With the support of the City, partners, and residents, DRWC created the Master Plan for the Central Delaware, a viable, flexible roadmap to guide all waterfront development between Port Richmond and Pennsport.
The goal of the Master Plan is to transform a six-mile length of Philadelphia’s Central Delaware River waterfront into an authentic extension of the thriving city and vibrant neighborhoods immediately to its west.
The Master Plan identifies policy changes and investment strategies for economic development, community development, and open space along the waterfront and provides DRWC and the City with the tools necessary to once again make Philadelphia’s original waterfront a treasured public amenity.
A significant part of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation’s mission is dedicated to the implementation of the Master Plan for the Central Delaware. Begun in 2009, the Master Plan was a direct result of the Civic Vision for the Central Delaware and the Action Plan for the Central Delaware, completed in 2006-2007 by Penn Praxis working with nearly 4000 Philadelphians. DRWC’s master planning process was designed to provide a framework of land use, open space, economic, transportation, and development recommendations for the Central Delaware waterfront, utilizing DRWC resources and a $1 million grant from the William Penn Foundation. After 2 ½ years of intensive work by our consultants, staff, and stakeholders and incorporating substantial input from the general public, the Master Plan for the Central Delaware was released in the fall of 2011 and adopted by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission in March 2012.