Date: March 5, 2008
Place: Fretz Middle School – Meeting Room
Project: City of Bradford Master Plan
Client: City of Bradford
Time: 7:00 pm – 9:00 pm
MCF No.: 44506002
Attendees:
Brad Preston
Dave Downs
Dean Baller
Chris DiStrolh
William J. McCormack
Steve Stidd
Jim Connelly, Jr.
Joyce Kelley
Laura M. Piccioli
Dennis Lowery
Sandy O’Brien
Pat Pascarella
Tony Pascarella
Anne Holliday
Bill & Terri Smith Leven
Craig Simmons
Dan Costello
Dan O’Brien
Rosanne Conaway
Sam Sylvester
Rick Esch
Scott Rice
Harvey Golubock
Sandy Romanowski
Katy Puck
Marilyn Johnson
Janet Glover
Bob Johnson
Charles Glover
Lisa Camponi
Debbie Huston
Tina Knowlsen
Linda Devlin
Tom Urban
Robert Farnsworth
Harry Solarek
Pete Dzirkalis
Fran Bottone
Mark Grassi
Todd Hennare
Frank Allen
Pam Emerson
Amber Mays
David C. Emerson
Richard LaBrozzi
Matthew Edwards
Bill Moore
Selene Machuga
Jim Machuoa
Gayle Bauer
Chris Wolcott
Ginny Neel
Chris Hauser
*** McDowell
Jim Evans
Livingston Alexander
Jeanie M. Satterwhite
Mike Glesk
Jeff Andrews
Sara Andrews
Simon Tripp, Impact Economics
Roberta Sarraf, Zoning/Planning Consultant
Albert Filoni, MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.
Ken Lee, MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.
Amy Maceyko, MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.
Purpose: To discuss the master plan process, present preliminary ideas and get input from the members of the community.
Items Discussed:
1. The meeting began with an introduction of the Pittsburgh-based planning team members. Mr. Filoni, Mr. Lee and Ms. Maceyko are architects with MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni. MCF did the comprehensive master plan for the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford campus as well as a number of buildings constructed on campus since the plan was completed. Ms. Sarraf is a planning consultant who has worked extensively with zoning boards around Pennsylvania. Mr. Tripp is the founder of Impact Economics and is an economic development expert who has worked for governmental and institutional clients all over the world.
2. The local leaders of the planning process and the contacts for the planning team are Sara Andrews, Rick Esch and Mike Glesk. The local residents who chair the plans three sub-committees and sit on the steering committee are Tom Urban (planning/zoning), Harvey Golubock (economic development) and Kathy Jones (downtown business and regional strategy).
3. The public has been invited here tonight to give the planning team input on way to improve Bradford, to share ideas about Bradford’s future and to give feedback on the preliminary ideas developed thus far. The planning team is only about halfway through the process, so it is not too late to have an impact on the final recommendations of the plan and the outcome of this effort.
4. The planning team has a contract through the City of Bradford OECD. Much of the funding is in the form of state grants for community planning. Additionally, the city and both townships are contributing to the cost of the project.
5. The planning team has been hired for three main reasons to develop a strategy for the Tuna Valley Region:
a. PERSPECTIVE - MCF, Impact Economics and Ms. Sarraf have worked in a variety of other communities. We don’t compare Bradford to what it used to
be, but we can see the potential, the current successes and the opportunities for improvement.
b. COMPREHENSIVE STRATEGIES - Challenges faced by cities require a multi-faceted set of solutions. Just building a new building or planting a few trees
or writing a new zoning code are not solutions by themselves.
c. TO LISTEN - We could write a brilliant set of strategies, but if they are not rooted in the needs of residents and there is no consensus, then this will just
become another plan that sits on the shelf. That would be a waste of everyone’s time.
6. Since planning team visits began in August 2007, the group has spoken to about 225 residents to get their input about the quality of life in the Tuna Valley and thoughts about the preliminary plans being presented this evening. Four committees have been established, with about 100 members, to guide the work of the planning team on a continuing basis throughout the process. The zoning committee and the economic development committee are focused on the efforts of Ms. Sarraf and Mr. Tripp, respectively. The downtown business and regional strategy committee is focused on the commercial issues facing all three municipalities and especially the downtown business core. And the main steering committee is an over-arching committee to keep an eye on the whole process and to help the planning team determine how implementation will be accomplished when the planning is complete.
7. In addition to driving and walking around the City of Bradford, the planning team has explored Foster Township, Bradford Township, Lewis Run Borough, Olean, Salamanca and Ellicottville.
