As we told you a few weeks ago, Washington Avenue Green is a newish park that runs along the Delaware river between Washington Ave. and Wal-Mart. The park not only gives locals better access to the river, but it gives visitors practical insights into the importance of water runoff management.
As we mentioned, the Washington Ave. Green we know today is merely the first step for this park, with several possibilities for improvements and expansion in the future. According to Planphilly, the next steps for the park are currently being considered, and we’re not talking about a small addition by any means. The centerpiece of Phase II for this park would be the construction of a self-supporting boardwalk that would allow park visitors to walk from the park’s current location upland onto the pier itself, floating in the river. With the addition of more wetlands and the construction of a ridiculous-looking building or two, the park could look like this in the coming years.
The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation has started on the planning process for this project, and is currently looking hard at how to pay for it. While we’re excited for the expansion of the park, we do have a bone to pick with the image above. While renderings are important to show the vision for a project, this one takes so many liberties you start to question its legitimacy. We see the boardwalk and that part makes sense. We can understand the weird installation thing where the marina is currently situated. But… where’s the Steelworker’s Union building? It just disappears. And why is it autumn in the middle of the image, but summer everywhere else? And what’s with the building that looks like a spring?