west park district plan

8/12/2019 West Park District Plan

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WESTPARK> DISTRICT PLAN

PHILADELPHIA

2 35



>The Philadelphia Home Rule Charter requires the Philadelphia City

Planning Commission(PCPC) to adopt and maintain a comprehensive plan.Philadelphia2035 is our two-phase comprehensive plan. The Citywide Vision

portion was adopted by the PCPC in June 2011. Over the next several years,

the PCPC will complete 18 strategic district plans, taking many of the broad-

brush objectives of the Citywide Vision and applying them at the local level.

>Philadelphia2035 is part of an integrated planning and zoning process that

includes zoning reform and the Citizens Planning Institute. A new zoning code

was signed into law in December 2011. The new code is user-friendly and

consistent with today’s uses and development trends. The Citizens Planning

Institute offers classes in planning, zoning and government.

>The PCPC also prepares the Capital Program, a six-year funding plan for

public facilities and infrastructure such as transit lines, highways, parks,

playgrounds, libraries, health centers, and other municipal facilities. Specific

recommendations for these facilities are included in the district plans.

The future begins with Philadelphia2035 . It builds on our

city’s recent achievements and long-established assets to guide physical

development for the next 25 years and beyond.

Philadelphia2035 is our blueprint for a 21st-century city that

thrives with new growth and opportunities, connects to the region and the

world, and renews its valued resources for future generations.

Phase 1:

Citywide Vision

Phase 2:

District Plans

> Informs District Plans > Informs zoning map revisions

PHILADELPHIA2 35www.phila2035.org



> CITYWIDE VISION

> DISTRICT PLANS

+40,000jobs

in 2035

The Citywide Vision lays out broad, far-reaching goals for the future under the themes of THRIVE, CONNECT, and RENEW.

These themes and their related goals are described through specific objectivesacross the nine planning elements of neighborhoods, economic development,land management, transportation, utilities, open space, environmentalresources, historic preservation, and the public realm.

The Citywide Vision builds on our strengths of a strong metropolitan center,diverse neighborhoods, and industrial legacy areas by recommending goals

that contribute to a stronger economy, a healthier population, and a smallerenvironmental footprint.

The Citywide Vision also includes an ambitious forecast for population andemployment in 2035 of an additional 100,000 people and 40,000 jobs.

A framework for implementation across City departments will advance thegoals of the Citywide Vision and is underway concurrent with the developmentof the district plans.

There are three major products of the district plans: land use plans, planningfocus areas, and Capital Program recommendations.

The 18 district plans are focused on a shorter time frame than the 25-year Citywide Vision . While the majority of the land use and developmentrecommendations are meant to be accomplished within a ten-year period, someof the recommendations are early action items designed to lay the foundationfor longer-term proposals. Strategic recommendations for municipal facilities,infrastructure, and City-owned land are addressed because of PCPC’sleadership role in the Capital Program process. The district plans presentpriority planning focus areas to illustrate the written recommendations andsuggest visionary changes in these areas. The district plans’ land use mapsguide the zoning map revisions, a public process that begins after each district

plan is complete.

The civic engagement planning process for each district plan includes threepublic meetings, frequent Steering Committee meetings, and several publicpresentations to the PCPC. When the PCPC completes all 18 district plans, theentire Philadelphia2035 planning process will be revised and updated, therebymaintaining a current comprehensive plan for the city.

This is the WEST PARK DISTRICT PLAN. It was adopted by the PCPC on March20th 2012.

+100,000

peoplein 2035

CENTRALCENTRAL NORTHEASTLOWER FAR NORTHEASTLOWER NORTH

LOWER NORTHEASTLOWER NORTHWESTLOWER SOUTHLOWER SOUTHWEST

NORTHNORTH DELAWARERIVER WARDSSOUTHUNIVERSITY/SOUTHWEST

UPPER FAR NORTHEASTUPPER NORTHUPPER NORTHWEST

WEST WEST PARK

THE 18 DISTRICTS



2Philadelphia2035:

West Park District Plan

D e l a w

a

r e

R

i v

e

r

Phila. Museum of Art

30th St. StationCity Hall

Convention Center

Metropolitan Center

West Park District

West District

Lower NorthDistrict

River WardsDistrict

University / SouthwestDistrict

Lower SouthwestDistrict

Lower SouthDistrict

South District

N e wJ e r s e

M o n t g o m e r yC o u n t y

D e l a w a r eC o u n t y

69th St.Terminal

Lower NorthwestDistrict

NorthDistrict

CynwydRegional Rail

Paoli/ThorndaleRegional Rail

Market Street

Broad Street

I-76

I-95

I-76

I-676

I-95



3

C i t y

A v e.

L a n c a s t e r A v e .

Girard Ave.

R t. 1 0

R t. 1 5

L a n s d o w n e

A v e.

S c h

u y l k

i l l R i v

e r

MorrisPark

West FairmountPark

Cobbs CreekGolf Club

6 8 t h

S t

W y a l u s i n g A v e.

5 4 t h

S t .

M a l v

e r n A

v e .

The Mann Center for the Performing Arts

30th St. Station

St. Joseph’sUniversity

Philadelphia College ofOsteopathic Medicine

69th St.Terminal

M o n t g o m e r y C o u n t y

CynwydRegional Rail

Paoli/ThorndaleRegional Rail

I-76

Market Street

Philadelphia Zoo

Please Touch Museum(Memorial Hall)

The West Park District covers 6.86 square miles and has a total population of 43,354. The district’s boundaries were

drawn to include West Fairmount Park, communities bordering the park, and neighborhoods located near City Avenue.

The district performs dual roles in the city: it is a predominantly residential area, and its vast parkland is a major

resource for recreation and open space. Major landmarks include the Philadelphia Zoo, St. Joseph’s University, and

West Fairmount Park containing the Mann Center for the Performing Arts and the Please Touch Museum.

WEST PARK DISTRICT



4Philadelphia2035:


DEFINING THE CONTEXT

Upland Way and Redfield Street in Wynnefield



6Philadelphia2035:


°0 1, 000 2 ,00 0500 Feet

Existing Assets

> Neighborhoods

The district contains nine distinct neighborhoods:

East Parkside, West Parkside, Cathedral Park,

Overbrook Park, Green Hill Farms, Overbrook Farms,

Wynnefield, Belmont Village, and Wynnefield

Heights. The neighborhoods located near CityAvenue are relatively affluent communities

where residents value their proximity to suburban

areas. Three of the neighborhoods, situated to

the south of West Fairmount Park, are home to

low- and moderate-income households. Here, the

housing and commercial areas are older and need

significant improvement.

> Parks

There are 2.83 square miles of park, recreation,

and open spaces in the West Park District. This

includes West Fairmount Park, Morris Park, and

two golf courses. In total, 41 percent of the land

in West Park is used for park, recreation, or openspaces. This percentage is higher than any other

Planning District in Philadelphia.

> Regional Center

City Avenue, a regional center that straddles the

border between Philadelphia and Montgomery

Counties, is a major job and commercial center.

> Institutions

Institutions, which include cultural, religious, and

private entities as well as the Parkside Industria

Park, are anchors in the district and provide strong

foundations for future development.

The West Park District is defined by its abundance of parkland. West Fairmount Park and Cobbs

Creek Park sit prominently on either side of the district. City Avenue, the major thoroughfare

and border with Lower Merion Township, Montgomery County, stretches along the northernboundary creating an imposing physical barrier between the two counties. Neighborhoods are

filled with housing of varying density and architecture, each with unique issues and strengths.

Philadelphia Zoo

St. Joseph’s

University

Philadelphia College ofOsteopathic Medicine

Memorial HallPlease TouchMuseum

West

Fairmount Park

Cobbs Creek

Golf Club

Morris

Park

Wynnefield

WynnefieldHeights

BelmontVillage

OverbrookPark

GreenHill Farms

Overbrook

Farms

West Park Assets

NeighborhoodsParks

Regional CenterInstitutions

East Parkside

West

Parkside

CathedralPark

Mann CenterFor the Performing Arts

C i t y

A v e n

u e

BalaGolf Club



7Defining the Context

°0 1, 000 2 ,00 0500 Feet

> Improve the Centennial District

There are several ways in which the West Park

District can capitalize on its unique physical

characteristics. West Fairmount Park contains

the Centennial District, a tourist attraction

and cultural hub that has a vibrant past andpromising future. The changes to the Centennial

District will have a significant effect on both the

surrounding neighborhoods and Philadelphia

as a whole. The Centennial District is adjacent

to important developable land along Parkside

Avenue that presents an opportunity to enhance

this destination and create new jobs.

Future Opportunities

West Park has great potential for development that will be aided by key infrastructure

investments, further development of the City Avenue corridor and Centennial District, new

development around transit nodes, and proper land-use and zoning changes recommended inthe West Park District Plan.

> Strengthen the Regional Center

City Avenue, as a regional center, has significant

opportunities for growth and change. For the

past 13 years, the City Avenue Special Services

District, an inter-municipality operation, has

studied and advocated for the development of CityAvenue. Creating a more walkable and connected

Regional Center will better serve the citizens

of Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties and

provide opportunities for new commercial and

office development.

> Improve Connections

Connections throughout West Park will provide

better access to amenities and services.

Improved transit options, targeted commercial

development, reconfigured streets, strategic new

housing development, and enhanced bicycle andpedestrian access will better connect the existing

neighborhoods to the strong commercial, cultural

and recreational amenities found throughout

West Park. This will provide a springboard for new

growth.

West Park Opportunities

Parkside Industrial ParkStreet ImprovementsIndustrial ExpansionMixed-Use Development

52nd StreetTransit ImprovementsInfill DevelopmentConnection to Park

City AvenueRedevelopment(Zoning Overlay)



8Philadelphia2035:


190018801860

> Early DevelopmentOriginally settled in the 1600s, early

development in the West Park District

clustered around Lancaster Avenue and along

the Schuylkill River. West Park remained a part

of Delaware County until the Consolidation Act

of 1854, incorporating the area’s development

into the City of Philadelphia.

In 1855, Fairmount Park was

created to help preserve thewater quality of the Schuylkill

River. The City purchased the

country houses and farmsteads

along the river and incorporated

the land into the Park.

In 1876, Philadelphia hosted the

Centennial Exhibition and Fairmount

Park was converted to fairgrounds forthe World’s Fair with temporary and

permanent structures, hotels, and a

trolley system. One fifth of the nation’s

population attended the fair.

Built by developers of

German descent, Parkside

has a large collection ofornate, Flemish-Revival

apartment buildings

and houses overlooking

Fairmount Park.Overbrook Farms, an example of

early 20th century planned suburban

development, was founded in 1892. The

community was advertised as a way for

upper-class city residents to move to the

bucolic suburbs, but with the option to

use the train to work in Center City.

Overbrook School for the Blind was

founded in 1832 and moved to its location

at 63rd and Malvern Avenue in 1899. The

main building was designed by the well-

known architecture firm of Cope and

Stewardson, and remains the focal point

of the campus today.1874:PhiladelphiaZoo opens

Centennial Exhibition, 1876

(Source: National Park Service)

Overbrook Farms today

Parkside today

(Source: National Park Service)

Early development in West

Park consisted primarily of

country houses and estates

clustered along the Schuylkill

River, including Chamounix,

Ridgeland, Belmont, Cedar

Grove, and Sweetbriar. Many

of these historic houses are

open to the public today as

attractions in Fairmount Park.

Fairmount Park

Institutions

Neighborhoods

Development History




1940 1970 2010

Japanese House and Garden were built

in 1954 as replicas of a 17th-century

Japanese scholar’s house and garden.

St. Joseph’s University, founded in 1851,

moved to its present location in 1927.

St. Joseph’s has a student population of

8,800 and employs almost 1,500 faculty

and staff.

Philadelphia Psychiatric Hospital (now

part of Einstein Medical Network)

opened on Monument Road in 1941 with

two buildings designed by Louis Kahn.

WPVI-TV/6ABC started on the air as

WFIL-TV in 1947 at 46th and Market

Streets and moved to City Avenue

in 1963.

2006:School ofthe Future

opens

Parkside wasdesignated alocal historic

district in 2010

Memorial Hall, originally the home of the

Centennial Exhibition’s art exhibit, became the

home of the Please Touch Museum in 2008.

(Source: The Preservation Alliance)

Japanese House and Garden

School of the Futur

(Source: Designs4Life.ne

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic

Medicine was founded in 1899,

and moved to City Avenue and

Monument Road in 1968.

The 2005 Centennial District Master Plan

creates a vision for the area including the

Please Touch Museum, Philadelphia Zoo,and Mann Center for the Performing Arts.

The Plan also examines the connections

from the Centennial District to the

surrounding neighborhoods and to the city

and region beyond.

Centennial District Master Plan

(Source: MGA Partners)



10Philadelphia2035:


The Centennial District

> The Centennial Exhibition

In the second half of the 19th century, World Fairs became popular to celebrate technology, art, science, and culture.

In 1876 Philadelphia hosted the Centennial Exhibition, the first World’s Fair held in the United States, as a way to

honor the 100th anniversary of the country’s birth and to showcase America on the world stage. West Fairmount Park

became the fairgrounds and more than 200 buildings were constructed to house exhibits. Twenty-six states and twelve

nations had their own building. There were hotels, eateries, and an internal trolley system. By the end of the fair, over

10 million people came to Philadelphia and saw the United States no longer as a fledging country but as a scientific

powerhouse, and Philadelphia was clearly one of the thriving cities that was making it happen. After the fair, Fairmount

Park reverted to its quiet, bucolic state, with only a few buildings remaining.

In 2026, the country will be celebrating its 250th birthday and it’s beenalmost a century since Philadelphia hosted a World’s Fair. With theimprovements and development in the Centennial District, Philadelphiacan once again turn Fairmount Park into fairgrounds and showcase

the city on the world stage.

> The Centennial District Today

The area known as the Centennial District has several cultural attractions,

including the Philadelphia Zoo, Mann Center, and the Japanese House and

Garden. Memorial Hall, the largest and most prominent building at the center

of the district, remains from the Centennial Exhibition and initially served

as the city’s art museum. In 2005, the City, under the guidance of FairmountPark, commissioned a study to find ways to turn the Centennial District into

a regional cultural destination, expanding on the existing attractions and

creating a cohesive district in preparation for America’s birthday in 2026. The

Centennial District Master Plan calls for creating a critical mass of attractions

within the park, connecting the park with the surrounding neighborhoods,

upgrading transportation systems to ease access to the district, and enhancing

the recreation and water facilities within the district. Today, Memorial Hall is

home to the Please Touch Museum, a five-kilometer trail has been installed

to host events and races, and the gardens at the Fairmount Waterworks

have been restored. The Department of Parks and Recreation continues to

implement recommendations from the plan.

Memorial Hall

(Source: freelibrary.org)

Main Exhibition Building


Centennial District Master Plan

(Source: MGA Partners)

View of the Centennial Exhibition


Centennial Exhibition Souvenir (Source: freelibrary.org)




Philadelphia Zoo

The Mann Center for the Performing Arts

Please Touch Museum

Memorial Hall

> The Centennial District, 2011

> Map of the Centennial Exhibition of 1876



12Philadelphia2035:


73.7%

19.4%

AfricanAmerican

CaucasianWhite

Asian 3.3%

Other 3.6%

2.6% of West

Park residentsidentify as

Latino

Income Inequality and Educational Attainment

The neighborhoods of West Park have vastly differing income levels. The district boasts higher levels of

educational attainment than the city as a whole.

• As of 2009, West Park median household incomes ranged from $22,616 in East Parkside to $68,136in Overbrook Farms. The citywide median household income was $36,669.

• As of 2009, the poverty rate in West Park was 22.3%, compared to 24.2% citywide.

> Racial Composition, 2010

> College Graduation Rate, 2009

> Median Household Income, 2009

$22,616

$39,643

$39,050

$36,908

$49,000

$56,250

$23,337

$20,000 – $30,000

$30,000 – $40,000

$50,000 – $60,000

$40,000 – $50,000

$60,000 – $70,000

$68,136

$51,250

$41,397

$33,702

> Population Age Distribution, 2010

0 – 19 20 – 44

WestPark

City

45 – 64 65 +

25%24%

12%15%

36%

38%

24%26%

West Park: 30.2%

Philadelphia: 22.1%

Region: 32.2%

United States: 27.5%

Demographics

Population Trends

Over the past 30 years West Park has seen its population decline by eight percent. At the same time,

the major institutions within the district, including St. Joseph’s University and the Philadelphia Collegeof Osteopathic Medicine, have expanded. The 2010 census marked the city’s first population increase

since 1960. The Citywide Vision projected that the population of Philadelphia through 2035 will modestly

increase by 100,000 people. The population of West Park is projected to stabilize, with perhaps modest

growth. The recommendations in this plan are based on a stabilized population. Future growth within the

district will depend on market forces, such as institutional development, new companies moving to the

industrial areas, and the growth of the cultural and tourism sectors.

