A phased green redevelopment of Penn’s Landing is edging ever closer as the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) announced this month its selection of international and domestic award-winning firm Hargreaves Associates to perform preliminary design work on the area defined by a stretch that runs between Market and South Streets and extends from Front Street to the river.

Current view of Penn's Landing

The concept envisions an eight acre Penn’s Landing Park as the centerpiece of this sustainable redevelopment, that will connect Walnut and Chestnut Streets to Penn’s Landing, as well as redefine the current slope as it descends from the expressway towards the river. Other plans include a cap over I-95 and the development of a six acre site at Front & Market. Those and other concepts were informed by the Master Plan for the…

If we had all day, we would submerge ourselves in the new Master Plan for the Central Delaware, an extensive and ambitious plan for the future development of the Delaware River waterfront between Allegheny and Oregon Avenues.

Perhaps the future

The plan is a result of years of work and meetings among consultants, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DWRC), the public, and others. The City Planning Commission unanimously voted to approve the plan a few weeks ago, making it an official city plan that will impact all future development in the waterfront areas.

The plan marks a renewed interest in a vision for a developed waterfront with parks, trails, entertainment venues, restaurants, residences, and more. A $1.25M grant for Natural Lands Trust to acquire a waterfront parcel comprised of 11 acres of riparian lands on behalf of DWRC represents an essential early step…