Richland plans Peddler's Village type shopping complex

Buena Vista Mayor Chuck Chiarello has big plans for Richland, envisioning a major shopping and office complex patterned after a Victorian-era railroad to be built along a rail line between Winslow and Cape May.

The village would have artisans like a blacksmith or leather worker, arts and craft stores, and restaurants. It would be complemented by a 3,000-square-foot indoor model railroad display.

"The core is a village of shops, essentially a Peddler's Village or a Smithville," Chiarello said, referring to the popular 18th-century-themed shopping complexes located respectively in Bucks County, Pa., and Galloway....So far, the Richland-Tuckahoe excursion, operated by the Cape May Seashore Lines, has drawn some 3,500 people in three months of operation, Chiarello said. It ran only on Saturdays and resumes service in March.

He wants to extend the service to Cold Spring Village, a restored 19th-century village in Cape May where Cape May Seashore Lines operates another tour route. But some 10 miles of track through Woodbine would require costly repairs.

At some point, the line could be extended to a connection in Winslow with the Atlantic City commuter rail line, Chiarello said. This could open the possibility of tourists from all over the region taking the train to avoid Cape May's notoriously bad summer traffic, he said....