> West Park Population Trends

49,750

47,95647,592

43,354

45,000

50,000

46,000

44,000

42,000

40,0001980 1990 2000 2010 2020 2030 2035

48,000

P o p u l a t i o n

Housing

• Over a thirty year period (1980 – 2010) thetotal number of housing units in West Parkdeclined slightly (-3%) from 21,820 to 21,145

• In 2010 the renter occupancy rate in WestPark was 50.6%, with a homeowneroccupancy rate of 49.4%. Citywide, therenter occupancy rate was 45.9%, with ahomeowner occupancy rate of 54.1%.




West Park’s Diverse Economic Base

The West Park District has a diverse economic base with institutional, industrial, commercial,

and cultural employers. The area along City Avenue is categorized as a “regional center” in theCitywide Vision , drawing constituents from Philadelphia and Montgomery Counties.

> Employment in West Park by Sector

The area along City Avenue is a “regional

center,” employing approximately 28,000 people.

However, almost all of the office sector jobs are on

the Lower Merion side of City Avenue.

> Education and Healthcare

Education and healthcare account for 38 percent

of all jobs in the West Park District. The two

largest employers on City Avenue are St. Joseph’s

University (SJU) and the Philadelphia College of

Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) with 1,500 and

500 full- and part-time employees respectively.

Several large-scale specialized residential care

facilities can also be found along Belmont Avenue.

West Park is served well by commercial shopping

centers. The Bala Shopping Center on the Lower

Merion side of City Avenue and the new Target

Shopping Center on the Philadelphia side are

major destinations for West Park residents andhave low vacancy. The Park West Town Center in

West Parkside also serves as a community retail

center. All of these shopping destinations are auto-

oriented and do not relate well to pedestrians.

Smaller-scale neighborhood centers and sub-

centers are scattered throughout the district, with

many along commercial corridors. Most of these

centers struggle with vacancy, inadequate store

mixes, and substandard physical conditions.

Transportation

Warehousing

Retail Trade

Professional, Scientific, Medical

Other

Information

Heath Care & Social Assistance

Finance & Insurance

Educational Services

Administration

Accommodation & Food Services 11.5%

6.4%

6.2%

5.6%

3.7%

15.8%

9.0%

9.1%

3.5%

21.9%

> Major Employers in West Park

> Visitors to West Park

The Centennial District in Fairmount Park is home

to the Philadelphia Zoo, Please Touch Museum,

the Mann Center, the Japanese House and

Garden, and Horticultural Center. Collectively,

they attract more than 1.7 million visitors eachyear. The Hagen Arena at St. Joseph’s University

hosts events that attract at least 75,000 visitors

annually. These attractions help identify West

Park as a regional cultural destination.

> Industry

Industrial areas in West Park include the Parkside

Industrial Park, the former Acme warehouse site,

and the Philadelphia Water Department’s Belmont

Water Treatment Plant and Pumping Station on

Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive.

St. Joseph’s University:

1,500 employees

Philadelphia College of

Osteopathic Medicine:

500 employees

> 1.7 millionvisitors/year

Economics

> Regional Center > Commercial Centers > Cultural Institutions

Philadelphia Zoo: 1 million

Please Touch Museum: 600,000

Mann Center: 100,000

Japanese House and Garden: 15,000

Hagen Arena (SJU): 75,000



14Philadelphia2035:


Childhood Obesity

Chronic Disease Comparison

W e s t

P h i l a d e l p h i a

P h i l a d e l p h i a

N a t i o n a l

33.1%

25.4%

17%

D i a b e t e s

H y p e r t e n s i o n

A s t h m

a

West

Park

City13% 13%

38% 36%

15% 16%

Overweight and Obesity:

• A 2010 household health survey found 28.6%of West Park adults to be obese.

• The same survey found 1 in 3 children inWest Philadelphia to be obese. Citywide, therate is closer to 1 in 4.

Chronic Disease:

• Hypertension and diabetes are stronglyassociated with being overweight and obese.Nearly 40% of West Park adults report

having had hypertension at some point.

• The district’s adult asthma rate of 13.4%slightly exceeds citywide levels, whereasnearly a third of West Philadelphia childrenreport having had asthma which comparesnegatively to the citywide rate of 27.3%.

West Park Health Profile

Planning a Healthier Philadelphia

A large body of research shows strong associations between land use, transportation, and

public health issues of serious concern to Philadelphia and the nation. Land use decisionsdetermine proximity of jobs, parks, fresh food, and essential services to residents, affecting

levels of physical activity, nutrition, and the likelihood and prevalence of chronic diseases.

Transportation infrastructure helps determine residents’ decisions to travel via car, transit, bike,

or walking. This affects local air quality, traffic-related injuries, and integration of physical

activity into daily routines.

23% of West Park residents travel outside their neighborhood to reach

a supermarket. (Source: Public Health Management Corporation Household Health Survey, 2010

48% of district residents agree or strongly agree that they would walkmore frequently if stores and services were located within walkingdistance of their homes.(Source: West Park District Plan Survey: Physical Activity, Access, and Mobility, 2011)

Walkability:

• A majority of residents surveyed during theplanning process report difficulty in reachingessential services, park spaces, and freshfood outlets without cars.

• Many senior residents cited poor pedestrianinfrastructure as a deterrent to physicalactivity.

Food Access:

• West Park has some of the lowest walkable

food access scores in the City, based on aDepartment of Public Health study.

• While this is less of an issue inneighborhoods with higher incomes andhigher car ownership rates, it is problematicin neighborhoods where residents havefewer transportation options (see THRIVE p.33).

> Planning a Healthier West Park District

The PCPC employed new tools to examine built-environment factors related to public health, including

walkability audits in critical locations. The results of this analysis inform this plan’s recommendations.




West Park Walkability AuditSurveys conducted November–December 2011

B e l m

o n t A

v e n u e

5 2 n d S t r e e t

G i ra rd A ve n ue

L a n c a s t e r A v e n u e

P a r k s i d e A v e n u e

4 0 t h

S t r e

e t

4 1 s t S

t r e e t

4 2 n d S t r e

e t

Focus on Pedestrian Mobility & Access

Walkability audits conducted during the planning process helped to quantify residents’ concerns

and shape a number of recommendations. PCPC staff piloted the city’s new WalkabilityAssessment Tool (WAT) during the West Park planning process. The WAT is a visual survey

instrument for recording the different factors that contribute to a street segment or intersection’s

safety and quality. It enables planners to evaluate and compare different locations in the public

realm of a district to one another, thereby providing an objective assessment of where the

highest priorities exist to improve the pedestrian experience.

WAT analysis in some of the highest demand areas

reveals an inconsistent pedestrian experience

that changes frequently. Along Parkside Avenue,

missing infrastructure at key crossings and fast-

moving traffic are the biggest contributors to lowscores. Near 52nd and Lancaster, a large number

of curb cuts, auto-oriented street frontages,

and inadequate buffers contribute to unsafe

conditions. Overall, this intersection scored the

lowest of any in the pilot area.

The selection of 52nd and Lancaster as a Planning

Focus Area, and the recommendations that come

with it, seek to address these pressing issues of

pedestrian safety. Targeted improvements to the

physical environment can encourage a greaterproportion of West Park residents to make trips

on foot, reducing traffic and congestion in the area

while providing children and seniors with safe

options for accessing commercial centers and the

park system.

Excellent

Good

Good

Poor

Poor

Fair

Fair

Very Poor

Very Poor

Intersections:

Street Segments:

A separate report,Planning & Zoning for a Healthier

Philadelphia: West Park District Plan ,

provides a complete analysis of theplan’s public health-related content.

(available online atwww.phila2035.org)



16Philadelphia2035:


What Is Land Use?

Planners categorize and map land use to document and understandthe current state of development. Land use refers to broad

categories such as residential, commercial, or industrial, and can be

broken out into more detail such as high density residential, office

commercial, or warehousing/distribution. Maps can help planners

identify what potential uses are lacking, that if developed, could

enhance the quality of life or economic productivity of an area.

Intensity or type of land use also impacts infrastructure needs

such as transit or utilities. Most importantly, land use impacts

development regulations such as zoning.

What Is Zoning?Zoning is the primary tool for regulating land use. Zoning is a set of regulations

governing land development and permitted uses for property. These laws regulate

what type of uses can occur (use), where buildings can be located on a property

(area), and the size of the buildings (bulk). Existing properties may not conform with

zoning regulations if they have received a variance for their use, area, or bulk, or if

they legally existed prior to the zoning laws being enacted.

Zoning Map Revision ProcessWhen analyzed together, land use and zoning inform planners if a

property or area is zoned correctly for current conditions or if zoning

changes are necessary to either reflect existing conditions or bring

about changes to future physical development. Over time, changes

in land use may require a re-mapping, or a change to a property’szoning district classification. Zoning remapping is a public process

for updating and revising the zoning map for an area.

Land Use and Zoning

Adoption of the New Zoning Code

On December 22, 2011, Mayor Michael Nutter signed Bill No. 110845,

enacting into law the first comprehensive rewrite of the Philadelphia

Zoning Code in 50 years. The new zoning code goes into effect

on August 22, 2012. This plan uses the new code language and

designations to ensure that the plan is user-friendly for the years of

implementation to come. The new zoning code is better organized and

easier to navigate. The purpose of the zoning code is to set clear rules

and expectations about land use, preserve neighborhood character,

protect open space, and encourage investment and jobs.

The zoning code rewrite was the first part of the integrated zoning

and planning process; the other major part is the zoning map revision

process. The district plans are key to the zoning map revision process

by providing land use and zoning recommendations. These land use

and zoning recommendations ensure that the new code is properly

mapped to reflect both existing and future land use needs. This

thereby reduces the number of developments requiring relief from the

Zoning Board of Adjustment.




Citywide Land Use

Civic / Institution

Industrial

Transportation

Commercial Business / Professional

Park / Open Space

Vacant

Commercial Consumer

Residential High (average 56 units/acre)

Water

Cemetery

Culture / Amusement

Residential Medium (average 32 units/acre)

Active Recreation

Commercial Mixed Residential

Residential Low (average 8 units/acre)



18Philadelphia2035:


3.8%

4.8%

28.7%

19.6%

4.3%

2.9%

9.4%

7.0%

Active

Recreation 9.6%

Civic / Institution

ResidentialHigh

ResidentialLow

Transportation

ResidentialMedium

Vacant 2.0%

Water 3.7%

Park / Open Space

Industrial

Commercial Business / Professional 0.6%

Cemetery 0.9%

Commercial Consumer 2.3%

Commercial Mixed Residential 0.3%

Culture/Amusement

H a v

e r f o r d A v e .

L a n s d o

w n e

A v e

.


Existing Land Use

Low-density detached orsemi-detached residential

neighborhoods developed arounda commuter rail station

This survey of West Park land use was completed in 2011. To collect this information, aworking land use map was created from various City sources, including the Office of PropertyAssessment, and was then verified by in-field surveys conducted by PCPC staff. The land usedata is stored in a geographic information system (GIS) database maintained by PCPC. Colorcodes are used to represent 15 major categories of land use.




G i ra rd A ve.

B e l m o n t A

v e .

F o r d R d .

M o n u m e n t R d

.

5 4 t h

S t .

C i t y A

v e.


5 2 n d S t .

High-densityrowhouse typology

Auto-oriented shoppingand retail establishments

line City Avenue

Dense apartment buildingson large parcels

Industrial land at a former railroad yard



20Philadelphia2035:


L a n s d o

w n e

A v e

.

Existing Zoning

CA-2 1.3%

SP-INS 1.3%

ICMX 0.5%

CMX-1, CMX-2 3.7%

CMX-3 1.1%

SP-PO-A,

SP-PO-P

48.6%

12.5%

17.0%

6.8%

4.8%

RSD-1, RSD-3

RSA-1, RSA-2RSA-3, RSA-5

RM-1, RM-2RM-3, RM-4

I-2

I-1

2.4%

H a v

e r f o r d A v e .


Residential Single Family Detached RSD-1; RSD-2; RSD-3

Residential Single Family Attached RSA-1; RSA-2; RSA-3; RSA-4; RSA-5

Residential Multi-Family RM-1; RM-2; RM-3; RM-4

Auto-Oriented Commercial CA-1; CA-2

Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use CMX-1; CMX-2; CMX2.5

Community/Center City Commercial Mixed-Use CMX-3; CMX-4

Light Industrial I-1

Medium Industrial I-2

Industrial Commercial Mixed-Use ICMX

Institutional Development SP-INS

Recreation SP-PO-A; SP-PO-P




G i ra rd A ve.

B e l m

o n t A v e .

F o r d R d .

M o n u m e n t R d

.

5 4 t h

S t .

5 2 n d S t .

C i t y A

v e.




22Philadelphia2035:


FRAMING OUR FUTURE

Smith Memorial Arch Civil War Monument



24Philadelphia2035:


Three Forward-Looking Themes

Open Space

Lower South has one major park and recreation amenity, FDR Park, at Broad Street and Pattison Avenue. FDR Park,

originally named League Island Park, was dedicated in 1914 and designed by the O lmsted Brothers, a renowned landscape

architecture firm that also designed New York’s Central Park and Boston’s Emerald Necklace. The Olmsted Brothers

tamed marshland and created scenic lakes, meadows, paths, and recreation areas. It was a massive engineering project

that also included the area now occupied by Xfinity Live! and the Wells Fargo Center.

Today, FDR Park is both a regional and local attraction including a golf course, skateboard park, the American Swedish

Historical Museum, two lakes, historic structures, and sports fields. There are 15 tennis courts, seven softball/baseball

fields, and two playground facilities. Ashburn Field is sponsored by the Philadelphia Phillies and has a dedicated staff

for field maintenance. The FDR golf course is a public, par 69 course that is considered a Florida-style design with

its incorporation of water features and short fairways. The former pool refreshment stand, which is now used as a

maintenance shed, and the former Police Department horse stable, which is vacant, are in fair to poor condition. Historic

preservation and reuse of these structures could provide long-term maintenance and revenue for the park.

FDR Park is also used for overflow parking when there are two or more events at the sports complex. This parking is

sanctioned and managed on some event days which provides much needed revenue for t he park, but parking management

and security is not always provided. Both the sanctioned and unsanctioned event parking creates maintenance issuesand conflicts with park users.

FDR Park was chosen as the Fairmount Park Conservancy’s 2011 “Greening the Neighborhood” site, receiving $250,000

to improve the quality of the lakes with aerators and a skimming boat. The Fairmount Park Conservancy is a nonprofit

organization that raises funds for the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department.

The only other public recreation site in Lower South is Whitman Fields. The fields are located on Packer Avenue at 6th

Street, owned by the Delaware River Port Authority, and feature fields run by the Southeast Youth Athletic Association.

The Navy Yard has been increasing the use of its public open space. Recently, the Philadelphia Orchestra held an outdoor

neighborhood concert here and the Philadelphia Sports and Social Club regularly uses its open space for recreational

activities. Conceptual design proposals have been reviewed for i ts newest park, Central Green, to be constructed in the

near future.

Neighborhood Parks and Recreation

Definition | Public Facility

Public facilities are divided into two

categories: community-serving and

municipal support. Community-serving

facilities provide services to the publicand include libraries, playgrounds, and

museums. Municipal support facilities

support City government operations and

include administrative offices, garages

and utilities, and are not generally

open to the public. Lower South has

six municipal support facilities and 15

community-serving facilities. These do

not include buildings at the Navy Yard.

Goal 6.3:

Expand access to

neighborhood parks and

recreation.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

Recommendations

99. Provide revenue-generating activities in FDR Park such as paddle boats, managed parking or parking permits,

and special events to help fund ongoing park maintenance.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR | CW Objective: 6.3.3

100. Identify reuse opportunities for the historic structures in FDR Park such as concessions at the boathouse and

community and office spaces in other buil dings.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, SCSSD | CW Objective: 6.3.3, 8.1.1

101. Implement an event management plan for FDR Park that designates parking locations and ensures staffing.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, SCSSD, Sports complex operators | CW Objective: 6.3.3

102. Evaluate use of the spaces under I-95 by incorporating green infrastructure that complements the skateboard

park, recreation, and stormwater management for the highway.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, PWD| CW Objective: 7.2.3

103. Increase public awareness and use of public open spaces at the Navy Yard (seeTHRIVE, p. 32).

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, PIDC | CW Objectives: 6.2.1, 6.3.2Crescent Park, Navy Yard

FDR Skatepark

50 Philadelphia2035 : Lower South District Plan

RENEW >

How to Use This Section:

Goals and Objectives

from Citywide Vision Introduction:

> Existing Conditions

> Summary of Key

Issues

THEME > Element

Topic

Sidebar:

images and

definitions

District-Specific

Recommendations

Implementing

Agencies

(see Appendix)

Citywide Vision

Objective(s)

(see Appendix)

Land use and zoning recommendations are organized into three forward-looking themes:

THRIVE, CONNECT, and RENEW. These themes reflect the goals and strategies of

the Citywide Vision .

