PORTFOLIO: COMMUNITY PLANNING
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Old City Williamsport Lycoming College Revitalization Initiatives
Lycoming College, a premier liberal arts school in Lycoming County, sits within the City of Williamsport’s Old City neighborhood, which has suffered from lack of economic investment in recent decades. Lycoming College has sought to be a catalyst for the neighborhood’s revitalization. Since 2016, Delta has assisted Lycoming College with the acquisition of public funding for a variety of projects and initiatives, including the acquisition of three RACP awards for the Lycoming College Gateway Building ($2.0 million), Lycoming College Music Facility ($500,000), and the Old City Williamsport Mixed-Use Development ($1.0 million). In addition, Delta has been integral in securing funding for the Williamsport Old City Revitalization Initiative – a $40.0 million public-private partnership to revitalize Williamsport’s Old City neighborhood through investments in public infrastructure and advancing the Lycoming College Strategic Plan. Delta’s collaboration with both the City of Williamsport and Lycoming College has been integral in advancing revitalization efforts in the economically distressed Old City neighborhood. Services Provided To-Date:
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Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology (CPI)
Healthcare Market Assessment and Financial Feasibility CPI engaged Delta, to complete a market assessment. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the demand within the healthcare industry and the market potential for the proposed technical programs. Specific tasks included:
Mifflin County Academy of Science & Technology
The Mifflin County Academy of Science & Technology (The Academy) is a vocational‐technical school owned and operated by the Mifflin County School District. Delta has been providing economic development services to The Academy since 2018. Recognizing the need to address a reported lack of workers in local industries, in 2015, The Academy hired an adult education coordinator to manage and expand its postsecondary offerings. Delta was retained to assist The Academy with its strategic planning process to better assess existing workforce training gaps and identify training opportunities to fill those gaps. This market analysis was later used as the basis for competitive public funding applications. Delta has helped the Academy to secure multiple public funding awards and continues to assist The Academy in the compliance and drawdown of these funds. Services Provided To-Date:
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Delaware County, PA
10-Year Economic Development Strategic Plan Working with the Delaware County Commerce Center; the Office of Workforce Development; and a steering committee comprising of leaders from businesses, health systems, universities, and labor and commerce groups, Delta conducted an analysis of the County’s current economic, social, and physical environments in order to provide the foundation required for developing a strategic, actionable economic development strategy. Components of the study included:
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Cheltenham Township, PA
Business Recruitment and Retention Plan Cheltenham Township, located east of the City of Philadelphia, hired Delta to develop new strategies to revitalize stagnating commercial districts. Delta began the work by conducting a field reconnaissance of each commercial district in order to understand the current business mix, traffic flow, and retail environment. Delta then conducted consumer and business owner surveys to determine what issues and problems were currently deterring business operations. With the data collected, Delta developed a business retention and recruitment plan for each of the five commercial districts. Each plan repositioned the corresponding district in the marketplace in order to capitalize on spending potential in the defined market area. Delta also created a business recruitment brochure and property profile template for Cheltenham Township to promote properties available for lease or sale. Cranberry Township, PA
Comprehensive Plan Delta was hired by Cranberry Township to update the Township’s comprehensive plan, with a focus on developing a unique and sustainable approach to its land use planning. Delta compiled baseline data that included an assessment of current land use, future developable spaces, and the current tax structure. Concurrently, public meetings were held to determine Cranberry’s Vision for 2030. The updated plan includes changes to the zoning ordinances that promote dense development, open space preservation, and business development using Traditional Neighborhood Design to establish more mixed-use areas. The finished comprehensive plan was selected as the winner of the 2009 Daniel Burnham Award for a Comprehensive Plan, which is the most prestigious award of the American Planning Association’s Pennsylvania Chapter. Borough of Gettysburg, PA
Steinwehr Avenue Revitalization Located in the southern part of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, Steinwehr Avenue hosts approximately 53 tourism-related small businesses. After the Gettysburg National Military Park Visitors Center was relocated about a mile outside of the town, Steinwehr Avenue experienced a drastic decrease in the number of tourists walking through the area, resulting in a loss of business and the closure of shops. Delta, in collaboration with Main Street Gettysburg and the Borough of Gettysburg, prepared a revitalization master plan for the Borough’s downtown business district. The master plan included a review of existing studies, market analyses, comparable communities analyses, stakeholder interviews, business surveys, visitor surveys, and monthly meetings with the steering committee in order to identify the key challenges and to outline a revitalization strategy. The Revitalization Plan has been used to leverage federal and state funding requests of over $5.8 million to strengthen the economic viability of the downtown business district. |
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Hershey Entertainment & Resorts, PA
Master Plan for Downtown Hershey Delta was contracted in 2007 to assist with the creation of a redevelopment master plan for downtown Hershey that would capture the local history and heritage, reflect the local character, and diversify and strengthen the local economy. Delta’s role in this engagement included overall project management, market assessment, public input facilitation, identifying and securing public funding for site development, and government relations. To implement the Strategic Revitalization Plan, Delta worked with local, state, and federal stakeholders to successfully secure $4.5 million for relocating State Route 743, replacing a bridge, enhancing streetscapes, and installing a pedestrian underpass to facilitate mobility in the downtown district of Hersey. |