Slippery Rock Development, Inc.
Slippery Rock Development, Inc. is an independent 501(c)3 organization in support of the town and citizens of Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania by promoting the economic and social well being of the community.
The History of SR Development
“The Little Town That Could”
Slippery Rock Borough’s downtown district serves as the community’s front door and creates the first impression potential residents, business owners, Slippery Rock University students and employees acquire of the place. Unfortunately, the image and economic vitality of the district had slipped over time to the point that its deteriorated condition and worn-out appearance was discouraging both economic development in the borough and enrollment at the university.
Although previous town-gown attempts to address the situation had yielded some improvements, community and university leaders came together in 1999 to develop a bold new vision of Slippery Rock’s future.
The group came to call itself Slippery Rock Development (SRD). It’s guiding principal was: investment drives economic development, and Slippery Rock will be revitalized by investing in its downtown, becoming a visitor attraction and a place where residents can enjoy living, eating, shopping and playing. Change is possible when there is a community will.
Organizing. The first step was to incorporate Slippery Rock Development as a tax exempt organization (501c3) under the existing Town-Gown Association so that it could begin to solicit donations.
Main St. Project. The Phase I construction plan included reconstructing South Main Street from Route 108 to Cooper Street, about three blocks. This phase was expanded in 2003 to add another block, extending the project to the entrance of the university on Maltby Street. Completed in 2006, this work had several elements:
Franklin St. Project.In 2004, it was decided to start Phase II, to further enhance the downtown area and to connect the proposed new hotel and shopping complex with the downtown area. The Phase II plan was designed for 1,400 linear feet of street scape on Franklin St. to match the program on South Main Street.
Construction began in October, 2006. Funded in part by a $950,000 Home Town Streets grant, Phase II extended the project eastward from Main Street along Route 108, the borough’s other major thoroughfare. It included the installation of historic-style street lights, sidewalks and landscape enhancements. In addition, a cozy entrance park with a large boulder entrance sign, benches and landscaping was created.
Facades get a make-over …A privately funded brick restoration project was done on four storefronts on South Main Street, removing layers of paint and revealing the original warm brick surfaces. The first state-funded facade grant program ran from 2001 to 2006. Fourteen grants were awarded for a total of $43,762. In addition, there was a $63,000 investment of private matching funds in façade improvements, affecting twenty-five properties along South Main Street. These improvements helped to attract approximately $2,300,000 in private investment.
The second facade program was awarded in 2008 and includes approximately $25,000 of matching funds for additional properties in both the Phase I and Phase II areas.
Where’s the money?How did a small (some say tiny) community like Slippery Rock manage to finance such a huge project? Fund raising was — and still is — relentless. This effort was aided by the fact that anyone who viewed Slippery Rock’s sad downtown could clearly understand how desperately change was needed. Key support came from State legislators, private foundations, two Governors, and from many, many private citizens. Phase I total cost of $5,200,000 was raised through:
Slippery Rock Development, Inc.
PO Box 273
Slippery Rock, PA 16057.
The results: worth every penny …As a result of the revitalization project, Slippery Rock now is a vibrant university town with a growing business sector, including new restaurants, retail shops and a hotel under construction.
A hotel at last!Recruiting a hotel to locate in Slippery Rock was identified as major target for business in 2001. First, a nine-acre parcel of land bordering Route 108 on the eastern edge of the borough was donated to the Slippery Rock University Foundation. Then, SRD purchased the parcel in 2002 and marketed it to hotel developers. Groundbreaking occurred in 2007 for a Marriot Fairfield Inn and Suites and several out-parcels.
A dramatic transformation“The transformation has been dramatic,” said Bill Sonntag, chairman of Slippery Rock Development, Inc. “Downtown sidewalks used to roll up at 5 pm. Now, there’s pedestrian traffic in the evening and great interest in developing new businesses.”
Although previous town-gown attempts to address the situation had yielded some improvements, community and university leaders came together in 1999 to develop a bold new vision of Slippery Rock’s future.
The group came to call itself Slippery Rock Development (SRD). It’s guiding principal was: investment drives economic development, and Slippery Rock will be revitalized by investing in its downtown, becoming a visitor attraction and a place where residents can enjoy living, eating, shopping and playing. Change is possible when there is a community will.
Organizing. The first step was to incorporate Slippery Rock Development as a tax exempt organization (501c3) under the existing Town-Gown Association so that it could begin to solicit donations.
- A nine-member volunteer board was formally established, reflecting community leadership. The board meets once a month.
- Several committees were set up: finance, fundraising, special projects, transportation, and economic development. Others have been added as needed.
- A part-time project manager was added, and Tom McPherson has been staffing the project since 2005.
