What’s the difference between this master planning effort and the Civic Vision/Action Plan?

The Civic Vision for the Central Delaware, completed in 2007, was the starting point for civic dialog and action on the waterfront. It established seven broad principles to guide the revitalization of an area of the city that has been in decline for more than 50 years. The effort focused on extensive civic engagement and involved over 4,000 Philadelphians.

The Plan for the Central Delaware is the transition between planning and implementation. It will fully research on a detailed and technical level how to implement the principles recommended in the Civic Vision. For example, one of the principles in the Civic Vision is “Reconnect the city to the river’s edge.” This can be achieved in many ways such as creating new streets and/or providing a continuous recreational trail along the river’s edge. The current planning efforts will make specific recommendations on where public space should be created or enhanced in order to reconnect the city to the river’s edge.

Additionally, because some circumstances have changed in the last few years and because we have learned new things through detailed, more technical analysis, some of the specific recommendations and projects in the current plan may look different from the maps and plans in the Civic Vision, though they will be upholding the same general values and principles.

What actions are necessary to make the plan official and enforceable?

The following four actions will be pursued immediately after the completion of the Plan in January/February 2011:

1. Plan submitted for adopted by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission
2. Design guidelines submitted for adoption by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission
3. Zoning code for the waterfront is written as either a base zoning clarification or a waterfront overlay and either included in Philadelphia’s new zoning code or approved separately by City Council as an overlay.
4. Waterfront zoning is remapped ad approved by City Planning Commission and City Council

Will the Master Plan make burying I-95 a reality?

Given what everyone has told us at the state and federal level, I-95 will not be buried as in a “Big Dig” project in the next 20 years. Therefore the master plan is geared towards aggressive projects that we can accomplish in the next 20 years. However, these projects will not preclude a future project such as submerging the highway at a future time.

Incidentally, we have discovered that many more streets connect to the waterfront than previously thought, and that aggressively treating these existing connections can result in I-95 being much more porous than it is currently. Some of the aggressive treatments we are considering are removing the “scissor ramps” at Chestnut and Market and completely redesigning this connection to the waterfront, building additional decks over the interstate, and visually treating the underpasses and connector streets in a much more creative way.

How are you going to treat the Foxwoods site if there’s no casino?

There is still an ongoing state process before the Foxwoods site is eliminated entirely. We do not exactly know the timeline of these decisions. However, during the alternatives analysis phase of the master plan our planners will certainly be charged with recommending alternate land uses for that site.

What’s happening with the proposed trolley/light rail line on Columbus Boulevard/Delaware Avenue?

The Delaware Regional Port Authority (DRPA) is proceeding with the next stage of planning for the project (environmental assessment work). DRWC will be playing a leading role on the following portions of this plan:

• Track alignment (center or side of roadway)
• Location of stops
• Characteristics of service

The City and SEPTA will be taking a leading role on how the light rail connects back to the city. The current proposal is at Market Street, but they have not eliminated other options for this connection.

We all have an interest in moving this process along as quickly as possible in order to be eligible for federal programs that may become available during the Obama administration for transit projects.

How will the Plan address historic preservation issues?

Our waterfront is extremely historic; we recognize that there are numerous historical and cultural resources in the study area and we have included cultural resource and archaeology specialists on our team. Their work is to identify potential historic and cultural resources in order to inform the team of areas that may need special protection, the potential for cultural tourism opportunities, and how to make sure that we are enhancing the character of the waterfront by using these cultural resources to their fullest. At the end of the plan we will have recommendations from the consultants on historic sites that could be pursued for listing on the historic register. Also at the completion of the Plan, more work will need to be commissioned to determine the best way to interpret the history of the waterfront. This could be done by signage, tours, presentations, information on the website, and/or reuse of historic buildings.

CDAG had a very important role during the Vision Plan. How will CDAG be involved with the Master Planning efforts?

The Master Plan will consider the broad range of interests that are affected by what happens along the waterfront. CDAG provides an important connection to neighborhood residents, and DRWC will work with CDAG to engage neighborhood residents and businesses throughout this process.

How is SugarHouse involved in this project?

SugarHouse has approval to build their Phase 1 casino, and we have ensured that the consultants have the latest copies of these plans. Property owners and existing and potential businesses are important stakeholders in what happens along the waterfront. The planning process will consider appropriate land uses and open space and recreation opportunities in the entire planning area.

