Our attorney John Muir and myself (Lisa of Fleetwood Pizza), attended the monthly borough council meeting this month. The following is what went on.
For about 1 hour the council sat repeating that they thought the Redevelopment Authority was working with us all this time. "It's been over a year since anyone has contacted us or our attorney." They say the builder of the old Tannery site is still planning to build his strip mall. The when is completely up in the air!
It was however interesting that council member Joseph W. Kuzmann who originally recused himself from the vote on this project due to the fact that he owns the other building which could have been considered as well to create this walkway. He spent half the time we were there discussing the same thing over and over...The burned out building that is across the street from us, was supposed to be offered to us in a fixed state. Now, there really isn't any commercial space available on Main Street. Therefore relocating us in a means not inconveniencing us too much seems out of the question now. Yet they still insist on the need for this strip mall to have it’s own personal walkway in the middle of the block, just because they can, even if it hurts innocent families and what they built their lives on. It’s arbitrary to take away a business that works and replace it with a dead plot of space to walk on.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Monday, March 9, 2009
All Is Quiet
It has now been over a year since we all attended that December town meeting. There is still no news on this project. The borough and the developer remain tight lipped. They both have web sites that are not updated. The Redevelopment Authority has a traffic study (May 2008 – Traffic Planning & Design(TPD) was hired to do preliminary traffic study for the various intersections in the Redevelopment Area. ) The borough has nothing after that meeting in December. Our attorney has tried to reach both and gets no response from either.
This does not anger me it simply leaves in dismay. Why would you build eveyone up then let them just sit there? I know the obviuos, the economy has alot to do with the stall. But, if you have funding available and it's first choice use goes south then why not please use that funding to fix the local roads, like Main Street and that aweful spot on Richmond at the railroad tracks? Why wait for the private developer to do his thing. The last thing the borough did was purchase 5 foot of the Tannery plot, in order to widen Foundry Alley, so widen it already! While thet're at it they might as well change it's name since it won't be a foundry there anymore. Why not call it "Dead Strip Mall Alley"!!!!!
This does not anger me it simply leaves in dismay. Why would you build eveyone up then let them just sit there? I know the obviuos, the economy has alot to do with the stall. But, if you have funding available and it's first choice use goes south then why not please use that funding to fix the local roads, like Main Street and that aweful spot on Richmond at the railroad tracks? Why wait for the private developer to do his thing. The last thing the borough did was purchase 5 foot of the Tannery plot, in order to widen Foundry Alley, so widen it already! While thet're at it they might as well change it's name since it won't be a foundry there anymore. Why not call it "Dead Strip Mall Alley"!!!!!
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
UPDATE: July 2008
It seems all quiet on the redevelopment front. Berks Redevelopment Authority says the Borough Council has them at a halt right now. It seems the private developer had a falling out with Borough Council. So till someone does something with that property behind us, we won't be moving. Hence my original argument "why build a walkway to NOTHING".
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Has Anyone Been Touched By Redevelpment with Eminent Domain?
Has anyone had a Redevelopment Authority try to take their property through Eminent Domain? If so, please tell me about it. We are going through it right now for a senseless "walkway". The Berks Redevelopment Authority is doing the exact same thing all over Berks county and if your in the way they just take you out through eminent domain. But, what if it is for something that doesn't even benefit the community? Should they still be alowed to go forth? Tell me what you think.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Parking should be focus of Redevelopment Plan
Just thought you might like to know what all we have here in Fleetwood. before redevelopment.You can get your hair done, nails done, go tanning, rent a movie, buy a new washer and dryer, seek insurance, an attorney,and stained glass new & repairs. If you are hungry, there is a diverse amount of restaurants to eat at and two nice bars. We have a butcher and a barber, (I probably missed a few things) all right on Main Street in Fleetwood.
With all these businesses and one little Main Street block to park on if your stopping there, why wasn't parking the main ingredient in the redevelopment plan? It seems to me that adding more small businesses that will require their own parking will not even help this issue, but rather instead create a whole new set of problems. Everyone who live around Fleetwood can see the strip mall near Blandon isn't doing so well. Kudos' to Lords & Ladies. It looks beautiful and seems to being doing well. I just can't figure what else we really need in small businesses other then parking for the one's that are already here. They deserve extra parking way more then a "slap in the face"-– like putting direct competition in right behind them that will have plenty of parking for their shops!
