tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3904068358841224370.post7819027019767399505..comments2023-04-19T22:36:01.470-04:00Comments on Stream Hugger: The Ponzi Scheme of Suburban SprawlScott Alderferhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17545537207383745803noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3904068358841224370.post-30516909064068759272013-01-16T10:52:55.231-05:002013-01-16T10:52:55.231-05:00A great as the Rails to Trails movement of the pas...A great as the Rails to Trails movement of the past 25 years has been for outdoor recreation, I've always regretted losing the transportation infrastructure (albeit unused and likely in severe disrepair). Although lots of local trail opportunities have been realized on defunct short-line freight right of ways, we've also lost the ability to restore passenger train service that parallels significant commuter highways. For example, in our part of eastern PA, the former Reading RR passenger line from Bethlehem to Lansdale (and thus connecting to Philadelphia) has been completely dismantled north of Quakertown from what I've been able to see, and I think some of the dismantled segments have been deeded to some of the respective municipalities for recreational purposes.<br /><br />I think there would still be a demand for passenger rail service between Philadelphia and the Lehigh Valley if the work destinations were still clustered along the rail lines like they were until the 1970s rather than spread out among office parks that are no where near where anyone lives or can even safely ride to on a bicycle.Scott Alderferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17545537207383745803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3904068358841224370.post-67053155711649012412013-01-16T09:58:05.771-05:002013-01-16T09:58:05.771-05:00Smart growth advocates, like myself, do not think ...Smart growth advocates, like myself, do not think of Route 22 as some rural road. I think it needs to be widened ASAP. We also need passenger rail development, no matter what the local planning agencies say about not enough demand for passenger rail.<br /><br />The ponzi schmeme of development is very true. Every growing township eventually has to raise its tax rates. The only local exception to this ponzi rule is Lower Macungie, because it has grown so rapidly that earned income taxes have been able to pay for existing services which have not yet begun to rise. Once the miles of new housing development roads start needing repair, and recreation needs keep increasing and a police force is created, tax rates will escalate. The ponzi affect is even more pronounced for the cost of schooling all the new kids. It is impossible, under existing development models, for any community to grow without raising its tax rates. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3904068358841224370.post-41856189853645993342013-01-13T18:20:50.274-05:002013-01-13T18:20:50.274-05:00Good point. So you have to really ask why the sm...Good point. So you have to really ask why the smart growth advocates wanted to treat Route22 like a rurual road and opposed proper investment to widen the heaviest travelled section. The net result is sprawl alomg the margins of the Valley. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3904068358841224370.post-64180824980862214792013-01-13T17:06:09.157-05:002013-01-13T17:06:09.157-05:00Good question about the LV Dairy property. My only...Good question about the LV Dairy property. My only guess is that the area surrounding it has gotten so congested with traffic that developers are reluctant to try anything significant there for fear of being hindered by the carrying capacity of MacArthur Road. I find it very ironic that Lehigh Valley Dairy's headquarters is in Lansdale (where I grew up) rather than anywhere actually in the Lehigh Valley. Scott Alderferhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17545537207383745803noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3904068358841224370.post-78212443029441396972013-01-13T15:04:13.729-05:002013-01-13T15:04:13.729-05:00This is an interesting view point. I am looking f...This is an interesting view point. I am looking forward to your next blog regarding brownfield vs. greenfield development. I look at the Lehigh Valley Dairy property and wonder why this Brownfield Site has sat dormant for so long without any State of Federal assistance. The former Lehigh Valley Dairy sits on ~10 acres and has been dormant for ~22+ years. It is located in the heart of the Valley and is a stone throw from LV’s busiest intersection of Route 145/MacArthur Road and Route 22. The property is within a ¼ mile of 18,000 residents. For decades, this property provided to walkable, family sustaining jobs. You can say it was one iconic structure that put Allentown on the map. That’s why it was a a surprise that when HUD dished out grants this year to promote redevelopment of Brownfield properties to provided walkable jobs, the only municipal stakeholders that benefited financially were Allentown Bethlehem and Easton. What is the problem with the LV Dairy property? It is located one block outside a 3rd Class City and is actually in Whitehall, a First Class Township. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3904068358841224370.post-10527901819853718622013-01-13T12:45:53.608-05:002013-01-13T12:45:53.608-05:00Cities exploited my township for decades by extrac...Cities exploited my township for decades by extracting our natural resouces for cement and steel manufacturing. Company towns grew up around these jobs and eventually these small villages expanded to become our Township. These core villages built American and our Cities. You cannot change history. Families live here all their lives.<br /><br />To suggest that if your not a 3rd class city, you are part of a ponzi scheme is not entirely accurate. How about a return of some tax dollars to the communities that paid.<br /><br />I suspect we agree thay wehave many brownfileds site and it is unfortunate o ur Valley leadership has encouraged development of openspace in Center Valley and Macungie.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com