 THE HEART OF MONTGOMERY COUNTY October, 8 2008 HOME COMMUNITY BUSINESS VISITOR GOVERNMENT WHY NORRISTOWN? PLANNING/MUN. DEVELOPMENT Norristown. The vision CALENDAR OF EVENTS MAPS &AMP; DIRECTIONS SITE MAP CONTACT US COMMUNITY Education & Resources Community & Neighborhood Things To Do Elmwood Park Zoo EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Job Openings BUSINESS Doing Business With Norristown For Employees & Job Seekers Licenses VISITOR Arts & Culture Parks & Recreation Travel & Transportation Montgomery Co - Norristown Public Library GOVERNMENT Council Council Members Departments Police Fire Planning/Mun. Development Administration Public Works Building & Code Enforcement Finance Parks & Recreation TRASH RECYCLING PROPERTY MAINTENANCE STORM WATER MANAGEMENT The Department of Planning and Municipal Development is responsible for preparing plans to encourage economic and community revitalization within borders of Norristown. The Department administers land use registration permits (zoning) and guides applicants through the land development/subdivision process. In addition to administering over 12 million dollars in federal, state and county grant funds, the Department is responsible for developing and implementing projects in accordance with the Comprehensive Plan, the 5-Year Consolidated Plan, the Norristown Economic Revitalization Strategy, Riverfront Redevelopment Plan for the Riverfront Area, Open Space Plan and other approved plans over the Municipality’s 3.2 square miles. Due to the quantity and varying degrees of projects administered by the Department of Planning and Municipal Development, a comprehensive listing can not be provided here. What appears below is a sample of some of the ongoing projects and programs administered by the Department: The following are pdfs of Norristown's Planning &amp; Municipal Development economic revitalization strategy, consolidation plan plus other important informative brochures and applications: Norristown Economic Revitalization Strategy (The Municipality has retained Urban Partners to update the Norristown Economic Revitalization Strategy (NERS). If you'd like to submit your thoughts about Norristown's economic development strategy or the NERS document itself, please contact Isaac Kwon of Urban Partners. The dedicated email address for this project is: NERSUPDATE@gmail.com Or you can write to: Isaac Kwon Senior Associate Urban Partners 829 Spruce Street, Suite 204 ) Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Master Plan. Norristown Open Space Plan 2007 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report Narrative 2008 Community Development Consolidated Action Plan Click here for a copy of the Fair Housing Brochure. Click here for an application for the Norristown Community Development Block Grant (CDBG). The Municipality is currently working on a Strategic and Master Plan for the Poley Park parking area. As such, Pickering Corts and Summerson Inc., of Newtown, PA., has been hired to develop a public participation process that will allow for public input and a final plan for the park that will address the immediate needs of the West Marshall Street Business District and encampassing areas. Below please find the minutes from these public meetings and charettes: Poley Park Meeting Minutes for 10/10/07 Poley Park Meeting Minutes for 08/15/07 Poley Park meeting held on 1/30/08 Poley Park Final Design Sketch G based on 4th Charette held on 2/20/08 at 6:30p.m. If you do not have Acrobat Reader®, simply click here to download a free copy of the full version of Acrobat Reader by Adobe®. [i] ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT Business Development Coordinator The Business Development Coordinator is responsible for marketing Norristown to the private business community in an effort to attract and maintain the existing commercial and business marketplace while creating an environment for job creation and job retention for Norristonians. The Office of Business Development is working on developing a directory of all businesses in Norristown. Please see the following link to add your business to the directory. [imgl] http://www.norristown.org/files/Business Contact Form.pdf [/imgl], HOW THE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT COORDINATOR CAN HELP YOUR BUSINESS As the Municipality of Norristown continues its economic, community and neighborhood revitalization activities, the Business Development Coordinator position is a vital component in retaining and attracting businesses, thereby leading to job creation. The purpose of the Business Development Coordinator is to facilitate economic and business development and retention activities within the Municipality of Norristown’s business community. Some of the ways the Business Development Coordinator’s can help current or prospective business in Norristown: 1. Serve as the single point of contact for prospective and existing businesses, providing informational support and guidance necessary to begin or maintain business operations, including assistance with zoning and code enforcement requirements. 2. Provide prospective and existing businesses with information on financial and tax incentives available to businesses located in the Municipality through programs such as the Norristown Enterprise Zone. 3. Marketing of the Municipality of Norristown to the Philadelphia region and surrounding areas, involving the use of promotional materials. 4. Develop, monitor and implement economic strategies to increase retailing in the downtown area, attracting new users into existing facilities and expanding market opportunities. 5. Investigate and secure funding sources for projects within the Municipality/Enterprise Zone as they relate to marketing and business development. 6. Make recommendations to the Municipality for amendments to existing Municipal and Enterprise Zone policies, procedures and programs in order to increase effective business development and retention. 7. Assist in the organization of special events, sales days, networking mixers, Open houses, Grand openings, etc. Click on Doing Business in Norristown for additional information. For further information please contact: Gabriela Ibarra 266 East Main Street Norristown, PA 19401 (610) 277-2641 or gibarra@norristown.org July 19, 2007 - Governor Rendell joins local and county officials to break ground for the new retail and parking Garage on Main &amp; Cherry Sts - to read the entire press release click the following link: Main &amp; Cherry Parking Garage Small Business Assistance Center The Norristown Small Business Assistance Center assists micro-enterprise (6 or fewer employees) with business plans, marketing plans, advertising and other services for small businesses looking to begin operations, relocate or that already exist within Norristown. HOUSING Owner Occupied Housing Rehabilitation The Municipality of Norristown administers an owner occupied housing rehabilitation program for income eligible homeowners within the Municipality. The program is administered on a first come first serve basis, and is