Oh, by the way, the new "walkway"they plan to put in is more of a conflict then a benefit to the community. Since they're taking five feet off the whole length of the old Tannery plot to widen Foundry Alley and make it two lanes to access the strip mall easily. Then they want people to WALK across Main Street to get to the "walkway"to cross over Foundry Alley's two lanes to get to the New Strip Mall, and back again. Hello!!!! I can't be the only person that sees the absolute absurdness of this all.
If Fleetwood Borough Council refuses to hear any number of people's opposing voices, even if it's the whole community, then we'll find someone who will make them listen This plan to redevelop this area –– while I'm sure was all well intended –– as it sits now, will hurt this town more then help it. It's not just my husband's pizza shop that is awry in this plan, we are for some reason being targeted unfairly, thrown into the mix for good measure.
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Who will REALLY benefit the most from our pizza shop being gone, perhaps for starters the councilman who owns the property on the other side of Pearl Alley. His property value goes up and three of his doors in that building open right into Pearl Alley, so they'll have a little park as a front yard instead of an alley and a pizza shop. Hmmmm. The community really needs to speak out and demand to be heard. If not, the only people who really stand to gain anything from this are the people we plan not to vote for again! You can't mess with someone's livelihood and not expect a fight. But at least come up with something that would make sense to everyone and make it a worthy fight. Thank you for listening to me, now yell out loud to the borough, tell them what you think!
PLEASE COME TO THE MEETING!!!! MONDAY FEBRUARY 11 AT 7:30
Just thought you might like to know what all we have here in Fleetwood. before redevelopment.You can get your hair done, nails done, go tanning, rent a movie, buy a new washer and dryer, seek insurance, an attorney,and stained glass new & repairs. If you are hungry, there is a diverse amount of restaurants to eat at and two nice bars. We have a butcher and a barber, (I probably missed a few things) all right on Main Street in Fleetwood.
With all these businesses and one little Main Street block to park on if your stopping there, why wasn't parking the main ingredient in the redevelopment plan? It seems to me that adding more small businesses that will require their own parking will not even help this issue, but rather instead create a whole new set of problems. Everyone who live around Fleetwood can see the strip mall near Blandon isn't doing so well. Kudos' to Lords & Ladies. It looks beautiful and seems to being doing well. I just can't figure what else we really need in small businesses other then parking for the one's that are already here. They deserve extra parking way more then a "slap in the face"-– like putting direct competition in right behind them that will have plenty of parking for their shops!
Oh, by the way, the new "walkway"they plan to put in is more of a conflict then a benefit to the community. Since they're taking five feet off the whole length of the old Tannery plot to widen Foundry Alley and make it two lanes to access the strip mall easily. Then they want people to WALK across Main Street to get to the "walkway"to cross over Foundry Alley's two lanes to get to the New Strip Mall, and back again. Hello!!!! I can't be the only person that sees the absolute absurdness of this all.
If Fleetwood Borough Council refuses to hear any number of people's opposing voices, even if it's the whole community, then we'll find someone who will make them listen This plan to redevelop this area –– while I'm sure was all well intended –– as it sits now, will hurt this town more then help it. It's not just my husband's pizza shop that is awry in this plan, we are for some reason being targeted unfairly, thrown into the mix for good measure.
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Who will REALLY benefit the most from our pizza shop being gone, perhaps for starters the councilman who owns the property on the other side of Pearl Alley. His property value goes up and three of his doors in that building open right into Pearl Alley, so they'll have a little park as a front yard instead of an alley and a pizza shop. Hmmmm. The community really needs to speak out and demand to be heard. If not, the only people who really stand to gain anything from this are the people we plan not to vote for again! You can't mess with someone's livelihood and not expect a fight. But at least come up with something that would make sense to everyone and make it a worthy fight. Thank you for listening to me, now yell out loud to the borough, tell them what you think!
PLEASE COME TO THE MEETING!!!! MONDAY FEBRUARY 11 AT 7:30
Monday, February 4, 2008
Eminent Domain Abuse in Berks County, PA
Hello everyone! I have an outrageous story about local government using it's power for personal gain. Please read the following article printed in the Kutztown Patriot. It explains it all:
BERKS REDEVELOPMENT AS RUN AMUCK IN THIS COUNTY!
I’m not really sure what they’ve done in your area. Let me tell you what they’re doing here in Fleetwood. This hard working small business and large factory community is being turned upside down. The Fleetwood Borough along with Berks Redevelopment Authority have devised a plan, but I don’t think it was carefully thought out. First the Borough really wants to develop the old Garden State Tannery spot which sits right behind Main Street, that’s perfectly understandable. But instead of utilizing that space to it’s once pristine potential, they are going to slap a strip mall in there. Please, this is not what we need. There’s a strip mall right down the road that hasn’t been filled to capacity yet. There’s also commercial space for lease right on Main Street which 2 businesses already flopped in.