Within the three themes are eight elements from the Citywide Vision that address

the major issues, opportunities, and unique qualities of West Park. Each element is

broken into topics that include a description of existing conditions, district-specific

recommendations, responsible implementing agencies, and references to applicable

objectives from the Citywide Vision . A complete list of objectives from the Citywide

Vision is provided in the Appendix.



2Framing Our Future

> CONNECT > RENEW> THRIVE

West Park CONNECTS residents andvisitors to cultural amenities, vastopen spaces, and regional centers.

West Park RENEWS the city’s most treasured resources by activatingits waterfront, preserving FairmountPark, and enhancing its public realm.

West Park THRIVES by providingunique housing, business, industrial,and entertainment opportunities.

46 | Open Space

Increase equitable access to ouropen-space resources

42 | Transportation

Improve transportation safety,efficiency, and convenience

50 | Historic Preservation

Preserve and reuse historic resources

49 | Environmental Resources

Fulfill city obligations to meet ambitiousfederal environmental standards

52 | Public Realm

Achieve excellence in the designand quality of Philadelphia’s builtenvironment

26 | Neighborhoods

Improve neighborhood livability

36 | Economic Development

Make Philadelphia more competitivein the metropolitan region

40 | Land Management

Capitalize on land assets

West Park is home to major culturalattractions, neighborhoods, and atrue regional center. Throughout thenine neighborhoods of West Park it isimperative to improve the standard ofliving for its citizens through improvedcommercial centers and public facilities.City Avenue, which straddles the boarderbetween Philadelphia and MontgomeryCounties, is a major retail and job sector

for the region and creating a moreaccessible and walkable corridor isimportant to enticing new opportunities.

Infrastructure, including highways,streets, mass transit, freight rail, andutilities, is the framework upon whichall economic development happens.For West Park to continue to see itsneighborhoods thrive and its parkland andcultural institutions attract people fromthe region, strengthening connectionswill allow growth to continue. As WestFairmount Park and Morris Park are some

of the largest collections of open spacein the city, it is important to connect boththe surrounding neighborhoods, whoseidentities are tied to the parks andvisitors, who make the tourism economypossible, more efficiently, safely, andquickly.

West Park is most significantly defined byits parkland. It is these spaces that havedefined the growth of neighborhoodsand made the area so attractive forvisitors. Protecting our parks as wellas making active recreation easierand more frequently undertaken aresignificant goals to improve the healthof West Park and its residents. Trails,bike lanes, improved connections into

parkland, and stormwater retention areimportant to grow West Park’s strongestresource. On top of the parkland itselfare the historic structures and eventsthat have a great impact on the future ofthe area. Maintaining these structuresand protecting them for a future whenthe nation will once again celebrate ahistoric anniversary in West Park is agoal that is of paramount importance.



26Philadelphia2035:


THRIVE >

Neighborhood Centers: Commercial Corridors

As noted in the Citywide Vision , commercial corridors play a key role in the vitality of our neighborhood centers

Neighborhood centers are concentrations of transit access, commercial amenities and capital facilities. In West Park a

good example of this is the 52nd Street corridor from Lancaster Avenue to Parkside Avenue. There is a major shopping

center (Park West Town Center), transit (Route 10 trolley and Route 52 bus), and a capital facility (Evans Recreation

Center). Other examples include Lancaster Avenue from 53rd to 61st and Haverford Avenue. There are six commercia

corridors within the district and another five corridors along its edges. These commercial spaces include almost 1.8

million square feet of retail that range from pedestrian- and transit-oriented neighborhood retail areas to large-scale

auto-oriented shopping malls. The demand for all of this space, however, is expected to drop as the new shopping

centers on City Avenue and at the Park West Town Center drain customers from the older, more neighborhood-oriented

shopping strips.

The City of Philadelphia has monitored the commercial corridors around the city for the last 15 years through a program

called PhilaShops (see side column). Factors such as store vacancy, condition of the sidewalks and public realm, retai

mix, and private investment are tabulated to determine the overall health of each corridor. Seven of the corridors inWest Park rank as good or excellent, including the major retail centers at City Avenue Shopping Center, Park West

Town Center, Lancaster Avenue from 53rd to 61st Streets, and the shopping area at City Avenue and Belmont Avenue

Four of the corridors rank as fair or poor, and need major interventions or to be consolidated for revitalization. The

commercial corridors at 54th and Berks Streets, 40th Street and Girard Avenue, and Lancaster Avenue from 44th to 50th

Streets suffer from the poorest physical condition and the most vacancy. Corridors are packaged into three series o

recommendations - Expansion, Stabilization, and Consolidation.

Recommendations

1. Expansion: City Avenue Shopping Center; Park West Town Center; Lancaster Avenue, 53rd Street to 61st Street;

City Avenue, Presidential Boulevard to Conshohocken Avenue

• Update zoning to allow for more density and commercial growth as well as covering larger geographic areas

where appropriate.• Add more transportation capacity.

• Attract complementary businesses.

• Assist redevelopment to spur high quality investment on targeted sites.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, Commerce, City Council, L&I, MOTU | CW Objective: 1.1.2

2. Stabilization: Haverford Avenue; 63rd Street, Malvern Avenue to City Avenue; City Avenue, 50th Street to 54th

Street

• Update zoning and establish controlled design guidelines.

• Ensure code compliance, with attention to property maintenance.

• Improve the convenience of existing transit.

• Stabilize at-risk properties and redevelop highly visible vacant properties.

•

Provide access to facade improvement funding. > Implementing Agencies: PCPC, Commerce, City Council, L&I, MOTU | CW Objective: 1.1.2

3. Consolidation: North 52nd Street; Lancaster Avenue, 44th Street to 50th Street; 54th Street and Berks Avenue;

40th Street and Girard Avenue

• Update zoning to concentrate commercial uses to key intersections and streets.

• Ensure code compliance, with attention to conversions to noncommercial use.

• Demolish dangerous properties and treat vacant lots.

• Encourage businesses on fringe blocks to relocate to core blocks and assemble property in fringe blocks for

noncommercial use.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, Commerce, City Council, L&I, MOTU | CW Objective: 1.1.2

Neighborhoods

Goal 1.1:

Promote strong and well

balanced neighborhood

centers.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

54th Street Commercial Corridor

Haverford Avenue Commercial Corridor

PhilaShops

The PCPC has taken periodic inventories

of commercial corridors, centers,

and districts since 1988. PhilaShops

inventories focus on characteristics

such as area location, size, anchor

establishments, physical condition,

vacancy, establishment mix, and parking.

Information from the inventories can

help communities, businesses, and

public officials make informed decisions

to serve the needs of residents, workers,

and visitors.



27Framing Our Future

CorridorName

Gross LeasableSquare Footage

Number of Stores (2011) VacancyRate

PCPC RecommendationTotal Occupied Vacant

A City Avenue Shopping Center 159,900 31 26 5 16.1% Expansion

B Haverford Avenue 140,000 76 72 4 5.3% Stabilization

C Park West Town Center 341,163 22 19 3 13.6% Expansion

D North 52nd Street 55,376 (12,000 outside West Park) 40 28 12 30.0% Consolidation

E Lancaster Avenue, 53rd to 61st

Streets

145,436 (80,000 outside West Park) 42 37 5 11.9% Expansion

F Lancaster Avenue, 44th to 50th

Streets

80,000 (20,000 outside West Park) 40 32 8 20.0% Consolidation

G 63rd Street, Malvern to City Avenues 95,000 47 35 12 25.5% Stabilization - improve retail mix

H 54th Street and Berks Avenue 39,648 44 32 12 28.9% Consolidation

I City Avenue, 50th to 54th Streets 95,000 55 48 7 12.7%Stabilization - improve

public realm and retail mix

JCity Avenue, Presidential Boulevard

to Conshohocken Avenue600,000 68 62 6 8.8% Expansion

K 40th Street and Girard Avenue 30,000 21 11 10 47.6% Consolidation

A BC

E

G H

I

J

F KD

Commercial Corridors

Recommended for Consolidation

Recommended for Stabilization

Recommended for Expansion

B e l m

o n t A

v e n u e

C i t y A

v e n u e

G i r a r d A ve n ue

5 2 n d

S t r e e t


6 3 r d S t r e

e t

5 4 t h

S t r e e t

H a v e r f o r d A v e n u e



28Philadelphia2035:


THRIVE >

Neighborhood Centers: Municipal/Community Support Facilities

Neighborhoods

City-owned facilities are a critical component of physical development planning. The location and condition of

community-serving facilities, such as recreation centers and libraries, significantly affect quality of life based on thei

proximity to the people they serve, their condition, and their accessibility. Municipal support facilities, such as vehicle

storage or water treatment plants, are critical for ensuring efficient operation of Philadelphia’s utilities, but their location

can conflict with residential uses and deter further development and revitalization. The current level of facility service

in the City of Philadelphia was planned for an increase in population in the 1960s; instead there was a great amount o

population decline. For these reasons, it is essential that the City take stock of its existing assets and determines how

best to use limited resources to serve its residents through well-located and maintained public facilities.

An inventory and analysis of the City’s municipal facilities within the West Park District reveals a total of 21 facilities

outside Fairmount Park. Two library branches, Overbrook Park and Wynnefield, the John C. Anderson Cultural Center,

and a variety of parks and playgrounds make up the community-serving facilities The district also contains eight schools

operated by the School District of Philadelphia, that are not City-owned and therefore not classified as municipal

facilities, though PCPC does consider them in crafting recommendations. The district contains several significanmunicipal-support facilities, including the Belmont Water Treatment Plant, the Engine 16 Firehouse, and a Streets

Department maintenance facility on Parkside Avenue.

Given the large number of recreation and playground facilities within and just outside the West Park District boundaries

PCPC performed an analysis of the condition and service levels at 14 locations. To get a complete picture of how well

served the neighborhoods of the West Park District are today, PCPC also included 14 facilities just outside the district

boundaries in determining service areas and coverage (see map on p. 30). The analysis reveals that significant overlap

exists between playgrounds, several of which are in very poor condition. PCPC also discovered that in some cases, the

location of existing facilities makes it difficult for residents to access them.

Streets DepartmentFacility Relocation

A Streets Department maintenance

facility, containing a dome for storage of

road salt, is located on the 4800 block

of Parkside Avenue (directly facing West

Fairmount Park). The site has significant

development potential because of itsproximity to the park and its many

attractions. From a planning standpoint,

the salt yard is not the highest and best

use of this location. The 2.5-acre Streets

Department facility should be relocated

to the adjacent Parkside Industrial

Park, allowing for redevelopment of

the Parkside Avenue frontage for more

appropriate uses.

Goal 1.1:

Promote strong and well-


centers.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision


B e l m

o n t A

v e n u e



2Framing Our Future

Health Centers:

The City’s Health Center 4 is located

at 4400 Haverford Avenue, outside the

district and serves some residents of

West Park.

A new CHOP Pediatric Care Center at

48th and Market Streets will open in

late 2012, providing a new primary care

option for all of West Philadelphia in an

optimally accessible location. West Park

District residents can use SEPTA Routes

64 and 52 (with a 4-block walk) to reach

this facility.

Recommendations

4. Focus scarce resources to maximize the quality and usage of recreation facilities.

• Replace the Clayborn-Lewis recreation facility with an upgraded facility at 41st and Poplar Streets, which

is the location of a community-run playground. The 41st and Poplar site is more centrally located in the

East Parkside neighborhood, which also contains a large youth population. See the map of recreation

facilities on the next page.

> Implementing Agencies: SDP, PPR, PWD | CW Objectives: 1.1.1, 7.2.3, 6.3.1, 6.3.3

5. Work with Lamberton School officials, residents, PWD, and PPR to identify a design for the school grounds that

balances playground facilities for younger children, and adequate play space for high school students as well as

stormwater management and additional community amenities.

> Implementing Agencies: SDP, PPR, PWD | CW Objectives: 1.1.1, 7.2.3, 6.3.3

6. Convert the use of West Mill Creek Playground #2 at 52nd Street and Wyalusing Avenue converting the space

to passive recreation or open space.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR | CW Objectives: 1.1.1, 6.3.3

7. In the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood, focus improvements in the revitalized Conshohocken-Windemere Park

and discontinue use of the Ford Road playground.

• Ford Playground, which is part of West Fairmount Park, should return to passive parkland.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, PCPC | CW Objectives: 1.1.1, 6.3.3

8. Relocate the Streets Department’s facility at 48th Street and Parkside Avenue further south in the Parkside

business park to facilitate development along the park that is appropriate to surrounding uses and populations

(see FOCUS AREAS p. 60).

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, PIDC, PCPC | CW Objectives: 2.2.2, 3.3.1

9. Expand healthcare access for district residents through creative partnerships.

• Ensure adequate transportation to existing PCOM Community Healthcare Centers on City Avenue and at

4148 Lancaster Avenue, and to the anticipated Karabots Pediatric Care Center at 48th and Market Streets.

• Diversify and expand health care services at the Parkside Recovery Center at 50th Street and Parkside

Avenue.

• Incorporate commercial space for private health clinics in future RFPs issued by the City to attract mixed-use

developments to the Parkside neighborhood.

> Implementing Agencies: PDPH | CW Objectives: 4.1.1, 2.3.2

41st and Poplar Streets

Conestoga Recreation Center

Conshohocken Playground

Lamberton School



30Philadelphia2035:


THRIVE >

Philadelphia Parks and RecreationDepartment (PPR) Facilities

Existing PPR Facilities

Proposed New PPR Facilities

Facility Replacement / Disposition

Planned Service Area

Current Service Area

Facility Name TypeService Area (Square Miles) Overlap

Total In West Park Sq Miles Percent

52nd and Master Playground 14.07 8.10 13.5 96%

John Anderson Recreation Center 7.46 7.46 0 none

Clayborn-Lewis Recreation Center 2.92 2.92 0 none

Conestoga Playground 13.11 7.10 13.05 100%

Conshohocken Playground 3.22 3.22 1.53 48%

Ford Road Playground 3.26 3.26 1.53 47%

Papa Playground 9.41 3.58 7.99 85%

Parkside Evans Recreation Center 4.59 4.59 1.45 32%

Rose Playground 8.63 5.44 6.56 76%

West Mill Creek #2 Playground 15.30 5.14 13.34 87%

West MillCreek #2

Rose

LambertonSchool

Papa

Ford Road

ParksideEvans

Anderson, John

52nd and Master

Conestoga41st andPoplar

Clayborn-Lewis

Conshohocken

Neighborhood Centers: Municipal / Community Support Facilities

Neighborhoods

Private Facility Improvement



3Framing Our Future

A. Clayborn-Lewis Recreation Center

38th and Poplar Streets

B. Rose Playground75th Street and Lansdowne Avenue

C. West Mill Creek Playground #252nd Street and Wyalusing Avenue

D. Ford Road PlaygroundFord Road east of Daphne Road

• Playground surfaces are extremely worn and lacking the soft surface used in modern sites.

• The recreation center building is heavily marked in graffiti.

• The facility lost its programming in 2010 and has seen a marked decline in use.

• Located on the far edge of a neighborhood, the facility serves fewer residents than any other facility inthe West Park District (according to PCPC’s analysis of capital facilities).

• The active recreation fields are overgrown and encroached by wooded areas.

• The tennis courts and former hockey court are in severe disrepair.

• The facility is located across the street from the Papa Recreation Center, which is in a superior state ofrepair.

• The facility has no programming.

• The facility is being leased by a private organization and will see improvement outside the CapitalBudget.

• The equipment is broken or severely worn.

• The surface of the basketball court is uneven.

• The facility’s service area overlaps at a rate of 87 percent, indicating that other facilities are availablenearby.


•The play area is relatively small in size.

• The benches and tables are worn and broken.

• The Ford Road facility serves largely the same population as the far superior Conshohocken-Windemere playground; and the Conshohocken facility is more centrally located within theneighborhood.




32Philadelphia2035:


THRIVE >

Neighborhood Centers: Healthy Communities

Neighborhoods that offer services in pedestrian-friendly and transit-accessible locations can provide significant public

health benefits by encouraging more physical activity as a part of daily routines, and by limiting the need to drive. This, in

turn, reduces air pollution and lowers the likelihood of traffic-related accidents. The West Park District presents severa

opportunities to provide services, including fresh and healthy foods, in more universally accessible locations, and to do

so in a way that reinforces and takes advantage of the area’s transit coverage.

