Year two Report HigHligHts - Amazon Web Services · 2015-12-11 · presenting sponsor, SugarHouse...

HigHligHtsYear Two Achievements Work began on the Master Plan

OpenedfirstphaseoftheDelawareRiverTrail

Opened Washington Avenue Green

GroundbreakingfortheRaceStreetPier

New riverboat entertainment cruise operation, The Philadelphia Belle, joins attractions at Penn’s Landing

DebutednewRiverStageontheGreatPlaza

Fundedandproducedwellroundedseasonof freesummerprogramsfeaturingfreeconcert by the Philadelphia Orchestra

DRWCreceived2010HispanicChoiceAward

DRWCteamedupwithPECtointroduce newkayakprogramforPhiladelphia RecreationCenterCamps

SwanboatsjoinedkayaksinthePenn’s Landing Marina

Successfullyre-opened17thSeasonoftheBlue CrossRiverRink

FundedandcontinuedproductionofTwice theFireworks,TwicetheFunonNYE

Secured$5MillionGrantfromtheWilliam Penn Foundation

includeswanboatingaswellasextendedhoursof operation.Outdoorenthusiasts,families,andkayakers ofalllevelswereabletorentboatsandenjoytheriver inasafeandsupervisedenvironment.

Inadditiontobeingavailabletothepublic,DRWCandPECwereabletofundandofferfreekayakingandswanboatingforPhiladelphiaParksandRecreationcampers,enablingurban teenagers to enjoy the river and to help them be more activeandfit.ThefunbeganwithaneducationalscavengerhuntthroughouttheIndependenceSeaportMuseum,whichisfilledwithnauticalart,artifacts,andintricateshipmodels.Followingthescavengerhunt,campershadtheoptionofparticipatinginahalf-hourintroductorykayakingprogram orridingonthewaterinfoot-pedaledswanboats.

Winter ProgrammingThiswinter,theBlueCrossRiverRinkatPenn’sLandingsuccessfullyre-openedforthe17thseason.Thisannualprogramcontinuestowelcomethousandstothewaterfronteach winter.

InearlyDecember,MayorMichaelA.NutterannouncedthattheDelawareRiverWaterfrontCorporationwouldcontinuetoproducenotonebuttwofireworksshowsonNewYear’sEve,December31,2010,duetothegeneroussupportofnewpresentingsponsor,SugarHouseCasino.Inadditiontothetraditional show at midnight, there was an earlier show at 6:00PM,deliveringTwicetheFireworks,TwicetheFun.

MayorNutter,togetherwithCamdenMayorDanaRedd,spokeaboutthisexcitingopportunityforbothcities.Bothshows were choreographed to unique soundtracks and launchedfrombargesinthemiddleoftheDelawareRiverwithviewsfrombothPhiladelphiaandCamden.Visitorswereencouragedtocomedowntoeitherwaterfronttostayfordinner,stayforthenight,orstayfortheweekend.

Thetremendoussuccessofthisyear’sNewYear’sEveprogrammingwasduetothegeneroussupportofSugarHouseCasinoandthepartnershipbetweenDRWC,theGreaterPhiladelphiaTourismMarketingCorporation,theCityofPhiladelphia,theCityofCamden,Cooper’sFerryDevelopmentAssociation,KYWNewsradioandCBS3.

WelookforwardtodevelopingmorecooperativeprogrammingwithourpartnersontheCamdenWaterfront.

Year two ReportTheDelawareRiverWaterfrontCorporation(DRWC)hashadmanymajoraccomplishmentsoverthepastyearwhichweresignificant inthemselves.Buttheyarealsopartofalargernarrativeabouthow avisiongetscreated,howitisembracedbykeyelectedofficials, civicassociations,foundersandpartners,andthenhowitgetsimplemented.Inthiscase,thevisionistheCivicVisionforthe CentralDelaware,atwoyeareffortthatwasledbyPennPraxis, anarmoftheUniversityofPennsylvaniaSchoolofDesign,and fundedbytheWilliamPennFoundation.Thisefforthadtheactiveinvolvementofseveralthousandparticipantswhowantedtohave theCityresidentsandvisitorsgainaccesstothebeautifulDelawareRiverandhavetheopportunityforactiveandpassiverecreationalong its banks. The vision also involved creating new economic developmentopportunitiesfortheCityanditsresidents.

