The Lehigh Valley Economy

LEHIGH VALLEY
LAND RECYCLING
ANDREW KLEINER, DIRECTOR OF REDEVELOPMENT AND EXTERNAL
AFFAIRS
What is Lehigh Valley?
2 Counties:
Lehigh & Northampton
725 square miles
658,000 total
population
62 Municipalities
3 Cities:
Third-largest metropolitan
region in Pennsylvania
1. Allentown
2. Bethlehem
3. Easton
Fastest developing region
in the state for the last 5
years
Where is Lehigh Valley?
The Lehigh Valley
is within 1 day’s
drive to reach 1/3
of U.S. consumers
and 1/2 of
Canadian
consumers
Destination
Miles
Drive Time
(hours)
Baltimore
138
3
Boston
297
5.5
Buffalo
311
6
Cleveland
389
7
Detroit
550
9
Harrisburg
82
1.5
Montreal
415
8.5
New York City
85
1.5
Newark
79
1.3
Norfolk
307
6
Philadelphia
55
1
Quebec
252
6
Richmond
297
6
Toronto
410
8
Washington DC
187
3.5
Lehigh Valley at a Glance

$34.3 billion dollar economy
(MSA)

22,800 new jobs created
between 2004 – 2013 (9%
increase)

Home to two Fortune 500
Companies
68th Largest Metro in the United States
63 – New Haven, CT
64 – Knoxville, TN
65 – Greenville, SC
66 – Ventura, CA
67 – El Paso, TX
# 68 - Lehigh Valley, PA
69 – Baton Rouge, LA
70 – Mission, TX
71 – Dayton, OH
72 – Columbia, SC
73 – Greensboro, NC
Source: United States Census Bureau, Population Division. March 2014
Lehigh Valley Employers

14,700 employers in the Lehigh Valley

Less than 1% have more than 500 employees

15* companies have 1,000 employees or more

71% have less than 10 employees
*Zulily will become #16 when operational
Source: US Census County Business Patterns
LVLRI HISTORY

Began in 1998

Operated EPA Cleanup Grants and Hazardous Assessment Grants

Received $1M in Hazardous Assessment Funding in 2010

Operates 2 Growing Greener Grants

Remediated 2000 acres to date

LVLRI financial assistance has leveraged 400 million dollars of project
cost
Bethlehem Steel Site
 1,600
acres

Largest privately owned
brownfield site in the
country

Multi year and multi
partner redevelopment

First to use One Cleanup
Plan with US EPA and PA
DEP
Former Bethlehem Steel Site

Lehigh Valley Industrial Park
 Wal-Mart,
PriMark
Heavy Forge, Zulilly,

Sands Casino

SteelStax

Artsquest
TOTAL LOANS: $11,750,000
Coca-Cola Park

Former electronic manufacturing and storage
site

Identified as an Act 2 Success Story by DEP at
the 2015 Regional Brownfields Conference

Ballpark Digest’s 2008 “Ballpark of the Year”

2011: Highest attendance in all of Minor
League Baseball (628,925)

From 2008-2014, the Ironpigs are Minor League
Baseball’s most attended team with an
average of 9,000 fans per game.
The Trifecta Building

Adaptive redevelopment of a
20 year vacant building in
center city Allentown.

New home for state of the art
offices of Trifecta Technologies
and Shane Patrick
Construction and a
burger/beer hall.

LVEDC financed the Phase I
and Asbestos and Lead Survey
LVLRI Success Stories: Allentown
Waterfront

Work Completed: Phase I, Phase II,
Cleanup & Redevelopment Planning

Former Steel Plant on Lehigh River
waterfront in Downtown Allentown, PA

ACT 2 Project

Site is located in the Neighborhood
Improvement Zone (NIZ)

Funds used: EPA Hazardous Assessment,
Targeted Brownfields Assessment, Growing
Greener +

The first building in a 30 million
development plan is scheduled to open in
2017.
Easton Silk Mill

Work Completed: Phase I, Phase II, Cleanup
& Redevelopment Planning

Former, large, Silk Mill in Easton PA

ACT 2 Project

Site is a Keystone Opportunity Zone

Funds used: EPA Hazardous Assessment,
HUD, EDA

Site will be mixed use with residential,
cultural, and commercial components.

First condos online in 2017.
The LVLRI Advisory Committee

25 member Advisory Board

Representatives from local Cities, Counties, Non-Profit
Organizations, Brokers, Developers, Engineers,
Consultants, Regulatory Agencies and Lending
Institutions.

Monthly meetings to make project decisions

This committee structure has enabled relationships that
allow for fast, efficient, and prescient project movement
and ultimate success.
Allentown Metal Works

The plant closed in 2011 after operating
for 109 years as a heavy fabricated
metals facility.

Allentown Economic Development
Corporation (AEDC), as a developer of
last resort, entered an agreement of
sale for the property in February 2013.

AEDC engaged LVLRI for assistance with
Phase I assessment work in March 2013.
Allentown Metal Works

Following Phase I results, LVLRI paid
for a draft Sampling and Analysis
Work Plan for Baseline Remedial
Investigation in May 2013.

This workplan was submitted to PA
DEP and EPA in June 2013.

DEP Comments received in August
2013.
Allentown Metal Works

An arsonist sets fire to one of the
buildings on the property and an
Allentown firefighter is injured in
October 2013.

PA DEP receives and acknowledges
receipt of intent to remediate for
Special Industrial Area for ACT 2.
Allentown Metal Works

EPA response was
received in November
2013.

Phase II work was
completed in May 2014.

Teamwork, patience,
strategy.
Lehigh Valley Land Recycling
 70+
projects since 1998
 3000 acres remediated and 1900 jobs
created
 New Assessment Grant ($500,000) begins
in October 2015
 Major projects expected in this grant
period include Ironworks, Steel General
Office, and Martin Tower.