Recent development projects in the West Park District have not taken advantage of the area’s transit lines. The Park

West Town Center, an important commercial hub for West Philadelphia, caters to the automobile, and limits the ability

of transit-dependent or pedestrian shoppers to navigate the site. Bus service was recently extended into the shopping

center itself, thereby providing more direct service to transit riders. Several other transit-intensive nodes, including 52nd

Street and Lancaster Avenue and the intersection of Lancaster Avenue, Girard Avenue, and 48th Street, feature gas

stations and other auto-centric businesses that contribute to congestion, create unsafe conditions for pedestrians, and

undermine the development potential created by higher levels of transit service.

Food access is similarly inconsistent throughout the district. Three large suburban-style supermarkets and a handful o

small- to mid-sized food retailers just outside the district have reasonably adequate access to consumers with access by

car or by certain high-volume transit lines that serve these markets, such as the Route 52.

The residents’ ability to procure fresh foods on foot is much more limited. The three large supermarkets in the distric

are rather isolated from residential neighborhoods and lack adequate pedestrian facilities. Smaller fresh food sources

are scarce. The district is also the only one in the city without a regularly scheduled farmers market. Eleven corner stores

have been enrolled in the Food Trust’s Healthy Corner Store network, but none has undergone conversions that would

allow them to offer a significantly larger amount of healthy food.

Recommendations

10. Update zoning in locations well served by frequent transit service to encourage additional density at thefollowing locations: 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue, Lancaster/Girard/48th, and 40th/Girard/Parkside.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, City Council | CW Objective: 1.1.3

11. Coordinate with public land-holding agencies to advance development of property well served by transit and to

develop site concepts, RFPs, and design guidelines appropriate to local context.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, OHCD, PHA, PRA, DPP | CW Objective: 1.1.3

12. Seek funding to design and implement improvements to the Park West Town Center to provide better pedestrian

access to fresh food and commercial services, particularly for children and seniors.

> Implementing Agencies: Commerce | CW Objective: 1.1.4

13. Create farmers markets within the West Park District boundaries. Potential locations include the School of the

Future, Leidy Elementary School, Lamberton High School, 48th Street and Lancaster Avenue, 54th Street andWynnefield Avenue, and Bryn Mawr and Wynnefield Avenues.

> Implementing Agencies: Nonprofits, PDPH, PCPC, Institutional anchors | CW Objective: 1.1.4

14. Convert existing Healthy Corner Store participant locations into full-service stores, and recruit additional stores

into the program.

> Implementing Agencies: Nonprofits, PDPH | CW Objective: 1.1.4

Corner store on Jefferson Street

Healthy Corner StoreProgram

In partnership with the Food Trust, the

Philadelphia Department of Public Health(PDPH) works with corner store owners

to help them stock and market healthier

options for customers, focusing on areas

with below average or poor access to

other fresh food sources. More than

600 stores are enrolled in this program,

with a smaller subset receiving grants to

install refrigeration to enable the sale of

fresh produce and perishables.

The Park West Town Center caters to

the automobile, and limits the ability

of transit-dependent or pedestrian

shoppers to navigate the complex.

Goal 1.1:

Promote strong and well-


centers.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

Neighborhoods




Access to Healthy Food

Comparing walkable food access and vehicle access levels across the neighborhoods

of West Park reveals significant disparities: residents closer to City Avenue live in

households with higher car ownership rates, allowing them greater choice in where

they buy food and making the lack of walkable access to food scores less of an issue.

For most of East and West Parkside, and parts of Wynnefield, residents also have few

to no sources of healthy foods within walking distance, and are also less likely to have

access to a vehicle. Improving the healthy food environment in these areas is therefore

a priority.

Healthy Produce CartProgram

PDPH’s Healthy Produce Cart Program

establishes mobile fruit and vegetable

trucks in low-income communities

with below average access to healthy

foods. The program waives license fees,

provides small business training, and

provides Electronic Benefits Transfer

machines to vendors so that they can

serve customers who use food stamps.

Recommendations

15. Identify local business owners and entrepreneurs to participate in the PHDP’s Healthy Produce Cart program, to

operate mobile produce carts in underserved areas. Potential locations include: schools or recreation centers,

Cathedral Park (at playground), and rotating locations based on days of the week.

> Implementing Agencies: PDPH, Commerce, PCPC | CW Objective: 1.1.4

16. Reuse appropriate parcels of vacant land for urban agriculture.

> Implementing Agencies: PRA | CW Objective: 1.1.4

No Walkable Access

Poor Walkable Access

Fair Walkable Access

Good Walkable Access

Very Good Walkable Access

Excellent Walkable Access

Walkable Access to Healthy Food

50.1 – 70%

30.1 – 50%

20.1 – 30%

10.1 – 20%

0 – 10%

Households with No Vehicle Access



34Philadelphia2035:


THRIVE >

Philadelphia Rowhouse ManualA PRACTICAL GUIDE FOR HOMEOWNERS

Rachel Simmons Schade, AIA, Schade and Bolender Architects

National Trust for Historic Preservation

Office of Housing and Community Development

Philadelphia City Planning Commission

City of Philadelphia

Housing

Housing choice is one of the major factors that encourages residential growth and the Citywide Vision outlines strategies

to support and promote various types of housing at all price points. The West Park District offers a wide variety o

housing choices. The district includes over 21,230 housing units of all types, from rowhouses to high-rise apartments to

detached houses with large yards. The various neighborhoods also appeal to a wide variety of incomes, making West

Park affordable to a great number of buyers. However, five of West Park’s neighborhoods were developed before World

War II and almost all of the housing stock was constructed before 1970, leaving many neighborhoods with an aging

infrastructure that may require greater investment to conform to modern-day conveniences.

The overall condition and market demand for housing varies greatly from neighborhood to neighborhood, but the

population decline in West Park indicates that there is an overall drop in market demand throughout the district. The

neighborhoods of Overbrook Farms and Green Hill Farms consist mainly of single-family, detached houses that are wel

maintained. They also are historically significant, which creates a visual and historical identity that leads to the least

amount of vacancy and the highest sales prices.

The neighborhoods of Wynnefield Heights, Overbrook Park, and Wynnefield are stable neighborhoods that are starting to

see the signs of a weakening market with vacancy rates increasing. Wynnefield also has a large number of multifamily

and special needs housing developments. These neighborhoods need a small amount of intervention to address these

issues and increase stability.

East Parkside and Cathedral Park are characterized by 19th-century rowhouses. These neighborhoods have the highes

vacancy, the lowest homeownership rates, and the lowest housing prices within the district. The neighborhoods also

have the least demand for new housing units, leaving little use for the many vacant lots and buildings.

West Park has several hundred affordable housing units, mostly scattered-site housing managed by the Philadelphia

Housing Authority. Nonprofits and small-scale developers also focus on providing affordable housing throughout the

district. Residential facilities that serve the aging and physically and mentally disabled can be found in West Park, with

many concentrated in the Wynnefield Heights neighborhood.

Philadelphia Rowhouse Manual

Published by the PCPC, the Philadelphia

Rowhouse Manual offers homeowners

tips and advice on maintaining and

restoring their houses.

Goal 1.2:

Improve the quality and

diversity of new and

existing housing.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

Housing Recommendations

St. Joseph’s Home Buy Now Program (21)

Reduce poverty in struggling neighborhoods (19)

Housing and mixed-use redevelopment priorities (17, 18)

Neighborhoods



3Framing Our Future

Definition | Home Buy Now Program

Philadelphia Home Buy Now is a

matching–grant program based on

partnerships between the City of

Philadelphia and major employers.

Funds are used to assist employees who

want to purchase a home in Philadelphia.

Home Buy Now has many benefits,

including neighborhood revitalization,

increased homeownership, shorter

commutes, and reduced traffic

congestion.

Definition | PHIL LoanThe Philadelphia Home Improvement

Loan (PHIL Loan) program offers low-

interest loans to homeowners for

renovations. Interest rates vary from 3%

to 5% APR based on income and size of

the property and applications for a PHIL

Loan can be made at PNC Bank, Citizens

Bank or TD Bank. Only owner-occupied

homes are eligible.

EnergyWorks helps all homeowners

in Philadelphia to increase the energy

efficiency of their homes by bringing

together all available rebates, tax

credits, and low-interest financing with

certified building analyst and contractors

for home energy-efficiency upgrades.

Recommendations

17. Prioritize government-assisted projects to rehabilitate and reuse existing housing stock. Prioritize:

• 3800–4000 blocks of Girard Avenue (a highly visible location)

• 1700 blocks of Memorial Avenue, 42nd, and Marlton Streets (adjacent to prior housing investment)

> Implementing Agencies: OHCD, PRA | CW Objective: 1.2.1

18. Develop mixed-income housing development around the transit node of 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue (see

FOCUS AREAS p. 56).

> Implementing Agencies: OHCD, PRA, PHA | CW Objective: 1.2.2

19. Develop incentives to reduce concentrations of poverty in the neighborhoods of East Parkside, West Parkside,

and Cathedral Park and encourage more market rate housing. Ensure that existing affordable housing is in good

condition. > Implementing Agencies: PRA, PHA, OHCD | CW Objective: 1.2.2

20. Concentrate new affordable housing as infill on stable blocks rather than in large new developments; prioritize

scattered sites in Wynnefield.

> Implementing Agencies: PHA, OHCD, PRA | CW Objective: 1.2.1

21. Establish SJU and PCOM as partners in the City’s Home Buy Now program to support home ownership in

Wynnefield and Wynnefield Heights.

> Implementing Agencies: MDO | CW Objective: 1.2.1

22. Support programs that provide maintenance and home ownership education to help residents maintain the

current housing stock.

• Work with the Energy Coordinating Agency and EnergyWorks to educate homeowners about energy-efficient upgrades.

• Intensively market the PHIL Loan program for low-interest loans for upgrades.

• Intensively market programs for first-time home buyers, such as the American Dream Downpayment

Initiative and Settlement Grant Program.

> Implementing Agencies: MOS, OHCD, nonprofits | CW Objective: 1.2.1

23. Provide more aging-in-place programs to help older residents stay in their houses for a longer period of time.

• Encourage senior homeowners to enroll in adaptive modification programs such as those administered by

the Philadelphia Corporation for the Aging (PCA), the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC)

and other aging in place services.

> Implementing Agencies: OHCD, PCA | CW Objective: 1.2.2

24. Provide new housing for the elderly near services and amenities, such as transit and commercial corridors.

> Implementing Agencies: PRA, OHCD, PHA | CW Objective: 1.2.2



36Philadelphia2035:


THRIVE >

Metropolitan and Regional Centers: City Avenue

The Citywide Vision describes several employment centers that drive not only Philadelphia’s economy, but also the

economy of the surrounding twelve-county region and the larger Northeast megaregion. The City Avenue Regiona

Center spans over 25 blocks along both sides of City Avenue and includes office towers, regional shopping destinations

hotels, two television stations, and two Regional Rail stations. Over 28,000 people find employment in almost 3,000,000

square feet of office space in the Regional Center, although almost all offices are on the Lower Merion Township side.

The Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center, which includes Lord & Taylor and many other retail stores, anchor the Lower Merion

side. The newly created Target Shopping Center has increased shopping choices on the Philadelphia side. Together

these help draw shoppers from both counties on a regular basis and rank among the top-five destinations for resident

in West Park.

The City Avenue Special Services District (CASSD) was created to clean and maintain the City Avenue corridor to lure

tenants and users to this area. City Avenue is well-known as a congested, automobile-oriented commercial area that

proves discouraging and dangerous for pedestrians. In 2009, the City of Philadelphia created a City Avenue zoningoverlay district to maximize development opportunities in the Regional Center, attract high-quality regional tenants

provide amenities, and encourage a walkable environment with an integrated transportation system. The overlay

requires future development to meet design standards along City Avenue, including building at the street-line along

City Avenue; streetscaping with wider sidewalks, lighting and landscaping; height limits, and buffer zones to protect

residential areas. Lower Merion Township subsequently adopted a similar zoning overlay for the other side of the street

Recommendations

25. Coordinate with Lower Merion Township to study and implement roadway improvements, upgrade walkability,

and provide a better balance between transportation modes and site design as well as for City Avenue.

• Upgrade walkability with traffic signal timing, improve crosswalks and coordination of future curb cuts.

• Provide a better balance of transportation modes by extending bus access and augmenting bus drop-offs

with dedicated bus pull-outs.

> Implementing Agencies: MOTU, PCPC, Streets, CASSD | CW Objective: 2.1.3

26. Promote the development of complementary businesses at an appropriate urban scale to increase walkability

(see FOCUS AREAS p. 61).

> Implementing Agencies: CASSD, Commerce | CW Objective: 2.1.3

27. Maintain the “green” area of low-density residential uses in this section by prohibiting nonresidential uses

along City Avenue between St. Joseph’s University campus and Haverford Avenue.

> Implementing Agencies: CASSD, Commerce | CW Objective: 2.1.3

Economic Development

City AvenueSpecial Services District

Founded in 1998, the City Avenue

Special Services District (CASSD)

is the only Special Services District

that encompasses two municipalities

—Philadelphia and Lower Merion

Township. The CASSD strives to maintain

and improve the economic vitality of the

City Avenue corridor through marketing,

streetscape improvements, and safety

programs.

Goal 2.1:

Support the growth of

economic centers.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision




City AvenueZoning Overlay District

The City Avenue Overlay was passed in

2009 by Philadelphia City Council. The

overlay helps to create a more walkable,

dense, and pedestrian friendly character

for the avenue. It is broken up into two

major sections, the Regional Center

and the Village Center. The Regional

Center is located closer to the Schuylkill

Expressway interchange and allows

more height and density. The Village

Center is located between Belmont

Avenue and 54th Street and a mostly

auto-oriented retail area. Here theoverlay establishes land use controls

and requires wider sidewalks to improve

walkability.

City Avenue is well-known as a congested, automobile-oriented commercial strip that proves discouraging and dangerous for the

many pedestrians in the area (left photo curtesy of CASSD).

C i t y A

v e n u

e

B e l m o

n t A v e n u e

M o n u m e n t R

o a d

F o r d R o a d

Village Center

Regional Center

Overlay Regulation Regional Center Village Center

Impervious Coverage 80% of Lot 85% of lot

Setback on City Avenue 25 – 40 feet 20 – 30 feet

Minimum Building Height 25 feet 25 feet

Maximum Building Height 120’ – 300’ (depending on location) 65 feet

Residential Buffer 20 feet 10 feet

Drive-Throughs Prohibited Only with access from the rear

Maximum lot width without public access 600 feet 600 feet

Floor Area Ratio

375% for Mixed-Use,

350% for other uses

(up to 100% increase in bonuses)

375% for Mixed-Use,

350% for other uses

(up to 100% increase in bonuses)

Residential Parking Minimum 1 space per unit 1 space per unit

Maximum Surface Parking Street Frontage 60 feet 60 feet

Maximum Curb Cut/Driveway per Street Frontage 1 per street 1 per street

5 4 t h

S t r e

e t



38Philadelphia2035:


THRIVE >

Goal 2.2:

Target industrial lands

for continued growth and

development.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

Industrial Land

Recommendations

28. Preserve all but the Parkside Avenue frontage of the Parkside Industrial District for industrial uses. Convert the

portion along Parkside Avenue to uses more compatible with the neighboring residential and cultural uses (see

FOCUS AREAS p. 60).

> Implementing Agencies: PIDC, PCPC, Commerce, nonprofits | CW Objective: 2.2.1

29. Rezone the Parkside Industrial Park to allow for future industrial flex uses that are compatible with surroundingresidential/cultural uses.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, City Council | CW Objective: 2.2.1

30. Ensure that changes to the streetscape of Parkside Avenue allow access and movement of truck traffic to

support the Parkside business park (see CONNECT p. 44).

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, PennDOT | CW Objective: 2.2.1

31. Conduct a feasibility study for the reuse of the under-utilized Acme warehouse site in Wynnefield.

> Implementing Agencies: Commerce, PCPC, PIDC | CW Objective: 2.2.1

Industrial activity has never been an important aspect of the West Park District. Unlike some other districts wher

residents could walk to factory jobs, West Philadelphia and the West Park District have historically been residentia

areas. Industrial uses occupy less than four percent of land in the West Park District, with most of it concentrated in the

Parkside Industrial Park and the former Acme site. The few scattered industrial parcels serve various utilities, including

the Belmont Water Treatment Plant, the Water Department Pumping Station on King Drive, and the telecommunication

towers in Overbrook Park.

