Elm Street” Planning Grant
Introduction: The planning grant for $25,000 will be used for the planning of the “Elm Street” program in the City of New Kensington. The planning application was submitted first to the City Council of New Kensington for review, approval and resolution. Prior resolution by City Council approved the Target Area Local Leadership (TALL) students, under the instruction of the I-Lead program, to move forward with the Elm Street Program request. Upon approval and resolution by City Council, the planning application was submitted to DCED for the request of $25,000 for a one-time planning grant and approved. The planning grant will be used to plan and prepare a strategy for the implementation of an operational application to be submitted to accomplish planning and outlining a five-year strategic plan. This planning application opens a potential of four years of operation grants of $50,000 per year with a potential total of $225,000 over the five-year period. With New Kensington being a participant in the Pennsylvania Weed and Seed Initiative, matching funds are waived. The Elm Street Program’s eligible applicant is in the City of New Kensington through the controller’s office as the fiscal agent. The Weed and Seed Initiative’s TALL Leadership Class is the action and implementation committee. The Elm Street Program will allow New Kensington to integrate with the Fifth Avenue Project within the Redevelopment Authority for a neighborhood renewal strategy. The Elm Street program is designed to provide assistance and resources to those in a mixed use and residential area in proximity to central business districts, to further enhance the downtown area and to improve the viability of the older neighborhood area. New Kensington has also been chosen as one of the Blueprint Communities and will partner with all of the above programs to implement a project that will address the major entrance of the Ninth Street Bridge into New Kensington along Ninth Street and the downtown area. The project will include street lights, traffic signals, sidewalks, trees, trash cans, etc. With the competing nature of the Pittsburgh Mills, 1 short air mile and 3.2 driving miles in distance from the New Kensington Elm Street Program Area, the area has been identified within these listed boundaries (Parnassus Area): (Please see the attached maps).
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