As part of the Brandywine Creek Greenway initiative, the Brandywine Conservancy and Chester County Planning Commission are studying the feasibility of a Brandywine Water Trail—a formalized route along the waterway for recreational use, enhanced by connections to land trails. Two public meetings are scheduled for February 5 and 12 to get input from the community on routes that are currently used; areas that are unsafe and need improvement; areas where additional access would be helpful; and opportunities for stewardship and education.
The first public meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 5 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Downingtown Borough Annex (4 West Lancaster Ave., Downingtown). The second public meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 12 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Brandywine River Museum of Art (1 Hoffman’s Mill Rd., Chadds Ford). Both meetings will be held open-house style, and attendees can arrive at any time during the two-hour window. Families are welcome to attend, and light refreshments will be provided. Registration is requested at www.brandywine.org/events; there is no cost to register.
Once complete, the Brandywine Water Trail will be a 22-mile bi-state water route that connects communities to the river in Pennsylvania and Delaware, improving access to the waterway for increased recreational and educational use, while also protecting and enhancing the natural, scenic, cultural, and historic resources along the river. The feasibility study will focus on the east and west branches of the Brandywine starting from Coatesville and Downingtown in Pennsylvania to the Brandywine Creek State Park in Delaware. Residents of both states are welcome and encouraged to attend one or both of the meetings to provide input.
About the Brandywine Creek Greenway
The Brandywine Creek Greenway is a regional planning initiative of the Brandywine Conservancy—involving 27 municipal partners in Chester and Delaware counties in Pennsylvania and New Castle County and the City of Wilmington in Delaware—to create a 40-mile long conservation and recreation corridor along both branches of the Brandywine. The Greenway stretches from the Christina River in Wilmington, Delaware to the Pennsylvania Highlands in Honey Brook Township. The Brandywine Creek Greenway and its network of parks and trails form the western limit of the Circuit Trails, a regional trail network of the greater Philadelphia region. The vision of the Brandywine Creek Greenway is to build healthier, more sustainable communities, by emphasizing the natural and cultural resources of the area; preserving and protecting the Brandywine River; and creating connections among open space, parks, river access points and area attractions. To learn more, visit www.brandywinegreenway.org
