Not only are they a profitable business committed to the island, they are one of the largest industrial employers in the city. The Port Richmond Industrial Development Enterprise is a current example of what can be done. It provides for reuse of the existing buildings according to current floodway regulations while providing jobs for the community. We believe the current traffic and parking problems in the neighborhood have been ignored. These projects will contribute substantially to an already serious traffic problem.
Residential development causes three times the traffic of industrial.
In 1997 Boles, Smyth Assoc. presented a traffic study and suggested some improvements to Main Street and the Green Lane bridge. No improvements have been made to date. We believe no consideration was given to greenspace buyouts of the land. All over Pennsylvania and all over the country, cities, towns, and townships are rushing to remove housing from the floodways and floodplains and replace them with parks and open space. In the wake of hurricane Floyd, tens of millions of dollars have been added to state and federal programs to fund buyouts in flood prone areas.