I forgot that I didn't touch this issue before the new year came in.

This issue came in like a lion and left with just a little whimper. A front page spread in the Phoenix showed the renderings of two 14 story towers that will be nine stories higher than the ugly Evans tower on Church and Starr. Lots of new retail to spread the prosperity of the downtown toward another "Gateway". This will be huge. Stores galore and don't forget 240 new families that will call Phoenixville home. Wow, think of all the traffic at that already congested street. Won't it be grand? All of the glow for this project got tucked into an envelope and Council mailed it in. They passed the ordinance change without so much as an article in the Phoenix. Of course, the budget took center stage and that comical fiasco over accepting a donation in the name of the Borough for the Phoenixville Ferris Wheel. Next!

This project will impact this town for generations. If it gets built, and I doubt that it will, there are a few scenarios that could play out to make this a great project and a few scenarios that make this a real dud. This could become the centerpiece of the town like we hoped the steel site would be. This could be the high rent district. The start of expansion beyond the traditional development. A beacon to the region that we have good housing for you to bring your office space.

Or . . . . . . The financial mess could make the towers just a dream and we only get the commercial built. That doesn't help us at all. just congests the streets and puts no money in anyone's pocket but the Demutis Group. The towers could also get built and the lack of employment opportunities for that class of worker or a further tightening of the mortgage market could lead to these thigs being empty. Look at the Byrne Building.

I happen to think that this will be a net possitive for the Borough. It will take some time to get going. I don't expect these towers to be built for a while. In the meantime, this Borough really needs to think about its development future. We really dropped the ball when the crush of residential development swept over us and we can't be left with out butts in the wind with this issue.