Festival UnBound
Ten days of original theatre, dance, music, art and conversation designed to celebrate and imagine our future together!
October 4-13
Although she’s lived in Bethlehem for almost 20 years, Carol Burns’ new career as a freelance marketer is giving her an opportunity to “discover” her hometown. She volunteers for several arts-related organizations, and her newest adventure is dipping her toe into local politics and community organizations.
Gadfly:
And these numbers just reflect the resident side — how about all the proposed new retail spots? Will they be affordable for local businesses — or will we see an influx of “name brand” companies that can afford the rent? To me — no pun intended — the “flavor” of Bethlehem retail is that it is so locally-focused. I’d hate to lose that.
Carol
Yes, note that the local “Factory” is planned for first-floor retail at the Polker.
I think it’s reasonably predictable that many of these will be priced too high for many local businesses — that’s the general pattern for new construction and has been for many decades. Owners do use CRIZ-subsidized low rents to entice local businesses, but that’s usually only for the first year or two.
For the same reason, these high-end apartments tend to drive nearby rents up as well. Gentrification is almost assured — and the city obviously likes this or they wouldn’t be so eager to get all this type of development,