25 Main Street Austin Borough

Project Description: Austin Borough requests support for the redevelopment of 25 and 27 Main Street — two attached, blighted commercial structures condemned by the Borough's Building Code Official in April 2026. The Borough acquired 25 Main Street from the Potter County Tax Repository in February 2026 following years of tax delinquency and abandonment. A 2025 Hazardous Materials Survey confirmed lead-based paint on all exterior wood components and severe structural deterioration. Funding will stem from the submission of the DCED Main Street Matters Grant.
Austin is a rural municipality of fewer than 500 residents in one of Pennsylvania's most economically distressed counties. These structures represent the Borough's most prominent blight condition, actively deterring investment and posing ongoing public safety hazards.
Project activities include: demolition and lead abatement of both structures; construction of a finished exterior wall on adjoining privately-owned 23 Main Street; site clearance; and redevelopment as a community memorial green space. The brick, original to Austin's pre-1911 historic Main Street, will be salvaged and repurposed, with engraved memorials to the 78 victims of the 1911 Austin Dam disaster incorporated into both the community space design and the Austin Dam Memorial. The project supports heritage tourism tied to the Austin Dam Memorial Association.