Business Districts

There are many small business districts throughout our township. They are vital parts of our neighborhoods and provide an important community component to people who do not drive. Having a small business strip in an otherwise residential area is usually an asset to the neighbors and to property values. These stores provide a convenience for shoppers and also jobs for the residents. What has happened in Upper Darby is that these business districts are becoming run down, vacant and a target for crime.

While driving through any neighborhood in the Drexel Hill and Upper Darby sections of the township, you will notice the alarming percentage of empty and boarded up stores. They are quite often littered with trash and lacking in any adequate lighting or police presence. Often, the stores are closing early for fear of robberies. This all creates a situation of urban blight and depreciated property values. Would you want to move into a neighborhood with storefronts that look like this?

I believe Upper Darby needs to create tax relief for new businesses to allow them time to get established. An empty business is not producing revenue anyway, so this is a positive way to improve the business climate. More businesses equal more tax dollars. More tax dollars equal less property taxes or an increase in services. Either way, homeowners and residents across the entire township win, the township looks better, and more jobs are available.

I also believe that we should seek grants to improve the image of the districts and/or compensate business owners for improvements they make on properties in designated areas. More street lighting is also necessary to attract shoppers after dark. With a safer atmosphere of bicycle and beat police, I believe we can revitalize these once desired neighborhood stores, and in turn, the neighborhoods surrounding them.