Strategic Plans
Borough Plans
In the last 35 years, at least a dozen plans have been developed to improve Pottstown’s economic competitiveness and quality of life. Our Web site enables visitors to download all of them.
The most recent is the comprehensive plan adopted by Pottstown Council in 2014. Written by the Montgomery County Planning Commission in cooperation with the borough planning commission, the plan summarizes previous plans and contains a wealth of new information. Read the full report here.
Two of the most effective previous plans are the oldest ones: They were researched and written by visiting panels from the Urban Land Institute, a non-profit research and educational institution based in Washington, D.C. The ULI is considered the national leader in promoting quality real estate development, working with developers, planners, and municipal leaders across the country.
In Pottstown's case, ten-member panels representing a diverse group of experts visited the borough in 1976 and again in 1989, each time spending a week touring the community and conducting private individual interviews with about 100 civic leaders.
The plans formulated after those visits have done more to promote quality development in Pottstown than more recent plans. Many of the ULI's recommendations were adopted and represent most of the borough's best achievements.
Last year, a three-member ULI panel visited Pottstown for two days and interviewed about 45 civic leaders in three group sessions. Although not nearly as in-depth as the first two studies, the resulting ULI plan contains many useful ideas.
Click below to view Pottstown's Strategic Plans:
1976 ULI Report
Many of Pottstown's best achievements -- creating College Drive, Riverfront Park, extending Wilson Street, and creating Pottstown's historic districts -- were first recommended by ULI 35 years ago. Most of the plan's other recommendations are still pertinent today.
1989 ULI Report
Among the recommendations of the 1989 ULI report, later carried out, were the creation of a town center with a new borough hall, and a campaign to locate the new West Campus of the Montgomery County Community College in Pottstown.
2009 ULI Report
Last year, a three-member ULI panel visited Pottstown for two days and interviewed about 45 civic leaders in three group sessions. Although not nearly as in-depth as the first two studies, the resulting ULI plan contains many useful ideas.
2008 Economic Strategy
This plan was designed to update the 2000 strategic plan. Unlike the earlier plan, this plan is long on generalities and short on specifics. It recommends a great deal of spending for more consultants and studies, totaling more than $1 million.
2000 Economic Dev. Strategy
This plan, adopted by Pottstown Council, contains 11 "priority" initiatives and 19 "supportive" initiatives to help improve the borough's quality of life. Several initiatives, such as narrowing High Street, have been carried out.
2004 Reconnections
Developed jointly with North Coventry Township, Reconnections calls for enhancements to the southern entryway to Pottstown via Hanover Street and easier pedestrian access to the Coventry Mall from downtown Pottstown.
2003 Core
Redevelopment Plan
Redevelopment Plan
In 2002, large areas of downtown Pottstown were officially declared blighted to provide legal authority to the county Redevelopment Authority to obtain land, by eminent domain if necessary, to facilitate new development.
2002 Western Riverfront Redevelopment Plan
In 2002, large areas of Pottstown along the Schuylkill River were officially declared blighted to provide legal authority to the county Redevelopment Authority to obtain land, by eminent domain if necessary, to facilitate new development.
2003 Riverfront and Memorial Parks Master Plan
The plan made it possible for the Pottstown Parks and Recreation Department to seek state and county funding for development of the parks, including new playing fields, a pedestrian path, a Fountain of Youth spray park, and a bark park for exercising dogs.
1999 John Potts
Park Plan
Park Plan
In 1999, the Pottstown Historical Society created a plan for a proposed county park focused on Pottstown. The plan was funded with $25,000 from the historical society to match a $25,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation. The plan envisioned using a greenway along the Schuylkill River to connect the existing Sanatoga Park in Lower Pottsgrove to Memorial Park in Pottstown and then west to a new park on former Stanley G. Flagg Co. land where a small lake is located.
Although the county commissioners eventually decided not to create a new park anywhere in the county, the John Potts Park Plan inspired them to invest county dollars into a trail system along the Schuylkill River, including part of Pottstown’s riverfront. County grants made it possible for the Borough to acquire a former PECO maintenance building along College Drive, which is now used by the Schuylkill River Greenway Association and the West Campus of the Montgomery County Community College.
2000 Genesis Washington Street Action Plan
Genesis is a private, non-profit housing corporation designated by Pottstown Council to rehabilitate housing and provide new affordable housing in downtown Pottstown. Its 200 plan called for streetscape improvements such as tree planting and more streetlights. It detailed block-by-block improvements for:
Façade improvements, where the use of buildings would remain the same, but their exteriors would be restored.
Existing buildings could be converted to new uses through interior and exterior renovations, and
New housing could be built on vacant land or as a replacement for underutilized or inappropriate buildings.
2006 East High
Street Plan
Street Plan
The 2006 East High Street Plan was designed to improve the appearance and safety of the three-block strip commercial corridor between Pottstown Memorial Medical Center at Armand Hammer Boulevard and the Pottstown McDonald’s at Rosedale Drive. Measures were also added to slow down traffic on Moser Road south of High Street and make it easier to cross both streets.
The plan was designed by a committee of Pottstown residents, planning commission members, and council members. Consultants were Simone Collins Landscape Architects and Traffic Planning and Design, traffic engineers.
The final plan called for narrowing High Street from two traffic lanes in each direction to one lane in each direction with one turning lane and bicycle lanes on either side of the street. New textured crosswalks were recommended to make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross both High Street and Moser Road. Speed “cushions” were recommended on Moser Road to further slow traffic.
New landscaped sidewalks were suggested along High Street. Thus far, none of the plan has been implemented.