PENN'S LANDING FEASIBILITY STUDY
Timeline
Pre-proposal meeting: Monday, December 17, 2018 at 3:00 pm at the DRWC offices at 121 N. Columbus Blvd
RFQ responses: Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at 4:30 P.M. EST.
Project Background
The Master Plan for the Central Delaware, a plan for the redevelopment and revitalization of six miles of Central Delaware River waterfront in Philadelphia, was released in October of 2011 and adopted by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission in March of 2012. This plan makes recommendations for a wide range of waterfront improvements including new development, open space, transportation networks, and programming.
Over the past six years, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation has been responsible for the implementation of the Master Plan. It has built new parks, trails, and connector street improvements including the Race Street Pier, Washington Avenue Pier, Pier 68, Spruce Street Harbor Park, and Cherry Street Pier, all with the goal of providing a diverse range of places and activities to draw people to the waterfront. In addition to the new public space and public realm improvements completed by DRWC, the Master Plan proposed a vision for a strategic and dramatic infrastructure move at Penn’s Landing: new cap over I-95 and Columbus Blvd that would reconnect the city to the river through a spacious green park, sloping towards the river, connecting Chestnut and Walnut Streets from Front Street to the Delaware River.
In 2013, DRWC hired a team led by Hargreaves Associates to test the economic and engineering feasibility of the original master plan concept for this new public space at Penn’s Landing. By constructing a new and expanded cap over I-95, the study confirmed that creating a new 12-acre civic space, framed by development that provides the necessary density and activity to support the associated public space, was possible. This newly created public space is meant for all Philadelphians and visitors, and hopes to draw people from every corner of the city and beyond by creating a meaningful and successful civic space that can host any number of uses like large-scale performances, ice skating, yoga, or simply enjoying the river views.
DRWC used the results of this study to partner with PennDOT, the City of Philadelphia, and several philanthropic organizations to make this project a reality and advance it to where it is today: a fully funded project in final design through PennDOT and its design team. This framework for Penn's Landing builds upon the years of work and outreach, from the Civic Vision to the Master Plan for the Central Delaware to the Feasibility Study; efforts that cumulatively involved thousands of Philadelphians. With the project moving into final design and construction, DRWC and project funders want to build upon that already robust public engagement to help inform key design elements of the new Penn’s Landing and future uses and programming of the space. Through this engagement process as well as ongoing communications DRWC hopes to establish key stakeholder groups and a strong sense of ownership of the space by the city at large.
