How I have come to miss the Phoenix Property Group
and why my skin crawls writing that.
and why my skin crawls writing that.
I had a long conversation with a few of Phoenixville's mover's and shakers a day or so ago when a thought actually crossed my mind that it may be actually better if PPG were still attempting to develop the Phoenix Steel site. I did not voice that out loud but I did make some attempt to try to erase the thoughts from my head. I kept thinking back to the good old days where there was an actual owner of the property that would lie to our face and make us feel excited about the perceived progress of the development. Remember the golden days? Those days are gone and in the place of PPG is Brandywine Financial. There have been a few bites at the bait that Brandywine has put in the water but it does not seem like things are progressing forward. How do we know anything about the Steel Site when most people do not know who owns it? Drips and drabs come out when potential developers are paraded in front of a board or commission or meet with a business owner on a fact finding mission. Never from Brandywine themselves. Never from the Borough. We are once again in the dark about the steel site. A 13.8% tax increase does not get you any progress on the steel site. No PICTA trails. No Greenway. No French Creek Parkway. 13.8% tax increase gets you the same shit, different day attitude that the Borough has exhibited the last 2 years. What should a 13.8% increase get us in terms of the steel site redevelopment? There should be money allocated in this budget for an appraisal of Parcel Q (the northeast portion of the site in front of the bluffs). Then we need to use some of the project management and grant acquisition money that is budgeted (CDC Money) to seek out money to acquire the parcel. It should be the job of the Borough to now take control and act in its own self interest. It is obvious that whatever happens on the site it will take a long time. Council just recently extended the zoning another 15 years without any review of the ramifications. While property values are depressed it is time to act. Why do we need Parcel Q and what would we do with it? The first thing that would need to happen would be to pave roughly 2 of the 11 acres along Main Street and lease it out to the Hankin Group for their even overflow parking needs. Without a garage now, parking will be a mess. The second thing to do is to start construction of the park. We need some create a park that will celebrate the French Creek and give the center of the Borough real access to the Schuylkill River and the Schuylkill River Trail. Put the damn Ferris Wheel there. Have a walking trail. Park benches. Put an amphitheater in for the Firebird Festival. Make it a destination park. Then, when the retail goes in on the southern parcel (I think that is parcel P) you can connect the whole thing into one cohesive development. There is the plan, now is the Borough insightful enough to try it?
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