LVEDC hosts Pa. DCED Director Cornelius

6/26/09

Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation (LVEDC) hosted Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development Secretary George Cornelius and a delegation of municipal, state and federal officials June 20 to tour several Priority Projects across the Lehigh Valley.

Sec. Cornelius was joined by LVEDC Legislative and Government Relations Committee Chairman Vito Gallo, assistant vice president for state relations at Lehigh University, along with representatives from U.S. Congressman Charles Dent and U.S. Sen. Robert P. Casey and the region’s two counties and three cities to review various locales along with LVEDC President & CEO Philip Mitman and Vice President of Regional Development Pete Reinke. The event showcased LVEDC’s commitment to promoting regionalism through a myriad of partnerships that advance the completion of the region’s top-ranked projects.

“These projects are important to the region’s economic development now and in the future,” said Philip B. Mitman, President and CEO of the Lehigh Valley Economic Development Corporation. “The site visits provide Sec. Cornelius and representatives of our federal elected officials the chance to personally see how these proposals will positively impact and position the Lehigh Valley for an outstanding future. During a time when funding is limited and budgets are tight, public funding may be the difference in attracting, retaining or growing a company in the Lehigh Valley. We are constantly in touch with our state legislators regarding the importance of this issue.”

Among the stops the van made was to visit with representatives from Majestic Corporation, who are currently redeveloping the 441-acre Majestic Bethlehem Center on the last remaining piece of Bethlehem Steel land. The $500 million project will involve the construction of buildings up to 10 million square feet that would be leased to national companies as soon as later this year. The location is easily accessible to Interstate 78, positioning the locale in close proximity to Philadelphia and New York City.

The tour also visited the 13th St. Silk Mill Project in Easton, where Mayor Sal Panto discussed the merits of the property, which includes the acquisition and redevelopment of several underutilized properties that would result in a mix of commercial, residential and community opportunities. Also, the tour stopped at the America on Wheels! museum in Allentown, where officials were greeted by a presentation by Joyce Marin, Director of Community and Economic Development for the City of Allentown.

Since 2003, immediately after Governor Rendell announced the Administration’s Economic Stimulus Plan, the LVEDC began working cooperatively with the Lehigh Valley Joint Planning Commission and the economic development professionals in the cities of Allentown, Bethlehem and Easton, and Lehigh and Northampton Counties to formulate a regional economic development priority project list. The united effort has paid off handsomely for the region over the last few years. In 2007 alone, the LVEDC presented to DCED a total of 17 different projects, five of which have been fully funded, including Coca-Cola Park, the home of the Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs in Lehigh County. Since 2003, the DCED has funded 23 projects for more than $85 million. Each year, LVEDC complies all the information from the Priority Projects Process in a easy-to-read booklet to present to state officials in Harrisburg.

For more information, please contact Stephen Althouse at 610.266.3817 or salthouse@lehighvalley.org.