered were left to battle dangerously unhealthy air. “Every human being has the right to have affordable housing,” explains Robbie Matthews, director of the Sixth Street Shelter that provides housing for 25 families. But what kind of housing would help Allentown meet the need? “Mix-income neighborhoods which encourage and foster diverse communities while providing a sense of community,” says Matthews. “Rental assistance programs which provide vouchers to cover a portion of their rent. Collaborations with non-profit organizations who possibly specialize in affordable housing which leverage and provide resources to assist in this housing crisis. Supportive policies that protect tenants’ rights.” Matthews argues that if housing is a human right, we need “a multifaceted approach involving collaboration between government entities, private sector stakeholders and community organizations.”

04/24/2023

When our country shut down during the height of the pandemic, New Bethany Ministries Southside Drop-In center kept their doors open. But that doesn’t mean it was business as usual. The Bethlehem center provides food, supplies and services to those experiencing housing and financial uncertainty, but had to scale back during COVID. “When the city shut down, we lost over 100 volunteers,” said executive director Marc Rittle at a recent celebration of the re-opening of the community center. As a hot lunch simmered in the background, Rittle pointed out a few individuals standing ready to serve meals, explaining to the crowd that during the pandemic these four people made up for the 100 volunteers they didn’t have. “As we enter the official end of the emergency, the supports and other benefits are slowly going away,” said Rittle. “The logic is that the emergency is over, but who feels the same now as we did before the pandemic? Just last week we saw numbers showing a 40% increase in unsheltered in Lehigh Valley. But, we have an opportunity in front of us.” That opportunity includes a room full of volunteers in a newly renovated center that will offer hot meals, pantry items, vaccines, exercise classes, and support services. As shot glasses of apple juice were raised, associate executive director Veronne Demesyeux ended the ceremony with a toast, “Let’s start feeding people!”

03/08/2023

"We need more working cameras in the streets to lower the number of killings. We also need to help out the homeless. We need to make it easier for them to get into shelters. We need to save our children. They are the future. If we kill them, we end up killing our future.”
Ben Torres, Promise Neighborhoods
 
Interviewed by Colin Quinn ‘26, photo by Tom Amico

03/06/2023

Renters rights
“The goal in Allentown is to educate renters about their rights, and to continue to advocate for better rental conditions as well as push for action to be taken against absentee landlords and slumlords who are exploiting renters.” -Julian Kern, the president of the Allentown Tenant Association ()
Read the article by Jenna Stockfeder at allentownvoice.org