PHILADELPHIA-CAMDEN-WILMINGTON-ATLANTIC CITY-READING | Metro Development Thread

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

I know Subruba Park has been open for years, but would it have made more sense to build a larger venue in the sports complex instead of Chester?

Philadelphia Union's possible Subaru Park expansion would sacrifice much of river view
https://www.bizjournals.com/philadel...iver-seat.html

Yes it would. It should have sat along Broad Street where the Vet used to be....

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Meh. I don't think Norristown is better located than Chester. Norristown is adjacent to a bunch of things of relevance but none of them are actually in Norristown.

Chester has transit connectivity to Philadelphia and the NE Corridor, generally. It's next to the airport. It is at the confluence of 2 major highways. It is on the river.

Either way, I think Chester is at a tipping point. It wouldn't be the worst thing if it declared bankruptcy. Debt can be insidious. Lots of places of bounced back remarkably after bankruptcy.

Norristown is the County Seat of Montgomery County. It's the shame of the County Government that they treat it worse than the rest of the county. Media doesn't look that bad does it?

Norristown has an actual Transportation Center. It has Regional Rail, Buses and the High Speed line meeting up there. And hopefully soon it will be an Amtrak stop on it's way to Reading.

It will hopefully one day soon have a direct access to downtown Norristown from the PA Turnpike via the Lafayette Street extension.

So yes...Norristown is much better set up to thrive...it's just that it's been used as the County Dumping Grounds for so long that it's hard for it to turn around. It also doesn't help to be across the river from low tax Upper Merion.

As a native Norristonian, there was a time way back in the day that Norristown was much better off than Conshohocken. Look how it turned around......so there is still hope for Norristown. Seeing the construction cranes on the Norristown skyline the last year has been rather startling to see...because we have been conditioned for so long that nothing will ever change.

It will change.

[bridge25]

Originally Posted by 3rd&Brown

Yeah, there are tons of jobs in the 202 corridor. Tons of white collar high paying jobs; not the kinds of jobs that recent immigrant laborers need access to. That's what's different. There are a lot of blue collar jobs on the 95 corridor, and the people who fill them are likely to want to live closer to them, with VERY fast access to Philadelphia and Wilmington, which also have a ton of blue collar jobs of their own.

And LOL Norristown is on a river. Ok. I mean a river that provides jobs with all of the accompanying industry that sits on a major shipping channel. Not the Schuykill 15 miles upstream from the Philadelphia Art Museum with what, kayaks?

We can agree to disagree. Norristown is indeed light years ahead of Chester, I never said it wasn't. But I think Chester has more potential in the medium to long term for all of the aforementioned reasons.

And also, are you arguing it would be better for Chester to NOT declare bankruptcy? Surely moving forward without debt is much better than continuing to be strangled by it go forward.

I am totally rooting for Chester but at the end of the day, Philadelphia and Wilmington are still cheap. Why would someone live in Chester? The employment centers are in Wilmington/Northern Delaware, Philly, and KOP. Marcus Hook has a refinery and Ridley Township has Boeing but again neither of those are in Chester and both are affordable places to live.

[PHLtoNYC]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

Norristown is the County Seat of Montgomery County. It's the shame of the County Government that they treat it worse than the rest of the county. Media doesn't look that bad does it?

It will change.

Interesting how the county seat of Montgomery County, arguably the most prosperous county (or 2nd most) in the commonwealth is in rough shape. And compare Norristown to the county seats in the other 3 suburban counties - Media, West Chester, Doylestown.

But I agree, Norristown definitely has potential and it's beginning to show. Chester, not so much (at least not in most of our lifetimes).

[EastSideHBG]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Interesting how the county seat of Montgomery County, arguably the most prosperous county (or 2nd most) in the commonwealth is in rough shape. And compare Norristown to the county seats in the other 3 suburban counties - Media, West Chester, Doylestown.

But I agree, Norristown definitely has potential and it's beginning to show. Chester, not so much (at least not in most of our lifetimes).

MontCo is a strange and sometimes mixed up animal, though. It is rich and prosperous but also it can be hood and has these sudden rural spots sprinkled throughout with the mindset that can go along with that. ChesCo and DelCo are a little more homogeneous in that they are just kind of what they are and in a specific lane, MontCo is a bit all over the place.

[3rd&Brown]

Originally Posted by bridge25

I am totally rooting for Chester but at the end of the day, Philadelphia and Wilmington are still cheap. Why would someone live in Chester? The employment centers are in Wilmington/Northern Delaware, Philly, and KOP. Marcus Hook has a refinery and Ridley Township has Boeing but again neither of those are in Chester and both are affordable places to live.

