Renewed Talk About Putting World Trade Center Near Delaware Riverfront
By David Madden
CAMDEN, N.J. (CBS) -- Developers who wanted, but failed, to place a World Trade Center just off Penn's Landing a few years ago are now apparently looking to take the proposal across the river to Camden.
Waterfront Renaissance Associates had to settle for residential towers just north of the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia. Now the firm is talking about putting up a series of buildings on land in North Camden where a state prison once stood.
Camden County freeholder Jeffrey Nash likes the idea.
"It's the type of project that brings jobs to the city, tax ratables to the city ," Nash says, "and creates a mass for commercial development."
And it attracts companies involved in international trade and private sector technology development.
All of this is a concept at this point. Nash wants more information on how the project might be financed and he wants to make sure community leaders are on board.
"Several of us have received some preliminary information about the project.," he says. "We obviously need to learn more about what the financing details would be and we need to reach out to make sure the North Camden community and Camden in general accepts this type of project."
But in the end, the decision on what goes on that land will be made by the state Economic Development Authority. And they've yet to even request proposals from potential developers.
