From the BCCT.
Train stop part of study
A SEPTA official says there are no immediate plans to put a train station in the borough.
By DANNY ADLER
Brian Miller, who provided a Renaissance Plan to Penndel and sketches of “the new Croydon” to Bristol Township officials, wants to do a similar study for Morrisville.
Miller, of the Miller Design Group in Newtown Township, and the borough’s economic development corporation want to study the possibility of a new transit-oriented Morrisville, a town that has for years yearned for a revitalized downtown.
A “transit revitalization investment district,” or TRID, aims to generate redevelopment and construction projects in an area anchored by mass transit and walk-ability, Miller said. The district would encompass a half-mile boundary in what Miller called the central section of the borough.
Of course, the borough would need a train station along SEPTA’s R7 rail line to make it work, but SEPTA has no immediate plans to restore service to Morrisville, according to company spokesman Felipe Suarez. SEPTA discontinued its Morrisville station in the 1960s.
“This program is really about transit,” Miller said. “Transit has to be the centerpiece.”
The borough could receive up to $75,000 from the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for the project’s planning process if the state approves the grant money, with a maximum $25,000 local match.
The borough council didn’t take any action after a presentation at its October meeting.
Council President Nancy Sherlock said officials need to find out more about the plan. She said the council owes it to its constituents and to the economic development corporation, whose members are appointed by the council, “to hear it out.”
Officials are trying to schedule a meeting with the borough council, the economic development corporation, the DCED and possibly SEPTA.
“The economic development corporation is always looking for ways to improve the economic vitality of the town,” said Steve Amend, the corporation chairman. He said Morrisville needs a “workable plan,” and believes developers would show interest in the borough with a TRID plan.
Penndel’s Renaissance Plan includes a hotel, supermarket, drugstore, office space, amphitheater, art studios, apartments and acres of open space.
The new Croydon plan includes office parks, outdoor theaters, a 17-acre environmental center and a multi-story transit center, eight marinas, a skatepark and hundreds of acres of existing homes cleared for open space.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
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2 comments:
A train station would be a fantastic addition to this town.
Penndel and Croydon appear to be at the beginning of a Renaissance, and are moving in the right direction by setting a plan and then acting upon it.
Morrisville now has the plan and it is now time to act. That means YOU Boro Council. And it is up to all of us to demand that it happen. There are a lot of Council seats up for re-election next year.
The plan makes a lovely door stop, especially when combined with all the previous plans. Hopefully this plan is for more than that. The track record is mixed:
Liquor license for nice new Asian restaurant --> NO WAY JOSE!
New office building on mostly Bridge Commission property with potential to bring 100's of jobs and 100's of $1,000's of yearly tax ratables --> GET LOST. AND, UH, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS, WILL YA?
Fireworks store next to Mill Pond 7-11 strip mall --> WE DIDN'T WANT IT, BUT WE WERE POWERLESS TO STOP IT SO....AND THE ROCKET'S RED GLARE, .....!
Proliferation of Nail Shops and Ciggie Shops --> SMOKE 'EM IF YOU GOT 'EM, AND WOULDN'T THAT CIGGIE LOOK NICE IN YOUR MANICURED HAND?
French Bistro/Strip Joint/Gym/Day Care Center in Stockham Building --> IF YOU SAY NO TO EVERYTHING, SOMETIMES YOU'LL GET IT RIGHT
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