Mark Keener aia aicp pp
Town Planner
Kennett Region Economic Strategy
A Place-based multi-municipal economic development strategy | Status: Ongoing | Kennett Square, is a compact, extraordinarily attractive town in Chester County PA. The Borough, known as “Mushroom Capital of the World”, is not only a center of agricultural industriousness and food-forward tourism, it also has a vital downtown that is the headquarters of Genesis, a national health care provider, and a number of other corporate employers; drawn to the natural beauty of the area. This emerging vitality leaves former industrial properties near the center of town susceptible to redevelopment. Local leadership of the town and the surrounding region saw an opportunity to work collaboratively to provide the infrastructure and regulatory guidance needed to shape private investment in housing, stormwater management, commercial growth, street design, parking, traffic calming and the beautification of those districts most likely to support change: the State Street-Cypress Street corridor; Birch Street, and the former NVF site along West Mulberry Street.
In the spring of 2015 Historic Kennett Square, under the advisement of its Economic Development Committee, applied for and was awarded a Vision Partnership Program grant from the Chester County Planning Commission. This grant from the County, along with funding from project partners Kennett Township, the Borough of Kennett Square, Longwood Gardens and GenesisHealth Care allowed for an RFP process to begin with the goal of hiring a consulting team to conduct a Kennett Region Economic Development Study for seven focus areas in Kennett Township and the Borough of Kennett Square. In the fall of 2015 Todd Poole from 4ward Planning and Mark Keener AIA AICP were hired to create the plan. Read more
Project Team
Role: M. Keener: Project leader for planning, zoning and design. | Economic lead: 4Ward Planning | Team: RBA’s A. Okutani, J. Maciunas, M. Ludwig
Outcomes
Key outcomes: defined areas of political consensus, a new hire charged with implementation of the plan; followed by: new businesses startups, local entrepreneurship, green infrastructure project funding, as well as supportive zoning and ordinances to open the way for welcome reinvestment.
Links
“In each of these specific areas, we have themes and topics that are directly related to the idea ...to make changes to the zoning codes and related ordinances, to encourage economic development”