OUR DOWNTOWN ACTION PLAN Short-Term Tactics

Six Big Goals for the Next Five Years: BIG GOAL 1: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be a safe, clean, and attractive place to live, work, shop, and visit. BIG GOAL 2: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s college neighborhood. BIG GOAL 3: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s “walk-to- everything” urban neighborhood of choice. BIG GOAL 4: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s “Innovation District:” its hub for business, startup activity, and entrepreneurship. BIG GOAL 5: Downtown’s historic architecture, walkability, riverfront, and colleges will be the cornerstones of its enhanced visitor experience. BIG GOAL 6: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be a regional center of arts, culture, dining, and entertainment.

We achieve our six Big Goals by implementing the action objectives associated with each goal: GOAL A: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be a safe, clean, and attractive place to live, work, shop, and visit. 1. Rehabilitate Public Square. 2. Enhance Downtown Security Presence. 3. Extend New Streetlights throughout Downtown's Walkable Core. 4. Enhance and Consolidate Homeless Services outside of Downtown Core. 5. Install Downtown Wayfinding Signage for drivers and pedestrians. GOAL B: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region's college neighborhood. 1. Focus Resources (development; incentives; etc.) to build a Walkable Downtown Core with a Critical Mass of Activity. 2. Focus on Targeted Retail Recruitment that reinforces our strategic goals. 3. Increase Marketing to College Community. 4. Obtain better utilization of existing "Employer-Assisted Housing" programs targeting Downtown Wilkes-Barre. GOAL C: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region's "walk-to- everything" neighborhood of choice. 1. Focus Resources (development; incentives; etc.) to build a Walkable Downtown Core with a Critical Mass of Activity. 2. Improve parking management to make parking simpler and more intuitive. 3. Conduct a comprehensive Downtown Traffic Study to improve walkability. 4. Market Downtown W-B Residential Options to Targeted Audiences in higher-cost metropolitan areas. 5. Add street trees throughout Downtown's Walkable Core. 6. Prioritize infill housing development on strategic "gap" sites. GOAL D: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region's "Innovation District": a setting for business growth and entrepreneurship. 1. Position Downtown W-B as the region's "Innovation District." 2. Initiate planning for a targeted "Downtown Investment Fund." 3. Work with The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) to locate a meaningful TCMC facility in the center of Downtown W-B. GOAL E: Downtown Wilkes- Barre's historic architecture, riverfront, colleges, and walkability will be the cornerstones of its enhanced visitor experience. 1. Foster more public usage of the River Common and riverfront (concerts; boathouse; other ideas?). 2. Develop an achievable reuse strategy for the Irem Temple. 3. Prioritize Historic Preservation: Create a local historic district ordinance or design guidelines. 4. Construct a Skate/Bike Park on the UGI Water Street lot. 5. Rehabilitate the railroad station - possible to serve as a Visitors Center. GOAL F: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be a regional center of arts, culture, dining, and entertainment. 1. Ensure the development of a new downtown museum facility that can serve as a "Visitor Anchor" (i.e., Sordoni Art Gallery; Historical Society museum; etc.). 2. Expand regional marketing of Downtown W-B events (i.e., WVIA; airport; etc.).

BIG GOAL 1: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be a safe, clean, and attractive place to live, work, shop, and visit. Objective:Lead:Short-Term Tactic: A. Rehabilitate Public Square.City B. Enhance Downtown security presence.City C. Extend new streetlights throughout Downtown's walkable core. City D. Enhance and consolidate services for “street population”.DCP E. Install Downtown wayfinding signage for drivers and pedestrians. DCP

BIG GOAL 2: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s college neighborhood. Objective:Lead:Short-Term Tactic: A. Focus collegiate resources (capital projects; initiatives; etc.) to build a walkable Downtown core with a critical mass of activity. King’s and Wilkes B. Focus on targeted retail recruitment that reinforces our strategic goals. DCP C. Increase marketing to college community.DCP D. Obtain better utilization of existing "Employer- Assisted Housing" programs targeting Downtown Wilkes-Barre. King’s and Wilkes

BIG GOAL 3: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s “walk-to-everything” urban neighborhood of choice. Objective:Lead:Short-Term Tactic: A. FINISH A BLOCK: Focus public resources (priority development sites; development incentives such as CRIZ; DGS leases; etc.) to build a walkable Downtown core with a critical mass of activity. DCP/Chambe r B. Improve parking management to make parking simpler and more intuitive and encourage "park once and walk" behavior. City/Parking Authority C. Conduct a comprehensive Downtown Traffic Study to improve walkability. City D. Market Downtown W-B residential options to targeted audiences in higher-cost metropolitan areas. DCP/Chambe r E. Add street trees throughout Downtown's walkable core.City/DCP F. Prioritize infill housing development on strategic "gap" sites.City

BIG GOAL 4: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be the region’s “Innovation District:” its hub for business, startup activity, and entrepreneurship. Objective:Lead:Short-Term Tactic: A. Position Downtown W-B as the region's "Innovation District" through marketing, focused recruitment, and incentive programs such as KIZ. Chamber B. Initiate planning for a targeted "Downtown Seed Investment Fund.” Chamber C. Work with The Commonwealth Medical College (TCMC) to locate a meaningful TCMC facility in the center of Downtown W- B. Chamber

