PRESSROOM
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Mid-Atlantic Brownfields & Land Revitalization
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From Steel to State of the Art Community
Malvern, Pennsylvania- location of the ambitious, mixed-use “Worthington Project” (Click image to enlarge.)
Conceptual image of the well-located project in Eastern Pa.
Detailed layout of the Worthington Project, located on 40 acres of land, which will comprise housing, retail, office, and green space while incorporating green design.
With the economy reeling and American job losses at record highs, the transformation occurring at a 40-acre former steel factory represents a beacon of light for an eastern Pennsylvania town hit hard by these troubled times. However, the Worthington Project in Malvern has become not simply a beacon of light, but a reality coming to life as O’Neill Properties concentrates efforts on turning the former steel factory into the commonwealth’s largest individual private investment mixed-use project.
No stranger to brownfields redevelopment, O’Neill planners first addressed those environmental issues that often plague former industrial properties. Today, groundwater monitoring is ensuring cyanide and localized VOCs plumes remain stabilized. Soil and groundwater contamination will be addressed through the Pennsylvania Land Recycling and Environmental Remediation Standards Act, or Act II.
During cleanup, plans were rolled out to create an urban community space that provided a complete work, live and play sanctuary. With a focus on ‘compact growth’ as opposed to urban sprawl, this forward-thinking concept quickly gained momentum. The plans for the Worthington Town Center include a vibrant town with 745,000 square feet of retail, restaurants, and entertainment; 753 multi-family homes; and 185,000 square feet of office space for investment and other firms. There are even efforts to incorporate LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certified design by incorporating recycled materials and efficient heating, cooling and lighting systems in their plans.
O’Neill ‘went green’ with the cleanup by recycling steel from the old mill, selling it to perform the cleanup and demolition of the mill. Worthington will have thousands of parking spaces hidden in parking garages wrapped around the buildings, allowing customers to access entrance into parking garages from multiple locations into the Malvern shopping, living and entertainment complex.
And there’s more. O’Neill Properties is talking with such retailers and restaurants as Wegman’s Food Market, Borders Books, Muvico, Brio Restaurant, Banana Republic, California Pizza Kitchen and Starbucks for the town. Throw in a town square, open space to promote energy conservation, a connection to and extension of the Chester County Rail to Trails Bike Path, and re-opening of Little Valley Creek, and it’s clear the impact on this community will be profound.
With incentives from the state’s Department of Community and Economic Development, and the promise of construction and permanent jobs generated from the project, AND the 8 million visitors expected each year, it comes as no surprise that this new compact growth town is the talk of the … well, town.
For more information on this project, go to Worthington's website.
Article contributed by
Rashmi Mathur
EPA Region 3 Office of Brownfields and Land Revitalization
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http://www.epa.gov/reg3hwmd/bf-lr/newsletter/2009-Summer/worthingtonsteel.html
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