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The renovations and upgrades slated for River Valley Plaza -- formerly Basin Street Plaza -- are great news for Williamsport.
"This project will modernize the Starbucks and plaza exterior to reduce congestion while giving the property a fresh look as part of the city's 'gateway' into Old City," property owner Rick Mahonski told the Sun-Gazette for Tuesday's edition.
The project includes more exterior lighting and improved sidewalks, as well as an additional drive-thru lane for Starbucks.
And it's just one piece of the ongoing process to rehabilitate and revive the "Old City" neighborhood in the city's southeastern corner. Mayor Derek Slaughter should be commended for continuing the initiative. Former Mayor Gabriel J. Campana should be commended for starting the effort.
The long-term plans include a new music education center at Lycoming College, new mixed-use facilities for which the college has taken a lead role and better access to the Susquehanna River Walk, among other plans.
All of this -- and an improved River Valley Plaza -- will make Old City a more appealing neighborhood to open businesses and create jobs. It will make Old City a more appealing neighborhood where families can buy homes and live.
More jobs and more families invested in the condition of the neighborhood are both wins for Williamsport. And it's important to see these kinds of wins for a neighborhood like Old City. Going back decades, one of the complaints to occasionally surface about city revitalization efforts are that they were too focused on downtown, to the neglect of most of the city's neighborhoods.
It was an understandable mistake -- the downtown is our most visited and prominent neighborhood. But it was a mistake just the same.
We are thankful the Campana and Slaughter administrations recognized the validity of these concerns and are championing development in Old City -- and hopefully throughout our city in the coming years.