Thursday, January 22, 2009

Small businesses are struggling with...

Of course, this is a difficult environment for small businesses, and the goal of the BBRP and numerous other Main and Elm Street programs across the state is to assist businesses to succeed and thrive. But, how exactly can we do that?

It's a good question, and a difficult one to answer. That being said, in order to determine how we can help small businesses, we must first figure out what specifically what is causing them problems.

Well, we are starting to try to answer that question. Thanks to some research conducted by the BBRP's new intern, Dave, as well as conversation with some of our small business owners, we are starting to get some answers. Here is what we know so far.

A survey was conducted in 2001 to answer this very question. The data is a little old, but I'd venture that many of these problems are still the same (if not exacerbated). The top ten problems are:
1) The Cost of Health Insurance
2) Federal taxes on business income
3) Locating qualified employees
4) Unreasonable government regulations
5) FICA (Social Security) taxes
6) State taxes on business income
7) Workers' Compensation Costs
8) Federal Paperwork
9) Cash Flow
10) Cost of natural gas, fuel and oil

I would also guess that properly utilizing technology (such as the internet and social networking) has become a big issues lately as well.

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Allentown Modernizes Codes

The City of Allentown is in the process of modernizing their zoning and code ordinances. I am a huge fan of what they have done.

To summarize (and I'll do my best, because it is a pretty extensive document), the city is attempting to update zoning and codes because the ordinances were outdated and didn't reflect modern urban planning efforts. They had a series of community meetings to get public feedback and ensure that whatever changes they made were reflective of the community will. They also had a relatively extensive and diverse task force oversee the process. Here are some of the changes:
  • The creation of three new special overlay districts that allow for more customized and practical zoning, including regulations on setbacks, parking and design guidelines.
  • A series of use changes that have to deal with a variety of areas, including limiting uses within residential zones, encouragement of mixed use, requirements related to street trees, reduction of parking requirements in certain situations, etc.
  • Very importantly for Allentown, this ordinance further limits the conversion of dwelling unites into apartments in most residential zones.
  • Zoning map changes to be more reflective of community will.
I do believe that every community should reexamine their zoning and codes on a relatively regular basis. Like parking requirements, this is an often forgotten area that is vitally important to the quality of life and business recruitment of any community.

Friday, January 16, 2009

It's raining money?

Like everywhere else, Main Street is clearly hurting - it's something I am starting to notice in my communities and in downtowns across the Valley - businesses are closing and companies are laying off workers.

Obviously, the Government is attempting to stop the bleeding. They are doing this in a variety of ways, and President-Elect Obama is considering a massive spending bill. The House Democrats have also unveiled their own spending bill. The price: $825 billion, with $550 billion in spending and aid to states. Specifics in spending include $50 billion in alternative energy spending, $90 billion in infrastructure spending and $140 billion in school construction and modernization. The hope is that the bill will create or save 3-4 million jobs.

This bill, if it passes, will have massive ramifications on the continuing governance of the United States. Without making a value judgement, I think it is safe to say that this is a truly historical point for the U.S.

Now, that being said, here is an interesting question: how will this affect Main Street and downtowns. The infrastructure spending is desperately needed, especially in Pennsylvania, which has some of the oldest and most structurally deficient bridges in America. The jobs, if created, would obviously help get money flowing again. Of course, the consequences of the long-term debt could be astounding.

Clearly, time will tell how this affects Main Street. But it is something that all aspects of the United States government, especially urban communities, have to be aware of.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

PA Promoting Energy Efficiency

I received this press release courtesy of Senator Rob Wonderling's office. Pennsylvania is trying to increase energy efficiency among small businesses, which is particularly critical, given that these businesses often lack the resources to become more energy efficient. Check out the press release below:

Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program Now Open
Department of Environmental Protection acting Secretary John Hanger is proud to announce an opportunity for Pennsylvania’s small businesses to improve their energy efficiency and manage higher energy prices.
The new Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant Program provides a 25 percent match, up to $25,000, for equipment or processes that significantly improve energy efficiency. The program is the first available through the Alternative Energy Investment Fund, part of Governor Edward G. Rendell's Energy Independence Strategy.

Grants will apply to energy efficiency improvements on systems such as lighting, heating, cooling, refrigeration and process machinery, as well as building insulation and weatherization improvement projects.

An eligible applicant must be an independent, for-profit business with 100 employees or fewer, located in Pennsylvania. The project must save at least 20 percent annually in energy-related expenses, with a minimum savings of $1,000 per year. Examples of eligible small businesses include manufacturers, retailers, service providers, mining businesses and agricultural operations.

The grant application and guidelines are available online at www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword: Small Business Energy Efficiency Grant, or by contacting the Department of Environmental Protection, Office of Energy and Technology Deployment, 15th Floor, Rachel Carson State Office Building, 400 Market Street, P. O. Box 8772, Harrisburg, PA 17105-8772, or by e-mail at ra-sbgrants@state.pa.us.

Applications will be accepted through May 1, 2008. Grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis. A total of $3 million is available for this grant round.

In addition to the Small Business Energy Efficiency Program, the state will unveil a number of new energy conservation programs and alternative energy investment programs in the next couple of months that will benefit the state’s power consumers at work and at home and protect the environment.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Ten things Main Street can do right now

I found this link in the E-Newsletter distributed by the Pensylvania Downtown Center and thought it was worth sharing. This story discusses ten things that revitalization groups can do, right now, in order to assist Main Streets and Downtowns weather this economic storm.

I also think that this is worth discussing because it brings up something that has become more and more prevelant in discussions that the BBRP has had lately, both at a staff and volunteer level: groups like ours have to be able to pivot and assist our businesses more now than ever before. There has, of course, never been a question that one of the most primary purposes of Main Street organizations is to assist local businesses and help the local economy grow. Of course, even before the recession, businesses were facing incredible challenges: rising expenses, increased technological innovation and competittion from big-box stores. Our current financial condition only serves to strain small businesses even more. Now, more than ever, revitalization organizations have to develop ways to help their small businesses.

More on that to come from our end!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Importance of History

Hi everyone,

A story appeared in the Morning Call today on some of the historical buildings and historical structures that are located in Easton's West Ward. A more detailed story on the same topic appeared in the Express Times. Included in this area is one of Pennsylvania's first power plants.

That got me thinking - why do we preserve? Why should we care?

Frankly, the reasons are too numerous to get into in a short blog entry, so I'll try to keep it to bullet points.
  • Historical preservation increases property values.
  • Historically preserved buildings are often more energy/heat efficient than their modern counterparts.
  • Districts with historical components often become tourism locations.
  • Historically preserved properties provide a regionally distinctive flavor that differentiates one area of the country from the next.
  • It is often less expensive to preserve and rehabilitate already existing structures than to build new ones.
  • It is more environmentally sensitive to rehabilitate than to demolish and rebuild.
  • Historical preservation is a value statement. It demonstrates that a community cares about its past, and if it cares about the past, then it almost certainly cares about the future.
Sources:
  • http://news.ufl.edu/2006/12/20/preservation/
  • http://www.preservationnation.org/
  • http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt?open=512&mode=2&objID=1426