Pennsylvania Downtown Center

01/05/2023

Why-Invest_Hanover01

Investing in our downtowns has a catalytic impact on the community. Take the story of The McAllister Hotel. An anchor building in Hanover Borough, York County, the historic building went underutilized and partially blighted for more than a decade, leaving a major portion of Hanover’s downtown streetscape unactivated. Enter Jordan Ilyes, a local developer with a vision, and host of community partners including Main Street Hanover, York County Economic Alliance, and the Borough of Hanover who rallied in support of the project, bringing new vibrancy to the downtown.

https://vimeo.com/786407821

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12/20/2022

Ever heard of the Local Multiplier Effect? When you spend at a local business it actually GROWS the local economy. And, of course, small businesses are also grown on dreams, passion, and daring - as a result, they are packed full of local identity. It’s hard to put a price on what makes something special - but it isn’t hard to see how shopping local can impact Pennsylvania for the better. In these last few days of holiday shopping, put your dollar where it counts and 🎄🛍 Don’t forget to tag us and use the hashtag when you do, for a chance to win a $100 gift card to your fav small business! 🥳

Pictured here, a roundup of our fav member community photos from across the commonwealth!

Love Carlisle
Downtown Lewisburg
Easton Farmers' Market
Downtown Lititz
Erie Downtown Partnership
Mainstreet Waynesboro, Inc.
Scranton Tomorrow
Monongahela Main Street Program
Downtown Bellefonte Inc.
Downtown West Chester, PA

12/16/2022

Today, PDC releases a new study in partnership with Jon Stover & Associates measuring the resiliency of PA's Main Streets throughout the pandemic. “In short, it was clear to us that the PA Main Street Program played a major role in the economic resiliency and recovery of downtown communities throughout the pandemic. Main Streets provided a local conduit for national, state, and local resources and administered a range of technical and financial support services that help explain how most of these communities recovered relatively quickly despite the pandemic’s long and devastating impacts,” said Jon Stover, Managing Partner of JS&A. Read the full report!

https://padowntown.org/article/pennsylvania-downtown-center-releases-new-study-measuring-the-resiliency-of-pas-main-streets-throughout-the-pandemic/

12/07/2022

Photos from WVIA's post

12/05/2022

Attention Main Streets, Elm Streets and partners: learn about this brand new and highly relevant program! The Whole-Home Repairs Program will provide funding for county-wide agencies to address habitability and safety concerns, provide measures to improve energy or water efficiency and make units accessible for individuals with disabilities. The program addresses housing insecurity and the climate crisis by providing grant funding to county programs supporting up to $50,000 per unit in repairs for homeowners and small landlords to support upkeep and weatherization. Additionally, this program provides funding to the counties for construction-related workforce development. Tune into the webinar TOMORROW, December 6 @ 10:30 to learn more!

https://pa-dced.webex.com/webappng/sites/pa-dced/meeting/register/b8abc88e897443bf940e01d897da93a6?ticket=4832534b00000005be0f327578af75d0b601d105cd647001cc34f1edd316b11702f8cf726eef142d×tamp=1670260323204&RGID=r3df54e127c952604ae902006e3442c19

11/30/2022

What a wonderful day to in PA. 🥰 For every $100 spent at a small business, $48 goes back into the local economy. Make a difference in your community and purchase with purpose! When you shop, be sure to tag us and use the hashtag for a chance to win a $100 gift card to your favorite local business! We're tagging participating communities all season long, be sure to check them out!

