Take me to the river

It's time to bring Philadelphia back to the Delaware River, city planners say.

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission has big plans for the vacant lots along river in Northeast Philadelphia.

The Commission hopes that proposed residences, retail and green spaces will link neighborhoods to the river.

The effort falls under Mayor Street's pet project "The New River City," a plan to develop land along Philadelphia's rivers. Recent improvements along the Schuylkill have been part of the effort.

The planning commission is reviewing developers' proposals for residential and commercial construction. Already, the city anticipates an extension of Delaware Avenue along the riverfront next year.

The area under study stretches from Fishtown to Morrell Park in the city's Kensington neighborhood, with more than 1,000 acres of potential construction sites.

So far, the commission has seen proposals for townhouses, retail and multilevel condominiums, said Gary Jastrab, head of strategic planning and policy. He said it is too early to predict a price range for any residences.

Jastrab said developers meet regularly to discuss logistics and that he is confident that the developments will proceed.

"We're bullish about the opportunities along the north Delaware, and we fully expect these developments to move forward as soon as the developers can get all their ducks in a row," he said. "They see a real opportunity here."

Urban studies lecturer Domenic Vitiello did not share Jastrab's optimism.

He said development along the north Delaware may fall prey to a slump in the real estate market and a rise in interest rates.

"I think some of them will be built," he said of the proposed buildings. But "given the real estate market, I think a lot of them will not make it."

Jastrab added that the city could receive federal money for construction along Delaware Avenue. He could not estimate what construction may cost the city, but noted the importance of providing infrastructure to the area.

"Our role is basically to build the skeleton on which these developers will hang," he said.

He said that this process could take from 10 to 25 years.

Any private developments will be required to include riverfront promenades accessible to the public and planned by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, a non-governmental advocacy group. These greenways could provide trails, land and water recreational areas and even opportunities for ecological restoration.

"I'm hoping that [the greenways] will promote a sense of stewardship and ownership for the river," said Patrick Starr, a PEC vice president and Penn adjunct professor of Urban Studies.

"The greenway will do a lot for the area. It will put people in that area back in touch with a river that they haven't been in touch with literally for generations," Starr said.

The proposed residences that the development commission has reviewed could house 4,000 to 6,000 people, Jastrab said. He predicted residents will come both from the city and the surrounding region.

While Jastrab and Starr said neighboring communities would likely benefit from increased property values, Vitiello said that the development could spur gentrification in these communities, as he said occurred after riverfront development in New York City.

Jastrab noted that most of the land was privately owned, and nothing would be forced out by construction, he added. It could also stabilize the city's population at a time when Philadelphia is steadily losing residents.

"There's such a huge benefit from being on the Delaware riverfront. It's so beautiful. It's such a unique location," Starr said. "No one's making more riverfront."

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