- Members of the Slippery Rock Development board visited other towns that had undergone revitalization to review their plans and experiences.
- Requests for proposals were sent to appropriate planning and design firms, requesting an economic development and downtown renewal plan for Slippery Rock.
- The firm of EG&G, Inc. was hired in 2000. After reviewing their experience in remaking other towns and their proposal, a contract to undertake the planning and manage the revitalization effort was agreed upon. The initial planning costs were funded by contributions from SRD board members.
- Get rid of those darn wires! Mentioned most frequently were the unsightly overhead utility lines and power poles.
- We want slow food! A close second was the longing for ‘slow food’ — eateries where couples and families could go for a nice meal. (Slippery Rock already had a host of fast food and pizza providers and two diner-type establishments.)
- If we want ‘slow food,’ we can’t be dry … As one resident pointed out, however, as long as Slippery Rock remained a ‘dry’ borough, it would be impossible to attract the type of restaurants that people wanted. Thus, eliminating prohibitions on the sale of liquor by-the-drink became a community development issue.
- Vote Wet! In May of 2001, Slippery Rock citizens voted to allow bars and restaurants to serve alcohol for the first time since the community’s founding in 1798. This change set the stage for two new restaurants: Ginger Hill and North Country Brewing. It also significantly strengthened SRD’s efforts to attract a hotel to the community. Equally important, these establishments have vastly increased the foot traffic downtown – a boon to all businesses on the street.
Main St. Project. The Phase I construction plan included reconstructing South Main Street from Route 108 to Cooper Street, about three blocks. This phase was expanded in 2003 to add another block, extending the project to the entrance of the university on Maltby Street. Completed in 2006, this work had several elements:
- upgrade the infrastructure, including burying all utilities and getting wires and poles off the street;
- improve the street and traffic flow, adding turning lanes, widening pedestrian crossings and rebuilding street and sidewalk surfaces and curbs;
- upgrade street amenities, adding decorative light poles, benches, trash cans, bollards, bike racks;
- improve the landscape and plantings, adding new trees, new beds of perennials and street gardens;
- create fifty additional parking spaces in an existing gravel lot adjacent to South Main Street, paving the surface and adding curbing, landscaping and lighting;
- construct amenities such as a gazebo for community gathering, a natural stone entrance sign welcoming people to the Village at Slippery Rock and a news kiosk for posting announcements;
- add two new parks and upgrade one park, using a rock motif theme;
- repave all sidewalks with a rock pattern in the pavement
Franklin St. Project.In 2004, it was decided to start Phase II, to further enhance the downtown area and to connect the proposed new hotel and shopping complex with the downtown area. The Phase II plan was designed for 1,400 linear feet of street scape on Franklin St. to match the program on South Main Street.
Construction began in October, 2006. Funded in part by a $950,000 Home Town Streets grant, Phase II extended the project eastward from Main Street along Route 108, the borough’s other major thoroughfare. It included the installation of historic-style street lights, sidewalks and landscape enhancements. In addition, a cozy entrance park with a large boulder entrance sign, benches and landscaping was created.
Facades get a make-over …A privately funded brick restoration project was done on four storefronts on South Main Street, removing layers of paint and revealing the original warm brick surfaces. The first state-funded facade grant program ran from 2001 to 2006. Fourteen grants were awarded for a total of $43,762. In addition, there was a $63,000 investment of private matching funds in façade improvements, affecting twenty-five properties along South Main Street. These improvements helped to attract approximately $2,300,000 in private investment.
The second facade program was awarded in 2008 and includes approximately $25,000 of matching funds for additional properties in both the Phase I and Phase II areas.
Where’s the money?How did a small (some say tiny) community like Slippery Rock manage to finance such a huge project? Fund raising was — and still is — relentless. This effort was aided by the fact that anyone who viewed Slippery Rock’s sad downtown could clearly understand how desperately change was needed. Key support came from State legislators, private foundations, two Governors, and from many, many private citizens. Phase I total cost of $5,200,000 was raised through:
- Pennsylvania Governor’s Capital Bill
- Department of Community Economic Development
- Appalachian Regional Commission
- Private Contributions
- Foundations
- Slippery Rock University Foundation
- Slippery Rock Municipal Authority
- Slippery Rock Borough
- Western Pennsylvania Conservancy
- Legacy Sales of Memorials (street lights, benches, bricks and trash receptacles)
- In-kind construction
- PennDOT Safe Streets
- Slippery Rock Borough
- Slippery Rock Municipal Authority
- Slippery Rock University Foundation
- Legacy Sales (trees, benches, bricks, etc.)
- Private Contributions
Slippery Rock Development, Inc.
PO Box 273
Slippery Rock, PA 16057.
