POTTSTOWN, PA – April 21, 2025
Pottstown Area Economic Development (PAED) is seeking proposals to develop a comprehensive Streetscape Plan and Design for Pottstown’s downtown (0-599 East High Street, 0-299 East King Street, 80 North Charlotte Street through 28 South Charlotte Street, 53 North Hanover Street through 194 South Hanover Street, 170 South Street, North York Street from High to King Streets, North Penn Street from High to King Street), West High Street, and Circle of Progress Drive that includes strategies for making vacant storefronts visually attractive, design outdoor areas for recreation and social gatherings, give the walking corridor the feel of a safe, and welcoming atmosphere.
Desired Deliverable + Outcomes:
The improvements are intended to elevate the perception of this commercial core.
The Consultant is to formulate a plan for Downtown Pottstown as well as the Circle of Progress that includes the following elements:
• Recommend aesthetic improvements that reflect Pottstown’s character and historic charm
• Devising methods for making Vacant Storefronts visually attractive
• Outdoor Street Furniture & Gathering Spaces
• Lighting
• Trash Receptacles
• Bike Racks
• Planters and Landscaping
• Public Art
• Uniform Branded Signage
• Traffic Calming Methods
View the full Streetscape Design Guidelines Request for Proposal (RFP) document here.
Answers to most commonly asked questions regarding the RFP:
Question 1.) Can you share a Map indicating the entire area, as well as the three separate, individual areas?
West High Street (5% of the Plan), Circle of Progress (10% of the Plan), East High Street & Downtown (85% of the Plan)
See the boundaries map here.
Question 2.) What is the Budget?
$90,000
Question 3.) Can you please share the latest (2019) ULI Report and which considerations should be given to specific highlighted items ?
- Install temporary streetscape features to draw foot traffic to the currently vacant areas, such as miniparks, outdoor activities, or other gathering places.
- Continue efforts to improve the pedestrian environment, with street walls and wayfinding signage that naturally guide a visitor to High Street corridor.
- Invest in gateway signage that is photogenic and mission/brand based.
Question 4.) Please explain “uniform branded signage”. Does this refer to signage by the Borough only – for regulatory or wayfinding (i.e., “to public parking”) – or, is this referring to a font and style that can be / (must be) utilized by the private sector in some manner? Or something else?
The goal is to provide a variety of design guidelines for business owners to use to improve standardization in Downtown.
Question 5.) Is the strategy for “making vacant storefronts visually attractive, design outdoor areas for recreation and social gatherings, give the walking corridor the feel of a safe, and welcoming atmosphere” applied exclusively to the Circle of Progress Business Park area.
The goal is to accomplish that for all areas, yet also based on the percentages assigned Circle of Progress 10%, West High Street 5%, E. High Street & Downtown 85%
Question 6.) Does the inclusion of lighting include the areas of the Downtown that already have pedestrian scale lighting? Please confirm – this does not entail removing existing lighting?
Correct. We are not removing lighting. We will continue the project to connect the canopy of lights throughout the downtown.
Question 7.) Does the study area include the area of the historic train station proposed for the new passenger rail service?
The study does not include the train station area.