| August
24,
2005
(Pittsburgh, Pa.) The West Newton, Pa., Downtown
Waterfront Master Plan has been named the Best
Revitalization Plan by the Smart Growth Partnership of Westmoreland
County. The Plan previously won the Pennsylvania Planning Association’s 2004 Outstanding Plan Award. The Pittsburgh
and Philadelphia offices of Gannett Fleming, an international planning,
design, and construction management firm, collaborated on the award-winning
plan.
The West Newton Plan was recognized for its original design ideas,
capitalizing on the anniversary of a historic bridge, a lighted history
ribbon, and connections of downtown to the adjacent Youghiogheny
River and regional bike trail, both of which are growing in popularity.
The Plan highlights the existing Main Street bridge in West Newton
and the Youghiogheny River by opening up existing views across the
river, upgrading vehicular and pedestrian bridge components, and
designing bridge landings to be strategic components connecting both
sides of the river and West Newton. These landings provide a mix
of uses, including a café, a farmer’s market, a new
Town Square, an interpretive plaza, an amphitheater, and promenades
along both edges of the river.
The proposed history ribbon handrail and memorial gateway components
also provide visitors with a unique experience, while presenting
the community with economically viable and obtainable options for
revitalizing the West Newton downtown.
The Plan was approved by Downtown West Newton, Inc., and the Borough
of West Newton, and Phase I design work has begun. Through a collaborative
stakeholder planning process, the project has encouraged a synergy
of investments to catalyze reinvestment in West Newtown’s downtown
and riverfront.
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