To kick off your shopping list --> Camp Hill Borough Castle Shannon, Pennsylvania Ebensburg Borough & Community Perkasie Borough Borough of Spring Grove Building a Better Boyertown Chestnut Hill Pa City Ave District Clearfield Revitalization Corp. Danville Business Alliance

11/29/2022

Shop small beyond the Saturday - shop small ALL season! We're giving away TEN $100 gift cards when you shop local and tell all about it, now through December 31 - simply tag us and use the hashtag when you buy local this holiday season in a PA Main Street community or Elm Street neighborhood. See the full list of participating communities and check out their social handles to learn more about their fantastic holiday and retail events! https://padowntown.org/article/pdc-launches-holiday-noplacelikelocal-gift-card-giveaway/

11/23/2022

We’re kicking off Small Business Saturday with our gift card giveaway! This November 26 - December 31, simply shop local, share it, tag us and you could win a $100 gift card to your local/downtown PA business of choice! Our goal is to help PA Main Street and Elm Street organizations increase program awareness while increasing sales for businesses in their central business districts and neighborhoods. Learn more and find a participating community! https://padowntown.org/article/pdc-launches-holiday-noplacelikelocal-gift-card-giveaway/

11/22/2022

Congrats to Executive Director Joy Ashley of for recently completing our Community Revitalization Academy! The Academy is a five part series of two-day workshops that provides Main Street Managers, Elm Street Managers and revitalization professionals with intermediate level instruction on the Main Street Program and Transformation Strategies. Our series touches on Organization, Physical Improvements, Community Marketing, Asset Enhancement, and Safe, Clean & Green components. We’re excited to see Joy take her new skills and expertise from the courses back to her community! Learn more about our upcoming trainings at padowntown.org

11/18/2022

“Anyone who grew up in Erie during the heyday of the Boston Store can tell you that meeting under the clock was a real thing. But since the iconic department store closed its doors in 1979, the meaning of meeting under the clock has largely been lost to history. That is until the Erie Downtown Partnership, in tandem with Local Lovin Erie, brings new life into the Boston Store concourse with their now annual celebration.” Read more about this fantastic event and revival of this local treasure as you gear up for shopping small and supporting local this November 26!

Old Time Erie photo credit 📸 John E. Baker, circa 1961

https://www.eriereader.com/article/meet-us-under-the-boston-store-clock

11/16/2022

“All about connections:” Kane’s remote worker initiative showcases outdoor adventure and belonging - Pennsylvania Wilds

“The long term goal of this initiative goes beyond making it a destination for remote workers,” said Abbi Peters, COO for the The PA Wilds Center for Entrepreneurship, which initiated the Wilds Are Working program. The Kane experience is the second iteration of The Wilds are Working program (the first was held in Bellefonte this summer), and it offered a chance for remote workers to experience life in Kane’s walkable community, local ecosystem and easy-to-access outdoor recreation opportunities and attractions. Read more to hear about the participants' experiences!

Kane, a community in the Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds Landscape of the Pennsylvania Wilds, became home for five remote workers in September. Here's what they had to say about their experiences.

11/15/2022

“Our goal is to transform what has just been a space, into a place,” says Lynne Ragusea of Lewisburg Downtown Partnership. Check out this stunning temporary mural by Steve Gibson, Founder of the , on 18 of The Piers, an arc of 32 concrete monoliths which are one of the most prominent industrial ruins in town. Funding for the project was made possible through a generous grant from the PA Council on the Arts. Learn more about the project, linked in our bio! 🎨

11/15/2022

All-terrain wheelchairs arrive at U.S. parks: ‘This is life-changing’

A very exciting program!

Parks in Georgia, South Dakota, Minnesota and Michigan are providing wheelchair users with free adaptive equipment to explore off-road trails.

11/14/2022

Community Placemaking Grants Information Session | Events — Project for Public Spaces

Join Project for Public Spaces TOMORROW, Tuesday, November 15th from 12:00 - 1:00 p.m. for an informational webinar on the Community Placemaking Grants, including details on the application process, grantee experience, and goals. Learn more and register:

Our grants program enable local partners to transform underperforming public spaces and co-create new ones that serve historically marginalized communities.