contingent on funding availability. Improvements are geared to assist homeowners bring their properties up to code. There is currently a 3-4 year waiting list. For additional information, please contact the Planning Department at (610) 270-0451. First Time homebuyers program The Municipality of Norristown runs a downpayment and closing cost assistance program to help qualified borrowers meet the financial requirements of downpayment and closing costs. The program is funded through the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The assistance is offered in the form of a non-interest second mortgage that requires no repayment unless the home is sold, refinanced, rented out, or transfered within the affordable housing term. Applicants must sign a consent to lien Form. A lien will be placed with the Prothonatory's Office for the five year housing term of ownership. For the income eligibility requirements, please click here. HISTORIC PRESERVATION Historic Façade Program The highly successful Historic Façade Program affords property owners the opportunity to enhance their building’s historic façade. Properties must be located in the Central Norristown Historic Districts and the West Historic Districts of Norristown, or must have been built prior to 1940 to qualify. The Planning Department will provide dollar for dollar matching funds up to $5,000 for each property that is enhanced. From 1999 – 2004 this Program improved over 25 historic facades within the East and West Historic Districts. The Program is funded entirely with grant funds. Click here to download an application for the historic façade program. West Marshall Street Historic Façade Program Similar to the Historic Façade program, the West Marshall Street Historic Façade Program targets the Historic West Marshall Street Shopping District and also provides up to $5,000 for each property. NEIGHBORHOOD PROJECTS Neighborhood Improvements Project Funded through Norristown’s CDBG allocation, the neighborhood improvement project entails sidewalk repairs in eligible residential areas. DeKalb Street Project for the Elm Street Program Norristown is the recipient of a $250,000 grant from the Department of Community and Economic Development (DCED) for sidewalk improvements within the Elm Street Program Area. The grant will be used for sidewalk improvements along DeKalb Street. CDBG funds will be utilized to expand the project scope. HOME Funds for the DeKalb Street Area This innovative project will encompass acquiring vacant and boarded properties along DeKalb Street and rehabilitate them into owner-occupied condominium units. TRANSPORTATION West Marshall Street Streetscape Project - completed This 1 million dollar project encompassing seven blocks in the Historic West Marshall Street Shopping District provided the merchants and residents of the area with new brick-stamped sidewalks, historic lighting, new urban-friendly trees, improved visual ascetics by burying the utility lines, new planters, new benches and other amenities. This project was paid entirely with grant funds. Main Street Streetscape Project - ongoing The improvements to the main shopping corridor will entail new brick-stamped sidewalks, historic lighting, new urban-friendly trees, traffic light signalization and other amenities. The first phase of this project is scheduled to start in 2005. This project is funded by grants through Norristown Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Funds, Montgomery County Revitalization Funds and Federal TE-21 Funds. Wayfinding/Directional signage Project Navigating the streets of Norristown has never been easier with the implementation of the Wayfinding/Direction Signage Project. This Project provides direction for visitors to select Norristown destinations such as Municipal Hall, the Montgomery County Courthouse, Martin Luther King Jr. Park and the Elmwood Park Zoo. Also included are gateway signs welcoming visitors and residents to charming historic Norristown. Street Reconstruction The first street reconstruction project will entail the roadway between Markley Street west to Stanbridge Street. Additional street reconstruction projects will follow as the Planning Department administers Norristown’s Capital Improvement Budget. Lafayette Street Transportation Improvements This project is being spearheaded by the Montgomery County Planning Commission and is vital enough to Norristown’s revitalization efforts that it deserves to be listed here. Please visit http://www.planning.montcopa.org/LafayetteStreetProject for more information. ZONING The Director of Planning is also the Zoning officer, and makes zoning determinations based on the Norristown Zoning Ordinance which is derived fron the Municipalities Planning Code. Zoning determinations are not rendered verbally but as an applicant, you are required to submitt your request for a determination, in writing to the Zoning Officer, Municipality of Norristown Planning Department, 235 East Airy Street Norristown, PA 19401. In addition you can fill out a Use Registration Form with the attached fee schedule and send back to the Planning Department at 235 East Airy Street, Norristown PA 19401. You will then be contacted if more information is needed, or a response will be mailed back to you at your given address. Click here to access the Municipality of Norristown Zonning Ordinance. Q & A'S I want to know how a property is zoned, what do I need to do? You should complete and submit a use registration form to the Planning Department. I want to open a business, what do I need to do? First you should complete and submit a use registration form to the Planning Department who will determine if your proposed use is permitted within the zoning district. This form is available for download in the FORMS section of this website. I am interested in purchasing a property that is listed as a duplex (triplex, etc), what do I need to do? First you should complete and submit a use registration form to the Planning Department who will determine if your proposed use is permitted within the zoning district. This form is available for download in the FORMS section of this website. I have completed the use registration form, what is my next step? The response will detail what your next step will be. More often then not there are two paths to take: 1. Contact the Building Inspector to begin acquiring any and all permits, inspections, licenses, etc that are required by law. 2. Appeal the determination to the Zoning Hearing Board. The response will include what Section of the Ordinance you will need to seek relief from and the Zoning Hearing Board application. HOME | EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES | COMMUNITY | BUSINESS | VISITOR | GOVERNMENT TRASH RECYCLING | PROPERTY MAINTENANCE | STORM WATER MANAGEMENT Norristown Municipality &#149; 235 E. Airy Street, Norristown, PA 19401 Phone: 610-270-0420 &#149; Fax: 610-275-0687 info@norristown.org Website funding by Montgomery County Economic And Workforce Development. &copy; 2008 Norristown Municipality Created By Fitzgerald Esplin Advertising Log in 