Inquirer Editorial: Stick with plan for waterfront

In an effort to get developers to design projects that comply more closely with the master plan's view of a low-rise neighborhood with public access to the river, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation will do its own review of designs.

Since the agency directed by Thomas P. Corcoran has no enforcement powers - even with top city planner Alan Greenberger as a board member - it has had to stand by while the City Planning Commission decided it was more important to see several recent projects built than comply with the waterfront plan.

But with the DRWC's launch of a design review committee to size up future projects, there's at least a better chance that builders will offer plans that do more to advance a smart vision for the central Delaware.

The DRWC is especially well-suited to promote smart planning for the area, having already set a good example with projects like the conversion of the Race Street Pier and plans to bring back water-taxi services on the river.

Developers may be under no legal obligation to submit to the DRWC's reviews. However, winning the agency's blessing should come to be seen by progressive developers as a vote of confidence that's worth courting.

The more carefully planned, the more likely that the city will achieve it's goal of making the Delaware waterfront a showcase - a goal well worth pursuing.