11/12/2022

Kicking the morning off at the 2022 Statewide Active Transportation Summit with Keynote Caron Whitaker of the 🚴‍♀️

11/11/2022

Anyone ever leave a big-box store with this feeling? Inflation might be the Grinch this year, but don’t let it deflate your holiday cheer - an unsuspecting perk of shopping locally (and avoiding the big retailer tricks that encourage impulse buys) is the focused selection that local businesses offer! Shopping the smaller, less tricky aisles of local businesses can help you make sound buying decisions.

Don’t forget to Shop Small on Saturday, November 26 - when you do, be sure to tag us and for a chance to win a $100 gift card to your favorite local PA business! 🛍🎄🎁

11/10/2022

📢 213 communities across will receive nearly $36 million in Neighborhood Assistance Program funds. From the revitalization of blighted properties to expanding childcare for working families learn more about these newly funded projects. ⬇️

https://dced.pa.gov/newsroom/gov-wolf-announces-nearly-36-million-to-support-communities-across-pennsylvania/

11/08/2022

Is your organization registered as a Neighborhood Champion this ? All Main Street America members have been pre-qualified to serve as Neighborhood Champions on a first-come, first served basis. Just fill out the form to indicate you were referred by the National Main Street Center, and get ready to rally your community this November 26!

Sign-up: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/rally-signup/

11/07/2022

pubsec.webex.com

The Department of Community and Economic Development is hosting a webinar on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, to discuss the H2O PA Program and the PA Small Water and Sewer Program. The H2O PA Program was established in July 2008 by the General Assembly. The program provides for single-year or multi-year grants to municipalities or municipal authorities to assist with the construction of drinking water, sanitary sewer, and storm sewer projects. The PA Small Water and Sewer Program provides grants for small water, sewer, storm sewer, and flood control infrastructure projects to assist with construction, improvement, expansion, rehabilitation, or repair. Register today!

11/03/2022

The Heart of Volunteering

I don't know about you, but the energy of these Easton Main Street Initiative volunteers is just contagious! Listen in as they talk about what brings them back again and again to volunteer in their beloved community!

c Learn more about the Main Street and Elm Street movement in Pennsylvania at padowntown.org

10/31/2022

Join us for the final webinar in our three part series, hosted via Zoom this Thursday, November 3 @ 7:30 p.m. We’ll address what a community needs to work on in order to support a Safe Routes to School Program and how to apply for funding. Free and open to all! Register via the link in our bio 👆

10/20/2022

In search of extra hands to tackle needs in your community? AmeriCorps NCCC, a federal national service program, deploys teams of young adults who help communities meet their critical needs. They are currently seeking partners for the first program in 2023, which runs from 3/3 - 4/27. Concept Forms must be submitted by 11/1/22.

Learn more about this opportunity at https://www.americorps.gov/partner/how-it-works/americorps-nccc.

10/13/2022

This week, we were so honored to host our regional Managers Meeting in New Castle, PA and receive a fantastic tour of all the great work taking place in the community. “We are excited to bring a diverse group of community leaders to see first-hand the revitalization efforts that are happening around the Lower Eastside and Enterprise Park region of downtown New Castle,” says Kenny Rice, the Elm Street Manager for DON Enterprises. “This is an opportunity to show what our community is working towards and the partnerships that have brought this to fruition.” Read the full article, linked in our bio!

10/13/2022

Check this out! Living Cities, in partnership with Main Street America, will offer a 36-month pilot project with select city governments and respective select neighborhood commercial corridors seeking to help support local entrepreneurs of color in preserving and growing their businesses. Applications and letters of interest are due no later than close of business on Monday, 10/31.

To view the guidelines and learn more about this opportunity, visit https://nationalmainstreetcenter.submittable.com/submit/237438/equitable-entrepreneurial-ecosystems-invitation-to-apply.

10/06/2022

In the spirit of back-to-school season, please join us for the second WalkWorks webinar on Safe Routes to School (SRTS) on Monday, October 17 @ 7:30 p.m.! SRTS helps local communities and school districts make the healthy and thoughtful choice of walking and biking to school a safe and accessible one. Attend this webinar to learn more about the concept and its potential for your community, and see examples from right here in Pennsylvania! Link in the bio to register or visit padowntown.org.

