I have stated many times that one of the challenges the city of Chester faces is making sure that the economic rebirth that is so evident along the waterfront make its way across Route 291 and into other parts of town.
That’s why yesterday was so important.
There was Wendell Mayor Butler and a phalanx of other dignataries snipping the ribbon on another big development.
This time the city was welcoming its first new major hotel in more than three decades.
It’s part of “The Hub,” a $50 million development known as University Crossing at 15th Street and Providence Avenue. It’s on property owned by Widener University.
It continues an impressive series of economic ventures in the city. Of course there was the Wharf at Rivertown, Harrah’s Casino & Racetrack, and now the soccer stadium under the Commodore Barry Bridge. But all those hugged the waterfront.
This one is smack dab in the middle of the city. The 60-room Best Western will soon be joined by a bank, a restaurant, and a 7-Eleven convenience store.
What’s more, it will provide still another infusion of cash into the city coffers. The site owned by Widener used to be tax-exempt. It will now generate $1.8 million in real estate taxes, $800,000 in earned income taxes and $600,000 in business privilege taxes.
The city certainly still has its challenges. Too many of its neighborhoods remain unsafe. Its troubled school system remains very much a work in progress.
But the city’s turnaround is unmistakable. And undeniable.
Mayor Butler may have said it best at the stadium groundbreaking.
“Chester is coming back,” he proclaimed. And it’s not just on the waterfront anymore.
That’s why yesterday was so important.
There was Wendell Mayor Butler and a phalanx of other dignataries snipping the ribbon on another big development.
This time the city was welcoming its first new major hotel in more than three decades.
It’s part of “The Hub,” a $50 million development known as University Crossing at 15th Street and Providence Avenue. It’s on property owned by Widener University.
It continues an impressive series of economic ventures in the city. Of course there was the Wharf at Rivertown, Harrah’s Casino & Racetrack, and now the soccer stadium under the Commodore Barry Bridge. But all those hugged the waterfront.
This one is smack dab in the middle of the city. The 60-room Best Western will soon be joined by a bank, a restaurant, and a 7-Eleven convenience store.
What’s more, it will provide still another infusion of cash into the city coffers. The site owned by Widener used to be tax-exempt. It will now generate $1.8 million in real estate taxes, $800,000 in earned income taxes and $600,000 in business privilege taxes.
The city certainly still has its challenges. Too many of its neighborhoods remain unsafe. Its troubled school system remains very much a work in progress.
But the city’s turnaround is unmistakable. And undeniable.
Mayor Butler may have said it best at the stadium groundbreaking.
“Chester is coming back,” he proclaimed. And it’s not just on the waterfront anymore.
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