Lock Haven Businessman Says Pedestrian Mall Hurting Non-Mall Restaurants

By John Lipez

LOCK HAVEN – City Council at its virtual meeting Monday night agreed to resurvey downtown businesses relative to the city’s pedestrian mall. The decision came after Nicholas Hawryluk, owner of the Broken Axe Brew House at 1 E. Bald Eagle Street expressed his concern about the mall’s effect on restaurants outside the Main Street mall area.

Hawryluk said he had been in touch with city businesses and offered their feedback to council:

1) Many businesses within or close to the Friday/Saturday pedestrian mall that offer products or services that customers want “with a quick stop have seen a dramatic decline in sales on Friday afternoons and Saturdays.”

2) Businesses, specifically restaurants, in the city but outside the mall area have seen a “dramatic and continuing decline” during the Friday/Saturday period.

He said the pedestrian mall promotion had “the unfortunate result of channeling a significant number of customers to a select few businesses.”

The mall had received generally positive reviews since its opening in late June, successful in drawing people to the mall area on Main Street from Jay to Vesper Streets. Council agreed Monday to do a new survey, utilizing the resources of Downtown Lock Haven, Inc. in the process.

City council also approved a 10-year extension of the designation of the industrial park at the Piper Memorial Airport as a Keystone Opportunity Zone. The KOZ presently exists on the airport’s south side, currently rented by Anadarko. That is set to expire at the end of this year so the city, Clinton County and the Keystone Central School District need to apply for a state-approved extension. The KOZ designation provides tax incentives for prospective developers.

It is understood there is an investor with an interest in the site. Council member Doug Byerly said there is an “opportunity for a major investment” at the location, but there was no other information provided on the topic.