Residents Call for Downtown Focus with Revitalization Plan

Exactly a year ago this week, the , the guiding force behind the development of the revitalization plan, gave its to the Community Development Committee, which oversees the task force.

Since then, the task force, which is made up of a variety of stake-holders in the township, have met at least monthly to discuss the development of the plan.

A township’s revitalization plan is necessary in order to receive county funding for various improvement projects as qualified through the county’s community revitalization board.

As , Upper Moreland is eligible up to $668,460 in such funding.

In accordance to county guidelines, the task force held two public input meetings, both held in the Township Building. The meetings presented the best preliminary projects the task force made for the plan, and asked the residents to help prioritize those projects.

The , held on Oct. 18, 2011, drew over 70 people; while the , on Dec. 15, 2011 drew less than 20.

By the end of January this year, the first draft plan was submitted to the committee, and made available to the public through the township.

As reported in a , this first draft was built upon the township’s 2003 revitalization plan. It identified an extended revitalization area, and particularly focused projects in the original 2003 revitalization area, otherwise known as the downtown area of Willow Grove; as well as improvements to the Willow Grove Interchange area. The projects in each area were further prioritized from highest to lowest displayed in implementation matrix.

Right before the March 12 Community Development Committee meeting, a presentation was given, updating the committee on the progress of the Upper Moreland Revitalization Plan.

“This plan really maintains the vision and goals of the 2003 plan, and maintains its strategies on the downtown Willow Grove,” Marian Hull, the township’s redevelopment coordinator, said during the presentation.

She, along with Montgomery County senior planner Michael Narchowich, who also authored the revitalization draft, gave the plan update presentation to a well-attended audience.

Hull pointed out the revitalization area expansion from the 2003 plan. She said that the draft plan now includes possibilities in attracting developers in areas, such as the Willow Grove Interchange, that might be easier to develop as compared to the downtown area.

“The task force felt it was important to create those opportunities and they were definitely confirmed in our community meetings with the caveat that the priority certainly was on downtown Willow Grove,” Hull said.

 In his portion of the presentation, Narchowich further explained the draft plan’s prioritization. He showed how the plan breaks down projects in order of highest to lowest priority.

Examples of high priorities in the downtown area mostly concerned walkability for pedestrians and streetscaping projects. Low-priority projects included signage and on-street parking.

He also noted that the downtown area might be a good opportunity for inter-township cooperation in funding, as several of the projects also would affect Abington Township.

For the Interchange area, Narchowich provided high-priority examples that would help develop business, and would also call for a fiscal impact study. Lower priorities there included Interchange improvements and streetscapes.

Initial comments challenged why the plan should have any focus on the Willow Grove Interchange area.

Ward 1 commissioner Lisa Romaniello asked how the potential county funding from the revitalization plan could be split between the downtown and Interchange area, and still focus on revitalizing the downtown area.

Narchowich answered that the plan would pave the way for opportunities for development in that area, not necessarily through revitalization efforts, but by identifying the Interchange area as a focus for revitalization, the township gains a blueprint for other funding opportunities, such as state and federal.

Narchowich also noted that should the Interchange focus area be developed, with or without revitalization funding, it would generally increase the township’s tax base, ultimately helping out revitalization efforts in the downtown area.

Further comments, mostly from residents living in the downtown area, asked for reassurance that the new plan will indeed have projects focusing on downtown revitalization.

Karen Houck, chairperson for the Upper Moreland Revitalization Task Force, said that she was concerned if residents don’t think that the plan does focus on the downtown area.

Houck, a lifetime resident of Upper Moreland, said that she recalls a time when the downtown area used to be referred to as going, “Down the Grove,” to which many of the audience attended audibly confirmed.

“There’s a sense of place that tugs at our hearts,” Houck said. “We want to make a plan that gets the most bang for the buck.”

Narchowich did describe the plan as a, “work draft in progress,” and said that several more changes to the draft can be expected before it is submitted to the county.

The next Upper Moreland Revitalization Task Force meeting will likely discuss the continuing changes to the draft plan. The task force will meet March 28 at 7 p.m. in the Township Building. All task force meetings are open to the public.