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 DELAWARE RIVER WATERFRONT CORPORATION USES CIVIC ENGAGEMENT MEETING TO PRESENT INITIAL DESIGN CONCEPTS FOR THE NEW RACE STREET PIER PROJECT The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation in partnership with the Central Delaware Advocacy Group, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Penn Praxis of the University of Pennsylvania hosted the first of four civic engagement meetings to present the initial design concepts for the Race Street Pier, formerly called Pier 11. The Race Street Pier, located on Columbus Boulevard at the foot of Race Street is one of the first public spaces to be designed and built by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation as an early action of the new Civic Vision for the Central Delaware Riverfront-a vision which was developed by Penn Praxis and the Central Delaware Advocacy Group. The goal is to develop the pier into a publicly accessible riverfront amenity for residents and tourists. The project has been renamed the Race Street Pier in order to emphasize the location of the park and its connection to the city. “This project is another step towards the vision of a green, accessible waterfront that all Philadelphians can enjoy,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “This meeting is one of many opportunities for the public to re-imagine the central Delaware waterfront, a vision that will be underway by early next year as the master planning process begins.” The commission for the design of the Pier was awarded to James Corner Field Operations, an internationally recognized landscape architecture and urban design firm. During the civic engagement meeting last night, the team outlined the results from a public survey completed in October, described how the public input informed their initial designs, and presented three preliminary design schemes. SCHEME 1 “THE LAWN”AN EARTHWORK HILL, RINGED WITH SEATING AND SHAPED TO SLOPE DOWN TO THE RIVER, FORMS THE CENTERPIECE TO A NEW SOCIAL PIER. A WOOD SEATING TERRACE FACES SOUTH. CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOADTHE PLAN FOR THIS SCHEME CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A RENDERING OF THIS SCHEME
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PLAN FOR THIS SCHEME After the presentation of the design schemes outlined above, the meeting participants were invited to assemble into smallergroups to discuss what is most exciting about each design scheme and their concerns with the schemes. Each group was then asked to share a few “headlines from their discussion” with the larger group. All comments were documented and will be taken into account as the initial designs are refined. The next civic engagement meeting for the project is scheduled for Tuesday, January 12 from 6:30 to 8:30pm. The meeting will be held at the indoor facility of the Blue Cross RiverRink, located on Columbus Boulevard at Market Street.
ABOUT THE PROJECT: This project is funded by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, the City of Philadelphia, and DRWC. “With the help of all of our civic and funding partners, and the creativity of Field Operations, DRWC will be converting the Race Street Pier into a landmark public space that will set a new standard of excellence in design along the Central Delaware,” said Tom Corcoran, president of DRWC.
THERE WILL BE MANY OPPORTUNITIES FOR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. PLEASE STAY CONNECTED AND VISIT THE PROJECT WEBSITE FOR REGULAR UPDATES. YOU CAN JOIN OUR MAILING LIST AT THE TOP OF THIS PAGE
March 2010
May 2010 The commission for the design of the Pier was awarded to James Corner Field Operations, an internationally recognized landscape architecture and urban design firm. The design team will deliver design and construction documents that will be issued to qualified contractors on a competitive bid basis.
CLICK HERE to download the presentation from Field Operations (Part One) |
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SCHEME 2 “THE DECK”A ROLLING WOOD DECK IS SHAPED TO DRAMATICALLY BRING THE VISITOR UP AND THEN DOWN TO THE SPACE OF THE RIVER. ENCLOSED IN THE SOUTHERN “COVE” IS A SOCIAL “BEACH” WITH UMBRELLAS.