09/28/2022

A great working lunch today during Day 1 of our Community Revitalization Academy on Design! Participants create cognitive maps of their region, exploring regional design and how different elements of their community come together. This was a great exercise in looking at spaces in relation to one another - are there barriers to vehicular or pedestrian movement? Where are the friendly places and neglected spaces? Where are the Third Places? Try creating a cognitive map yourself and see how it sheds new light on your perspective!

09/27/2022

A special “supplemental” fall grant round for recreation, conservation, and partnership projects is being offered through Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources! This special opportunity will highlight helping underserved communities, closing trail gaps, supporting an invigorated focus on the outdoor recreation sector, and planting trees along streams and in communities.

Applications are due by 10/27. For more information, please contact your DCNR regional advisor or visit https://apps.dcnr.pa.gov/grants/.

09/26/2022

PastForward National Preservation Conference 2022 | National Trust for Historic Preservation

Register for PastForward Online 2022 today—the national event for those who work to save, sustain, and interpret historic places!

Hosted by National Trust for Historic Preservation this year’s virtual conference will offer a variety of new formats to complement the cutting-edge content presented by dynamic speakers starting in October with on-demand sessions. There will also be several ways participants can network with colleagues from across the movement while having interactive experiences to deepen our understanding of current preservation practices during scheduled sessions November 1-4.

The theme at PastForward 2022 is Moving from Vision to Action, challenging participants to explore the pressing issues for the movement, while providing the tools, resources, and connections for taking the next steps towards action! The three main areas of focus at this year's conference are: Historic Preservation is Climate Action; Encouraging Inclusion and Diversity Through Preservation; and Understanding Preservation’s Role in Real Estate Development.

Learn more about this year’s theme, sessions, and details on how to register at https://savingplaces.org/conference.

PastForward, the National Preservation Conference, is the premier educational and networking event for those in the business of saving places. The 2022 conference will be offered online Nov 1-4, with on-demand and scheduled content.

09/23/2022

A little behind-the-scenes sneak peek of stills from PDC’s latest video project, interviewing Main Street Manager Justine Truckess of and local developer Jordan Ilyes to tell the story of the importance of private investment in a core business district. Jordan received a 2022 Townie Award for Anchor Building with his work on the stunning McAllister Hotel project in downtown Hanover. Stay tuned for the full story, coming soon!

09/19/2022

Did you know that PHFA’s Community Revitalization Fund Program is now open? This grant program provides financing for the construction or rehabilitation of mixed-use developments providing affordable housing in commercial corridors across the Commonwealth. Priority will be given to projects in third-class cities and smaller communities, but communities across the commonwealth are encouraged to apply.

The deadline is Friday, 11/4, at 2pm.

Learn more and apply at https://www.phfa.org/mhp/developers/loans.aspx

09/16/2022

Safe Routes to School in PA: Tune in to these webinars to learn more! - PA Downtown

In the spirit of the back-to-school season, WalkWorks is offering two webinars about Safe Routes to School (SRTS) in September and October. Learn more!

https://padowntown.org/article/safe-routes-to-school-in-pa-tune-in-september-28-to-learn-more/

Webinar 1 | Wednesday, September 28, 2022 | 7:30-8:30 p.m. | Free and open to all! WalkWorks is pleased to announce two upcoming informational webinars about Safe Routes to School […]

09/16/2022

This week, PDC was thrilled to take part in the Recreation Engagement Coalition (REC) kick-off event, aimed at igniting conversations and building on progress in PA’s growing outdoor recreation sector. The event at the Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence convened as part of ‘s effort for Growing Outdoor Recreation for PA (GORP). PDC Executive Director alongside PDC board member are honored to take part in this important work alongside countless other partners and statewide advisors!