In May, Russ Pacala and Eliot Nolter of Spillman Farmer Architects presented a first look at a conceptual plan for property owned by Catasauqua on Front Street. Based on the comments received from residents and borough officials at that public meeting, Spillman Farmer returned to council on July 14 to update the information and submit the final look for the project.

"This is a conceptual plan," said Pacala. "A developer can come in here and change it." The objective of the exercise is to develop a concept that the borough is content with and to use the concept plan to market to various developers as a model for the land now owned by the borough.

The latest concept incorporates much of what Spillman Farmer developed in its previous proposals. The first step in the plan will be to develop new municipal offices for police, fire and borough administration in a single complex on the north end of the property near the Pine Street Bridge.

The concept plan includes retail space along Front Street with apartments above the commercial space.

"Because the land slopes away from Front Street, the area under the retail space is used for parking," said Nolter.

The project still aims to deliver 200 market-rate residential units that are a mix of apartments and townhouses. The residential units are suggested for the area at the back of the property, near the canal. The architects suggested improvements to the canal, including clearing the swale of weeds and debris.

"We don't anticipate that the canal would be continually full of water," said Nolter. The dam in the Lehigh River that once diverted water into the canal was removed. The canal will serve as a stormwater retention area.

"That is what we use now for stormwater retention in the business district," said Borough Manager Eugene Goldfeder. According to Pacala, using the canal for stormwater detention would enhance the value of the site for a developer.

"The developer would not need to dedicate any land to a detention pond," he said.

The commercial phase of the project stretches along Front Street.

"To make this work, Front Street needs to be two-way traffic," said Nolter. The plan calls for a new intersection at Bridge Street that serves as a gateway to the project, branded as the Iron Works of Catasauqua.

Spillman Farmer proposed several cultural features that tie the project to the borough's industrial roots.

"We propose keeping the railroad trestles and adding iron-based public structures at the entrance," said Nolter.

Catasauqua resident Alfred Regits pointed out the borough does not own the former skating rink along Front Street at Bridge Street or the adjacent parking lot.

"The borough is in negotiations with the owners," replied Council President Vincent Smith.

The huge plate mill complex on the former FL Smidth property is removed in the final plan. Access to the site is via a new road that circumnavigates the development.

A proposed cobblestone piazza is the focal point of the development, allowing for passive and planned activities at this updated urban park.

"We added a narrower access road that merges into the piazza," said Nolter. The intermediate road would provide access to parking under the Front Street commercial storefronts and allow a secondary means for fire trucks to exit the site.

Donna Taggert of Taggert and Associates addressed project marketing goals. According to her plan, the municipal complex would anchor the site with a 38,000 square foot building. She envisions 200 plus market-rate residential units in the complex along with 29,000 additional square feet of retail development.

"We want to have a mixed-use development that will drive demand at the site and throughout the downtown area," she said. Taggert emphasized the retail sector gets jump-started with boutique shops and innovative restaurants.

The time frame for completion is long term. Spillman and Farmer do not predict a contract with a developer before late 2014, with design and build plans available in late 2015. Commercial development along Front Street is scheduled in 2016 at the earliest.

Veraxia, a company working with Taggert and Spillman Farmer, talked with potential developers and most indicated that the residential component should be moved up in the planning process so that it drives the commercial sector.

The project is expected to draw over $500,000 in tax revenues, of which the borough's share is estimated at $130,000. Mayor Barbara Schlegel said she found grant programs that could help the process. She will meet with state Sen. Lisa Boscola to determine grant availability.

Goldfeder added caution to the mix.

"Sometimes these grants have conditions that are so difficult to meet that it is often less costly to skip the grant," he said. Schlegel will report on the results of her meeting with Boscola at council's next session.