The first of two by Cliff Lewis
When it comes to quality of life issues, many city residents have just a single entity with whom to share their concerns: the city government. But, since March of 2003, residents of northwest Lancaster City—and a few blocks east of the Queen Street line—have had a strong, well-funded advocate in the James Street Improvement District.
Not long before the group’s inception, now-President Lisa Riggs took a drive through the streets of Lancaster and was impressed by what she saw as “the bones of a great city.” For 15 years prior, Riggs had worked as an economic development coordinator in Baltimore.
About one year before Riggs was brought in to jumpstart the JSID, the organization was conceived through discussions between Lancaster General Hospital and Franklin & Marshall college, both organizations seeking new ways to invest in their surrounding communities. Riggs attributed much of that initiative to F&M President John Fry, who had worked with a similar city district during his tenure at the University of Pennsylvania.
For Riggs, Lancaster City was rife with potential. “You get a good a good sense of the city very quickly,” she said, “It’s sort of hard to describe, but I guess the best word is ‘manageable.’ You can find good elements in almost every place.” Riggs said that she frequently hears that same observation from outside consultants: “There are a lot of things that, as one who’s had experience with community development and economic development, you come in and just instinctively see it. It saw it the moment I got here.”
Private donors make up the majority of the JSID’s $1.2 million yearly budget. The group’s 2008-2009 annual report listed Armstrong World Industries, the Feree Foundation, F&M, LGH, Fulton Financial Corp., High Real Estate, the Lancaster County Community Foundation, and the Steinman Foundation as “Gold Sponsors,” donating over $25,000. Another such donor was the City of Lancaster itself.
The JSID has spent seven years working to polish up its part of the city—particularly by pursuing improvements in the area’s cleanliness and safety. The group has facilitated the installation of new trash receptacles, commissioned bicycle-riding “Ambassador” squads covering the territory for 16 hours each day, and managed efforts such as the City’s installation of pedestrian lighting on North Prince Street.
At first glance, many of these initiatives sound like the work of a city government. Riggs acknowledged that this is indeed a common perception: “What downtown associations do,” Riggs explained, “are things that some people would argue should be a municipal function. But the practical reality is that city governments are stretched fairly thin and may choose to prioritize things differently. We have the luxury of focusing on a smaller area of the city. We don’t have the whole city.”
Riggs is reluctant to associate the JSID’s efforts with the process of gentrification—a term that has steadily acquired negative connotations due to its potential displacement of lower-income residents. “We’re not all about trying to displace populations,” Riggs asserted, while qualifying that “our goal is to have a long-term, healthy, vibrant community, [and] having people coming in from different income levels is one of our goals.”
Since the JSID set up shop in northwest Lancaster, Riggs has seen a growing public recognition of revitalization in the area. And although corroborating statistical data is hard to come by, Riggs noted that ‘buzz’ is a valuable commodity in itself:
“I’ll tell you that, whether its intuitive, instinctive, or the sense of confidence, I’d rather have that than market data. Because you can’t pay for the intuitive piece. We hear that, not just from younger people, but even from countywide interests, [where] it’s no longer a discussion as to whether the city’s revitalizing—it is. For a community to turn that corner is huge….It doesn’t mean that everything is perfect and all issues are solved, but it means that you’ve crossed some threshold where the momentum can build.”
