This a synopsis of the strategies outlined in the Lancaster Economic Development Action Agenda (a.k.a. LDR Plan) and progress achieved in applying the plan in the five years since it was adopted.

This Executive Summary will describe the seventeen strategies from the plan; explain the challenge as it is presented in the original document; note the original timeframe or priority; list progress toward the strategy; and identify planned or needed future activity.

The explanation of the challenge and original timeframe come verbatim from the original document. Progress toward the strategy was determined by responses to the survey and a smaller group of individuals from organizations involved in these activities. Future activity is the most dynamic category. This is the section that talks about what still needs to be done and who, if anyone, is working on it. Much of the information in the future activity section comes from the Team Lancaster Matrix developed by the County Planning Commission.

Early in 1998, The Lancaster Campaign contracted with LDR International, Inc. to create a plan to "stimulate the economic revitalization of the City of Lancaster by developing a community supported vision and action agenda."

The process involved community participation, economic and market research, urban design and planning analysis, traffic and transportation assessment, strategic planning and packaging a final product.

The plan focuses on three important areas of the city: North and South Prince Streets, Downtown, and South Duke Street. Nearly 60 projects and strategies were identified as important. This list was reduced to seventeen strategies, some of which include one or more projects.

The report indicates that each strategy “should be considered flexible and subject to modification” and we have already seen the wisdom of this as, for example, plans for both Lancaster and Penn Squares have changed.

The strategies in the LDR Plan were intended to be implemented over the course of fifteen to twenty years. From that perspective, we can view the first five years of the plan as the study/preparatory phase. In this regard, some progress has been made in all seventeen areas.

Progress is both quantitative and qualitative: in some areas, a lot has happened; in other areas a few significant things have occurred. Here are some examples of noteworthy progress:

• Significant progress has been made in creating an environment for successful economic development - L.E.R.T.A., tax increment financing, establishing an Application Review Team to help developers, agreement between the City and County to streamline approval/permitting process – to list a few;
• A Tourism Development Action Group was created, $56,000 a year for three years was pledged for marketing downtown, Discover Downtown Lancaster brochures help market City attractions and businesses, familiarization (FAM) tours were conducted to introduce tour sales people to downtown attractions, DID established a downtown Lancaster website;
• Several new attractions are on the horizon including a carousel, and an urban entertainment center;
• In the transportation area, a circulator trolley was successfully tested in the downtown, the RRTA transfer center will be relocated to new headquarters, the Inner City Group has completed designs for traffic improvements on South Duke Street;
• A new multi-purpose stadium is under construction between Harrisburg Pike and Prince Street, on land purchased from Norfolk Southern. This has made available one of the few remaining parcels of undeveloped land.
• City Council adopted the Heritage Conservation District Ordinance in 1999 and appointed a Historical Commission in 2000. Preserving historic buildings and promoting the architectural heritage of the city were recommendations throughout the LDR Report.
• On September 7, 2001, the U.S. Department of the Interior National Park Service approved the City's nomination of most of the city to the National Register of Historic Places, making Lancaster the largest, contiguous National Register Historic District in the country.
• The market study for Lancaster Square is complete and the consultant’s report has been submitted to the City, some funding has been obtained with more to be raised;
• The Lancaster Campaign’s Destination Downtown! is working with the art venues in the city to develop LancasterARTS .
• Friends of Central Market has been formed to support Market standholders and create awareness about the Market;
• Penn Square Partners and the Lancaster County Convention Center Authority were formed and have prepared plans for the development of the Watt and Shand property and the surrounding block for a new hotel and convention center;
• The KOZ was formed on South Prince Street and two major tenants currently reside there, with preliminary commitments from several other businesses;
• The Inner City Group has completed a planning process for the revitalization of South Duke Street and funding has been obtained for implementation. Several façade improvements are complete.
• City Police Bureau has reorganized to increase community policing throughout the City to better address crime and disorder.

The LDR plan puts the primary focus on the downtown business center and the corridors leading to downtown.

There is significant progress being made on the South Duke Street corridor because of the efforts of the Inner City Group. They provide a model for the revitalization of other major corridors to the city: planning with community input; designing the agreed-upon improvements; raising funds for implementation; and supervision of the work.

The North Prince Street corridor is currently in the information-gathering/planning phase. A committee of The Lancaster Campaign’s Economic Development Action Group has taken responsibility for this area.

Other corridors have yet to receive attention.

Coordination of projects is the key to success of community revitalization efforts. The formation of Team Lancaster and the leadership provided by the Mayor and Lancaster County Commissioners will be instrumental in helping us to prioritize all the work that remains.

Several issues have become new priorities since the Economic Development Action Agenda was produced. School District financial challenges have taken a front row seat and could have an impact on one of the incentives for economic development, tax increment financing.
Neighborhoods have become a more important issue. Cleanliness and safety, physical improvements, the condition of the housing stock, and home equity are all important matters that need to be dealt with.
City finances need careful stewardship, as does the strain currently being put on city services.
After a two-year endeavor, the Crime Commission has concluded that the issue and perception of crime should be the City’s top priority.
These and other emerging issues need to become part of the dialogue about city improvements and revitalization.

Next: A Progress Report on the Economic Development Action Agenda (LDR Plan) >>