They also never did anything for 5 years or more about the property that sits next to Homer’s Bar. It was gutted by fire a long time ago and sat there as an eyesore in the middle of Main Street. The building finally has had siding and “for sale” signs put on it just last week. That’s why nobody can understand how they can BLIGHT Fleetwood Pizza to create a walkway to the strip mall. I am the wife of the owner of Fleetwood Pizza. I think this is the most ridiculous idea yet. They even want to create a walkway where our thriving business stands before they even have anything built to walk to, hah!
Remember the “Road to Nowhere”? Get ready Berks county will have a “Walkway to Nowhere” because that land behind Main Street could take a very long time to develop, it will even go through more hands till it does. Of all the things that don’t make sense to me about this whole plan, putting us first on the list for demolishing is just plain stupid! I think the line “build it and they will come” is something they are seeing through rose colored glasses and they need to take them off and see what’s really here. We don’t have a river running through our town or a college sitting in it. We have a train and it goes through here approximately 12-14 times a day. The plan will be directing traffic into this hassle and all just so it has to pass this new strip mall of empty stores. I think developing this area is a good idea but this plan doesn’t make any sense to anyone except those who created it, voted on it and are developing it. They don’t even have all the funding for this plan and they lost any chance for more government funding because they sold that GST property to a private developer. They have UP TO 900,000.00 of a projected 3.2 million dollars. That means Fleetwood is going to pay out in higher taxes. If you don’t want to pay for a “Developer’s Folly” call Fleetwood Borough Hall and let them know, attend the meeting held the second Monday of every month. Our slogan is “Say No Way To Walkway”. Please help us to fight this battle we can stop this from happening if we all band together. Save Fleetwood Pizza from Eminent Domain Abuse! Thank you very much.
BERKS REDEVELOPMENT AS RUN AMUCK IN THIS COUNTY!
I’m not really sure what they’ve done in your area. Let me tell you what they’re doing here in Fleetwood. This hard working small business and large factory community is being turned upside down. The Fleetwood Borough along with Berks Redevelopment Authority have devised a plan, but I don’t think it was carefully thought out. First the Borough really wants to develop the old Garden State Tannery spot which sits right behind Main Street, that’s perfectly understandable. But instead of utilizing that space to it’s once pristine potential, they are going to slap a strip mall in there. Please, this is not what we need. There’s a strip mall right down the road that hasn’t been filled to capacity yet. There’s also commercial space for lease right on Main Street which 2 businesses already flopped in.
They also never did anything for 5 years or more about the property that sits next to Homer’s Bar. It was gutted by fire a long time ago and sat there as an eyesore in the middle of Main Street. The building finally has had siding and “for sale” signs put on it just last week. That’s why nobody can understand how they can BLIGHT Fleetwood Pizza to create a walkway to the strip mall. I am the wife of the owner of Fleetwood Pizza. I think this is the most ridiculous idea yet. They even want to create a walkway where our thriving business stands before they even have anything built to walk to, hah!
Remember the “Road to Nowhere”? Get ready Berks county will have a “Walkway to Nowhere” because that land behind Main Street could take a very long time to develop, it will even go through more hands till it does. Of all the things that don’t make sense to me about this whole plan, putting us first on the list for demolishing is just plain stupid! I think the line “build it and they will come” is something they are seeing through rose colored glasses and they need to take them off and see what’s really here. We don’t have a river running through our town or a college sitting in it. We have a train and it goes through here approximately 12-14 times a day. The plan will be directing traffic into this hassle and all just so it has to pass this new strip mall of empty stores. I think developing this area is a good idea but this plan doesn’t make any sense to anyone except those who created it, voted on it and are developing it. They don’t even have all the funding for this plan and they lost any chance for more government funding because they sold that GST property to a private developer. They have UP TO 900,000.00 of a projected 3.2 million dollars. That means Fleetwood is going to pay out in higher taxes. If you don’t want to pay for a “Developer’s Folly” call Fleetwood Borough Hall and let them know, attend the meeting held the second Monday of every month. Our slogan is “Say No Way To Walkway”. Please help us to fight this battle we can stop this from happening if we all band together. Save Fleetwood Pizza from Eminent Domain Abuse! Thank you very much.
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