By Josh Maxwell
The Borough of Downingtown has a lot going for it that not many other boroughs in the county has like, a train station (formally the R-5 line), turnpike access, the Brandywine River, and over 80 acres of park space, which contains a great trail network that includes the Struble Trail. Not to mention it is one of the safest boroughs in the county to live.
Recently Downingtown has been using these attributes to attract destination type development, that hasn’t happened since the mills began closing decades ago. Things are beginning to change for the better.
The 2.2 square mile borough of Downingtown now has over 500 million dollars of development being invested. Restaurants like Amani’s BYOB, Firecreek, Station Taproom and soon Molly Maguire’s either already have or are moving in. We are growing our town with the history of our old Milltown in mind.
When dining along side the Brandywine River at Firecreek, you’re actually dining in one the several mills that were the economic focus of our town for decades. It even has the old mill stonewalls still intact. With delicious food Firecreek is truly one of Chester County’s great fine-dining restaurants. In Downingtown we believe that while preserving our history we can create an economically sustainable town for decades to come.
The idea is not to attract the shot-and-a-beer type bars but restaurants that families from all over the county can come to. Places that will compliment the great businesses we already have, like Margo’s Ice Cream and Downingtown County Gifts. Victory Brewing has been a destination and a stable of our town for years but now we’re getting that type of interest on our main street as well.
With so many things going it is more important then ever that we manage it responsibly, maximize our taxable parcels and secure some of our best characteristics, like our parks and trails. We will be focusing on creating a pedestrian friendly and bike friendly town, as we had more bike lanes, and better (safer) sidewalks. The goal is for the Borough of Downingtown to be a great place to visit shops and stores. We also want to offer a variety of great restaurant choices and for people who already enjoy our 80 acres parks and trails. This is a big undertaking and it takes a lot of work to do right, but as we move towards a new era for Downingtown we must protect the things that have made us a great community for over 150 years.
