"We have been successful at stopping and slowing change for the last 50 years. We should instead embrace change and promote new growth."
Instead of more parking as the panacea for Lansdale, let's discuss more housing as a critical part of an economically vibrant future. Additional dense, walkable housing built around our three train stations can be the catalyst for a lively and productive downtown. Additional residents would pay property taxes and would patronize local businesses. New buildings would replace vacant and underutilized properties. Finally, greater housing supply will keep costs down and allow for the town to support a variety of residents.
To an extent, this is already happening. In the news, we hear about beloved farms and abandoned factories being converted to housing. And I support new housing being constructed, but we can make policy changes to ensure the new housing has the greatest potential for positive impact. A typical gut response to hearing about additional housing is a concern for packed schools, crowded roads, and stretched infrastructure. So how are more residents going to improve Lansdale's situation?
The economic output of a town is the multiplicative total of its residents and businesses. It's not just that more people make more stuff, each person becomes more productive as the density of residents increases. Network effects increase wages, public services become more efficient, trips shorten. We can support more varied businesses, for example not just a bar but a sports bar, a beer garden, and a pub. And how we fit those new residents into the town matters. Condos, apartments, and townhomes in the center of town allow residents to access public transit and local business without requiring a car trip. A single family home on the edge of town with no sidewalk means every trip will be by car. Consider the amount of road in front of your house as a measure of required municipal infrastructure. An apartment complex is more efficient when it comes to maintaining roads, pipes, and storm water. Variety in housing stock allows for young professionals, growing families, and retirees to all find housing that meets their needs.
Old pictures of Lansdale show a dense and compact suburban form. This was disrupted by Urban Renewal, caused by changing behaviors brought on by the automobile. 65 buildings were razed in the 1960s leaving vacant lots behind. We should fill in those holes and replace those vacancies with new, productive properties. These buildings would look like the Lansdale Station Apartments - ground floor retail with up to 5 floors of condos or apartments above, located within 0.5 miles of a train station. Realizing this building transformation is hindered by parking requirements, floor area ratios, setback requirements, zoning maps, and other rules and ordinances.
Housing is good, but it is also a good. The price of housing is determined by the relationship between supply and demand. The price of housing increases with demand when we constrain supply, and there is plenty of demand. People want to move to Lansdale to take advantage of the schools or the shops or the train.
Maybe they want to buy a place where they grew up. If we increase the supply of housing, we can meet the demand. Even brand new luxury apartments with an eye watering price tag helps to lower the average cost of housing. More supply will lower costs or at least lower the rate of increase.
We should support developers. If they can’t make money on a project, they will leave the vacant lot vacant and the abandoned structure deteriorating. In the same way, I want all of our local restaurants and businesses to be successful and make money, because it means that they will stay in Lansdale and continue to add to its vibrancy. I want developers to see Lansdale as a great place to invest and spearhead the rebuilding of the downtown.
From the founding of Lansdale to 1970 the town grew on average by 175 residents per year. From 1970 to today the town has grown on average by 2 residents per year. North Penn reached a peak enrollment in 2006 and has held steady at 500 students less than peak. We have been successful at stopping and slowing change for the last 50 years. We should instead embrace change and promote new growth.
Peter Worthington
Lansdale, PA
(Disclaimer: Worthington is an appointed member of the Lansdale Borough Economic Development Committee. The views expressed are the author's own and are not representative of Fideri News Network, North Penn Now or Lansdale Borough. This letter is a printed submission expressing the views and thoughts of the named writer. The letter is an opinion-based submission which contains statements intended only to share the thoughts of its author and is not a fact-checked news article.)
