Community Members Concerned About Proposed Auto Repair Shop On Delaware Riverfront
By Steve Patterson
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- You wouldn't exactly call all seven miles of Philly's Delaware Riverfront a prime time attraction.
Sure, there's Penn's Landing and a few other spots but it's all decidedly disconnected.
That's why in 2012 the city planning commission unanimously approved a "Master Plan for the Central Delaware," a complete road map for transforming the area into a beautified economic hub including new parks, penthouses, attractions, trails and…an auto repair joint?
"It's inconsistent with principals of the plan."
Opposition was very vocal to AAA at a Tuesday Planning Commission meeting.
The roadside nonprofit wants to build a car service location right in the middle of that master plan.
"There's special care given to the uses that might be permitted on the riverside of Christopher Columbus Blvd., and this happens to be the riverside."
Community members upset and concerned about a place offering car service when this master plan is so heavily reliant on foot traffic finally connecting with the river.
Meanwhile, the delegation with AAA says not only is their plan consistent, but it fits exactly with what the board recommended.
"Any new use is met with skepticism. That's the Philadelphia way."
Attorney Karl Primavera says the development will be attractive, pretty far off the water and appointment only, adding a bright spot to part of Columbus many consider unsavory.
"It's a wonderful amenity that doesn't come at the expense of any of the master plan. That's the beauty of it. We're part of the solution not part of the problem."
Primavera says they'll host several community meetings in the coming months.
A date for a final vote has yet to be set.
