Efficient Growth for Growing Suburbs
Upper Dublin/Whitemarsh Townships, Montgomery County: Sustainable Revitalization of the Fort Washington Office Park
Location Map
[0.2 MB .pdf]
Overview
The Fort Washington Office Park, located in Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh townships, experiences problems retaining tenants due to severe flooding. Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh townships received a $70,000 EGGS grant to research methods to move current tenants to parcels outside of the floodplain, and to site future development in an effort to create an Office Park that is characterized by a mix of uses, pedestrian amenities, and recreational facilities.
Objectives
The overall goal of this project is to create an office park that is better designed to fit the needs of today’s community while being more environmentally and economically sustainable. Key outcomes of the sustainable redevelopment plan will be floodplain protection and greenways, public gathering spaces, improved pedestrian amenities, better connections to transit, and more mixed-uses, along with maintaining the park as a large employment center in the region that provides a strong tax base for Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh townships. Key tasks to accomplishing these goals include:
- Identifying the most cost-effective ways to prohibit new development in and relocate existing development from the worst flood-prone areas of the Fort Washington Office Park;
- identifying a variety of tangible property-specific tools for the township to achieve this, particularly the transfer of development rights; and
- developing solutions within the context of best practices for sustainability, including improved environmental conditions, greater employment opportunities, and an increased tax base for Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh townships.
Status
The Fort Washington Office Park Steering Committee, consisting of representatives of the townships and property managers in the office park, selected a consultant team led by Urban Partners and including URS, Smith and Porter, and McMahon Transportation Engineers and Planners. The Steering Committee met numerous times throughout the process to review and guide the consultants' work, and discussions also took place at Planning Commission and Board of Commissioners meetings. A meeting was held November 11, 2010 to present the concept to the public. The project was completed in June 2011 and that month the Upper Dublin Township Board of Commissions signed a resolution committing to work with stakeholders to implement actions recommended in the Sustainable Development Plan.
215-643-1600 x3222
jbleemer@upperdublin.net