Creatingthevisionandengenderingpublicsupportforthevision wasthecriticalfirststeptowardrealization.Buttherewereother crucialelementsinvolvedaswell:theadoptionofthevisionby keyelectedofficials;thecreationofaprofessionalorganization thathadasitssolemissiontheimplementationofthatvision;and theinitialfundingtodesignandbuildearlyactionprojectsthatwillbegintotransformthevisionintoreality.

MayorMichaelNutter,alongwithCityCouncilmanFrankDiCicco,playedthekeyleadershiproleinhavingtheCityofPhiladelphia adopttheCivicVisionastheblueprintforthedevelopmentoftheCentralDelawareWaterfront.Hethentookthenextsteptocreateanewnon-profitorganization–theDelawareRiverWaterfrontCorporationandchargeditwiththeimplementationofthevision. Heappointed16directorswithspecializedexpertiseinrelevantfieldstoprovidethegovernanceandoversightsothatDRWCcouldactin

aprofessional,open,transparent,andaccountablefashionandalongthewaygetalotdonewithlimited resources.

Overthepastyear,withtheongoingsupportoftheMayor,theCouncilman,theCommonwealth,theCentralDelawareAdvocacyGroup(CDAG),the William Penn Foundation, Penn Praxis and thePennsylvaniaHorticulturalSociety,DRWChascompletedaseriesofwhatweretermedas“EarlyActionProjects.”Theseprojectsincludedthecreationofaninterimbiketrailalongthesouthernpartofthewaterfront;thedesignandconstructionofawonderfulnewparkcalledWashingtonAvenueGreen;andcomingsoontheopeningoftheRaceStreetPier.

DelawareRiver WaterfrontCorporation Board of Directors Rina CutleR Deputy Mayor for Transportation and Public Utilities for the City of Philadelphia

avi D. eDen Consultant with a background in finance and law

teRRY gillen Director, Federal Legislative Affairs for the City of Philadelphia

JaY R. golDstein, viCe CHaiRman Founder, President and CEO of Valley Green Bank

alan gReenBeRgeR Deputy Mayor for Planning & Economic Development

William P. HankoWskY Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Liberty Property Trust

miCHael i. HauPtman Partner, Brawer & Hauptman Architects

alan P. Hoffmann President, VITETTA Architects/Engineers

gaRY J. JastRzaB Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC).

William R. milleR, iv CEO, Ross Associates, Inc.

Donn g. sCott, BoaRD CHaiRman Regional Vice-President, Wells Fargo, NA

maRilYn JoRDan taYloR Dean, PennDesign, University of Pennsylvania

William l. Wilson Principal-in-Charge, Synterra Ltd.

Diane Dalto Woosnam Chairman, Pennsylvania Council on the Arts

ellen Yin Owner, Fork Restaurant and Fork:etc

maRio zaCHaRJasz Co-founder and principal, PZS Architects, LLC; President of Puente Construction Enterprises, Inc.

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Lookingaheadto2011: Master Plan unveiling RaceStreetPieropening RaceStreetConnectorcompleted Landscapeimprovementscompletedfor theGreatPlaza,increasing green space Marina improvements completed including dredging,installationofecofriendlysiltbarrier and wave attenuation system, and new docks

NextgenerationofprojectsidentifiedintheMaster Planandfundraisingtoimplement

RaceStreetPierGroundbreaking-Picturedlefttorightare–JamesCornerof JamesCornerFieldOperations,PennsylvaniaHorticulturalSocietyPresidentDrewBecher, MayorMichaelNutter,StateSenatorLawrenceFarnese,CouncilmanFrankDiCicco, MarilynJordanTaylor,CouncilmanatLargeJamesF.Kenney

AnnualNewYear’sEvePartyonIceattheBlueCrossRiverRinkwhileSugarHouseCasinopresentedTwicetheFireworksandTwicetheFun!

