NEW BRITAIN BOROUGH MAIN STREET STUDY DECEMBER 2016 NEW BRITAIN BOROUGH Main Street Study December 2016 New Britain Borough 45 Keeley Avenue New Britain, PA 18901 Phone: 215-348-4586 Fax: 215-348-5953 www.newbritainboro.com NEW BRITAIN BOROUGH Main Street Study December 2016 Borough Council Robyne Kelemen, President Peter LaMontagne, Vice President Robert Binkley, Member Jeffrey Gilmore, Member Mary Pat Holewinski, Member Lori Kesilman, Member Thomas Price, Member David Holewinski, Mayor Planning Commission Michael Stanislaw, Chairperson Karl Dieterichs, Vice Chairperson Robert Binkley, Member Rick Eggleston, Member Loren Frasco, Member David Holewinski, Member Richard Moxey, Member Michael Parke, Member Margaret Remmey, Member Community and Business Committee Andrea Antell, Resident Debbie Byrne, Byrne Sewing Jackie D’Agostino, Resident Dave Fermier Jr., Bucks-Mont Party Center Loren Frasco, Resident Steven Gieseler, Gieseler Insurance Agency Inc. Steven Gilmore, Gilmore & Associates New Britain Borough Main Street Study David Joss, Federal Realty Lorraine Moxey, Resident Richard Moxey, Resident Peg Remmey, Resident Bill Vandegrift, Bill Vandegrift Inc. Planning Consultant Bucks County Planning Commission 1260 Almshouse Road Doylestown, PA 18901 Phone: 215-345-3400 Fax: 215-345-3886 Website: www.buckscounty.org Email: [email protected] New Britain Borough Main Street Study Table of Contents.....iii TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ................................................................................................................... 1 Study Purpose ............................................................................................................................................ 1 Study Area ................................................................................................................................................... 2 PART I - EXISTING CONDITIONS ...................................................................................... 3 Regional Setting ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Population and Demographic Trends ...................................................................................................... 4 Population ............................................................................................................................................ 4 Race and Ethnicity ............................................................................................................................... 5 Households and Families .................................................................................................................... 6 Population and Housing Projections................................................................................................. 7 Land Use Characteristics ............................................................................................................................ 9 Regional Land Use ............................................................................................................................... 9 Study Area Land Use ........................................................................................................................... 9 Residential Land Use ........................................................................................................................... 9 Nonresidential land Use .................................................................................................................... 10 Parks, Recreation, and Protected Open Space ............................................................................... 11 Transportation and Utilities .............................................................................................................. 11 Vacant ................................................................................................................................................. 11 Historic Resources .................................................................................................................................... 12 Underutilized Properties .......................................................................................................................... 13 Transportation/Circulation ..................................................................................................................... 18 Transportation System ....................................................................................................................... 18 Pedestrians and Bicyclists .................................................................................................................. 23 Public Transportation ........................................................................................................................ 24 DVRPC Transportation Improvement Program .......................................................................... 28 Policy and Regulatory Provisions ........................................................................................................... 30 New Britain Borough Comprehensive Plan ................................................................................... 30 Butler Avenue Revitalization Strategies .......................................................................................... 33 Bucks County Comprehensive Plan ................................................................................................ 34 New Britain Borough Zoning Ordinance ....................................................................................... 35 Economic Conditions............................................................................................................................... 42 Retail Market Analysis ....................................................................................................................... 42 Assets, Constraints, and Opportunities .......................................................................................... 55 PART II - BUTLER AVENUE MAIN STREET REVITALIZATION PLAN.................... 57 Overall Vision .......................................................................................................................................... 58 Mobility Enhancement ............................................................................................................................. 59 Table of Contents │ i New Britain Borough Main Street Study Connectivity ........................................................................................................................................ 59 Pedestrian and Bicyclist Safety ......................................................................................................... 61 Transportation System ....................................................................................................................... 62 Access Management ........................................................................................................................... 64 Streetscape Improvements ................................................................................................................ 66 Speed Reduction ................................................................................................................................. 66 Potential Funding Sources ................................................................................................................ 66 Summary of Mobility Enhancement Strategies/Recommendations .......................................... 66 Main Street Design .................................................................................................................................... 69 Streetscapes ......................................................................................................................................... 69 Streetscape Segments ......................................................................................................................... 73 Town Center ....................................................................................................................................... 74 Historic Village ................................................................................................................................... 77 University Village ............................................................................................................................... 79 Gateways .................................................................................................................................................... 81 Western Entrance Gateway .............................................................................................................. 82 Western Gateway (University Village) ............................................................................................. 84 Eastern Gateway (University Village) .............................................................................................. 86 Identifiable Features ................................................................................................................................. 89 Design Guidelines ..................................................................................................................................... 92 Economic Development Strategies .......................................................................................................