The Parkside Industrial Park includes 47.5 acres of vacant and newly developed industrial parcels. The industrial par

has good access to rail, but street configurations and other constraints make it difficult to access by truck. The highly

visible parcels along Parkside Avenue could be used for commercial or cultural uses that would be more compatible to

the residential blocks to the east and the Centennial District across the street. Currently, the Streets Department’s sal

yard is the only industrial use that sits along Parkside Avenue and should be moved to the rear of the Industrial District

The rear of the Parkside Industrial Park can also be developed with more flex-industrial type of uses, such as the Verizo

and Cintas companies.

The Acme site is used as long-term storage of cocoa beans, but parts of the site remain vacant. Nestled on a parcel tha

is hemmed in by major grade changes and railroad lines, the redevelopment of this site is extremely challenging. For

now, the current use keeps the site in good condition and does not negatively affect the neighboring properties.

Former Acme Site: The site is over 1.5 million square feet and has the potential to be a major development and job-creating project.

Industrial property on Lancaster Avenue




3Framing Our Future

C i t y A

v e

Institutions and Cultural Economy

The continued growth of Philadelphia’s education and health services industry is a vital part of the city’s long-term

economic development. The West Park District has a number of educational and healthcare institutions. St. Joseph’s

University (SJU), a private Jesuit university, located at City Avenue in 1927. With a student body of over 8,800 and 1,500

full and part-time staff, SJU is the largest institution in the district. To the east is the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic

Medicine (PCOM). Founded in 1899, PCOM moved to its current location in the 1960s and has about 2,100 students and

500 employees at this campus and its satellite health care centers.

There are a number of healthcare institutions in West Park. Inglis House, the Salvation Army, and Kearsley Senior

Community provide housing and services for disabled and elderly clients. The Overbrook School for the Blind, founded in

1832, moved to its location at 63rd and Malvern Streets in 1899. This historic campus provides housing and classrooms

for students in elementary school to job training after high school.

Cultural institutions play a large role in the West Park District, providing regional tourist destinations, jobs, and support

businesses. Most of these institutions sit in West Fairmount Park as a part of the Centennial District, including the MannMusic Center, Please Touch Museum, and the Philadelphia Zoo. Collectively, these institutions attract over 1.7 million

visitors a year to West Park. However, there are few businesses in the area that support these attractions. Restaurants,

lodging, parking, and other supportive uses would enhance the visitor experience. These new businesses would provide

development opportunities for West Park and create additional jobs for local residents.

SP-INS Zoning

The Institutional Special Purpose District(SP-INS) is intended to encourage thedevelopment of a college or hospitalcampus in accordance to an approvedmaster plan of development. This masterplan must be approved by the PCPC andby City Council.

Recommendations

32. Incorporate the entire SJU campus into the University’s SP-INS zoning.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, City Council, SJU | CW Objective: 2.3.1

33. Work with PCOM to create a SP-INS for its campus.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, City Council, PCOM | CW Objective: 2.3.1

34. Support healthcare programs provided by PCOM at its Lancaster Avenue and City Avenue centers to complement

healthcare services provided by the City.

> Implementing Agencies: PDPH, PCA, PCOM | CW Objective: 2.3.2

35. Market parcels located along Parkside Avenue for development of cultural or commercial uses that support

neighboring cultural attractions (see FOCUS AREAS p. 60).

> Implementing Agencies: PIDC, Commerce | CW Objective: 2.3.2

Goal 2.3:

Grow Philadelphia’s strong

institutional job sector.

Goal 2.4:

Develop tourism and

creative economy into

leading economic sectors.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

SP-INS district expansion and

creation (proposed)

Existing SP-INS district

Montgomery County PCOM

St. Joseph’s

University



40Philadelphia2035:


THRIVE >

Vacant Land and Structures

The Citywide Vision proposes three objectives for tackling the issue of long-term vacancy. First, create a transparent and

market-based land disposition policy for the City with a comprehensive vacant property database. Second, adopt policie

to prevent further abandonment. Third, discover creative ways to reuse vacant land and structures.

In West Park, two percent of the land sits vacant and an additional 400 buildings are empty or partially vacant. Vacancy

is concentrated in the Parkside and Cathedral Park neighborhoods, with each having over twenty-two percent of the land

as vacant. Wynnefield and Wynnefield Heights are seeing signs of growing vacancy.

Vacant land offers an opportunity to provide new amenities and uses in these residential communities. Side yards fo

existing residences, community gardens, and pocket parks can all utilize the small-sized footprints of vacant rowhouse

parcels. However, the development of these parcels for community-serving open space requires dedication and capacity

from local community groups to maintain and manage the sites. Several nonprofits specialize in activities that help

convert vacant property to more active uses.

Recommendations

36. Consolidate publicly owned vacant parcels and sell for redevelopment. Prioritize areas that include:

• 4900 block of Girard Avenue

• 1700 block of North 52nd Street

• 1700 block of North 54th Street

• 5100 block of West Stiles Street

> Implementing Agencies: PRA, PHA, OHCD, DPP | CW Objective: 3.1.3

37. Encourage more community gardens. Target the 4100 block of Leidy Avenue for a larger urban farm.

> Implementing Agencies: Nonprofits, PRA | CW Objective: 3.1.3

38. Negotiate with owners of highly visible vacant properties to encourage their redevelopment or sale todevelopers. Focus on:

• 3800 – 4000 blocks of Girard Avenue

• 5600 block of Lebanon Avenue

• 5200 block of Parkside Avenue

• 5100 block of Warren Street

> Implementing Agencies: MDO | CW Objective: 3.1.2

39. Create a sustainable energy site on vacant City-owned land along the Paoli/Thorndale Regional Rail line and

Merion Avenue to support an EcoDistrict in Cathedral Park and West Parkside. [See RENEW p.49]

> Implementing Agencies: Philadelphia University, DPP | CW Objective: 3.1.3, 5.1.1

40. Sell City-owned scattered sites in Cathedral Park and East Parkside at nominal cost for use as side- yards andcommunity gardens.

> Implementing Agencies: DPP, PRA, PHA, OHCD | CW Objective: 3.1.3

41. Work with community groups and nonprofits to improve areas of high vacancy especially on the 4700-5100

blocks of Merion Avenue where short dumping has been an ongoing problem.

• Repair security cameras in the corridor.

• Create traffic calming along Merion Avenue such as direction changes and adding sidewalks and curbs.

• Perform more cleanups at Merion Avenue. The City can provide equipment to support community cleanups.

> Implementing Agencies: MDO, L&I | CW Objective: 3.1.3

PHS Philadelphia Green

Philadelphia Green is a program of the

Pennsylvania Horticultural Society (PHS)

that promotes a comprehensive approach

to maintaining and revitalizing the city’s

green infrastructure as an element

of urban revitalization. The program

has several components includingdeveloping and preserving green

space, planting trees, creating green

streetscapes and providing long-term

landscape management. To implement

these, PHS partners with local residents

and community organizations.

Land Management

Goal 3.1:

Manage and reduce

vacancy.

Philadelphia2035:

Citywide Vision

Vacant land and structures



4Framing Our Future

Vacant Land and Structures

Properties with Vacant Structures

City-Owned Vacant Land

Partially Vacant Structures

Vacant Land

Vacant Land

Fully Vacant Structures

Note: Vacancy survey completed in May of 2011.

High visibility development

of vacant land / houses\

3800 – 4000 blocks of Girard Avenue

Urban

agriculture

4100 block of Leidy Avenue

Community

Garden

4100 block of Leidy Avenue

Side

yards

Mixed-use

development 5200 block of Parkside

Avenue

Affordable

Housing (OHCD)

4900 block of Girard Avenue

Acquisition &

RFP for development

5100 block of Stiles Street



G i ra rd A ve n ue

Park West Town Center

B e l m

o n t A

v e n u e

5 2 n d

S t r e

e t

Sustainable

Energy Site Merion Ave



42Philadelphia2035:


CONNECT > Transportation

Philadelphians benefit from an extensive network of rapid transit, commuter rail, trolleys, trackless trolleys, and

bus service. This comprehensive transit system helps explain how fully one-quarter of households continue to live

in Philadelphia without owning a car. The transit network has multiple benefits including reduced vehicular traffic

improved air quality, and less reliance on fossil fuels. While West Park is served by many types of transit, most o

the district’s major destinations are accessed primarily by automobile. Cultural attractions in the Centennial Distric

including the Mann Center, the Please Touch Museum, and the Philadelphia Zoo do not have direct transit links to

suburban destinations or Center City and rely heavily on surface parking, which sometimes has adverse traffic impact

on local residential streets. There is no continuous bus service along the length of City Avenue.

The Routes 10 and 15 trolleys have heavy ridership, but reach only a small portion of West Park neighborhoods. The

heavily used Routes 52 and G buses also serve parts of West Park. In contrast, the Cynwyd Regional Rail Line, serving the

Bala and Wynnefield stations, has had declining ridership. However, strong development opportunities exist at juncture

of active transit lines and vacant property, such as the intersection of 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue, which has

transit lines with high ridership, an inactive Regional Rail station, and numerous vacant lots.

Transit

Recommendations

42. Implement Transit First initiatives such as stop consolidation for the Routes 10 and 15 trolleys and signal

prioritization changes for mass transit vehicles at 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue.

> Implementing Agencies: SEPTA, MOTU, Streets | CW Objective: 4.1.1

43. Study implementation of a light rail transit connection between Center City and cultural attractions within the

Centennial District including the Mann Center, Please Touch Museum, and Philadelphia Zoo.

• Future study of the Cultural Light Rail should consider both commuter and tourist ridership between Center

City and cultural destinations in the Centennial District.

• PHLASH bus service to cultural attractions either needs long term/dedicated funding or a transit substitute

in its place. > Implementing Agencies: SEPTA, PPR, MOTU, PCPC | CW Objective: 4.1.2

44. Determine how to increase ridership and maintain service on the Cynwyd Regional Rail Line.

> Implementing Agencies: SEPTA, MOTU | CW Objective: 4.1.1

45. Study the feasibility of extending the Cynwyd Heritage Trail to Parkside via sharing the Cynwyd Regional Rail

Line right-of-way.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, SEPTA | CW Objective: 6.1.2

46. In the Parkside and Cathedral Park neighborhoods, change zoning to encourage denser development for

properties adjacent to active and proposed transit routes. This will support neighborhood stabilization and

revitalization.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, City Council | CW Objectives: 4.1.3, 1.1.3

47. Further study the feasibility of rebuilding a Regional Rail station at the Philadelphia Zoo that could potentially

serve the Trenton, Chestnut Hill West, and Atlantic City (NJT) Regional Rail Lines.

> Implementing Agencies: Amtrak, SEPTA, Philadelphia Zoo | CW Objective: 4.1.1

48. Study the feasibility of opening a Regional Rail station at 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue.

> Implementing Agencies: SEPTA, MOTU | CW Objective: 4.1.1

Route 15 Trolley

Cultural Corridor Light Rail Transit

Goal 4.1:

Increase the use of transit

to reduce environmental

impacts and travel time.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision




Streets and HighwaysThe City of Philadelphia has adopted a “complete streets” policy to focus attention on making streets safe and

comfortable for all users. Over twenty-seven percent of West Park residents do not own a car. Commuting by walking

or biking, as a primary mode or in tandem with public transit, helps residents achieve recommended levels of physical

activity. In order to make recommendations to carry out this policy, the PCPC has completed the Philadelphia Pedestrian

and Bicycle Plan . Implementation of recommendations within the Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan will occur over time as

roadways are resurfaced by the Streets Department and sidewalks are rebuilt as new development takes place or as part

of the Philadelphia Water Department’s Green City, Clean Waters Program.

Much of the roadway network in West Park is pedestrian-friendly and connects residents with Regional Rail lines,

trolleys, and bus routes. However, City Avenue is hostile to pedestrians with narrow sidewalks, insufficient buffering from

traffic, and frequent curb cuts, causing vehicle-pedestrian conflicts. In addition, much of the development in Wynnefield

Heights is auto-oriented. Over time, auto-centric development has spread to the commercial corridors and arterial

streets, degrading the pedestrian environment. The complete streets recommendations along with corresponding land

use and urban design improvements will improve the conditions for existing pedestrians and bicyclists and encouragemore people in West Park to adopt active modes of transportation as part of their daily routine.

Much of West Park was built before World War II and before auto-oriented, suburban forms of development became

popular in the United States. Therefore, the neighborhoods are pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented by design.

However, traffic congestion is an issue around the Zoo where there is constrained access and limited parking, along City

Avenue, and along arterial streets such as Lancaster Avenue and 52nd Street. The Schuylkill Expressway (I-76) is also

subject to frequent delays in both directions, but due to constraints imposed by its route through Fairmount Park, only

incremental improvements are possible. The expressway cannot be widened to accommodate more traffic. This causes

commuters to utilize King Drive, Montgomery Drive, Belmont Avenue, and other local streets for commuting into Center

City and University City, with resultant high speeds.

Since the West Park District is largely built-out, the City must maintain and upgrade the existing street and highway

system to bring it into a state of good repair. In order to reduce congestion without negatively affecting pedestrians,bicyclists, or the character of the district, this plan makes a limited number of strategic recommendations that will

reduce automobile congestion and minimize impacts on pedestrians and bicyclists.

Recommendations

49. Implement the bicycle network recommendations found in the PCPC Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan as streets are

scheduled for re-striping or resurfacing.

> Implementing Agencies: Streets | CW Objective: 4.2.1, 4.2.2

50. Design new facilities to meet the sidewalk design standards found in the PCPC Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan as

new developments are built or sidewalks are replaced.

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, PWD | CW Objective: 4.2.2

51. Enhance bicycle and pedestrian connections to King Drive trail (see RENEW p. 46).

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, Streets, SRDC | CW Objective: 4.2.2

52. Utilize traffic calming measures including new medians, curb bump-outs, trolley pull-out, and trolley signal

prioritization to improve pedestrian safety along the 52nd Street corridor from Girard Avenue to Parkside

Avenue, especially at the Lancaster Avenue intersection (see FOCUS AREAS p. 56),

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, SEPTA, MOTU | CW Objective: 4.2.3

Goal 4.2:

Balance the use of

roadways to ensure safe

and efficient travel by all

modes.

Goal 4.3:

Provide a safe and efficient

road network that supportsplanned land uses.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

Definition | Complete Streets

Complete streets are designed to

provide safe and comfortable travel

for all users. On June 4, 2009, Mayor

Nutter signed an executive order that

established Philadelphia as the first

city in Pennsylvania to have a complete

streets policy. The policy decrees that

every City agency should adopt complete

streets strategies to balance the needs

of multiple users on city streets.



44Philadelphia2035:


CONNECT > Transportation

Recommendations

53. Improve Parkside Avenue with new medians, crosswalks, and traffic lights as recommended in the Delaware

Valley Regional Planning Commission’s Parkside Traffic Taming Plan in order to facilitate better connections

between East and West Parkside and Fairmount Park.

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, PPR, MOTU, PWD | CW Objective: 4.2.3

54. Enhance gateway at the 52nd Street Amtrak Bridge and improve pedestrian safety through improved lighting,

gateway signage, and sidewalk maintenance (see FOCUS AREAS p. 59).

> Implementing Agencies: MOTU, Amtrak, SEPTA, Streets | CW Objective: 4.2.3

55. Examine the feasibility of extending Leidy Avenue from Belmont Avenue to 51st Street (see RENEW p. 53).

> Implementing Agencies: PIDC, Streets | CW Objective: 9.1.1

56. Implement the Centennial District Intermodal Transportation Project, which supports both automobile travel as

well as mass transit, in order to decrease automobile congestion and reliance on automobiles, specifically at

the I-76 Girard Avenue Interchange.

> Implementing Agencies: Philadelphia Zoo, STREETS, L&I | CW Objective: 4.3.2

57. Complete the reconstruction of the 40th and 41st Street Bridges over the Amtrak right-of-way to reestablish the

connections between East Parkside, Belmont, and Mantua.

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, PennDOT | CW Objective: 4.3.1

58. Complete a traffic study to gauge the effects of removing South Concourse Drive as recommended in the

Centennial District Master Plan.

> Implementing Agencies: MOTU, PPR | CW Objective: 4.3.2

59. Create an enhanced side path along Belmont Avenue between Parkside and Conshohocken Avenues to improve

the mobility of disabled residents of Wynnefield Heights, Belmont Village, and Parkside.

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, MOTU | CW Objective: 4.2.3Schuylkill Expressway (I-76)

Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive and

Montgomery Drive

Proposed Centennial District Intermodal

Transportation Project at the Zoo

Improvements toParkside Avenue

Parkside Avenue is a boundary of West

Fairmount Park. East of Belmont Avenue,

the Park is bordered by the Parkside

historic district, containing remarkable

structures. It can also be a physicalbarrier that keeps residents away from

the amenities of the Park. It is important

to create more and better crossings as

well as calm the traffic that speeds down

this wide corridor. The goal for Parkside

Avenue is to create a better transition

between the neighborhood and the Park.

