The Watchcase Tower, a symbol of Riverside's former greatness.
A walk down Scott Street, Riverside’s “Main Street”, reveals boarded up and closed down businesses. Where historic industrial buildings once stood, barren land now dominates the landscape. Other notable sites, such as the old Zurbrugg Hospital and Golden Triangle, continue to age without any signs of a revitalization.
At one point an industrial machine and a tourist attraction, Riverside has struggled to reinvent itself in recent years. There has been talk of redevelopment, but nothing has been done. The old Taubel Mill, located on Scott and Fairview Streets, was demolished in 2006 to give development a site to flourish. The lot has been clear for over three years now.
Since the closing of Zurbrugg Memorial Hospital in the late 1990’s, the hospital was converted into a senior living facility. However, this venture was short-lived, and since then the site has been abandoned. The idea appeared poorly planned, showing that not just any idea could be successful in Riverside. Right across the road, the Golden Triangle, showcased by the famed “Watchcase Tower”, has long been a spot developers have sought to change, but there have been questions about the sustainability of such an idea.
On Scott Street, a sign says “new stores coming soon”. The sign has been up for over three years, without the slightest hint of a change. Many storefronts on the street remain vacant. Many towns have struggled with empty buildings due to the economic downturn, so Riverside is not alone with this issue. That does not mean residents are not concerned with the direction of the community for various reasons.
Steve Waldman, 23 and a graduate of Rutgers University in New Brunswick, has been a Riverside resident his entire life, and is in favor of redevelopment. He feels the town needs a change, and despite its small size, has the area necessary to develop and create opportunity for the town.
“You look at something like the Watchcase Tower, where the mill used to be, these are places that made Riverside great and they need to be given a chance to work for us now,” said Waldman.
Waldman says that building a shopping center in the old Golden Triangle area would significantly improve the town because it would bring revenue and jobs to the town and bring business. Plus, he feels it would increase the value of the River Line because the Riverside station is located right by the area.
“People could take trips to Riverside if we had something to bring them in,” said Waldman. “Our River Line connection could benefit us immensely as well as neighboring communities. Right now, the River Line brings people to Riverside for the wrong reasons in many cases.”
The River Line itself is a lightning rod of controversy. Opened in March 2004, the Camden-Trenton line cost over a billion dollars to construct, and has not nearly achieved what it had hoped, although it has not been as much of a disaster as the worst cynics had predicted. Still, it has not generated the type of revenue for the communities located along it as was predicted.
Nathan King, 25 and a radiologist at the Children‘s Hospital of Philadelphia, says that as a lifelong resident of the town, there has always been talk of redevelopment and change. He is happy that the town has waited to develop because there have not been proposals or possibilities that could lead to positive long-term growth and community enrichment.
“With regards to redeveloping Riverside, we need ideas that are going to work out over the course of many years, not just something that will be good for a few years but not last,” said King. “If the ideas are not well thought out, they will fail, and could have potentially devastating consequences for our community“.
King says that while he would like for things to be redeveloped, he likes the fact that the town is possibly thinking it over rather than rushing into a project.
“With the economy, that has certainly slowed it down as well,” said King. “When it becomes feasible and they have a good concrete plan on how to rebuild, I am all for it. But developing just for the sake of developing is very irresponsible”
Mark Clauss, 21 and President of the Delran Fire Company, has particularly taken notice of the empty buildings that are common in the town. As a lifelong resident of Riverside, Clauss has been disappointed to see so many businesses fold and leave the community.
“Before any new structures are built, Riverside should focus on filling the buildings that already exist,” said Clauss. “I can’t help but take notice as I walk downtown as to how many places are gone.”
Clauss said that by filling pre-existing buildings, it gives the town the best chance for a quicker turnaround. He also feels that building new structures with so many empty ones around could even make it more difficult for the new establishments to have staying power.
“It would take so much time to build new structures, and there is no guarantee that they will prove to be economically viable,” said Clauss. “A lot of money would be required initially that the town does not have as well. We have plenty of empty buildings in the heart of our town that could be improved and could have significant benefits for the town. ”
There have been some new businesses in town, but more have folded. Holiday House Furniture sold half of its space to make way for a dollar store, and several stores down; Franco’s is a newer establishment serving Mexican-style cuisine. However, the Riverside Arts Guild, supplying musical instruments, has gone under, the old Wachovia building has been vacant for years, and Scott Street lacks that bona fide anchor store to bring prestige and other businesses to the town.
Terri Harper, 53, has lived in Riverside for over 25 years. She has felt the pinch of raising taxes and dropping revenues. She says that redevelopment is the best thing for the town because it desperately needs tax money.
“Any enterprise that could be financially beneficial to Riverside should be considered because we need tax money so that they don’t keep raising ours,” she said.
Harper fears development not happening because she says Riverside has run very stagnant in recent years. If this trend continues, she says the town may be in danger, and the redevelopment will be too late to save it.
“People are strapped and they may start to move away,” Harper said. “It is sad because Riverside is a nice little town; it just needs a boost to get back on track.
Harper is further concerned about the vacancies of the town because of the message it sends to the community and to people looking to start a family.
“People are less likely to start a family in Riverside because there are not the resources there used to be,” Harper said. “There are very few places for children to go, and to fulfill many of your needs, you have to go to other places. The schools are really good, but it may not be enough anymore.”
Different people need different things, as we all are unique. Will Riverside redevelop its barren land and vacant buildings? Will it not redevelop, which seems to be the trend right now? Will it find a happy medium of some redevelopment that can possibly please both sides of the debate?
Only time will tell if the specter of redevelopment in Riverside is fact or fiction.
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