Nothing's "that cheap" anymore. Just 3 or 4 years ago you could buy a renovated house in Marcus Hook for 75k. Starting point is now around $200K.

If you're Latino and working in this corridor, other places in the area where considerable numbers of Latinos live are South Philadelphia (Mexican), Kensington/Juniata Park (Puerto Rican/Dominican), and Norristown?

I don't know enough about the composition of the Latinos moving to Chester, but I recall from the mass shooting incident at the industrial laundered in Chester just what, 8 months ago...that nearly everyone who worked there was Hispanic and I believe were mostly Puerto Rican and Dominican. I don't know, if those folks are looking for a place to live near jobs with other Puerto Ricans and Dominicans, I could see why you'd choose Chester over Kensington.

Folks, I"m not saying Chester is going to make a miraculous recovery...but my point is that I think it's more than bottomed out and if anything has stabalized and will not continue to decline.

Add to that, as pointed out in recent Inqy articles, the Dominican population is growing faster than any other group in the Philadelphia area, so much so that Dominicans are poised to overtake Puerto Ricans as the largest Hispanic subgroup in the area in the not too distant future. Their population in Philadelphia has something like doubled in the last 5 years.

I guess it depends on where Dominicans choose to settle but whereever that is there will be a lot of growth, because the trend shows no signs of abating.

[BroadandMarket]

Originally Posted by bridge25

I am totally rooting for Chester but at the end of the day, Philadelphia and Wilmington are still cheap. Why would someone live in Chester? The employment centers are in Wilmington/Northern Delaware, Philly, and KOP. Marcus Hook has a refinery and Ridley Township has Boeing but again neither of those are in Chester and both are affordable places to live.

Yeah honestly even Camden is a lot more appealing and has a lot more going for it than Chester. 3 Patco stops, proximity to Philly, cool views of the skyline, Campbell's, Suburu, 76ers, BB&T, aquarium, Rutgers, Cooper Hospital etc.

Cooper Grant neighborhood is actually pretty nice, it needs more people and businesses. Maybe without Norcross in the picture other developers will start working in Camden? The waterfront is begging for some mid rise and high rises with covered parking, gym and roof deck.

Chester is so cut off with 95 on the west side. Also yes they have a river but the Delaware is largely inaccessible to people in Chester. It's mostly heavy industry along the river. With Camden you have desirable places like Collinswood and stable places like Pennsauken that touch Camden city limits.

[Urbanthusiat]

Developer Presents Plans for 329 Apartments in West Chester

The Michaels Organization, based in Camden, New Jersey, and Core Development recently presented plans to West Chester Borough Council to build 329 apartment units across from borough hall, writes Bill Rettew for The Daily Local News.

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by PHLtoNYC

Interesting how the county seat of Montgomery County, arguably the most prosperous county (or 2nd most) in the commonwealth is in rough shape. And compare Norristown to the county seats in the other 3 suburban counties - Media, West Chester, Doylestown.

But I agree, Norristown definitely has potential and it's beginning to show. Chester, not so much (at least not in most of our lifetimes).

The County has taken so much property in Norristown off the tax rolls. It puts the town in a hole right off the bat.

West Chester is the County seat here in Chester County. Guess where the county services building is located? Not in West Chester but just across the line in West Goshen. So the love is spread around here and West Chester isn't burdened with everything.

[PhillyRising]

Originally Posted by Urbanthusiat

Developer Presents Plans for 329 Apartments in West Chester

Anything but the empty lot it's been is an improvement. But that is a lot of apartments for that lot....

It will make for a nicer gateway going down Gay St into the business district.....

[bigfish]

Originally Posted by PhillyRising

Anything but the empty lot it's been is an improvement. But that is a lot of apartments for that lot....

It will make for a nicer gateway going down Gay St into the business district.....

Now if only we can get a regional rail extension there

[EastSideHBG]

Montgomery County eyes paving, bridge replacement projects after request for proposals approved

The following locations are expected to be paved: the porous parking lot of Upper Schuylkill Valley Park in Royersford; a stretch of the Perkiomen Trail at Green Lane Park in Green Lane; the Hollywood Trailhead at the Central Perkiomen Valley Park in Schwenksville; the two parking lots at the Norristown Farm Park; and the Byberry Road parking lot at the Pennypack Trail.

The county’s assets and infrastructure department also requested construction inspection services related to two bridge replacement projects. Interested parties would be tasked with providing “full-time on-site construction oversight and inspection during the replacement” of County Bridge No. 56, located along Rices Mill Road over the Tacony Creek in Cheltenham Township and County Bridge No. 44, located along Moredon Road over the Pennypack Creek in Abington Township.
https://www.pottsmerc.com/2024/08/30...sals-approved/