PLANS

INTRODUCTION
The North Delaware Riverfront is a valuable and virtually untapped resource for the entire City of Philadelphia as well as the many Northeast Philadelphia neighborhoods fronting on the river. With over 700 acres of vacant and underutilized land, the riverfront has enormous potential for greenway development in concert with mixed-use, commercial, and residential development. While some of the existing properties may need extensive environmental cleanup, a properly developed continuous greenway and trail system can provide a significant public recreation, open space and economic development asset for new and existing riverfront neighborhoods, the City, region, and State of Pennsylvania.

Philadelphia’s 2001 North Delaware Riverfront, Philadelphia: A Long-Term Vision for Renewal and Redevelopment envisioned a public, ecologically sustainable riverfront greenway that would provide a new “front door” along the river in concert with new community development on the vacant riverfront lands (see below). This Master Plan and Cost Benefit Analysis takes the vision a step further. It recommends implementing a “Public Greenway” scenario that is a win-win solution for the City – it maximizes return on public investment, creates revenue, provides significant recreation and open space for City residents and promotes ecological restoration. The consultant team of Greenways Incorporated, Econsult Corporation, and Schelter and Associates worked with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, the Northeast Riverfront Task Force, and the City to gather all relevant data for the plan, solicit public input, review priorities, and synthesize all of this information into a final implementation plan.

2009 North Delaware Riverfront Greenway Gap Study
The North Delaware Greenway Gaps Feasibility Study will help implement the North Delaware Riverfront Greenway by evaluating the feasibility of potential alignments for the trail through particularly challenging sections in the Bridesburg, Tacony/Holmesburg, and Torresdale sections. This study will enable DRCC, PEC, and the City to choose a preferred and workable trail alignment and move ahead with trail design, acquisition, and construction on all gaps. This report describes the existing conditions, obstacles, recommendations, and implementation techniques for each proposed alignment section.

Click here to access the Gap Study.

2009 North Delaware Riverfront Greenway Design Guidelines
In conjunction with the City of Philadelphia, DRCC has produced Design Guidelines for the Delaware Riverfront Greenway. This document establishes required criteria for the construction of the Greenway by providing design guidelines to developers and others who will be responsible for its implementation.

Click here to access the Guidelines booklet.

2005-2006 Greenway Plan

2005 North Delaware Riverfront Greenway: Master Plan and Cost Benefit Analysis
Completed in 2006 and revised in May 2010: this is a large report. Please use the table below to download the relevant section.