Mendelson charged with bribing bank officer

who the hell is on first here?

Surprise Surprise. I'm sure if they dug deeper they'd find much more on this creep.

The Morning Call wrote:

The hotel is the last major redevelopment opportunity in Allentown's central business district and is a key piece of the downtown revitalization.

The "last redevelopment opportunity"?!
Downtown looks like Nagasaki! So after the Americus is fixed-up, Allentown has no more development to do down there?!

Last 10 years Allentown has gotten a new federal court house, the PPL plaza, The Farr's building has been restored into condo's that are selling as fast as they are done, the new Butz Building. The Lehigh County Courthouse is being updated, Eastern Light has been made into Crocodile Rocks, and the opening of the Alletown Brew works has been wonderful. That's a lot of development in a short time. Allentown is on the right track. Nothing turns around overnight, be patient and Allentown may one day be beautiful again.

If you're pointing to Croc Rock as an example of wonderful redevelopment, you damage your credibility.

That's crap. Croc Rock is a successful business in a building that was empty for years. If that's not development what is. You damage your credibility denying that.

Croc Rock is a cesspool. When were you last in it?

So you don't like Croc Rock. Big deal. Then stay away. The place sells a lot of tickets to national acts. I'd say their attendance is a better judge of the success of the place than your opinion of it.
Stay away if you don't like it. You have that right. But to think that Allentown would be better off with a bunch of empty boarded up buildings instead, then you're just an idiot.

Croc Rock is going downhill fast. If you call a couple of American Idol rejects national acts, you've got to be kidding. Croc Rock contributes to the pollution of downtown. It is not a choice between the criminal element that Croc Rock attracts and being boarded up. Until downtown Allentown gets more legitimate retail, not barber shops and tatoo/piercing parlors and government buildings, the redevelopment has miles to go.

I wouldn't call Buck Cherry an American Idol reject but hey it is an opinion site. I was there for a couple of heavey metal concerts and I didn't see any of the polution that you speak of. Maybe you just want old folks surrounding you?

Croc Rock wrote:

Croc Rock is going downhill fast. If you call a couple of American Idol rejects national acts, you've got to be kidding. Croc Rock contributes to the pollution of downtown. It is not a choice between the criminal element that Croc Rock attracts and being boarded up. Until downtown Allentown gets more legitimate retail, not barber shops and tatoo/piercing parlors and government buildings, the redevelopment has miles to go.

Croc Rock wrote:

Croc Rock is going downhill fast. If you call a couple of American Idol rejects national acts, you've got to be kidding. Croc Rock contributes to the pollution of downtown. It is not a choice between the criminal element that Croc Rock attracts and being boarded up. Until downtown Allentown gets more legitimate retail, not barber shops and tatoo/piercing parlors and government buildings, the redevelopment has miles to go.

you are absolutely right....some places are better off being vacant, with the clientele that "hangs" there.

Croc Rock wrote:

It is not a choice between the criminal element that Croc Rock attracts and being boarded up. Until downtown Allentown gets more legitimate retail, not barber shops and tatoo/piercing parlors and government buildings, the redevelopment has miles to go.

Criminal element? I haven't been there in a few years but back then it was just a bunch of 21-30 yrs listening to bands and having some drinks. No gangsters like down the street at Banana Joe's, they never used to play the type of music that attracted that crowd.

Has it changed?

This creep Mendelsohn, has been ripping off the city of Allentown for years, by not paying taxes and letting the properties he bought go to he11. The Colonial theater was one of them. The Americus is another. I hope they put him away for a long long time, but since he is wealthy, chances are he'll get a slap on the wrist, and probation.

Redevelopment opportunities in Allentown are a dime a dozen.

1. Union Boulevard corridor. You have all of the former Western Electric properties. The old drive-in theater.

2. Lehigh River front area in the wards. Neuweiller Building has been a rotting shell for decades now, plus all of the former A&B Meats property still isn't a decent park after 10 years. You have a boat load of old manufacturing/wharehouse building that could be redeveloped or even better yet, just torn down and make the Lehigh River accessible with new highrise condos and middle class people moving back to Allentown.

3. Hamilton Street. You can start at Front Street and go all the way to 15th Street and Hotel Traylor and find about 8 properties per black that need redevelopment. This is 120 projects along this stretch alone.

4. Mack Trucks 10th Street lots and machinery buildings. This whole area should be redeveloped into residential. South 12th Street Mack Truck lots, could be redeveloped into a mixed use, commericial/residential/office complex.

5. Liberty Street/Gordon Street Old Industrial area. With Ritter & Smith closed, you have a stretch of old industrial buildings that could be converted into apartment buildings or new construction from 12th to 15th Street.

