FORT WASHINGTON OFFICE PARK REVITALIZATION
Upper Dublin, PA
Over the last several years, Upper Dublin Township has been investing substantial resources in addressing the issue of flooding, sustainability, and tax base maintenance in the Fort Washington Office Park (FWOP). In its desire to build upon previous studies and efforts, and identify specific solutions for FWOP properties, the Township engaged a team led by Urban Partners to create a revitalization plan for the FWOP in Upper Dublin and Whitemarsh Townships.
As part of the plan, Urban Partners identified the most flood-prone properties in the FWOP (based on recent engineering analyses); identified the most cost-effective ways to prohibit new development in and relocate existing development from the worst flood-prone areas of the FWOP; identified a variety
of tangible property-specific tools for the Townships to achieve this, primarily the transfer of development rights (TDR); created solutions within the context of best practices for sustainability; and introduced concepts to make the FWOP a more exciting and convenient place to work and potentially live.
Suggesting TDR as the primary tool for addressing flooding in the FWOP, Urban Partners established Sending Areas from where flooded properties would be removed and Receiving Areas to where they would be relocated along
with incentives, bonuses, and additional allowable land uses. The firm assigned values to development rights that could be
purchased by developers to make these TDR transactions financially viable and ultimately successful.
Following this work, Urban Partners was retained by the Township to assist in the drafting of ordinance language to enact the selected TDR approach.