BIG GOAL 5: Downtown’s historic architecture, walkability, riverfront, and colleges will be the cornerstones of its enhanced visitor experience. Objective:Lead:Short-Term Tactic: A. Foster more public usage of the River Common and riverfront (concerts; boathouse; other ideas?). Riverfront Parks Committee B. Develop an achievable reuse strategy for the Irem Temple.Chamber C. Prioritize Historic Preservation: Pass a local historic district ordinance or design guidelines. DCP/City D. Construct a Skate/Bike Park on the UGI Water Street lot.DCP/City E. Rehabilitate the railroad station - possibly to serve as a new Visitors Center. Luzerne Co. Redev. Authority F.. Continue to incentivize façade restoration projects.DCP

BIG GOAL 6: Downtown Wilkes-Barre will be a regional center of arts, culture, dining, and entertainment. Objective:Lead:Short-Term Tactic: A. Ensure the development of a new downtown museum facility that can serve as a "Visitor Anchor" (i.e., Sordoni Art Gallery; Historical Society museum; etc.). Luzerne County Historical Society B. Expand regional marketing of Downtown W-B events (i.e., WVIA; airport; etc.) DWBBA C. Foster the growth of a well-defined Downtown “arts district” with a critical mass of arts activities. Wyoming Valley Art League

ABC Short-Term Tactics

Objective 1A: Rehabilitate Public Square: Public Square’s current design dates to 1976, and the space is worn and badly in need of a makeover. Public Square’s rehabilitation was the #2 “wish list” issue in the Downtown survey and public workshops. As a result, the City has used grant funds to engage consulting firm HR&A to prepare an operations and maintenance plan. They are working with local architects Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, which is providing pro-bono design services. We hope to use ABC funds to assist with design workshops for Public Square during the first quarter of 2016.

Objective 1E: Install Downtown wayfinding signage. An initial downtown wayfinding study, funded by King’s, Wilkes, and the Chamber, was completed several years ago; however, funds for implementation were unavailable. Now, DCP has taken the lead, securing commitments from the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor, DCNR, and participating signing partners to fund a small 10-sign pilot installation that can serve as a model for a downtown wayfinding system. We hope to use ABC funds to assist with the funding of the pilot wayfinding signage in Downtown during 2016.

Objective 2B: Focus on targeted retail recruitment The Downtown Perception & Use survey shows that the local college population is not necessarily drawn to existing downtown retail offerings. This market gap – together with the larger weakness in downtown’s current retail mix, results in a short-term plan objective: a targeted retail recruitment effort focused on the college market and on independent retail. This effort would target successful independent retail and restaurant entrepreneurs in other college-serving downtowns and business districts neighborhoods within a sixty-mile radius of Wilkes-Barre, with the goal of getting those businesses to expand into our downtown. The recruiter will be responsible for identifying targets, observing business practices and merchandise selection, and screening to determine if they are a good fit. We hope to use ABC funds to assist with the funding a dedicated downtown retail recruitment position during 2016.

Objective 3B: Improve parking management This past August, the City of Wilkes-Barre launched a new mobile parking application known as Pango, allowing downtown patrons to pay for meter-parking spaces on their smartphones. This progressive initiative by city officials has received a positive response from the community and has made downtown Wilkes-Barre more visitor friendly. In order to attract more awareness to the new program, city officials would like to utilize ABC funding to offer free parking on Saturdays for new Pango users, through We hope to use ABC funds to assist with the funding of a program to encourage adoption of the “pay-by-smartphone” application for downtown on- street meter parking during 2016.

Objective 4A: Position Downtown as the region’s “Innovation District” In order to further the directive of making downtown Wilkes-Barre the Innovation District of the region, downtown partners, including the City of Wilkes-Barre, DCP, and the Chamber have created the Wilkes- Barre Connect Initiative. Wilkes- Barre Connect involves the creation of a business and entrepreneurial ecosystem designed to support and advance the growth of business and entrepreneurial activity in the City. The Connect initiative will be run through the primary business stakeholders of downtown Wilkes- Barre – including the City, DCP, Chamber, Ben Franklin Technology (NEPA) and the SBDC, Family Business Alliance, and Free Enterprise Center of Wilkes University. We hope to use ABC funds to fund the development of the “Wilkes- Barre Connect” entrepreneurial ecosystem during 2016.

Objective 5B: Develop an achievable reuse strategy for the Irem Temple. The Chamber would like to fund the preparation of a business plan to identify the optimal reuse of the historic Irem Temple in Downtown Wilkes-Barre so that the building can be put back into use for community benefit. The project is intended to lead to an agreed-upon course of action to preserve one of Wilkes- Barre’s most recognized landmarks and ultimately develop a sustainable rehabilitation plan for the building that can attract public and private financial support. The Irem Temple feasibility study would align with Goal E of our community Revitalization Plan – making downtown Wilkes-Barre’s historic architecture the cornerstone of its enhanced visitor experience, through the development of a reuse strategy for the Irem Temple Building. We hope to use ABC funds to assist with the funding of a business plan for reuse of the Irem Temple during 2016.

Objective 6A: Ensure the development of a new downtown museum It is the Luzerne County Historical Society (LCHS) long range desire to explore the feasibility of establishing a more unified campus in Downtown Wilkes-Barre, PA by combining the LCHS offices, the Bishop Memorial Library and the Museum into one building. A preliminary Scope of Work/Building Program is to conduct a feasibility study to determine the need for a combined museum, library and administrative offices in Downtown Wilkes-Barre. The $15,000 in ABC funding would allow us the opportunity to hire a qualified third-party planner to develop and create the feasibility study. We hope to use ABC funds to assist with the funding of a feasibility study for a new downtown museum facility for the Luzerne County Historical Society during 2016.

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