6. Allentown Fairgrounds area. 17th Street Corridor. Plenty of opportunities for age restricted facilties, nursing homes, or other medical related office facilities.

7. 19th Street/Allen/Tilghman. Plenty of opportunity for redevelopment for small scale retail, office etc.

There are many sub pockets that need to be redeveloped all over Allentown.
What has been done in the past 10 years should be occuring yearly in Allentown, but there is too much low end demand rather than higher market rate demands that will attract developers to these types of projects.

The reality is that most of the projects that have been completed started during a good real estate environment and under Afflerbach as mayor. Pawloski has very limited impact for why this occurred. It was a cheap credit environment and Allentown is the 3rd largest city. It was opportunistic real estate people looking to make some quick money. Those that did made out. Those that are still holding Allentown property sure want to see this town get cleaned up in a hurry.

I personally believe Pawlowski is of the mind set of a social worker and will further harm the city, and not attract middle class people, investors, or further real estate development. The only way it happens is with Governor Rendell led team members on Mayor's staff that find give away money to attract real estate investors. It is a great deal for a select few with connections, only because they are able make economic shift of risks onto the State and ultimately the taxpayers. For some large deals this in my personal opinion is OK, if it develops high income jobs.

I would rather the state give money for a deal to land a large R&D facility along 12th & Lehigh St area than redevelop the Americus, just because it is a nice building. When it is finished, what will it be? A 13 story hotel is not viable in downtown Allentown. Maybe they could use 3 or 4 floors. The only other use is as an apartment building or condo. Where is the parking? What price point to attract people? Or will it just become another of Pawlowski's favorite things, affordable housing attracting more and more from the lower quintiles of wage earners.

The City has to attract jobs. To do this, it has to lower business costs to do business in the city. I am a Democratic Party member saying this. The strategies done so far are just cosmetic clean-ups, but nothing of substantial long-term contributors to economic growth. Building filled with wage earners is the solution to downtown Allentown, not low end or affordable housing solutions. Jobs begets economic revitalization.

"I personally believe Pawlowski is of the mind set of a social worker and will further harm the city, and not attract middle class people, investors, or further real estate development."
You're probably right. For the very same reason, I believe government should get out of the housing business.

Michele of Bethlehem wrote:

Criminal element? I haven't been there in a few years but back then it was just a bunch of 21-30 yrs listening to bands and having some drinks. No gangsters like down the street at Banana Joe's, they never used to play the type of music that attracted that crowd.
Has it changed?

No, it hasn't. At least for the bands I've been there to see, most with my teenage daughters:

Seether, Trapt, Saliva, Fuel, Tantric, Crossfade.

Uh, by the way, those would all be considered national acts for the prude posting what kind of acts they have.

The only problems I've encountered there were drunk ADULTS which their ample security staff handles immediately.

steve-2304 wrote:

<quoted text>
No, it hasn't. At least for the bands I've been there to see, most with my teenage daughters:
Seether, Trapt, Saliva, Fuel, Tantric, Crossfade.
Uh, by the way, those would all be considered national acts for the prude posting what kind of acts they have.
The only problems I've encountered there were drunk ADULTS which their ample security staff handles immediately.

steve...you've been there to see "with your daughters"...I have more and more respect for you as a father all the time....I HOPE people let your girls know how fortunate they are....AND you are wonderful!

kathy65 wrote:

<quoted text>
steve...you've been there to see "with your daughters"...I have more and more respect for you as a father all the time....I HOPE people let your girls know how fortunate they are....AND you are wonderful!

Well, I'll have to agree wit you on that one since my daughter is still not happy that she couldn't go see whoever was there last Wed. Unlike Steve, I sounded like an old timer and kept mumbling "my mother did not let me see the BEATLES". I guees I'd better pay more attention to Steve.:)

Croc Rock is one band away from closing up. The no name acts draw no one and the bands that do rock them with a fee. Why do you think Joe's running the club again. The place is a dump and it's violating numerous building codes that the city closes a blind eye too. If it wasn't for the south philly handshake the place would be closed and joe wouldn't have a tax write off.

greynomo wrote:

<quoted text>
Well, I'll have to agree wit you on that one since my daughter is still not happy that she couldn't go see whoever was there last Wed. Unlike Steve, I sounded like an old timer and kept mumbling "my mother did not let me see the BEATLES". I guees I'd better pay more attention to Steve.:)

grey..as a teen=ager, then in easton, I lived on a block with alot of teens and one set of parents owned a beer distributor place across the way...well they used to set trips for everyone to go see 'The Monkees' at the time....and I was never able to go with them on the bus...Geesh! I never argued THEN with my parents..LOL