Airy St Prison Open House

Sorry for the delay on getting this information out, but life intervened.

As I made mention in a previous post, the County held an open house on the Prison Redevelopment Plan back on Monday, October 7, 2024. It was an opportunity to let the public know what has been going on since the delay of the demolition last year. The planning staff had large posters around the room that highlighted the different survey responses, a tabulation of the potential uses for the building, a poster showing the existing conditions, and a running drone video showing the building in all its glory. It was really interesting that many people felt the top three uses could be either a restaurant, educational institution, or music venue, as you can see in these images below.

I had another engagement that evening so I was only able to stay for an hour, so I am not sure how many people ultimately showed up. When I was there, there were about 20 or so. Of course, a couple members of our group showed up with their shirts.

In other news, a very good editorial written by Norristown architect, Doug Seiler, was published in the Times Herald on the 11th. He gives kudos to the recent handling by the county regarding the salvaging of the structure and speaking on whether the town will support a repurposed use. With the Justice Center winding down on the construction, he indicates that the addition of a refurbished prison could give a shot in the arm to Norristown's rebirth, and suggested that a task force of county and municipal leaders be formed to consider how submissions coming from the RFEI (Request for Express Interest) could best fit into an overall plan. A very worthwhile suggestion.

The RFEI is now scheduled to go out in November. It was held up as the planning staff wanted to include the results of the survey and other background information that developers would need to know.