Hobart’s Run Schedules Neighborhood Summit in May
POTTSTOWN PA – A desire to focus on Pottstown neighborhoods, and strategies to build and support them, is transforming what once was a conference geared primarily toward real estate investors into the new Hobart’s Run Neighborhood Summit, scheduled for May 14 (2022; Saturday) and open free by advance reservation to the public.
Housing Visions’ President and CEO Ben Lockwood, whose Syracuse NY-based company partnered with locally operated Genesis Housing Corp. to turn a former warehouse into the Beech Street Lofts apartments, will be the first-ever summit’s keynote speaker. It will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Mt. Olive Baptist Church, 240 Mintzer St.
The Hobart’s Run initiative was established by The Hill School in 2016 to create a clean and safe neighborhood, and help promote home ownership, property pride, and sustainable commercial and retail development in a 900-parcel multi-block area within the borough. It also actively supports Pottstown-wide revitalization efforts.
To that end, Hobart’s Run and the Pottstown Area Economic Development organization agreed this would be good year for Hobart’s Run to plan an event focused less specifically on investors and more on neighborhood-building strategies.
Hobart’s Run intentionally chose a Saturday morning to accommodate those who work during the week. The summit is available to anyone interested in improving their neighborhood’s quality of life. All participants will enjoy a complimentary “Neighborhood Nosh” lunch featuring foods from eateries located here within the Hobart’s Run district.
Lockwood will speak about community housing concerns and creative solutions that enhance neighborhoods while helping to address increasing rents and home costs. Housing Visions, a nonprofit, specializes in affordable housing development. It owns about 1,600 units across 15 communities in upstate New York and Pennsylvania, and has a total community investment of more than $350 million.
Other summit highlights will include updates on Hobart’s Run programs, Pottstown Community Action and Love Your Block collaborations, STRIVE Initiative youth mentoring, and successful street spruce-ups and other block captain-led efforts.
Representatives from nonprofits and other organizations committed to neighborhood improvements are invited to participate and bring literature to share at an information table.
Guests must register in advance, here, to assist Hobart’s Run with its planning, because seating is expected to be limited. For more information, send an e-mail to twila@hobartsrunpottstown.org.
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Summit logo and homeowner incentive program photo from Hobart’s Run