8. There are very few interviews left to be conducted. The information gathering portion of the process is basically done, so the next 5-6 months of work will be focused on presenting concrete ideas and proposed actions for discussion and feedback. There will be another public forum to present these ideas before the regional strategy is complete and documented in a written report. The final report will include an implementation plan with specific action items and recommendations.
9. Mr. Filoni spoke about the planning team’s impressions of the Bradford area, which are generally very positive. It is recognized that during the oil boom years downtown Bradford was very active and full of people. Many residents remember the busy downtown of the past and compare it to today, and that results in a persistent negative attitude that the team has encountered. But in fact, compared with many comparably sized cities and many rust belt cities and towns in the Midwest, there is a lot of activity in downtown Bradford. And the remaining architectural character in the historic district is something to be proud of.
10. The planning team will present four main topics for discussion and leave time for comments on that topic from the audience immediately afterwards. The topics represent the main points that need to be addressed in the region and some preliminary ideas about how to deal with them. Comments and questions are strongly encouraged. And anyone who does not feel comfortable sharing thoughts publicly or who does not have time to speak can give comments to the team via the comment cards distributed at the beginning of the meeting or through the planning website – bradfordplan.protocol80.com.
11. The first topic are the intertwined issues of attitude, clean-up, code enforcement and housing. In addition to the prevalent negative attitude already mentioned, another frequent issue is the problem of neglected properties in all three municipalities. An effort to clean-up properties, enforce property maintenance codes and improve the appearance of derelict housing could go a long way to improve community pride and Bradfordians attitude about the place that they live. Relatively simple changes like picking up trash, painting peeling siding and cutting the grass can improve the quality of life in a neighborhood. The way of enacting changes to the way that codes are enforced has been difficult to determine, but it is clear that something about the process needs to change.
12. Public comments:
a. Sidewalk conditions are an issue both in the city neighborhoods and in downtown Bradford. The city will pay for half a sidewalk replacement being done by
a building owner, but not everyone knows about this process.
b. There was concern expressed about the master plan recommending lots of public money for housing construction in both the $100,000-125,000 and
$250,000+ price ranges. Mr. Filoni commented that the plan would recommend what type of housing is needed and might suggest where it could go, but
the goal would be to encourage private developers to build it. Hopefully the work of the OECD will show private developers that there is a market for new
housing, but the plan is not to have the OECD put more housing developments together.
c. A number of residents commented on past issues with the code enforcement office. They have been told that the office is “overwhelmed” and “you don’t
understand how complex these issues are”. Mr. Filoni mentioned that he asked the code officials how much more manpower the office needs to deal with
the workload. Is there a better way to do code enforcement? What do other towns do? Manpower and momentum are both important.
d. The increased numbers of rental housing have changed some neighborhoods significantly.
e. A local landlord commented that he has had good experiences with code enforcement in the past.
f. The Elm Street Neighborhood projects have had a positive influence and helped some low-income homeowners to beautify their properties.
g. It would be nice to have a program to encourage University students to volunteer in the city on these types of projects.
h. Residents need to work on community spirit to encourage neighbors to clean-up, paint and more.
13. The next topic presented was about Main Street in Bradford and downtown development. Some of the goals that MCF has pinpointed involve creating more identifiable gateways and “entrances” into downtown Bradford, focusing efforts on projects that take advantage of the Tuna Creek as an amenity and working on plans that build on good things that are already happening. Identified gateways would be at East Washington Street and Mechanic Street, Main Street and Davis Street, Boyleston and Davis Street, and Elm Street and Davis Street. The old way into town from 219 brought drivers to the heart of downtown, but the new arrangement doesn’t provide any clear way in or sense of arrival. MCF is currently focused on a smaller area of downtown around Pine Street as a place to start developing specific plans for changes and infill. The advantage of this location is that it is in the historic district, it is near or contains businesses that are working well (Pastry Shop, coffee shop, furniture store, etc), it is near the creek and a creek crossing and it is bordered by the street improvements planned for Boyleston street starting this year. MCF has also begun to approach building owners about a shared elevator core that could be used by multiple buildings to make the upper floors more attractive as rental space for apartments or offices.
