As part of the revitalization effort in the Coatesville area, State Rep. Harry Lewis Jr. has been able to secure a $2.1 million Business in Our Sites grant. This project will impact the intersection of Lincoln Highway East and the First Avenue area of the City of Coatesville.

The project will provide 110 new, permanent jobs and an additional 215 construction jobs. Lewis has collaborated with the Brandywine Technical College to ensure that the construction jobs are awarded locally.

“Not only will this project work to renew our beloved city to the vigor it once had, but the young adults of our local communities will be the ones bringing the vision to life,” Lewis said. “It was nonnegotiable that the construction jobs give them an opportunity, rather than having the jobs benefit people from elsewhere.”

As demolition is scheduled to begin in August, Legend Properties Inc., in conjunction with Lewis, plans to hold a job fair early this summer.

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The $21.6 million redevelopment project will consist of 47,000 square feet of retail/office space. While some existing buildings will be demolished, the project will maintain the historical value of Coatesville through the new design.

Concurrent projects will include creation of an adjacent parking garage and improvements to surrounding streets with improved lighting and landscaping. In addition to the other changes, Diamond Street, which currently is an alley, will be converted to a street with the creation of pedestrian sidewalks.

Business in Our Sites is a state program that empowers communities to attract growing and expanding businesses by helping them build an inventory of ready sites.

Late last year, Lewis secured two other grants to finance the project, including a $3 million grant through the Commonwealth’s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program and a $900,000 grant from the Commonwealth Financing Authority (CFA) through the state Multimodal Transportation Fund Program.

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