Source: Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission



4Framing Our Future

Pedestrian and Bicycle Plan

Proposed Bicycle Infrastructure

Proposed Marked Shared Lane

Proposed Climbing Lane

Proposed Shared Roadway

Proposed Sidepath

Proposed Bike / Buffered Bike Lane

Existing Bike Lane

District Boundary

B e l m

o n t A

v e n u e

C i t y A

v e n u e


G i r a r d A v e n u e


Philadelphia Pedestrian and

Bicycle Plan

The PCPC is preparing a Pedestrian and

Bicycle Plan for the City of Philadelphia.

Improving pedestrian and bicycle safety

and mobility is an important elementof the City’s ongoing efforts to become

more sustainable.



46Philadelphia2035:


RENEW >

Watershed Parks and Trails

Recommendations60. Extend the Cynwyd Heritage Trail to Parkside via the Cynwyd Regional Rail Line right-of-way.

> Implementing Agencies: SEPTA, PPR, Nonprofits | CW Objective: 6.1.2

61. Extend the Cobbs Creek Trail from 63rd and Market Streets along the creek, through Cobbs Creek Park to

Delaware and Montgomery Counties.

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, PPR, Nonprofits | CW Objective: 6.1.2

62. Create a Bike Station facility in the eastern section of the Centennial District, where roads and trails are well-

suited for biking.

• Contract with a private vendor to operate a bike rental program in West Fairmount Park. Consider co-

location with Bike Station facility.

• Increase parking for bicycles at Centennial District attractions. > Implementing Agencies: BCGP, Streets, PPR, MOTU | CW Objective: 4.2.2

63. Enhance bicycle and pedestrian connections to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive Trail by improving bike lanes and

sidewalks on Lansdowne Drive, Sweetbriar Drive, Black Road, and Montgomery Drive as well as the crossings

of Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive at these locations.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, Streets | CW Objective: 6.1.2

64. Make the following Centennial District improvements:

• Improve upon and create more active recreation fields between South Concourse Drive and the Avenue of

the Republic.

• Create neighborhood amenities, such as picnic areas or community gardens, between South Concourse

Drive and Parkside Avenue near intersections along Parkside Avenue to increase neighborhood use of the

Park.

• Study the realignment of Lansdowne Drive to make Avenue of the Republic the main internal roadway of

the Centennial District.

• Extend the feel of the park outside the Centennial District by greening streets that connect to the

neighborhoods. These streets include 41st Street, 42nd Street, 52nd Street, and 49th Street.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, PennDOT, Streets | CW Objective: 6.1.2

65. Study the feasibility of ferry transportation between the Waterworks, Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive, and the

Philadelphia Zoo to connect the east and west sides of the river. Establish boat tours of the freshwater Schuylkill

River.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, MOTU | CW Objective: 6.2.2

The West Park District contains a major portion of Philadelphia’s first watershed park, West Fairmount Park. Originall

created to protect the Schuylkill River and keep its water clean, the Park contains some of the most visited attractions

in the city for both tourists and residents. Cobbs Creek and Morris Park surround streams in much the same way in the

western section of the district. It is extremely important to maintain these amenities as well as expand upon their use

for both local residents and visitors.

Access to West Fairmount Park can be difficult. For local residents, this is due to three parallel roadways in the

Centennial District and railroad lines on the south and west sides of the Park. For tourists, the lack of dedicated transi

service and traffic congestion can make visits complicated. There is also a disconnect, at times, between some of the

amenities that local residents need and the regional attractions that call the park their home. It is important to create an

accessible, usable, and enjoyable park experience that attracts more and more people. The trail on the western bank o

the Schuylkill River is also a tremendous attraction that can be better connected to communities in the district.

Open Space

Bicycle stations provide secure parking,

bicycle rentals, and/or shower facilities.

Users are typically charged a fee to use

the station facilities.

West Fairmount Park Use byWest Park Residents

Goal 6.1:

Complete, expand, and

connect watershed parks

and trails in the city and the

region.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

32%

12%21%

15%

20%

Every couple of weeks

Once per month

Less than once per month

Multiple times per week

One per week




Trail Connections

It is very important to create better

connections between the amenities

of West Park and the surrounding

communities. The trail networks

that run throughout Philadelphia and

Montgomery Counties reach various

parts of the district, but do not connect.

To encourage biking and other forms of

recreation, these gaps should be filled.

The Cynwyd Heritage Trail will follow

the Cynwyd Regional Rail Line from

City Avenue, where it connects to a

trail in Montgomery County, to Parkside

Avenue, where it can connect toFairmount Park and the Schuylkill River

Trail. The Cobbs Creek Trail extension

will run from the current end of the

Cobbs Creek Trail at 63rd and Market

Streets to City Avenue where it can

connect to planned Montgomery and

Delaware County trails.

Centennial District

The site of the 100-year anniversary

celebration of the birth of the nation,

the Centennial District is the area of

west Fairmount Park that borders the

West and East Parkside neighborhoods.

As the United States closes in on its

250th year, there has been a major push

to improve this section of park to attract

more people as well as being a better

neighbor to those who live around it.To do this, new local amenities need to

be added and regional attractions and

circulation improved.

Improved ActiveRecreational Spaces

Neighborhood Center New Roadways

New Crossing

Enhanced Crossing

“Green” Connector Streets

New Park Amenities



G i ra rd A ve n ue

A v e n u e o f t h e R e p u b l i c


B

e l m o n t A

v e n u e

5 2 n d

S t r e

e t

S . C o n c o u r s e D r i v e

DelawareCounty

MontgomeryCounty

FairmountPark

MorrisPark

Proposed Trails

West Park District

Trail Connections

Montgomery and Delaware

County Trails

Cynwyd HeritageTrail

Cobbs Creek Trail



48Philadelphia2035:


RENEW >


Recommendations

66. Improve the schoolyard of Lamberton High School in Overbrook Park (see THRIVE p. 29).

> Implementing Agencies: SDP, PWD, PPR | CW Objectives: 1.1.1, 6.3.1

67. Green the schoolyards of the Blankenburg Elementary School, located near the intersection of Belmont and

Girard Avenues, and Heston Elementary, located at Lancaster Avenue and 54th Street.

> Implementing Agencies: SDP, PWD | CW Objectives: 1.1.1, 6.3.1

68. Implement the Get Healthy Philly bicycle signage program.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC | CW Objective: 6.3.2

69. Work with the School District of Philadelphia to transfer maintenance responsibilities for the Conestoga Field at

52nd and Master Streets to Mastery Charter School.

> Implementing Agencies: SDP, Mastery Charter Schools | CW Objective: 6.3.3

70. Work toward opening Old Cathedral Cemetery to public access.• Use current roads and trails for walking, jogging, and biking and align access points with currently existing

streets to create a more open relationship between the cemetery and surrounding neighborhoods

> Implementing Agencies: Local civic organizations | CW Objectives: 6.3.1, 8.1.5

Neighborhood parks and recreation centers meet the daily open space and social needs of a community. The Citywid

Vision recommends expanding open space so that all Philadelphians live within a half-mile (10-minute) walk of a

neighborhood park or recreation center. It is also important to maintain and improve our existing inventory. The West

Park District has a large amount of parkland and open space, including two of the largest parks in the city, Fairmount

and Morris. While these expanses of open space offer amenities such as playing fields and passive open space, smaller

scaled neighborhood parks and recreation centers address other recreational needs of residents. Tot-lots, playground

and centers that offer various youth programs help create a sense of community and identity in a neighborhood and

provide amenities that contribute to residents’ overall health. It is important to ensure that all of the population of Wes

Park has access to one of these facilities to have a positive impact on the community’s physical health and well-being.

Goal 6.3:

Expand access to

neighborhood parks and

recreation.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

Open Space

Case Study | Woodlands Cemetery

The Woodlands Cemetery, located at 40th and Woodland Avenue, provides a useful

example for increasing access to Old Cathedral Cemetery. The Woodlands Cemetery

is one of several in the city that continues to perform burial services while functioning

as recreational and passive open spaces for neighboring communities. The non-profit

Woodlands Cemetery Company of Philadelphia oversees burial practices at the site

while a separate entity, the Woodlands Trust for Historic Preservation, actively promotes

the site as a cultural landscape. The grounds contain a community garden, an apiary, and

an informal trail that weaves from the paved roads of the cemetery onto the grounds.

The cemetery is locked at dusk each evening, but the grounds are otherwise open to

the public and it is not uncommon to find several dozen visitors walking, running, dog-

walking, or otherwise enjoying the scenery on any given day. At 48th and Lancaster

Avenue, the Old Cathedral Cemetery has paths that are similarly well suited to provide

Cathedral Park residents with a local opportunity for physical activity and contemplation.

Definition | EcoDistrict

An EcoDistrict is a neighborhood or

district with a broad commitmentto accelerate neighborhood-scale

sustainability. EcoDistricts commit

to achieving ambitious sustainability

performance goals, guiding district

investments and community action, and

tracking the results over time.

Park West Green TrailsInitiative

Started by the American Cities

Foundation in 2010, Philadelphia

University has worked to create a

plan around modern concepts of

sustainability throughout the Cathedral

Park, West Parkside, Overbrook and

Wynnefield neighborhoods.



4Framing Our Future

RENEW >

Air Quality, Water Quality, and Tree Cover

Recommendations

71. Rehabilitate Centennial and Concourse Lakes in Fairmount Park to create publicly accessible water features.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, Nonprofits | CW Objective: 7.2.3

72. Create green infrastructure along Parkside Avenue, Conshohocken Avenue, Upland Way, Blankenburg

Elementary School, 52nd and Lancaster Avenue park space and at Dimner Beeber Middle School to capture

stormwater runoff (see map on p. 57).

> Implementing Agencies: PWD | CW Objective: 7.2.3

73. Prioritize tree planting in Overbrook Park, West Parkside, and Wynnefield (see map below).

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, PWD, Nonprofits | CW Objective: 7.3.1

74. Create a neighborhood vacant lot stewardship program in Cathedral Park and Parkside.

> Implementing Agencies: Local civic organizations, PHS, PPR, Nonprofits | CW Objective: 3.1.1

75. Create an EcoDistrict in the area of the West Parkside and Cathedral Park neighborhoods.

> Implementing Agencies: PCPC, MOS, PWD | CW Objectives: 7.1.2, 7.2.3

Renewing our environmental resources is essential to the health of our city and region. The recommendations in the

Citywide Vision build upon the environmental goals set in Greenworks Philadelphia , established by the Mayor’s Office

of Sustainability in 2009. Home to West Fairmount Park, the West Park District’s development history is rooted in

the protection of natural and environmental resources. The park provides tree cover, reduces the urban heat island

effect, and serves a vital function in stormwater management. The benefits accrued from the Park’s creation were later

compromised, in part, by the construction of I-76 and the mid-20th century shift toward suburban growth and auto-

centric development. Today, I-76 is one of the largest generators of emissions-based air pollutants in the region. Within

the district there is great variation in terms of tree cover and pervious pavement (two factors that affect stormwater

management) among the neighborhoods.

Gradual changes in physical development patterns and transportation options can go a long way toward addressing these

issues by: (1) clustering residential development closer to commercial services, (2) aligning land use with current and

planned transportation infrastructure, and (3) encouraging nonautomotive choices in areas currently dominated by the

automobile. Vacant parcels also provide opportunity to create short-term projects to improve stormwater management,and tree cover. The Park West Green Trails Initiative , create by the American Cities Foundation, contains many ideas to

make this area the forefront of sustainable design and energy conservation. And finally, the Park itself offers possibilities

for enhancing the district’s natural environment and minimizing reliance on car traffic to and from its many amenities.

Environmental Resources

Goal 7.1:

Improve air quality within

the city and region.

Goal 7.2:

Improve the quality and

management of our water

and wetland resources.

Goal 7.3:

Increase tree coverage

equitably across the city.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

Benefits of Tree Plant

• Improved air quality

• Increased energy savings

• Improved traffic safety

• Increased real estate value

• Increased sociological beneCO2

CO2

N

P

K

stormwater

NOx

SO2

O3

O2

pollution

tree photosynthesisand carbon sequestration

Priority tree

planting locations

Tree Canopy Coverage

Definition | Green Streets

Green street projects capture rain and

melting snow (stormwater) from the

impervious street surface in an effort to

reduce combined sewer overflows and

overall pollution of our city’s waterways.

Tree trenches, stormwater planters,and stormwater bump-outs are three

types of technologies utilized on green

streets that utilize landscaping to man-

age stormwater runoff. Another type

of green street uses a pervious surface

that permits the immediate infiltration of

stormwater.



50Philadelphia2035:


RENEW >

Historic Resources and Heritage Tourism

Recommendations

76. Locally designate the Wynnefield neighborhood.

> Implementing Agencies: PHC, PCPC | CW Objective: 8.1.1

77. Locally designate the Japanese House and Gardens and the Inglis House historic.

> Implementing Agencies: PHC, PCPC | CW Objective: 8.1.7

78. Find an appropriate reuse for the vacant Dimner Beeber Middle School in Wynnefield. > Implementing Agencies: SDP | CW Objective: 8.1.3

79. Ensure that future development of the Centennial District does not compromise the Belmont Plateau and Mann

Center viewsheds to the Center City skyline.


80. Create historic district tours in Parkside and Overbrook Farms historic districts.

> Implementing Agencies: Nonprofits, PHC, Local Civic Organizations | CW Objective: 8.2.1

81. Create unified signage and streetscape treatment for the Centennial District to promote tourist movement and

identity.

> Implementing Agencies: PPR, Streets, PennDOT | CW Objective: 8.2.1

82. Increase programming to use West Fairmount Park for large events to promote awareness of the significant

resources contained within.


83. Create a memorial baseball field for the Philadelphia Stars near the original location at Belmont and Parkside

Avenues.


When a plan places a high value on historic preservation, it allows the City to guide new development in a way tha

respects and enhances historic resources. This layering of development over time creates a sense of place that helps

define Philadelphia and shapes the experiences shared by all. Philadelphia has a rich history reflected in its many

buildings, neighborhoods, and cultures. The Citywide Vision puts forth recommendations to recognize and protect the

historic and cultural sites and invest in their future.

West Park has a large number of historic sites that already have been designated as historic. West Fairmount Park,

East Parkside, and Overbrook Farms are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many of the mansions and

buildings in the Park, such as the Please Touch Museum, and parts of East Parkside appear on the Philadelphia Registe

of Historic Places. The 63rd Street corridor of Overbrook Farms is a Neighborhood Conservation District. Howeve

several important sites still need official recognition, including the Wynnefield, the Japanese House and Garden, and

Inglis House.

West Park also has a strong cultural history that needs to be honored and celebrated. Negro League baseball and thePhiladelphia Stars were big attractions in the early part of the 20th century. Environmental conservation, including the

creation of Fairmount Park, has a long history. The tradition of tourism in Fairmount Park, starting with the Centennia

Exhibition of 1876, continues today.

Historic Preservation

Japanese House and Garden

Old Cathedral Cemetery

Goal 8.1:

Support sensitive

development that

preserves and enhances

Philadelphia’s multifaceted

past.

Goal 8.2:

Expand tourism programs to highlight Philadelphia’s

cultural and historic

heritage and increase

spending on heritage

tourism.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision



5Framing Our Future

Historic Resources

Locally Designated Building

National Register Historic District

National Historic Landmark

Local Register Historic District

Wynnefield Neighborhood:

Wynnefield, named for William Penn’s

physician, Thomas Wynne, began when

he settled in the area in 1689. Most

of the neighborhood was developed in

the early 20th century as an enclave

for Jewish immigrants from Russia,

Germany and Eastern Europe and the

large, stone houses were designed

by various Philadelphia architects,

including Horace Trumbauer, Clarence

Schermerhorn, and Abraham Levy.

By the 1960s, Wynnefield became a

predominantly middle-class, African-

American community.

Overbrook Farms

Historic District

Parkside

Historic District

Memorial Hall

Fairmount Park

Historic District

Recommended Local District

Pending Local District

Neighborhood Conservation District



52Philadelphia2035:


RENEW >

Urban Design

Recommendations

84. Extend Leidy Avenue from Belmont Avenue to 51st Street to create better automobile, pedestrian, and bicycle

connections between East and West Parkside once the Streets Department maintenance facility has moved and

development is imminent.

> Implementing Agencies: PIDC, Streets | CW Objective: 9.1.1

85. Create pedestrian plazas as gathering places where there is a high level of pedestrian activity due to proximity

of transit, such as at 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue, 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue, 54th Street and

Overbrook Avenue, and 63rd Street and Overbrook Avenue. > Implementing Agencies: Streets, MOTU, Nonprofits, Local civic organizations | CW Objective: 9.1.1

86. Link the public space proposed at 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue with the Centennial District section of

West Fairmount Park with a well-planted amenity strip along 52nd Street (see FOCUS AREAS p. 56).

