Change is Coming to Upper Bucks
“I believe for too long, residents felt there would never be change here,” said Tara King, Executive Director of the Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce, located in Quakertown Borough. That perception of stasis is turning around. The polestar of Upper Bucks County, Quakertown is geographically situated as a central cog surrounded by several radiating spokes to larger business and commerce markets.
From as far east as Dublin Borough to its Milford Township north western borders which touch Lehigh, Berks and Montgomery counties, Upper Bucks includes 19 municipalities located in three public school districts: Palisades, Pennridge and Quakertown. “What happens in Quakertown effects everyone. When people need something, they typically come to Quakertown and the Route 309 corridor for it,” King said.
It makes sense that increasing Quakertown’s business community and economic vitality is a win for everyone. “We are creating synergy between the organizations and agencies that are here to provide the tools necessary for businesses to want to be here,” King said. Now at the conclusion of a growth planning process, Quakertown Borough officials have a roadmap to attract new businesses, support existing ones, offer tax incentives and affordable commercial real estate across a variety of industries.
Delta Development Group, Inc., a consulting management firm based in Mechanicsburg, created the “Borough of Quakertown Urban Vision and Revitalization Plan,” which aims to bring new prosperity to the area. Those positive effects in Quakertown’s downtown would affect its municipal neighbors, many of whom have their own programs in place to attract and retain business, industry and commerce.
From the heavily traveled Route 309 and Route 663/313 corridors to the Northeast Extension of the Pennsylvania Turnpike, local government officials and planners have created zoning to accommodate business, industrial, commercial and residential areas. “We have high tech, retail and service businesses, industry, manufacturing and logistics right here,” King said. Carefully considering and altering zoning overlay districts and classifications to better integrate business and residential for growth and development have been regional hallmarks, according to King.
According to www.areadevelopment.com the top 10 most desirable qualities an area can possess when attracting business and commerce include: Availability of skilled labor, highway accessibility, labor costs, occupancy or construction costs, availability of advanced information communication and technology services, (reasonably priced) available buildings, corporate tax rate, state and local incentives, low union profile and (reasonable) energy availability costs. King said Quakertown already has the report’s assets.
In 2011, Bob Podraza AAMS®, a financial advisor with Edward Jones Investments, located his business in Quakertown for many of the report’s top reasons. “I looked into other places, but Quakertown is an attractive tight knit-community with quality housing and affordable costs,” Podraza explained. Easy access to just about all markets, from Turnpike access to Philadelphia, Route 309 access to Montgomery County and the Lehigh Valley, and Route 313 access to Doyelstown and points south in Bucks County, Quakertown’s geographic location is affordable, prime real estate, according to Podraza. “Upper Bucks is underserved and has a lot of potential, regardless of what business you’re in, and the area is an ideal place to grow business and industry,” Podraza said.
Ed Scholl, an economic development consultant based in Quakertown, has been involved with planning and recruiting efforts to bring in new business to reinvigorate abandoned or vacant buildings and help craft Quakertown’s future economic vision. “We’ve overcome a lot of the negatives,” said Scholl, a life-long Quakertown native. Current and proposed projects demonstrate Quakertown’s commitment to moving forward, Scholl said. One project currently in the works is a proposed three-story, roughly 30,000-square-foot mixed use building on the site of downtown public parking. No construction start details have been released by Developer David Halliday of Village Centre Properties based in Blooming Glen. “The perception is this 3-story building is the only project, but there are several buildings and projects in the works,” Scholl said. “Our goal is to bring in new people but keep what we’ve got and add to it,” Scholl said.
Written by Tara King, Executive Director, Upper Bucks Chamber of Commerce, www.ubcc.org.