• AcompletelynewparkatPenn’sLandingwhichwill stretchcontinuouslyfromFrontStreettotheriver’sedge, spanningacrossI-95onnewdeckingovertheinterstate andColumbusBoulevard.

• Significantecologicalrestorationforthesouthernand northernendsofthewaterfrontwherepiersare substantially degraded.

• AnewplanforColumbusBoulevardwhich accommodatesmultiplemodesoftravelincluding vehicular, bicycle, pedestrian, and transit running the lengthofthewaterfrontandconnectingbacktothe centerofthecity.

• Ahierarchyofconnectorstreetstoreconnectthe cityandneighborhoodstothewaterfront.Upper-tier streets connect directly to parks or other key events on thewaterfrontandsecond-tierstreetsprovideseamless connectionsforalluserstothewaterfront.

• Zoningrecommendationsincludingproposedbase zoningaswellasadditionalwaterfrontrecommendations forheight,street-frontagerequirements,organizationof open space, etc.

• Developmentsiterecommendationsthatidentifynew street and block plans and recommend densities and buildingform.

• Inclusionofwealth-buildingstrategiesforminority-owned, women-owned,anddisadvantagedbusinessesforevery aspectoftheproject.

• Orderofmagnitudecostestimatesandphasingplansto completethelong-termbuildoutoftheplan.

OncecompletedandapprovedbytheDRWCBoardofDirectors,theplanwillbepresentedtothePhiladelphiaCityPlanningCommissionandCityCouncilforapprovaland/oradoption. Additionally, when the master plan is unveiled in Springof2011,anewgenerationofdesignandconstructionprojects will also be announced to immediately begin mplementationofthenewplan.

Programmingsummer ProgrammingDRWCremainssteadfastinitscommitmenttofreepublicprogrammingonthewaterfrontatPenn’sLanding.AlleventsproducedbyDRWCarefreetothepublic.

The2010seasonincludedthedebutofthenewRiverStageatPenn’sLandingwhichfeaturedstate-of-the-artlighting

andaudiosystemsthatbroughtanewlevelofconcertstothewaterfront.ThisnewstagewasbuilttobeabletoaccommodatethefullPhiladelphiaOrchestra,whichmadeitsRiverStagedebutonJuly3,2010followedbyfireworks.ThenewstagewasfundedbytheDelawareRiverWaterfrontCorporationandhostedavarietyofnationalartistsintherock,jazz,gospel,andclassicalgenresinitsfirstseason.

The2010summerprogramseasonincludedelevendifferentmulticulturalfestivalscelebratingtherichdiversityoftheGreaterPhiladelphiaRegion,marqueeconcertsfeaturingfamilyentertainment,R&Bandjazz,largescalemoviescreenings, and maritime events.

Inaddition,LiveNationproduced18concertsonthenewRiverStageandFestivalPiergreatlyexpandingliveentertainmentopportunitiesonthewaterfront.

Ofworthynote,theDelawareRiverWaterfrontCorporationwasawardedFAVORITEENTERTAINMENTDESTINATIONbytheHispanicChoiceAwards.

DRWCcontinueditspartnershipwithThePennsylvaniaEnvironmentalCouncil(PEC)tobringthekayakprogrambackforasecondseason.Theprogramwasexpanded

Startingearlyin2010,DRWCalsoundertookthedevelopmentofaMasterPlanfortheentiresixmilestretchofthe CentralDelaware,whichistheareadefinedbyOregonAvenueintheSouthtoAlleghenyintheNorth,andfrom I-95totheriver.Thateffort,whichwasfundedbya$1milliongrantfromtheWilliamPennFoundation,allowed DRWCtohireaworld-classteamofurbanplannersanddesignfirms.DRWChashadtwolargescalepublicforums andcountlesssmallerstakeholderandcommunitymeetings,toinsurethattheworkisfaithfultothecivicvisionand has sustained community input and support.

