A Peek into the New Revitalization Plan

The introduction to the first draft of the Upper Moreland Revitalization Plan presents the issues challenging economic and population growth in Upper Moreland.

The introduction identifies succesful township recourses, including national retail (or hotel) chains, as well as commercial, industrial and park districts. However, it is further identified that the township has undersized parcels, inadequate streetscape work, poor pedestrian and congested traffic conditions.

“as an older, built-out community, it is presented with challenges which other municipalities with more undeveloped land don’t have. New development must often occur through redevelopment, which presents its own challenges (e.g., land assembly, transportation, and infrastructure) … These conditions have led to a down- ward spiral of disinvestment, declining property values, and continual turnover of small businesses.”

The new plan was authored by the Montgomery County Planning Commission (MCPC), under the assistance of MCPC senior planner Michael Narchowich.

The plan works off of the township’s first revitalization plan in 2003, which resulted, in part, with the creation of the entrance and townsip signage. The new plan enlarges the previously considered revitalization area and added new projects.

In the draft, two areas of the township were focused for revitalization: the original 2003 revitalization area of downtown Willow Grove, and near the Willow Grove Interchange, which runs along Maryland Road, Commerce Ave. and Easton Road.

The focus on creating a recognizable town center has always been a priority of revitalization in years past. However, according to the draft, the Willow Grove Interchange area is both of significant size and underutilized, as well as being strategically located by the Turnpike entrance.

While the task force set the parameters and projects, two were given, late last year. During those meetings, the public voted on which projects should take priority, and suggested a few new ones themselves.

In the draft’s fourth chapter, titled “Action Plan,” the results of the public input meetings are revealed.

Among the projects marked “highest priority” in the downtown Willow Grove area:

- Façade Improvement Program:

Building facades are a critical component of community image and sense-of-place. A matching grant or revolving loan program should be created to incentivize business or building owners to invest in their facades. Funding would be contingent upon applicants making a significant up- grade to the façade which meets specified design parameters. Such design would meet the TC-Town Center Zoning District’s façade standards, and would be supplemented by heightened standards for color, lighting, and signage. Architectural design support is a key component of this project.

 

Among the projects marked “highest priority in the Willow Grove Interchange area:

- Feasibility and/or Fiscal Impact Studies; Business Attraction

Feasibility studies could be used to examine the viability of new retail, office, or industrial development in the UDC-Unified Development Commercial Zoning District; or to examine the potential of the area along Maryland Road and Commerce Avenue to host new employers in the office, light industrial, or biotech fields. A fiscal impact study would evaluate the effect on Township costs and revenues of various development scenarios. A business attraction program would actively seek to draw businesses to these areas.

 

Both examples of high-priority projects are within the top five projects listed in the draft’s implementation matrix, which lists the ultimate priority of considered projects.

According to previous , should the county approve of the township’s new revitalization plan, the township may receive up to annual cap of $668,460 for its proposed revitalization projects. Karen Houck said, in a previous Patch report, a local match of 20 percent would accompany the grant, with only a 5-percent match needed from the township, as 15 percent would come from other organizations.

 The public is invited to further discuss the draft at the .

---

The above .pdf of the UMT Revitalization Plan draft is courtesy of the township's website.