John Pickett, Director of Delaware County Planning Department, was the guest speaker at the Chester Business Association meeting this morning.
He shared what he determines as Chester’s 5 Game Changers that will have the biggest effect on the city’s renaissance.
The Rt. 291 Project
Despite much resistance to the project, and more disagreement on what type of road to build, it was finally agreed that expanding 2nd Street into a highway was the best method to ensure riverfront development.The Rt. 291 Project
Reconstruction of I-95
Plans are in place to make changes on I-95. Some of those changes look to make Chester more accessible to the highway.
Avenue of the States / Edgmont Avenue Project
The new city administration is focused on revitalizing downtown Chester and creating a more attractive gateway into the city.
Incorporate Chester into regional rail solutions
Chester is well positioned to serve airport rail transportation and to reintroduce Amtrak stops at our station. A multi-level parking garage would be required. Highland Ave train stop is reaching its usual life and may be moved closer to the soccer stadium (Engle Street was the last proposal I heard).
Refinery land reuse
With well over 500 acres of riverfront property practically up for grabs, there is no other area this huge on the east coast on a waterfront.
What do you consider a game changer?
Education and economic development go hand in hand. Chester's parents must be authorized and protected disciplinarians of their children and supported by the courts, schools, and community in spanking their children as a means to instill obedience and order in the home and in the institutions of the Chester community where their children might participate. A commitment to employ Chester residents must be exacted and enforced in every revitalization project that requires government permits and/or funding. Finally Chester government must institute a community organization effort that adequately funds and staffs a block level organization that affirmatively assesses and seeks to serve the family needs of that block in pursuit of the goals and objectives of Chester's development plans. Mr. Pickett's planning vision has consistently omitted recognition of these urban planning fundamentals since I've worked with him in the late 90's as a Housing Director in Darby Township. If the citizens of Chester aren't intimately involved in, committed to, and guided through the proposed development activity, success is likely to be an elusive outcome.
ReplyDeleteChester, like Wilmington, Delaware, is trying to build its revitalization on the social and economic preferences of the people who are in charge of the revitalization process and not based on the market preferences of the "current" residents and consumers. Like Wilmington, Delaware, where the oversite Riverfront Development Corporation has not been able to survive without significant government subsidy, the developed area is marginally successful with the housing related development not able to achieve profitability and having trouble repaying its government loans. The chief problem is that the development sought to attract white, middle class, consumers to an area peopled by black and hispanic families of low income. Chester is considered part of the river front, poor, community grouping and marketing and advertising businesses hesitate to recommend mail advertising to such communities. Time needs to be spent identifying who the revitalization team feels Chester's customers are; their current and future income and their active and latent market spending. If the current residents of Chester aren't involved in the planning as market participants then their will be a continuing and growing feeling of market alienation among the current residents as exists in Wilmington, Delaware. If the current residents of Chester aren't bought in on the revenues from the revitalization activity then you will find a hostile environment meets all the ideal consumers and they will not consider Chester a place to live or do business; as in Wilmington, Delaware.
ReplyDeleteEmery, although you are so spot dead on wit hyour comments.... No one willt ake heed to waht your saying... Unfortunately, no one is really listening. What I mean by no one... the people that NEED to hear and listen...
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