14. Public Comments:
a. The possibility of upper floor apartments downtown for University students is interesting to some but others question whether it is a good idea.
b. A concern was expressed about downtown parking if the upper floors are filled with users. And wouldn’t it be hard to rent upper floors without designated
parking? The hope would be to make downtown parking more efficient and less scattered, then maybe some could be assigned to specific buildings. This
is certainly an issue that has to be dealt with as the population downtown is increased.
c. Downtown should be made friendlier to bicycles – more racks and width on the trail as it goes through downtown.
d. Would diagonal parking on Main Street help the parking situation? That can be looked at.
e. One resident commented that it makes more sense to fix up the beach instead of building a boardwalk that will get washed out every two years.
f. One resident would like to see dress and shoes stores downtown. Residents need to talk up Bradford, especially to potential merchants to try to draw
them to Main Street. People need a reason to come downtown, but people also need to support the businesses that are already there.
g. Some stores on Main Street are tired and unattractive to customers. The new coffee shop is fresh and modern, which is part of the reason that it is
working.
h. There was concern expressed about attracting extra traffic to Main Street and congestion at rush hour. Walking, bicycling and using public transportation
should be promoted.
15. The next topic presented was the economic development data and information from Impact Economics. Overall, the outlook for the region’s economy has positives and potential to build on. The diverse manufacturing sector is a good thing, as are the available capitol and the retail opportunities sectors. Concerns include a productivity rate that is lower than expected, a lack of new growth industries and few career development opportunities other than 4-year college.
16. Public Comments:
a. Are 4 local governmental bodies a hindrance? Yes, but this plan won’t be tackling consolidation. The most it might do is get people to talk about the
possibility.
b. The state promised 50,000 new jobs from 219 becoming an expressway, but that hasn’t materialized.
c. The skills of the local labor pool and bringing youth to the local economy are critical to set this area apart and maintain the diverse manufacturing sector.
d. Signage could be used to pull the area together, make it more inviting. For example, there could be signage at Walmart that says “Turn left to go to
downtown Bradford”
e. Ms. Romanowski commented that maybe there could be evening adult education in the vocational classrooms at the high school. She would be willing to
talk to the school board about opening that possibility up to the community.
f. Is there a good way to advertise entrepreneurial activity in the area?
g. Some places do “Come back home” campaigns or events to recapture former residents.
h. Focus on Bradford as a gateway to experiences in the region. History and recreation are both big draws in the area and the city is at the center of them
and a recognizable destination from 219.
i. Motorized recreation like ATV and motorcross could be expanded and made more welcoming. There are existing roads for logging gas and oil that could be
reused.
17. The final topic for the evening was focused on commercial zoning districts, retail opportunities and the retail potential of Main Street. Ms. Sarraf spoke about the commercial zones, especially in the city and Foster Township. There are areas of East Main Street that allow houses to be converted for office type uses and other commercial opportunities. Not only is there a question about whether this is the kind of street that we want East Main Street to be, but also some of those businesses could be located downtown, which allows East Main Street to compete with downtown for commercial renters. The zoning codes could be rewritten to focus shopping center and stand alone building commercial uses to West Washington Street and Fosterbrook and focus more urban commercial uses and small businesses on the downtown core. Existing businesses would be grandfathered in, but it would prevent more commercial development in residential areas.
18. Public Comments:
a. One resident understands the desire to have more density downtown but is concerned about restrictions being placed on those who work out of their home
with little impact to the residences around them. Ms. Sarraf commented that her proposals would have no impact on home based businesses when there
is home occupation as well. Residential zones allow for these operations to be visited by customers and even have 1-2 employees. The concern is about
homes being converted into offices, used from 9-5 and then sitting empty the rest of the day. Not only do these offices create more traffic but they also
lessen the street population during evenings and weekends.
b. Are the zoning ordinances really archaic? Yes, especially the city guidelines for residential lots, which are more typical of those found in sprawling
suburbs. Ms. Sarraf needs to study existing lot sizes to adapt these regulations to work with reality.
c. A resident expressed concern about businesses that get incentives or governmental support and then leave Bradford. Ms. Andrews commented that
programs involve low interest loans, not grants or incentives.
d. Joint marketing for downtown would help all the businesses.
e. Enthusiastic and forward thinking business owners also make a big difference in how well businesses do and which ones survive. How can the best
business owners be attracted to downtown?
19. There is a lot of great potential in Bradford. Let’s take a great place and make it better!
With no further items for discussion, the meeting was adjourned. The foregoing constitutes the major items accepted by the attendees. If there are any additions or corrections to these minutes, please notify the Architect.
Respectfully submitted,
MacLachlan, Cornelius & Filoni, Inc.
Amy P. Maceyko, AIA, LEED AP