The results: worth every penny …As a result of the revitalization project, Slippery Rock now is a vibrant university town with a growing business sector, including new restaurants, retail shops and a hotel under construction.
A hotel at last!Recruiting a hotel to locate in Slippery Rock was identified as major target for business in 2001. First, a nine-acre parcel of land bordering Route 108 on the eastern edge of the borough was donated to the Slippery Rock University Foundation. Then, SRD purchased the parcel in 2002 and marketed it to hotel developers. Groundbreaking occurred in 2007 for a Marriot Fairfield Inn and Suites and several out-parcels.
A dramatic transformation“The transformation has been dramatic,” said Bill Sonntag, chairman of Slippery Rock Development, Inc. “Downtown sidewalks used to roll up at 5 pm. Now, there’s pedestrian traffic in the evening and great interest in developing new businesses.”
- Since 2001, private and public investments in new capital construction are estimated to total more than $252,900,000: within the borough = $33,900,000; within the township = $168,900,000; and at SRU = $50,100,000.
- Slippery Rock Development has worked throughout the project to identify and bring new businesses and investment to the borough, including meetings and phone conversations with realtors, developers and potential investors; presentations and data collections.
- In 2002, the university announced a strategic plan to increase enrollment, expand capital projects and work in close partnership with SRD.
- In 2004, SRU awarded incubator and multi-tenant grant for research and technology. This project will create a new entrance to the campus from Route 108, which will face the entrance of the new hotel and Butler Health Systems – FastERCare outpatient facility.
- A new Sheetz is now located at the highly visible corner of Route 108 and Main Street.
- A recent boom in construction of privately owned apartment complexes (far in excess of the number of SRU students), suggests that investors are now seeing the community as having potential for growth.
- Business retention is also an important element and critical focus. The Slippery Rock Business Association was formed in 2005 to organize and support local businesses.
- Since the inception of the renewal efforts, over two dozen business properties in Slippery Rock either have been constructed or remodeled and/or have found new business occupants.
- There are several new restaurants in the Village at Slippery Rock: Ginger Hill Tavern, North Country Brewery, La Familia Pizza and Pasta House, Inferno Pizza, Rock’n Yogurt, and B&J Draft House.
revitalization
Phase I of the Downtown Revitalization
Working closely with the Borough of Slippery Rock, the Slippery Rock Development Corp. and Slippery Rock University, E.G. & G. designed and implemented a $6.75 million two-phase project to revitalize the image and economic vitality of the downtown district, and to better connect downtown with the nearby University campus.
Phase I of the project reconstructed four blocks of Main Street in the downtown core area. Completed in 2006, Phase I improvements included burying of all overhead utility lines, installing historic-style street lights and construction new sidewalks. A parking area was renovated to provide 50 additional parking spaces and improved the landscaping and lighting. An alleyscape walkway lined with colorful plantings and sculpture was installed to better connect the parking lot with Mains Street businesses.
As part of the project, murals were painted along the alleyscape walkway; decorative paving patterns and native stone were installed in sidewalks and outdoor seating areas along Main Street; and a gateway park with fountain feature and gazebo structure was constructed to serve as the focal area for special events.
As part of the project, murals were painted along the alleyscape walkway; decorative paving patterns and native stone were installed in sidewalks and outdoor seating areas along Main Street; and a gateway park with fountain feature and gazebo structure was constructed to serve as the focal area for special events.
Playing on the town’s name, a contemporary water sculpture was created by a local artisan as a unique gateway feature.
Phase II
Phase II construction began in October 2006. Funded in part by a $950,000 HomeTown Streets grant and private donations, Phase II included the installation of historic-style street lights, sidewalks and landscape enhancements along Franklin Road.
Before
Before
After
The Results:
As a result of the revitalization project, Slippery Rock is now a vibrant university town with a growing business sector including new restaurants, retail shops and hotel. “The transformation has been dramatic,” said Bill Sonntag, chairman of the Slippery Rock Development Corp. “Downtown sidewalks used to roll up at 5 pm. Now, there’s pedestrian traffic in the evening and great interest in developing new businesses.”
Future Plans & projects
So What's Next?
Resting on our laurels will only allow the re-development area to slowly slip back into the shabby-looking place several years ago. Now that the infrastructural and decorative transformation of downtown has been completed, Slippery Rock Development will focus on maintaining the area and promoting economic development.
Clean and green “Slippery Rock Clean and Green,” a fund to keep the street and parks clean, planted and weeded has been established. As this maintenance fund grows, additional plantings will be installed at key locations.
Economic development Activities to attract new business development include on-going work with realtors and the identification of needed products and services in the Borough and Township. Job growth also is a major focus, and land development and site identification are underway.
