Jenkintown Community Alliance A unique community of shops and neighbors.

About the Jenkintown Community Alliance

Board and Staff
History

Mission and Vision

The mission of the Jenkintown Community Alliance (JCA) is to attain the community’s vision of a vibrant, diverse and economically strong central business district by:

• Organizing the volunteer efforts of our residents, business and property owners and government.
• Developing and implementing design improvements that are consistent with Jenkintown’s architectural heritage.
• Promoting our strengths and opportunities.
• Creating economic incentives to enable the business district to reach its full potential as an attractive and walkable retail, professional and entertainment destination.

Vision Statement

Jenkintown is and should remain a diverse, tree-lined community with family-friendly neighborhoods, quality schools and a small town atmosphere. By working together, the residents, business and property owners and government of Jenkintown can improve upon our inherent strengths while developing and promoting a vibrant, diverse and economically strong central business district.

Board and Staff

The Jenkintown Community Alliance is an independent 501(c)(3) governed by a board of directors that represent our business and residential communities. In addition to working and or/volunteering in the community, all of our board members actively participate in at least one committee to serve our Business Improvement District. Our daily work is directed by our staff and supported by a strong cadre of volunteers.

Staff:
Linda Kligman, Executive Director
Tracy Brown, Volunteer Coordinator

Board of Directors:

President: Steve Spindler, Steve Spindler Cartography
Vice President: Trish Breslin Miller, This Little Gallery
Treasurer: Stuart Katz, CPA Amper, Poliziner & Mattia LLP
Secretary: Melinda Levandoski, Abington Bank

Michael Cohen, Situs Properties
Chris Corbett, Ink & Copy
Laurie Durkin, Jenkintown Borough Council
David Ferleger, Esq.
Dr. Peter Giammanco, Wild Dog House
Peggy Hoffart, Paul Macht Architects
Eileen Koolpe, Old York Road Historical Society
Frank Kovalcheck, Abington Bank
Jeffrey Lustig, Midgard Properties
R. Emmett Madden, Esq., Jenkintown Borough Council
Lee Rosenthal, Linden Real Estate Corporation
Linda Stewrt, My Jewel Shop
Joe Student, Philly Edge
Dr. Timothy Wade, Jenkintown School District
Cynthia Wollman, CRW Graphics

Advisory Committee:
Michael Golden, Solutions for Progress, Inc., Jenkintown Borough Council
Julie Slavet, US Congresswoman Allyson Schwartz
John Stillmun, FMC Corp.
Dr. Stuart Tollen, Jenkintown Chiropractic

JCA History

In January, 1999, Jenkintown experienced a conflict between residents and businesses that turned into an opportunity. At a standing room only meeting in the elementary school, after weeks of local controversy, the Borough Council reversed a previous decision that would have abandoned the Borough’s Open Space plan in favor of a parking lot at the corner of Greenwood Avenue and Leedom Street to meet business owners demands. At this final meeting, Borough Council voted unanimously for a town square with parking. This debate revealed that many in the community – residents and business owners have an “invested interest” in the future of Jenkintown. Working through a community visioning process with the PA Downtown Center and PA Department of Economic Development, residents, business owners, property owners and these stakeholders created the Jenkintown’s Community Alliance (JCA), a nonprofit to meet formally to set goals, objectives and work plans to develop and promote a vibrant, diverse and economically strong central business district that reaches its full potential as an attractive and walk able, retail, professional and entertainment destination.

Nearly six years later, after successful completion of the DCED Main Street Program, The Borough Council passed an ordinance in December 2006 creating a Business Improvement District to carry forward promotional and economic revitalization goals for the Jenkintown business corridor. This five-year charter will allow The Jenkintown Community Alliance(JCA) to lead the revitalization of Jenkintown Borough and administer a property-owner assessment program to assure funds to meet business revitalization and promotional objectives. Based on models of successful main street development strategies the JCA has expanded its board to invite participation of local business owners, property owners, representatives from the historical societies while honoring its borough’s resident-base that gave birth to the JCA.

The JCA works to recruit businesses to Jenkintown. Through façade enhancement grants, businesses are given incentives to locate within the borough. Additionally the JCA promotes our the main street charm through creating regional events, developing and disseminating promotional brochures, online shopping and dining directories, and streetscape improvements. The JCA advocates for our business district and works hand in hand with the Borough Council to move forward public works projects including streetscape enhancements, traffic and navigational direction, business and zoning recommendations to create a vibrant district that meets the standards of our borough residents and the economic feasibility of our property owners. The JCA was successful in helping save our local cinema, the Hiway Theatre reopened in February 2007 as an independent and modernized movie house supported by state and local funds, generous support from families and businesses in a $2 million capital campaign. With the Hiway Theatre as a main street anchor, the JCA sees our vacant storefronts as a tremendous opportunity to build the tree-lined, vibrant, walkable town envisioned years ago from our resident and business owner community meetings.