Whencompletedthisspring,theMasterPlanwillnotonlycreateaframeworkforthelongtermtransformationof thiswonderfulstretchofRiverfront,butwillalsosetforthalistofpriorityprojectsthatDRWCwillundertakeoverthe nextfiveyearsinordertocontinuethemomentumthathasbeenestablishedbythe“EarlyActionProjects”andtoprovidekeybuildingblocksfortheimplementationoftheultimateplan.Therecentannouncementofanextraordinary$5milliongrantfromtheWilliamPennFoundationwillallowDRWCtoacceleratesomeofthoseprojectsfromafiveyeartoatwoyearhorizon.

DRWCintendstoleveragethesegrantfundsateveryopportunitybyobtainingmatchinggrantsfromvarious governmentalagenciesandfoundationssothislistofexcitingprojectscansystematicallybemovedfrom concept to design to construction.

2011promisestobeaverybusyandanexcitingforDRWCandforallofitsstakeholderorganizationsandsupporters.

master Plan for the Central Delaware River WaterfrontTheMasterPlanfortheCentralDelawareRiverWaterfrontisanambitious$1millionplanningefforttoestablishrecommendationsfortransformingsixmilesofthewaterfrontbetweenOregonandAlleghenyAvenues.Thistransformationwillbeaccomplishedthroughaseriesofdetailed recommendations on land use, transportation, zoning,development,economicdevelopment,andasystemofparksandtrails.TheplanningbeganinJanuaryof2010andwillbecompletedandpubliclyunveiledinSpringof2011.Overthepastyear,DRWChasheldtwolarge-formatpublicforumsaswellasnumeroussmallerfocusgroupsandcivicclustermeetingstogatherinput.Inaddition,DRWChasbeenmeeting,eitherindividuallyor in groups, with various stakeholders including property and business owners, neighborhood civic associations, citydepartments,nonprofits,andspecialinterestgroups.

Themasterplanningteam,ledbyCooperRobertson&Partners,theOlinPartnership,KieranTimberlake,andHR&AAdvisorspresentedadraftopenspaceplan,alternativesforthreedevelopment“nodes,”andtransportationrecommendationstotheDRWCandthepublic.Aftersignificantinputfromthepublicandstakeholdersinthefallof2010,theteamisnowbeginningtofinalizetheplan,thekeycomponentsofwhicharethefollowing:

• Aseriesofneighborhoodparksalongthesixmile waterfront,spacedapproximately½mileapart.

• Waterfrontparksconnectedbyacontinuousmulti-use recreational trail and additional trail types inserted where appropriate, such as commuter bicycle lanes and separate pedestrian walking paths.

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WashingtonAvenueGreenatPier53OpeningCeremony–Picturedlefttorightare: DirectorofPhiladelphiaGreenforthePennsylvaniaHorticulturalSociety AmandaGreen,TomCorcoran,MayorMichaelNutter,CityCouncilman FrankDiCicco,EnvironmentalArtistStacyLevy

Summer2010sawthedebutofthenewRiverStage on the GreatPlazaatPenn’sLanding

RaceStreetPierComingMay2011

OnJuly3,2010,DRWChostedaPhiladelphiaOrchestraFreeNeighborhood ConcertatPenn’sLandingfollowedbyfireworks–Picturedlefttorightare: JayR.Goldstein,AllisonVulgamore,PresidentandCEOofthePhiladelphia Orchestra,MayorMichaelNutter,TomCorcoran

RaCe stReet ConneCtoR -Asitsfirstnewprojectof2011,DRWCplansto

joinOldCityandthenewRaceStreetPierwiththeRaceStreetConnector.

Acombinationofdesignelementsareproposedtoenhanceconnectivity

to the river and to improve the pedestrian and bike experience, including

a dedicated bike lane, signage, benches, bollards, curb realignments,

increased sidewalk widths, crosswalks, plantings, and a dramatic light

screenalongtheright-sidewalloftheunderpasses.Aninteractivelight

screenwillunifythespacesunderneaththeexpresswaysaboveanddraw

peopletothewaterfront.

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