Residents React to Steel Site Proposal

Local residents and business owners gathered at Artisans Gallery and Café on Bridge Street on Wednesday evening to discuss how the proposed development of the steel site may affect the future of Phoenixville’s business culture.

Conditional use for the seven-acre tract, which has frontage on both Main Street and the 100 block of Bridge Street, was recommended by the planning commission . The proposed development of the parcel includes the construction of a mixed-use site consisting of 275 high-end apartments, 80,000-square feet of retail and 30,000-square feet of office space, which includes a five-story parking garage with approximately 600 parking spaces.

Developer Manny DeMutis and Project Manager Barry Cassidy were on hand on behalf of the O Creek Associates development company to provide an overview of the project and answer questions from the community.

DeMutis opened the discussion by providing some background on the plan and his vision for the downtown area. DeMutis, who was a Planning Commission member from 1994 to 2000, said they spent six years on the master plan for development of the steel site.

“The challenge to developing is remembering what we are, but not betraying who we were and remaining pertinent to the marketplace,” DeMutis said.

DeMutis, a lifelong resident with ties to the community through his family business, The DeMutis Group, said that his goal has always been to make the borough an integrated live, work and play space. However, he cited the lack of employment options available in the immediate Phoenixville area as a hindrance to future growth.

“Ultimately we not only want to make this a desirable place to live and shop, we want to make it a decent place to work as well,” said DeMutis, who emphasized the generation of employment opportunities as a key aspect of the borough’s future.

Attendees had mixed reactions to the plan, with some supporting the new development and others against it. Concerns were raised regarding the existing retail space and development opportunities already available along Bridge Street, the loss of greenspace and the current state of the local economy.

A resident who lives above Iron Hill Brewery and Restaurant, voiced concerns about the development affecting her living space. She said one of the reasons she chose to live in her current residence was due to the unobstructed view of the now undeveloped steel site’s greenspace. She wanted to know how the development would affect that view.

“You will see buildings, depending on how high you are,” said DeMutis.

Several attendees expressed their frustration with new development plan in when there are already so many vacant storefronts on Bridge Street and more of the street left to develop.

“It’s not a correct assumption that we are abandoning downtown,” said DeMutis. “When we started out in 1992, Phoenixville had 37 empty stores and no lights because the borough didn’t have the money to pay for them to be fixed,” he said.

DeMutis also added that since then, the Borough has grown five percent.

According to DeMutis, there are currently 40,000-square feet of retail space on Bridge Street. He also added that each business that applies for usage in the borough goes through a screening process to ensure they are a good fit for the community before they are accepted.

“There are lots of vacancies based on use,” said DeMutis. “We have to look at who is coming in [to the borough]. We turn down uses all the time. Our vision is to be one of a kind."

Mary Foote, executive director of The Colonial Theatre, spoke in defense of the new development.

“We’re still working on these existing three blocks,” said Foote. “You can’t just go in one direction. You have to be working on different levels."

She also addressed the vacancies and anyone questioning the future of the town’s vitality.

“There are still 42,000 people coming out of the theater every year. Don’t worry about the 200 block losing its pizzazz,” said Foote.

Lydia Fenstermacher, who lives along the 100 block of Bridge Street, described what it was like moving from Pottstown to Phoenixville three years ago.

“If you want an example of a dying town, that’s Pottstown,” she said. “Phoenixville is the opposite. It’s amazing to see the creativity and vibrancy there is here."

Resident and local business owner Ed Roper wanted to know how DeMutis could guarantee the success of the new development project when the economy was still recovering.

“We are still reeling from a real estate downturn and the media is still saying that we won’t bounce back or we may never recover,” he said.

Roper wanted to know why money would be spent on new development that might remain empty and referenced the newly designed Providence Town Center in nearby Collegeville as an example.

“There is already space available there. What makes you think [businesses] will come here?” he said.

DeMutis said that larger chain businesses like Wegmans fit into a larger shopping complex design like Providence Town Center, but those same stores would not be right for Phoenixville. According to DeMutis, smaller businesses continue to be attracted to the borough based on the successes of their peers.

“Why would Iron Hill come to Phoenixville?” said DeMutis. “Everyone thought they were crazy. To date, Phoenixville is the highest grossing Iron Hill location per square foot."

The overall design of the development and surrounding areas was also discussed. DeMutis provided attendees with designs depicting the appearance of the building, which he said was designed to resemble an 1850s-1890s streetscape, as well as for an open area with an amphitheatre along the Schuylkill River.

He also mentioned using urban farming, open space parks, greenspace areas in the plan and designating a new site as a permanent home for the Phoenixville Firebird Festival.

Both DeMutis and Cassidy said that the best way for the public to be heard and involved in the development of the steel site development would be to attend borough council meetings and planning commission meetings.

Emma Peabody, who organized the discussion at Artisans via Facebook and word of mouth, hoped the meeting got a dialogue going.

“The purpose of [this meeting] was to have a discussion,” she said. “Community participation is vital.”

Phoenixville Borough Council meets next on July 12.

Phoenixville Planning Commission meets next on July 14.

Editor's Note: This article has been changed. The planning commission recommendation was 6-1, not what was previously reported, and the number of visitors to the theater was also corrected. Additionally, a resident was misidentified. Patch apologizes for the errors.