Health & Fitness
Lansdale at the Crossroads of the Past and the Future
Lansdale is standing at the crossroads of stagnation and revitalization. Richard Strahm wonders which direction the Parking Authority will take this evening.
Our piece of Lansdale history today is a street sign. While it’s a bit weathered, it does have charm!
But we’re really not here today to talk about street signs. We’re here today to talk about crossroads. And Lansdale is standing at the intersection of one of those crossroads today.
The Madison Lot project.
There is a parking authority meeting tonight (3/27/2013) at 7 p.m. The agenda is short. It contains just one motion. But don’t be misled – while the motion is short – “motion regarding the purchase and sale agreement and sketch plan for Madison Lot,” the history and meaning are long.
I think we can all agree that Lansdale has stagnated over the decades. Starting in the 70s, when malls started stealing focus from our downtown business district, the decline continued through housing booms that took families away from our historic borough housing stock to newer developments and years where the fiscal and physical management of the borough were less than optimal.
But we are at a crossroads. We have the ability to create greatness in our crumbling Madison Lot and help propel Lansdale to the future it deserves. Or we can stand at the curb and watch the future pass us by.
We already have new restaurants and shops coming to our borough. We have new developments that are drawing residents back to our borough. We now need this project to complete our transition from fading historic borough to the shopping, dining and residential hub that Lansdale was meant to be.
Our parking authority has some great minds. Daniel Dunigan, Todd Brown, John Siegler, Thomas Work and John Chirico worked along with developers, consultants, Septa and borough management to create a plan that will propel Lansdale to the future – at a cost that is minimal to the tax payers. How could this not be a good thing for the future of Lansdale?
I applaud the parking authority members for having the vision and foresight to create a plan of this scope and scale – one that is truly a game changer for our borough.
So please join me tonight at the parking authority meeting in support of the Madison Lot project.
When you’re standing at the crossroads of stagnation and revitalization – which way will you go?