Turning the tide Student housing now is quite plentiful, and the University has ‘capped’ its enrollment. Over the past two decades, scores of single-family homes in the Borough were converted to student rooms and apartments. It’s time to reverse the tide and encourage single family living in the Borough by focusing on the reconversion of homes from student apartments back to family dwellings.
… And the wheels of the trucks go … Heavy truck traffic on Routes 173 (Main Street) and 108 (New Castle/Franklin Street) continues to be a fact of life in the re-development area. Slippery Rock Development is working with the Community Transportation Committee to prepare a long-term plan to reroute this traffic off Main Street and develop alternate routes in the area.
Keepin’ on Other initiatives will be undertaken, as needed to insure that Slippery Rock continues to be a visitor attraction and a desirable place to live, work, play and study.
Clean and green “Slippery Rock Clean and Green,” a fund to keep the street and parks clean, planted and weeded has been established. As this maintenance fund grows, additional plantings will be installed at key locations.
Economic development Activities to attract new business development include on-going work with realtors and the identification of needed products and services in the Borough and Township. Job growth also is a major focus, and land development and site identification are underway.
Turning the tide Student housing now is quite plentiful, and the University has ‘capped’ its enrollment. Over the past two decades, scores of single-family homes in the Borough were converted to student rooms and apartments. It’s time to reverse the tide and encourage single family living in the Borough by focusing on the reconversion of homes from student apartments back to family dwellings.
… And the wheels of the trucks go … Heavy truck traffic on Routes 173 (Main Street) and 108 (New Castle/Franklin Street) continues to be a fact of life in the re-development area. Slippery Rock Development is working with the Community Transportation Committee to prepare a long-term plan to reroute this traffic off Main Street and develop alternate routes in the area.
Keepin’ on Other initiatives will be undertaken, as needed to insure that Slippery Rock continues to be a visitor attraction and a desirable place to live, work, play and study.
Business Opportunitites / real estate
Are you interested in opening a business in the Slippery Rock area?
Check here often for Business Opportunities in the area.
Do you have a Business Opportunity for someone in the Slippery Rock area?
Call Tom McPherson at 724-794-2338 and you can get your information posted on this website.
University Park At Slippery Rock – Retail Space Available
Fourth River Development LLC
116 Federal St. Suite 360
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 231-4444
www.fourthriverdevelopment.com
Realtors
Prudential Real Estate
140 S. Main St.
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
(724) 794-2900
http://www.prudentialproperties.com
Northwood Realty Services
251 Gove City Rd.
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
(724) 794-4663
http://www.northwood.com
Rock Realty
262 Grove City Rd.
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
(724) 794-2300
Butler County Housing and Redevelopment Authority
114 Woody Drive
Butler PA, 16001
(724) 287-6797 or 1-800-433-6327
http://www.housingauthority.com
Check here often for Business Opportunities in the area.
Do you have a Business Opportunity for someone in the Slippery Rock area?
Call Tom McPherson at 724-794-2338 and you can get your information posted on this website.
University Park At Slippery Rock – Retail Space Available
Fourth River Development LLC
116 Federal St. Suite 360
Pittsburgh, PA 15212
(412) 231-4444
www.fourthriverdevelopment.com
Realtors
Prudential Real Estate
140 S. Main St.
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
(724) 794-2900
http://www.prudentialproperties.com
Northwood Realty Services
251 Gove City Rd.
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
(724) 794-4663
http://www.northwood.com
Rock Realty
262 Grove City Rd.
Slippery Rock, PA 16057
(724) 794-2300
Butler County Housing and Redevelopment Authority
114 Woody Drive
Butler PA, 16001
(724) 287-6797 or 1-800-433-6327
http://www.housingauthority.com
board of directors
Mr. Tom McPherson - Executive Director
Mr. Jeff Galmarini – President
Mr. William Sonntag – Vice President
Mr. Paul Dickey – Treasurer
Mr. Troy Fowler – Secretary
Ms. Jane Burger
Mr. Craig Caldwell
Ms. Regina Greenwald
Dr. David Krayesky
Mr. Robert McCafferty
Mr. Nick McIntire
Ms. Tina Moser
Ms. Karen Perry
Mr. Greg Quintero
Ms. Lara Wozniak
Mr. Jeff Galmarini – President
Mr. William Sonntag – Vice President
Mr. Paul Dickey – Treasurer
Mr. Troy Fowler – Secretary
Ms. Jane Burger
Mr. Craig Caldwell
Ms. Regina Greenwald
Dr. David Krayesky
Mr. Robert McCafferty
Mr. Nick McIntire
Ms. Tina Moser
Ms. Karen Perry
Mr. Greg Quintero
Ms. Lara Wozniak