First, thank you to all who contributed ideas, information and discussion. You were a tremendous help. My first draft is complete and you can read it on page 2.

As always, your comments are welcome.

Note: Just putting this back to the top for the weekend.

PhillyDem

1. Plan for Beaver Falls

A blueprint for reviving the downtown business district and
enhancing the urban living experience.

2. Government help

Grants and loans
Eminent domain
Federal and State elected officials
Altmire
Marshall
What's needed

Building community

What we can learn from others

3. Current Demographics
Area: 2.28 sq mi (.16 sq mi water, 2.12 sq mi land

Pop: 9,920 (2000 Census)
9,274 (2006 Census estimate)
4,538 Males; 5,328 Females

Age:
Under 5: 575
18-64: 6,017
65+: 1,733

Income:
Median Household income: $26,344
Below poverty level: 2,452

Employment:
In Labor force: 56.4%

4.What's Good

Population is young
Two-thirds under 45
Three-quarters under 55
Prime ages

Housing is large, well-built and affordable
43% of houses have 6 or more rooms
90% of homes built before 1960 with 60% before 1940
98% of homes cost less than $100,000

Schools
Two brand new elementary schools
Architecturally beautiful middle school
New baseball field and Reeves Field updates
All schools wired for technology

5. What's Good

City landscape
Wide main street
Plentiful parking
Sidewalks; walkable
Ongoing blight reduction
Architecturally significant buildings

City designation
Beaver Falls is one of only 2 cities in Beaver County
Preferred status under Municipal Code
Can offer better and more professional gov't services
Ex: professional, full-time fire department

6. What's Bad

Non-traditional families
Over two-thirds unmarried
One-fifth headed by single mothers
20% of families below federal poverty level
30% of families with children under 18
40% of families with children under 5
22% of individuals living below federal poverty level

Housing is split between owned and rented
47% of occupied housing is rented
43% pay more than one-quarter of income in rent; 31% pay more than 35%
53% of homeowners have a mortgage
35% pay more than 25% of income in mortgage payments
Limits amount of disposable income available

7.What's Bad

Education
Few college graduates
Potentially limits earning power

Transportation
70% have 1 or no cars
More mass transit needed

8.Assets

City designation
Ability to offer services to other municipalities
Business district
Wide main street
Ample parking
Available storefronts

Residential district
Ongoing program to tear down old, abandoned and unsafe structures
Integrated with downtown business district

Recreation
High school and college sports
Close to minor and major league sports

9.Assets

Parks
Brady's Run
Walking track, horse trails, bike trails, tennis courts, picnic areas, lake
37th Street and various other small parks and playgrounds
Rails-to-Trails
Hiking and biking path

Museums
Historical Society
Genealogical Society

Geneva College
McCartney Library
Sports facilities
Continuing education

10.What Attracts Residents

Walkable community
Parks
Sports and recreation
Green space
Art and culture
Museums
Theaters
Colleges
Beat cops
Sense of community
Simple, sensible ordinances

11.What's Needed

Concrete vision
Downtown anchors
Unique, small businesses
Compliment existing stores
Draw people from outside town
Revise and/or simplify ordinances to reflect vision

Marketing plan

Internet presence

12.Anchors

Grocery store
Shop 'n Save
Relocate directly on 7th Ave
Potentially between 8th and 9th Avenues
Relocate Vince's Tailoring to former Venger's location

Movie theater
Convert Grenada to IMAX theater
Relocate businesses or take by eminant domain

Skateboard park
Convert Morado pool area to skateboard park
Natural terrain and wave pool design support skateboarding needs

13.Building Community

Special events
Annual car cruise
Free outdoor concert series
Outdoor movies downtown in the summer

Tap volunteer spirit
Habitat for Humanity house building
Downtown clean up
Building repair and restoration
Ex: Carnegie Library
Tree tender program

Community meetings
Regular townhall style meetings outside of regular council mtgs

14.Marketing Plan

Take stock of city's assets
Develop marketing language
Ex: "Come and create a community"
Use Geneva business students

Target young entrepeneurs
Use demographic data as selling point
List available store fronts, size, age, location, former use
Develop list of grants and loans available
Offer tax incentives if necessary

Promote walkability
Appeals to the environmentally conscious
Walk to shops and school

Advertise on internet, radio, print
Do not limit to immediate area

15.Internet Presence

A must have
Place to provide information
Property availability
Laws and ordinances
Points of Contact
Maps and directions
Pictures, graphics, video
Meeting minutes
Public notices
News
Place for interaction with public
Can provide space for comments or feedback

16.Internet Presence

Establishing a website
Ask about obtaining space on Beaver County website
Otherwise, purchase space from Internet Service Provider
Partner with BFSD and/or Geneva computer science dept for design and maintenance
Potential for BFHS "senior project"
Advertise for volunteer moderators or editors
Request links from widely read websites and blogs
Advertise on widely read websites and blogs

17.Planning Tools

Online Plats
Easy access to survey data on all properties
Eliminates need for new land surveys in redevelopment plans

Census Data
Available and updated online (www.census.gov)
Includes population and economic activity updates

Assist in developing business and community marketing plans

18.Government Programs

Grants
Competitive
Must generate matching funds
Non-Competitive
Small, less than $5,000
Community Development Block Grants

Loans
Federal Small Business Administration
Intended for small and start-up business
Small, unique businesses backbone of downtown revival
Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency
Renovate and repair home loans
Contains program to convert homes divided into apartments
back to single-family dwellings

19.Government Programs

Elected officials
Establish ongoing working relationship with staffers
Regular meetings or briefings on available help

Eminent Domain
Tool to implement downtown development plan
Blight designation required

COG (Council of Governments)
Share ideas and experiences
Ability to pool resources
Ability to purchase and share high cost items
Ex: heavy maintenance equipment
Grant-writing expertise

20.What We Can Learn from Others

Blank walls
Mural Arts Program
Create a unique Beaver County attraction
Philadelphia example
Demand for murals far outstrips ability to supply
Phila Mural Arts program outreach available
POC Amy Johnston (215)-685-0739
Help develop local artists and arts community
Partner with Geneva
Partner with high school art classes and art students

21.What We Can Learn from Others

Vacant land
Side yards
Offer to adjoining property owner as yard
Replicate suburban living in the city

Community gardens
Fruit, vegatable or flower
Supply local farmer's markets, food banks, restaurants
Small and distributed to vacant lots
As an anchor on 7th Avenue
Help build a sense of pride in community
Western Pennsylvania Conservancy

22.Other Ideas

Erie's Downtown Improvement District Initiative
http://www/eriedowntown.com

Public-Private partnerships
Green space

Revolving fund for improvements
Seed with grant money
Low interest loans
Micro-finance principles

Other resources
http://www.cyburbia.com
http://www.pps.org
http://www.cnu.org
http://www.creativeclass.com