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, PHS, Local civic organizations | CW Objectives: 9.1.1, 9.1.2

87. Create gateways at major entrances to neighborhoods, parks, and the city boundary. These gateways can

include signage, plantings, and pedestrian plazas.

• 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue–This is the entrance to the West Parkside neighborhood and the

Centennial District.

• 52nd Street Amtrak Bridge–This is the entrance to the West Parkside neighborhood and presents a

significant physical barrier.

• Belmont Avenue and Parkside Avenue–This is a major entrance to West Fairmount Park.

• City Avenue intersections at Belmont Avenue, Lancaster Avenue, and Haverford Avenue–These locations

are prominent gateways between Lower Merion Township and the City of Philadelphia.

> Implementing Agencies: Streets, PHS | CW Objective: 9.2.2

88. Improve the width and quality of sidewalks along City Avenue (see FOCUS AREAS p. 61).

> Implementing Agencies: PennDOT | CW Objectives: 4.2.2, 9.2.2

Well-designed spaces enhance the public realm, contribute a sense of identity, and allow Philadelphians to experience

interesting, safe, and nurturing interactions with the built environment. The public spaces throughout West Park vary

greatly. In the neighborhoods of Parkside and Cathedral Park, streets follow the grid pattern of much of Philadelphia,

with brick rowhouses positioned at the property line, immediately adjacent to the sidewalk. Wynnefield, Green Hil

Farms, and Overbrook Farms are more suburban because of their wide streets and generous lots. The large, detached

houses are made of brick, Wissahickon schist, or other materials and have ample front and side yards. Overbrook Par

and Wynnefield Heights are characterized by brick rowhouses with front yards and rear parking on curvilinear streets.

The largest public space within the district is, of course, Fairmount Park. This large, 1,283.5-acre swath of land follows

the natural topography of the Belmont Plateau and the Schuylkill River. Winding asphalt roads lead to the various playing

fields and historic buildings within the park.

Although the neighborhoods are well established, the public realm throughout West Park can be improved. Welcoming

gateways announcing the Park and various neighborhoods should be enhanced to facilitate the sense of arrival at adestination. Streetscapes along commercial corridors should be improved to encourage pedestrian activity. All new

development should respect existing buildings and support the overall street grid of the district.

Public Realm

Goal 9.2:

Elevate public demand for

good design in the public

realm.

Philadelphia2035

Citywide Vision

Inadequate Signage at Gateway into

Fairmount Park

Example of a gateway overpass in

Northeast Philadelphia

Definition | Gateway

A gateway is a prominent entrance

into the city or a passage between

two regions within the city that has a

distinguishing physical or visual feature.

There are two forms of gateways

recommended: those that signify the

important entrances into the City of

Philadelphia from Montgomery County

and those that signify major entrances

to Fairmount Park.





H a v e r f o r d Av e n u e 5 2 n d S t

Leidy Avenue Extension

The Parkside Industrial Park is a key

job center in the West Park District.

However, access to it is limited and

internal circulation is poor. Extending

Leidy Avenue from Belmont Avenue

to the intersection of 51st Street and

Columbia Avenue introduces a more

urban street grid. This will create

additional access to the industrial flex

properties behind Parkside Avenue and

establish physical separation between

the two disparate uses. For this

extension to have impact the Streets

Department maintenance facility mustrelocate and development needs to be

imminent on Parkside Avenue.

Street Extensions

Flex industrial Development

Mixed-Use Development

Pedestrian Plazas, Gateways, and Green Infrastructure

Green Infrastructure

Pedestrian Plazas

Gateways


P R O P O S E D L e i d y A v e n u e

B e l m o n t A

v e n u e

N 5 2 n

d S

t r e e t



C i t y A

v e n u

e



54Philadelphia2035:


Long-Term Vision

°0 1,000 2,000500 Feet

Focus Areas

Proposed Zoning Changes

City AvenueFocus Area

52nd and LancasterFocus Area Parkside Industrial Park

Focus Area

The Long-Term Vision recommendations are organized into three sections: Focus Areas, Future Land Use, and Zoning Recommendations

Focus Areas are priority locations that have the potential to stimulate positive change for their larger context through redevelopment

This section visualizes the recommendations from THRIVE, CONNECT, and RENEW for the priority locations from short-, medium- and

long-time frame that will take over 10 years to realize. The Future Land Use section contains parcel-specific recommendations and

reflects the long-term vision. Lastly, the Zoning Recommendations section proposes zoning map revisions that either align zoning to

current land use (corrective) or would enable desirable development in the future (zoning to advance the plan). While the realization

of the zoning to advance the plan recommendations is long-term, implementing both types of zoning map revisions is a short-term

task for the PCPC.



5Framing Our Future

> Focus Areas > Future Land Use > Zoning Recommendations

56 | 52nd Street Corridor60 | Parkside Industrial Park61 | City Avenue

62 | Future Land Use Map 64 | Proposed Zoning66 | Corrective Zoning68 | Zoning to Advance the Plan

In each district plan, three planning focusareas are studied. They each typically have thefollowing characteristics: • Focus areas could have underutilized land or

have an inappropriate zoning classification.Therefore, focus areas have land use and/or

zoning recommendations in the plan.

• Focus areas illustrate the writtenrecommendations from THRIVE, CONNECT,and RENEW. They illustrate how individualrecommendations work together totransform a place comprehensively.

• Focus areas are catalysts for their largercontext. They are strategically located siteswith the potential to benefit the entiredistrict, or even the city as a whole.

Reimagining these areas as more dynamic

economically, aesthetically, or functionally canhave a transformational effect. These long-termvisions provide inspiration and a framework assmaller improvements occur incrementally.

Future Land Use charts the long-term vision ofthe types of development that should happenwithin the district. The land use typicallyaddresses the following issues:

• Future land use determinations reinforceexisting land-use that should continue into

the future. Many areas, such as residentialneighborhoods or commercial corridors,function well and should continue.

• Future land use sets long-term use forvacant land. Technically, vacancy is a landuse, but not one that should continue. Thefuture land use prescribes what the futureuse should be as those vacant parcelsreturn to active use.

• Future land use sets the long-term visionfor new development. As the city grows,the future land use determines where

those changes should be and what newdevelopment should occur throughout thecity. For example, an obsolete industrialparcel may be changed to commercialdevelopment.

The future land use lays the foundation for anydevelopment that should occur in the district,as envisioned by the community through theplanning process. This foundation is the basisfor zoning recommendations and other tools toimplement that vision.

Zoning addresses the use, area, and bulk of aproperty and is a tool to implement the futureland use for an area. Zoning changes typicallyfall into one of two categories:

• Corrective zoning is used when thecurrent land use and the zoning for the

parcel do not align. In order to ensure thatthe land use remains and can functionwithout needing variances, the zoning ischanged to accommodate and nurture theexisting land use. Correcting the zoning alsoensures that incompatible uses cannot bedeveloped.

• Zoning to advance the plan allows newuses to be developed in an area that isidentified for land use change. While theexisting, legal land uses may remain, anynew development would have to followthe zoning map revision. This allows the

gradual transition of an area to match thelong-term vision.

The first big step to implement the vision for thedistrict is to ensure that the zoning allows thetype of development that the community and cityneeds and desires.



56Philadelphia2035:


FOCUS AREA > 52nd Street Corridor Vision

Improving the52nd Street Corridor

With the recent addition of the Park West Town

Center (completed 2006) and the proposed City-

supported housing development near Parkside

Avenue, 52nd Street has shown commercial

growth and the potential for additional mixed-

use redevelopment. This positive momentum

can be built upon through the redevelopment of

a key transit node at 52nd Street and Lancaster

Avenue and by improving pedestrian access and

comfort along the length of 52nd Street, helping

the corridor to regain its prominence in West Park

and Philadelphia. The complicated intersection of

52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue includes activemass transit as well as several underutilized or

vacant parcels. Redevelopment can be used to

simplify traffic conflicts, define and protect transit

drop-offs, and add modest new construction of

an appropriate scale. Sidewalk improvements

and landscape setbacks can create a clear, safe,

and gracious pedestrian promenade, making a

continuous set of connections from Lancaster

Avenue to the Mann Center for the Performing

Arts. New sidewalks and a new bus turnaround

within Park West Town Center can connect the

shopping center to the reemerging vitality of 52nd

Street.


5 2 n d

S t r e

e t


Proposed BusTurnaround

Underpass

Route 52 Bus

15’ – 20’continuouslandscape buffer

Proposed Housing

Future Connection to the Mann Center to be determined

Mann Center for the Performing Arts


Route 10 Trolley

Route 52 Bus

New or Enhanced Sidewalks

New or Enhanced Landscaped Buffers

New Construction or Rehabilitation




52nd and LancasterTransit OrientedDevelopment

> See pp. 58–59

Improvements to the Park West Town CenterThe Park West Town Center, a shopping center development which opened in 2006, has brought much needed amenities

to the West Parkside neighborhood and the surrounding region. This development has been truly revolutionary in the way

that this region is perceived and its potential for the future. The Center is auto-oriented in nature and important to the

growth of 52nd Street is to allow for more pedestrian amenities and to introduce an urban fabric of streets connecting

residents and visitors to destinations. To do this it is recommended to create a more dedicated right-of-way out of the

entrances to the shopping center, a continuation of Jefferson and 51st Streets. This will give physicality to the pedestrian

environment and allow for less traffic and driver confusion. Where the rights-of-way intersect a plaza space with a more

accessible and safe bus stop would be created, making the Park West Town Center feel as if it is more a part of the urban

fabric of the neighborhood.

Redevelopment at52nd Street and Parkside Avenue

At the intersection of 52nd Street and Parkside Avenue lies

the Centennial Village development. This development is a

partnership between the Parkside Association of Philadelphia

and Community Venture LLC. The City of Philadelphia has been

very supportive of the development providing financing and

City-owned properties. Centennial Village includes low-income

senior housing, low-income rental housing, scattered-site

home-ownership development, retail space, a community park,

and office space. This development leverages the excellent

proximity to West Fairmount Park and the Mann Center for the

Performing Arts to attract a sit-down restaurant that is lacking

in this region. Centennial Village will have good urban scale

and allow for a welcoming pedestrian environment.

New Bus Drop-Off

and Turnaround

Lowe’s

ShopRite

New Construction

5 2 n d S t r e e t

P a r k s i d e

A v e n u e

New Continuous

Sidewalks

Continuous Sidewalks

Mann Center for the

Performing Arts

(Source: KSK Inc.)



58Philadelphia2035:


Intersection ImprovementsThe intersection of 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue has a high volume of vehicular traffic, a complex and inefficient street pattern, and a

trolley line that has an awkward geometry for turning. Existing conditions create conflicts between pedestrians, automobiles, the Route 10

trolley, and the Route 52 bus. Crash data indicates that safety improvements are needed.

Proposed traffic and safety changes for the intersection

of 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue include creating

a safer situation for boarding and alighting from the

trolley and bus. Continuous sidewalks will be createdto allow for greater pedestrian safety and signal

prioritization for the trolley to interface with traffic

without causing delays.

L a n c a s t e r A

v e n u e

5 2 n d S t r e e t

Existing Gas

Station

Phase 1: Improve Safety and Access

Existing Condition

Future Visio

Existing Gas

Station

B i b l e W a y

A

B

A

FOCUS AREA > 52nd Street Corridor Vision




5 2 n d

S t r e e t B i b l e

W a y

La n c a s t e r Av e n u e

Creating a GatewayImproved transit access and safety can help spur

new construction at the intersection of 52nd

Street and Lancaster Avenue. New development

can be incrementally added on the several parcels

of vacant and underutilized land that border the

intersection, creating an improved gateway tothe 52nd Street Corridor and the Park West Town

Center. New development can also leverage

public realm improvements including sidewalk

restoration, street trees, and rain gardens.

The space bounded by Lancaster Avenue, 52nd

Street, and Bible Way is envisioned as a public

space and focal point for the neighborhood.

Phase 2: Transit-Oriented Development

52nd Street Rail OverpassThe 52nd Street rail overpass is a neighborhood, cultural, and

transportation gateway. It leads into several communities including West

Parkside, Cathedral Park, Carroll Park, and Overbrook. The overpass also

leads into West Fairmount Park.

This busy intersection is marked with an intriguing rail structure that

boldly speaks of the industrial history of the area. Transforming this

structure into a community gateway will not require major structural

changes; in fact, an unaltered overpass provides a simple frame

from which the community can draw its own identity. It is of utmost

importance to create a safe passage through which people can cross

effortlessly toward their destination.

Existing Conditions

Future Vision

Future Vision

B



60Philadelphia2035:


FOCUS AREA > Parkside Industrial Park Vision

WestFairmount Park

P a r k s i

d e A v

e n u e

L e i d y A v

e n u e E x t e

n s i o n

4 8 t h S t r e e t E x t e n s i o n

B e l m o n t Av e n u e


Cintas

Comcast

Future Site of Discovery

Charter School

W e s t J e f f e

r s o n S t r e e

t

WestFairmount Park

P a r k s i

d e A v e

n u e

B e l m o n t Av e n u e

Existing Housing

Future Industrial Development S E P TA

C y n w y d a n d

P a o l i/ T h o r n

d a l e L i n e s, a

n d A m t r a k

Improving Parkside Avenue

Fronting the historic Centennial District, Parkside Avenue has numerous vacant lots,

inappropriate land uses, and is a wide, fast moving roadway with few pedestrian

crossings. Consistent with the scale of the East Parkside Historic District, three- to

four-story mixed-use development coupled with a traffic-calming median can bring

new residents and businesses to the edge of one of Philadelphia’s largest and most

significant urban parks.

Attracting New Industry

Until the 1970s, the area bounded by Parkside Avenue, Belmont Avenue,

the AMTRAK/SEPTA rail right-of-way, and 52nd Street was occupied by a

large rail yard for the Pennsylvania Railroad. The site has been redeveloped

as an industrial park. In their Industrial Land Use Study, the Philadelphia

Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) recommends continueddevelopment of light industrial uses at this site. By extending Leidy

Avenue, a clear break can be made between industrial land uses and future mixed

land uses adjacent to the park. Additionally a Leidy Avenue extension improves

vehicular access without overburdening Parkside Avenue.

Future Street

Proposed Industrial Use

Proposed Mixed-Use

Existing Condition

Existing Condition

Future Visio

Vacant Industrial Parcels

Salt Storage Yard

5 0 t h S t r e e t

Future Mixed-Use Development

New Median

4 9 t h S t r e e t




2 5 ’ se t bac k

City Avenue Overlays in Context

In 2007, the City of Philadelphia adopted an overlay

for City Avenue to encourage mixed-use, pedestrian-

oriented development along the commercial corridor.

In 2011, Lower Merion Township adopted a similar

overlay for the Montgomery County side of the street.

The overlay has two sections: the Regional Center,

located at the eastern portion of the Avenue, calls for

dense development that can accommodate high-rise

buildings and disallows any development that has

drive-through designs for automobiles. The Village

Center, for the area between Belmont Avenue and 54th

Street, accommodates modestly scaled development

that is more in keeping with the low-rise residential

development to the south. This Focus Area illustratesthe potential new development as prescribed by the

overlay.

C i t y A

v e n u

eB e l m

o n t A v e

n u e

M o n u m e n t R

o a

d

F o r d R o a d

FOCUS AREA > City Avenue Vision

Existing Conditions

Future Vision



62Philadelphia2035:



Future Land Use

Civic / Institution

Industrial

Transportation


Park / Open Space

Vacant

Commercial Consumer

Residential High

Water

Cemetery

Culture / Amusement

Residential Medium

Active Recreation


Residential Low

The West Park District is forecast to see modest

growth over the next 10 years. These proposed

changes to the land use of the district take into

account not only places where the zoning and

land use currently do not match but also where

best to place growth and how best to utilize

land that is available. Taking into account the

recommendations from the Citywide Vision as

well as previously existing plans and community

feedback, this proposal looks to distribute density

around areas of concentrated transit access,

capital facilities, and cultural amenities. The Future

Land Use Map reflects the recommendations of

the THRIVE, CONNECT, and RENEW chapters of

this plan and the expansion and consolidation of

commercial corridors. In addition, the map showsexisting vacant and under-utilized land used for

new and exciting purposes.

H a v

e r f o r d A v e .

L a n s d o

w n e

A v e

.




G i ra rd A ve.

B e l m o n t A

v e .

F o r d R d .

M o n u m e n t R d

.

5 4 t h

S t .

C i t y A

v e.