Will your approach to pier restoration be modeled after what is being done at Pier 11 and/or Pier 53?

The waterfront condition and relationship to the city are very different at each specific location along the river. The design of Pier 11 (the Race Street Pier) and Pier 53 are different and relate to a specific location. Each pier and place along the waterfront will be evaluated in terms of its specific conditions, its adjacency and particular character, and what makes sense in terms of the overall plan.

Will the PennDOT interchange project at Girard Avenue have a negative impact to your efforts?

PennDOT will be rebuilding significant portions of the interstate between Allegheny Avenue and Race Street over the next 10 years. It appears that the PennDOT plan for Girard Ave. , as proposed, improves vehicular access to the waterfront and routes Delaware Ave. traffic away from the upland neighborhood areas. Additionally, we have already had several meetings with the PennDOT project managers to insure that we have the latest design plans and to make recommendations to their plans as the master plan evolves. PennDOT has been extremely receptive to our recent suggestions, and has agreed to include the DRWC in all future design projects. The master plan will most likely be recommending aggressive alterations to under and over passes, and DRWC is committed to raising money to contribute to the PennDOT reconstruction of the under and over passes so that as sections of the highway are rebuilt, the connections are drastically improved.

How is the Plan going to address Penn’s Landing? There have been so many plans for this site, and nothing has ever happened.

Penn’s Landing is an extremely complicated site. It is separated from the city by I-95 and the connections from Chestnut and Market Streets are complicated by the confusing “scissor ramps.” Penn’s Landing has great opportunity to be an amazing civic space, and we will be holding a concentrated workshop with our consultants on this site. We believe that improving the infrastructure of the site by correcting the poor connections to the city will drastically change how this site is perceived by the public.

In addition, DRWC is currently constructing a new and improved stage at the Great Plaza. This new stage is ADA compliant, and will allow us to program different types of concerts such as the Philadelphia Orchestra and dance performances that previously could not be held at the Great Plaza due to the inadequate size of the stage. We believe that this improved programming in the short term will help to bring new life to the Penn’s Landing area.

Is the 100-foot setback incorporated into the Plan?

The master plan will definitely include plans for a continuous multi-use recreational trail along the river’s edge. The exact dimensions of the waterfront setback will be studied on a parcel-by-parcel basis. In some cases, more than a 100 foot setback will be recommended, and in some cases less than 100 feet. We believe that designing an interconnected, high-quality network of open space is more important than focusing on a number of feet that can be imposed on the entire waterfront. The Plan will make very specific recommendations on this open space network.

Traffic is a huge problem on portions of Delaware Ave / Columbus Blvd. How will the master plan address this problem?

We are well aware that there are numerous transportation issues with the current layout of Delaware Ave/Columbus Blvd, and we know that it is imperative that a comprehensive traffic study be undertaken for the entire stretch of the boulevard. Based on good planning practices, this study should be undertaken AFTER the master plan has recommended land uses for the waterfront.

The funding is not currently in place to complete this traffic study; however, we have had several conversations with the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities about the issue. They agree that this study needs to occur, and we have outlined the steps that need to happen over the next six months in order to undertake the traffic study towards the end of the master planning process. In general, we will be collecting all traffic data from previous studies, eliminating data that was gathered un-objectively or for the purpose of justifying certain developments, identifying where there are gaps in the data or where the data, filling in these gaps, and then using the complete data to engage a consulting firm to do the comprehensive study. Again, once we know the land uses that the master plan recommends, we will know the traffic that will be generated, and can then analyze this traffic to determine its effects and plan for improvements to the traffic problems.

In the meantime, there are several things the Plan will be doing to address traffic. First of all, the primary long-term solution to reduce traffic is to install public transit along Delaware Avenue. The planning for a trolley line is already underway, however, it will be at least 6 years before the trolley is constructed. In the short term, the Plan will first make recommendations for land use that can capitalize on the new trolley system. This means that we would be recommending mixed-uses such as housing, retail, and commercial that would be concentrated at the trolley stops so that people will have a reliable, efficient way to travel along the waterfront without using vehicles. Also providing better facilities for other forms of transportation such as bicycles and pedestrians can reduce the number of vehicles on the roadway.