The downtown planning agency charged with reviewing Doug Manchester’s plans for the Navy Broadway Complex was originally slated to complete its analysis by the end of July, but postponed the deadline to September.
In a press release, Centre City Development Corp. Chairwoman Jennifer LeSar said the project’s importance and complexity merits more time to review the plan’s technical, environmental and architectural aspects. LeSar also said the panel will determine whether the project achieves “public benefits.”
That last part could be quite subjective: It provides CCDC an opportunity to throw its weight around on what Manchester representatives consider a very black-and-white issue.
“We recognize the importance of this project and feel that the review process simply can not be rushed,” LeSar stated. “Moving this public review process to September will allow us to invest the time and energy to do it right, and to conduct a thoughtful and thorough review.”
Pending CCDC’s approval, the Navy and Manchester have until Jan. 1 to finalize their negotiations and submit those to the Pentagon’s inspector general. Otherwise, the waterfront property will be subject to the normal military base closure procedures, known as BRAC.