Northeast neighborhood declared blighted by planners as first step towards redevelopment
KAYLEE LINDENMUTH / SHENANDOAH SENTINEL - A blighted block of East Lloyd Street at North Bower Street is seen on March 15, 2023. A 13-block area around this was declared blighted by the Shenandoah Planning Commission Wednesday, the first step towards the area's redevelopment.
SHENANDOAH – A 13-block area of town between Main, Emerick, Coal, and Centre Streets was declared blighted Wednesday by borough planners in the first step towards the redevelopment of the area.
The Shenandoah Planning Commission approved a resolution declaring the area, known as the Bower Street Redevelopment Area, as blighted.
Unsafe and unsanitary structural conditions, inadequate planning, and economically or socially undesirable land uses, among other factors were taken into account in the determination.
Karen Parrish, a consultant for Schuylkill County, presented report on the conditions of the area and its eligibility for redevelopment at Wednesday’s meeting. The declaration is the first step in allowing the Schuylkill County Redevelopment Authority to take action in the area.
While blight is pervasive across Shenandoah and the Anthracite region, 40% of the buildings in that area “pose a safety and health risk,” according to the report. At the center of the area is the burned United Wiping Cloth building, which burned in 2020 and was promptly abandoned by Semyon Klimov, Brooklyn. The ex-garment factory has appeared on tax sales since.
On the Main Street portion of the area is a set of buildings owned by the late Glen Patterson which are in disrepair and have seen police responses for squatters.
A Centre Street portion is almost fully vacant as well.
The move is also a step towards the plan for apartments on the site of the United Wiping Cloth building. That project received a $500,000 DCED grant for 36 residential units for senior citizens in Oct. 2022. Michael and Patricia O’Connor of Par King Inc. are planning that project.
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