Jim Thorpe borough is currently suffering from multiple challenges that are a product of the local economy outpacing community planning. Primarily, the town suffers from a lack of adequate parking and space in it's business district. While many are actively working to resolve the parking issue, the congestion of the downtown area and lack of available retail space is an urgent challenge that the local community needs to address.
Community organizers have prepared a plan that will entail instituting a zoning map amendment (rezoning) that will consolidate part of the Residential R4 district into the Commercial C3 district of Historic Mauch Chunk (Jim Thorpe). In doing so local government would facilitate the controlled and necessary growth and beatification of the walkable business district, reduce congestion of our downtown, create new opportunity for investment in the preservation of our historic buildings, protect our residential neighborhoods from unwanted development, and support those businesses already along West Broadway that are essential to the culture and history of Mauch Chunk.
The expanded C3 business district will better reflect the needs of our community. Through effective planning we can ensure that zoning is better prepared to meet the current needs as well as future demands of our economy, to ensure that families have opportunities to grow and start their own businesses here, and to preserve and enhance the environmental quality of our neighborhoods. By expanding the geographic footprint of the walkable business district, we promote a more uniform business district that helps alleviate congestion and overcrowding of the downtown. In doing so we can link existing cultural institutions on West Broadway to the thriving business district.
Visit JTNOW.ORG to review and download a copy of the project plan.
