3 min read April 2024 — Invest: is joined by Aliyah Furman Stanger, executive director of the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority, to talk about the unique redevelopment opportunities in the County, and how mixed use is gaining momentum. “We are here to foster opportunities for and help shepherd redevelopment with the tools at our disposal,” she said.
What have been your key takeaways from the past year?
It’s been an exciting time to be in Montgomery County because there’s a lot of organic opportunities already here, along with natural growth. From an economic development perspective, people and businesses want to be here and you can sense that energy. There is also a lot of new, young talent that is bringing a lot of momentum to the region. We have three new commissioners who are incredibly committed to economic development along with a very well-versed director of commerce who understands the private industry in and out. The people of Montgomery County are hungry to see results and it makes for a wonderful environment to be in.
What is the fundamental goal of the Montgomery County Redevelopment Authority?
Montgomery County has the connectivity and relationships of small towns but you also get the opportunities of a big city. We want to create a robust inventory of shovel ready sites. When site selectors and companies present opportunities, we want to offer a slew of great options for them. We already have accessibility in terms of our proximity to major highways, ports, and rail systems, it’s just a matter of making sites ready for development.
What is your perspective on what successful economic development looks like?
You can’t work in economic development within a silo. We also have to consider affordable housing, recreational spaces, workforce and transportation. For example, we made our first loan for workforce housing through our MontcoForward low-interest loan program. We are continuing our partnership with the EPA to clean up brownfields with the hope that these spaces can be developed. It is important that we’re thinking of solutions holistically. Success will only come through partnerships.
What is your assessment of the growth of redevelopment in Montgomery County?
Montgomery County includes 62 municipalities. As the Redevelopment Authority, we won’t try to dictate to a municipality how a brownfield or vacant site should be redeveloped. We are here to foster opportunities for and shepherd redevelopment with the tools at our disposal. In some municipalities, there is no interest in redevelopment, while others actively pursue those opportunities. Our corridors exist organically. Look at King of Prussia, where there are 5 million square feet at Discovery Labs for life sciences and the synergy between the companies is incredible. Other parts of the county are more focused on preserving open space or have a vast agricultural focus – an area with tremendous opportunity for growth. We have the accessibility and the land here.
What are the significant developments that have broken ground in Montgomery County recently?
The redevelopment of the Norristown State Hospital has not broken ground but will be a major redevelopment which will bring great momentum and excitement to the County. In my mind, any housing helps and we need more inventory, period. Because of the link between economic development and housing, the MontcoForward loan, which has previously only been utilized for small businesses, has been opened up for affordable housing developers to make the road easier for them. Our county’s first big project with this loan will be for family affordable apartments. This is important to note because a lot of the housing you normally see come up is for seniors. We want to listen to stakeholders when they see a gap so that we can seek to fill it. We found that mixed use development tends to be favorable and we’ve been impressed by the creativity developers have shown in the county.
How does the Redevelopment Authority address evolving business needs for the county?
It’s not a zero sum game that both residents and businesses can benefit from a successful redevelopment. One example is SORA West in Conshohocken, where a local Fortune 500 business moved with hundreds of employees. They also created a beautiful common space that is utilized mostly by workers during the week and residents during the weekend and weeknights. As part of the same redevelopment project a hotel was built in a former firehouse, telling a great story about the town and redevelopment. Adding more hospitality has been a priority for the county and Hotel West & Main often hits full capacity, a testament to the demand for it.
For more information, please visit:
https://www.montgomerycountypa.gov/1014/Redevelopment-Authority
