Redevelopment Authority of Lehigh County

THE PURPOSE OF THE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF LEHIGH COUNTY

The purpose of the Authority is the elimination of blighted areas through economically and socially sound redevelopment of such areas, in conformity with the comprehensive general plans of their respective municipalities for residential, recreational, commercial, industrial, or other purposes, and otherwise encouraging the provision of healthful homes, a decent living environment and adequate places for employment for the people of Lehigh County. The service area of the Authority includes all municipalities in Lehigh County, with the exception of the City of Allentown and the City of Bethlehem which have formed separate redevelopment authorities that operate within those jurisdictions.

REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF LEHIGH COUNTY

NOTICE OF 2023 REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY OF LEHIGH COUNTY MONTHLY MEETING SCHEDULE

The Redevelopment Authority of Lehigh County will conduct public meetings on the first Thursday of each month. The meetings will be conducted via ZOOM and are scheduled from 9:00 a.m.-10:00a.m.

The 2023 meeting dates are as follows: June 1, July 6, August 3, September 7, October 5, November 2, and December 7.

Additional information on the Authority’s meetings, including agendas and ZOOM instructions, can be found here at the Lehigh County Department of Community and Economic Development’s website:

https://www.lehighcounty.org/Departments/Community-Economic-Development/Lehigh-County-Redevelopment-Authority

BOARD OF DIRECTORS 2023

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Michael A. Yeager (Chair)

Steven Neratko (Vice-Chair)

Oscar Ghasab (Treasurer)

Ricky Gower (Secretary)

David Weinstein

Christopher Gulotta (Director) The Gulotta Group, LLC

Kent H. Herman, Esquire (Solicitor) King, Spry, Herman, Freund & Faul, LLC

PROJECTS

Multi-Municipal Blight Remediation Grant Application

The Redevelopment Authority is working with three communities (Catasauqua Borough, North Whitehall and Whitehall Townships) to submit an application for $500,000 in state funding by August 31, 2023 through the Keystone Communities Program.

These three municipalities have taken an active interest in tackling the problem of blighted properties. The municipalities have been asked to provide matching funds which, along with the state funds and possibly County of Lehigh CDBG funds, will be used to demolish and/or repair blighted properties. The grant applicant is being prepared by the Redevelopment Authority. If the grant is approved by the state, the Redevelopment Authority will administer the grant.

In 2017, the County completed a comprehensive blighted property strategy. An outgrowth of this initiative has been a technical assistance program offered at no cost to communities to identify and strategize about how to deal with long-term blighted properties. Three communities, Whitehall Township, North Whitehall Township and Catasauqua Borough have utilized the services of the County’s consultant, The Gulotta Group, to strengthen approaches for dealing with these long-term blighted properties. One common issue is a lack of resources for communities to deal with these properties. The proposed project will make financial resources available to the three communities.

Catasauqua Iron Works Project

The Redevelopment Authority has been discussing its possible role in assisting the Borough of Catasauqua in repurposing the former Iron Works site on Front Street in the Borough. The Authority’s role may include taking title to the site from the Borough and reaching out to prospective developers to encourage them to submit a proposal for the redevelopment of the 10-acre site.