Master Planning for the Wayne Business District

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During the planning process of the 2003 Radnor Township Comprehensive Land Use Plan, special emphasis was placed upon the need to develop a long-term Master Plan for the Wayne Business District, establishing planning goals that would guide the future growth and development of the downtown business community.

The plan proposes a Public / Private Partnership for Action, linking private sector re-development that is encouraged in part by selective public sector improvements. Re-development will be guided by a new Overlay District ordinance.

Our Goal

The goal of the Wayne Master Plan is to build on the Township's successes of the past and make the Wayne Business District even more vibrant and successful - economically, culturally, environmentally, and aesthetically. The boundaries of the Wayne Business District are defined as Aberdeen Avenue to the east, Banbury Avenue to the west, the Radnor Middle School to the South, and the AMTRAK/SEPTA rail lines to the north.

Wayne Business Overlay District Zoning and Subdivision (SALDO) Ordinances

The following are the Wayne Business Overlay District Zoning and Subdivision (SALDO) ordinances pursuant to the processes established under the MPC. This process involved additional input by the township and Delaware county Planning Commissions, the business community and other stakeholders, required public hearings, and then final action on the proposed code amendments, with any modifications, by the Board of Commissioners.

Wayne Master Plan - Adopted

The Wayne Master Plan was adopted by the Board of Commissioners on Monday, September 11, 2006.

Phase 1 of the Wayne Master Plan

Many of the concepts emphasized in the Comprehensive Land Use Plan were evaluated in Phase 1 of the Wayne Master Plan through the Township's consultants - Cahill Associates and Thomas Comitta Associates. The consultants presented their Phase 1 report to the Board of Commissioners on March 14, 2005 during their regular monthly meeting.

Phase 1 of the Wayne Master Plan

Phase 2 of the Wayne Master Plan

Phase 2 of the Wayne Master Plan provides a sound, long-range roadmap to guide the Business District into the future. The Plan proposes a Public/Private Partnership for Action, linking private sector re-development that is encouraged in part by selective public sector improvements. Re-development will be guided by a new Overlay District ordinance. Municipal projects, to be phased in over time, will focus on enhancing the Townscape to better define and balance the Streetscape and the pedestrian environment.

A public participation meeting was held on Tuesday, June 6, 2006. The consultants presented their Phase 2 report to the Board of Commissioners on July 17, 2006 during their regular monthly meeting.

University of Pennsylvania - Department of City and Regional Planning Student Projects

In the fall of 2008, Radnor Township was fortunate to have been selected by Penn's city and Regional Planning program's 1st-year graduate students to prepare and present 2 detailed reports. These resulting reports include a feasibility study for the redevelopment of the study area, which can include selected portions or the entire site. Along with preparing a conceptual plan for the site, students proposed types and amounts of residential, commercial, civic, open space, and other uses that focus on market demand, demographic, and physical characteristics of the site and the surrounding area. These projects also involve developing general design guidelines and/or proposing street scape improvements.

Location:

Both of the Penn student projects are located in the mixed-use village / town center of Wayne, and involve looking at the redevelopment and infill potential of areas along and adjacent to Route 30 that are served by both automobile and rail transit. The assignments also involve helping to determine an appropriate future scale and character for the "town" of Wayne, along with an appropriate mix of residential / commercial uses and public amenities such as parks, open spaces, community centers, etc.

The 2 project locations are immediately adjacent to each other, but each site has its own set of characteristics and issues. Therefore, the 2 plans will have some similarities but each will be distinct. The projects were presented to the Board of Commissioners at their meeting on Monday, May 11, 2009.

Project 1 - St. Davids Realized - A new vision for Lancaster Avenue
The authors are:

Matt Handel, focus in Urban Development
Bruce Hansen, focus in Land Use and Environment
Lisa Jacobson, focus in Transportation
Dae Hyun Kang, focus in Urban Design Erika Lindsey, focus in Community and Economic Development

Project 2 - Wayne Realigned - A New Model for the Main Line
The authors are:

Cassidy Boulan - Transportation Planning
Mason McClellan - Urban Design
Tiffany McCann - Urban Design
Selina Zapata - Land Use and Environmental Planning Andrew Dawson - Land Use and Environmental Planning

Concept Plan for a New Mixed-Use Development at the "South Wayne Avenue Special Use Area"

On March 1, 2008 representatives of the Keating Companies, of Philadelphia, presented a concept plan for a new mixed-use development at the "South Wayne Avenue Special Use Area" in the new Wayne Business Overlay District.

This concept plan envisions a new library and senior center, covered public parking, a public park, a street front cafe, a Wayne post office retail store (under this scenario, the post office's distribution operations and trucks would be relocated out of the center of Wayne to a more appropriate location), and a mixture of condos and townhouses.

This was only the 1st of what will be several additional presentations on what are the most desirable types and levels of uses at this vital crossroads in the heart of the Wayne business district, before any official plans would be considered and submitted to the Township and before any official decisions would be made. For more information view the Keating Presentation from March 1, 2008.

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