Nov-2017

192 193 CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA because of the improvements that are seen. “We have at least five medical cannabis companies that are trying to secure a license from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for a growing and processing facility in the city. Two of these potential licensees have secured options to purchase land from us. Three others have gone out in the private market to secure land and/or buildings in hopes of getting their license. None of the companies were successful in getting a license in the first round; the sec- ond round is going to open up in November and it’s hoped that one of these companies will be able to secure a growing and processing plant. If we get one of those sites, there will probably be about 50 to 60 jobs created.We’re hopeful that will happen. “We have multiple developers that are look- ing to purchase the Alfred O. Deshong Museum and park– it’s about a 14-acre site that has an old museum.While the property is under the control of the Delaware County Commerce Cen- ter, we do have some adjoining properties that could be included in a development. We have one developer who is interested in developing a strip mall. We also have another group, led by the Cambodian Ambassador to the U.S., looking at putting in an educational and cultural center on that site, along with a temple.We have some other developers interested in that site, as well. So, we’re starting to see a lot of momentum in that particular location. “Finally, we have a brand new charter school that was recently constructed in an economi- cally depressed section of Chester. It’s our hope that that the K-12 school will help re-energize educational choices for parents in Chester and because of that, our test scores will increase and people will want to buy or build homes here.” Lisa Gaffney is Deputy Director of the Eco- nomic Development Authority and, according to Nakaishi, is also “on loan” for 15 hours a week to the Riverfront Alliance of Delaware County, a non-profit, membership organization that fo- cuses on the redevelopment of the Chester and Delaware River waterfront communities. “We have 18 members, which include both private and public sector organizations,” Gaffney says. “And we have three major objectives: public safety - we’re specifically working on a security camera initiative in designated parts of the city; the second one is a housing focus, particularly on an employer-assisted housing program, in which some of the member organizations provide assis- tance to their employees to purchase homes in Chester; we also focus on marketing and economic development of the waterfront area.” Going forward, Nakaishi says that a major objective for the city is the revitalization of its downtown. “It is my belief that if you don’t have a vibrant downtown, you don’t have a city,” he as- serts. He would like to see more restaurants and entertainment amenities in order to attract col- lege students from nearby Widener, Neumann, and Swarthmore Universities, as well as the types of housing opportunities that will attract the millen- nial generation of workers. “Chester is eight miles from the Philadelphia International Airport. So, getting to the airport from Chester takes 10-12 minutes,” he explains. “I-95 cuts Chester in half, but if you get onto 95, you can be in downtown Phila- delphia within about 14-15 minutes; in rush hour about 20-22.We also have a good commuter rail line that runs from Wilmington, Delaware to Phil- adelphia and you can run out to Trenton. So, we have a rail system that is flexible and accommo- dating, and we believe if we can get more variety down in the City of Chester with places to eat and some entertainment, the Millennials will come to Chester; they might live in Chester and work in Philadelphia.”