The Steelpointe site located along French Creek in Phoenixville Borough was a transformational project. A brownfield redevelopment on the site of the former Phoenix Iron Works, the 64-acre development encompasses 310 townhomes and a 240-unit apartment building. Designed as a neoclassical site design, complete with alleys with rear entry garages, central green, uninterrupted streetscapes, and a pedestrian trail along French Creek.
Stormwater management was a central element to the site design. Inlets throughout the development were equipped with water quality devices. In order to maximize parks and active recreational areas, stormwater for the development was directed to a subsurface basin located under the central green, where stormwater is detained and slow released into numerous naturalized bio-filtration facilities. These bio-filtration facilities provided water quality treatment to the runoff, which is slowly released from the basin, removing sediment, nutrients and other pollutants, before the stormwater runoff reaches French Creek. They also provided quality of life as the native vegetation in these facilities created vital habitat for birds and other fauna, while offering bucolic views from the pedestrian trail, looking out over French Creek.