5 2 n d S t .



64Philadelphia2035:


Proposed Zoning

The zoning of a parcel is analyzed to ensure that it can implement the desired future land use. Zoning is

the primary tool to regulate land use (use), where a building can locate on the property (area), and building

size (bulk). The zoning in most of the district will remain since many of the uses are appropriate and should

continue into the future. In some areas, the zoning does not match the existing and proposed land use

and, therefore, requires corrective zoning. Other areas are targeted for long-term transition to new uses

and development, and require different zoning to implement the vision for the district.

Places where a zoning change is proposed are called out and detailed on the next pages.

Corrective ZoningMatches zoning with existing land use.

These are areas where the “mismatch”may cause unnecessary zoning variances orcertificates, or allow an inappropriate use.

Zoning to Advance the PlanEncourages new development and uses envisioned

by the community through the planning process.

These are areas where revisions to thezoning code will enable development asrecommended by this plan.

L a n s d o

w n e

A v e

.

1

H a v e r f o r d A

v e .

ExistingZoning

ProposedZoning

District PlanRecommendation

Reason forRezoning

C o r r e c t i v e Z o n i n g

1. Haverford Avenue, Overbrook Park RSA-5 CMX-1

Align zoning to existing land use

2. St. Joseph’s University Mixed SP-INS

3. Phila. College of Osteopathic Medicine CMX-2, CMX-3 SP-INS

4. Connestoga Recreation Center I-2,RM-1,CMX-2 SP-PO-A

5. Phila Business and Technology Center ICMX, I-1 CMX-3

6. Cathedral Park Commercial I-2,CMX-2 RM-1,CMX-1

Z o n i n g t o

A d v a n c e t h e P l a n

7. N 52nd Street CMX-2 RM-1 WP 3 Consolidate commercial uses

8. 52nd Street and Lancaster Avenue CMX-2,ICMX,I-2 CMX-3 WP 1,10 Encourage density at transit node

9. 4800 Block of Parkside Avenue I-1 CMX-3 WP 8 Encourage park-relateddevelopment

10. 40th Street and Girard Avenue CMX-2 RM-1 WP 3 Consolidate commercial uses

11. Conshohocken Avenue RSA-1 RM-4,SP-PO-A WP 7,24 Strengthen a neighborhood center





G i ra rd A ve.

B e l m o n t A v e .

F o r d R d .

M o n u m e n t R d

.

5 4 t h

S t .

C i t y A

v e.

L a n c a s t e r A v e . 5 2 n d S t .

2

4

6

7

8

9

10

11

5

3

Residential Single Family Detached RSD-1; RSD-2; RSD-3

Resident ial Single Family Attached RSA-1; RSA-2; RSA-3; RSA-4; RSA-5

Residential Multi-Family RM-1; RM-2; RM-3; RM-4

Auto-Oriented Commercial CA-1; CA-2

Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use CMX-1; CMX-2; CMX2.5

Community/Center City Commercial Mixed-Use CMX-3; CMX-4

Light Industrial I-1

Medium Industrial I-2

Industrial Commercial Mixed-Use ICMX

Institutional Development SP-INS

Recreation SP-PO-A; SP-PO-P



66Philadelphia2035:


Zoning Districts:Land Use Classifications:

Residential Low Density

Residential Medium Density

Residential Two-Family Attached

Commercial Consumer



Industrial

Civic/Institution

Transportation

Culture / Amusement

Active Recreation

Park / Open Space

Cemetery

Water

Vacant

Residential Single Family Detached

Residential Single Family Attached

Residential Multifamily

Auto-Oriented Commercial

Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use

Community/Center City Commercial Mixed-Use

Light Industrial

Medium Industrial

Industrial Commercial Mixed-Use

Institutional Development

Recreation

Corrective Zoning

Haverford Avenue,

Overbrook Park

Properties on the northeast side of

Haverford Avenue should be zoned

commercial (CMX-1) to match their

existing use and strengthen the

commercial corr idor.

Expansion of St. Joseph’s

Institutional Zoning

The Institutional Development

District (SP-INS) for St. Joseph’s

University should be expanded to

include all of their properties within

the City of Philadelphia.

Existing Zoning Existing Land Use

Corrective Zoning

Matches zoning with existing land use.

The following pages detail the corrective zoning proposed for the West Park District.

Proposed Zoning

1

2




Conestoga Recreation

Center Field

The recreation field at the corner of52nd and Media Streets should be

zoned for Recreation (SP-OP-A).

Philadelphia Business

and Technology Center

The Philadelphia Business and

Technology Center is a mixed-use

complex made up of offices and

retail space located in an industrial

re-use property. To match the new

uses, the property should be zoned

commercial (CMX-3).

Institutional Zoning

for PCOM

Special Purpose-Institutional (SP-

INS) should be used to guide futuregrowth of the Philadelphia College

of Osteopathic Medicine.

Existing Zoning Existing Land Use

Cathedral Park

Commercial

The Cathedral Park neighborhood

is home to commercial zoning

on the interior of a residential

neighborhood. The zoning should be

made residential (RSD-1) to match

the use and the market.

Proposed Zoning

3

4

5

6



68Philadelphia2035:


North 52nd Street

The North 52nd Street Commercial

Corridor, from Girard to Lancaster

Avenues, has seen a high level

of vacancy and conversion to

residential uses. The commercial

uses need to be consolidated around

the high traffic nodes at Girard and

Lancaster.

(See THRIVE p. 26)

N 52nd Street and

Lancaster Avenue

This intersection is a major gateway

through neighborhoods and into

the Centennial District. With the

multiple transit options there is

a potential for transit-oriented

development and density needs to

increase.

(See THRIVE p. 26)

Existing Land Use Proposed Land Use Proposed Zoning

Zoning Districts:Land Use Classifications:

Residential Low Density

Residential Medium Density

Residential Two-Family Attached

Commercial Consumer



Industrial

Civic/Institution

Transportation

Culture / Amusement

Active Recreation

Park / Open Space

Cemetery

Water

Vacant

Residential Single Family Detached

Residential Single Family Attached

Residential Multifamily

Auto-Oriented Commercial

Neighborhood Commercial Mixed-Use

Community/Center City Commercial Mixed-Use

Light Industrial

Medium Industrial

Industrial Commercial Mixed-Use

Institutional Development

Recreation

Zoning to Advance the Plan

Zoning to Advance the Plan Encourages new development and land uses

envisioned by the community through the planning process. The visionary zoning

is based on the future land use map, not what exists today. The following pagesdetail the visionary zoning proposed for the district.

7

8



6Framing Our Future

Conshohocken Avenue

On Conshohocken Avenue there

is a well-used and improved

park, Conshocken-Windemere,

which is an area of strength in the

Wynnefield Heights neighborhood

that should be built off of. Creating

a property next to it for housing

will cement this as a neighborhood

center.

(See THRIVE p. 29)

40th Street and

Girard Avenue

The commercial corridor of Girard

Avenue has seen sharp decline. To

better meet the needs of residents

and visitors, the commercial uses

need to be combined to form a

denser commercial node at the

intersection of 40th Street and

Girard Avenue.

(See THRIVE p. 26)

Existing Land Use Proposed Land Use Proposed Zoning

4800 Block of

Parkside Avenue

The frontage of Parkside Avenuehas an important relationship to the

Centennial District and Fairmount

Park. To maximize that relationship

mixed-use zoning is necessary.

(See THRIVE p. 29)

9

10

11



70Philadelphia2035:


MAKING IT HAPPEN

The Philadelphia Stars Memorial at Belmont and Parkside Avenues



7

72 | Implementing the District Plan



72Philadelphia2035:


Implementing the District Plan

> Zoning Map Revision Public Process

After the West Park District Plan is adopted by

PCPC, civic engagement will continue to ensure

that the zoning recommendations in this plan

are appropriate and implemented. The West

Park District Plan Steering Committee (see p. 82

for a complete listing) will continue to meet and

additional public meetings will be held in the

district to discuss the zoning map revision process

and refine the recommendations.

The PCPC will use the district plan’s future land

use map and zoning recommendations to prepare

draft zoning maps and ordinances. After discussion

with the Steering Committee and input from publicmeetings, the PCPC will make revisions to the

draft maps and ordinances and then submit final

versions to City Council for introduction as a bill.

Both the PCPC and City Council will host public

hearings to discuss the zoning legislation. If

the bills pass Council, they will go to the Mayor

for approval. After the bill is enacted into law

with the Mayor’s signature, PCPC will change

the official City zoning maps to reflect the new

revisions.

> Making Proactive Investments with the

City’s Capital Program

The Capital Program is the City’s six-year

investment strategy for infrastructure and

facilities. The first year of the six-year program

is known as the Capital Budget. Both the Capital

Budget and Capital Program are ordinances

enabling the City to spend funds on public

improvements.

The Capital Program plays an important role in

strategic planning for City government. It can be

an effective tool for aligning scarce resources with

the needs of Philadelphia’s diverse population and

its use of City facilities, and can aid in decision-making about the future of those facilities. In

recent years, however, without the benefit of

an up-to-date comprehensive plan, the Capital

Program has served as a reactive mechanism for

dealing with deferred maintenance and has had

little influence on the planning of facilities based

on current and future needs.

The City’s last comprehensive look at public

facilities was in 1960. That analysis did not

anticipate the significant population decline that

took place between 1960 and 2000, and created

a legacy of public facilities and infrastructurebuilt for a much larger 1960s-era population.

Recent population growth in Philadelphia has

not altered that legacy significantly, but with ou

new comprehensive plan, Philadelphia2035 , the

City now has the means for making proactive

investment decisions. The PCPC, Department o

Public Property, and the Department of Finance—

the agencies most involved in preparing the

Capital Budget and Program—can use the

recommendations of Philadelphia2035 as a

framework for future capital projects.

Each district plan identifies opportunities fo

improved delivery of city services through new

renovated, and/or consolidated public facilitiesThe annual Capital Program process, coordinated

by the PCPC, will help implement recommendation

for public facilities contained in the district plans

Additionally, by Executive Order in summer 2011

Mayor Nutter established the Mayor’s Task Force

on City facilities. Its charge is to develop ove

two years specific recommendations for improving

the financial efficacy of and delivery of services

by the City’s vast inventory of owned and leased

facilities. The PCPC is a member of the Task Force

and will ensure that its recommendations align

with those of Philadelphia2035 .

> Zoning Map Revision Process

APPROVAL:Ordinance

becomes lawand zoning map

changes areenacted.

NO APPROVAL:Zoning mapchanges arenot enacted.

Recommendationsmust be amendedand resubmitted.

Land use

recommendation

Proposed zoning

map changes

presented toPCPC at monthly

meetings

PCPC

recommendszoning map

revisions

PCPC makes

recommendations to City Council

Ordinance voted on

by full Council

Notices postedin community

and advertised innewspapers. Public

comment period

begins

District plan

development

C o m m u n i t y I n p u t

C o m m u n i t y t e s t i m o n y

h e a r d a t m e e t i n g





73Making It Happen

> Priority Recommendations for West Park

WP 1, 10, 42, 87 Improve the 52nd and Lancaster intersection to promote safe

pedestrian, transit, and automobile access.

WP 3 Rezone the noncommercial sections of the commercial corridors 40th Street and

Girard Avenue and North 52nd Street to consolidate commercial to transit nodes.

WP 5 Increase the access of neighborhood park space in Overbrook Park by greening

the school yard at Lamberton High School.

WP 8 Relocate the Streets Department maintenance facility on the 4800 block ofParkside Avenue.

WP 83 Study the possibilities of creating a memorial baseball field for the Philadelphia

Stars.

WP 53, 54, 87 Improve the crossings of Parkside Avenue from the Parkside

neighborhoods into the Centennial District and at the Amtrak overpass on 52nd Street.

WP 64, 86 Create a green streetscape along 52nd Street from the railroad overpass to

Parkside Avenue.

> Priority Recommendations

In addition to the zoning map revision process,

implementation efforts include advancing priority

recommendations contained within the district

plan. PCPC will coordinate with relevant agencies

and organizations and help to facilitate the next

steps. The recommendations listed below were

identified as priorities because of factors such as:

• master plans or feasibility studies indicate

need and strong public support,

• zoning map revisions will facilitate

development,

• availability of resources, and

• multiphase planning or development

processes require initial studies.

The priority recommendations of the district

plans support the 73 objectives of the Citywide

Vision. (See Appendix for the complete list.) The

Citywide Vision establishes a 25-year framework

for growth, preservation, economic development,

public investment, and the overall form of the

city. PCPC is measuring progress on citywide

objectives. The annual progress report forPhiladelphia2035 will indicate how district plan

recommendations contribute to overall citywide

goals and objectives.

°0 1 ,0 00 2 ,0 00500 Feet

Priority Recommendations

WP 1,... WP 3

WP 5

WP 8, 83

WP 53,...WP 64,86

West FairmountPark

Morris Park



74Philadelphia2035:


APPENDIX

The Girard Avenue Bridge into the Centennial District



7

76 | Summary of Public Meetings78 | Citywide Vision Objectives

81 | Agency Names and Abbreviations

82 | Acknowledgments



76Philadelphia2035:


The PCPC held three public meeting to solicit ideas, priorities, recommendations, and feedback

at various stages of the planning process. Each of these meetings was held within the district.

West Park has attractions and destinations for not only Philadelphians, but the region as well.These public meetings were open to all who live, work or visit the District.

> First Community Meeting: Defining theContext

At the first public meeting, staff of the PCPC

introduced the planning process and presented

preliminary existing conditions information. The

public then participated in a mapping exercise

facilitated by PCPC staff. The small groups

identified planning focus or opportunity areas by

noting destinations, barriers, areas of change, and

areas of stability on a map. The meeting had a

large turnout and 12 maps were created.

To identify areas of stability and change,

facilitators asked participants to imagine the West

Park District in ten years and identify what areas

would stay the same and what would change and

how. Reaching consensus was not part of the

exercise; some planning focus areas were viewed

with differing perspectives from participants. Forexample, Fairmount Park was seen as an area

that would not change, but some believed that the

Centennial District within Fairmount Park would

expand in the future. As the district planning

process continued, all of the focus areas identified

by the map were analyzed and recommendations

for them are a part of this plan. The map on the

facing page shows the four most frequently

identified elements in each of the four categories.

> Second Community Meeting: Scenario

building

The second public meeting presentation focused

on early recommendations on key topics or

geographic areas. Draft recommendations were

presented for 52nd Street, the Centennial District,the Parkside Industrial District, and several

neighborhoods. The pubic then worked in small

groups to create future scenarios, with PCPC

staff facilitating. The scenario-building exercise

allowed participants to discuss topics that that can

seem like polar opposites. Through the exercise

we learned how and if these topics related to each

other and heard differing points of view.

For our example we used cake and exercise.

Using X and Y axes and setting the two opposing

topics on either side we are given four situations,

more of both, less of both, and more of cakeand less of exercise, and less of cake and more

of exercise. As you talk through the scenarios

you see the positives and negatives, as well as

thinking about the causes and effects. Three

scenarios focused on West Park topics were then

discussed: transportation priorities especially

along City Avenue (vehicles vs. pedestrians), use

of Fairmount Park land (cultural attractions vs.

neighborhood amenities) and vacant land reuse

(housing vs. non-housing). For all three scenarios,

the majority of the small groups preferred a

balance of more emphasis on pedestrian issues,

more uses in Fairmount Park (both cultural andneighborhood), and more reuse of vacant land

regardless of use.

> Final Open House: Recommendations

The final public meeting was an open house

held at the Please Touch Museum. Participants

could arrive at any time during the meeting

talk individually with PCPC staff, view graphics

and maps, and review draft recommendationsExisting conditions, demographic projections

public meeting summaries, planning focus areas

recommendations from THRIVE, CONNECT

and RENEW, and future land use and zoning

recommendations were presented at various

stations. Staff documented comments for each

topic.

> Special Thanks

We would like to acknowledge the generosity o

our meeting hosts. Each venue donated or greatl

reduced their fees to allow for superb meetinglocations:

Park Avenue Banquet Facility

St. Joseph’s University

Please Touch Museum

Summary of Public Meetings



77Appendix

Composite map from July 2011 community meeting Destinations

Barriers

Areas of Stability

Areas for Change

September 2011 Community Meeting

*Preferred scenario from September2011 Community Meeting

Summary of Scenarios

Less

Cultural Attractions

More

Park Amenities

Less

Car Traffic

More

Pedestrian Movement

Less

Housing

More

Nonhousing Uses

Less


Less

Park Amenities

Less

Car Traffic

Less

Pedestrian Movement

Less

Housing

Less

Nonhousing Uses

More


More

Park Amenities

More

Car Traffic

More

Pedestrian Movement

More

Housing

More

Nonhousing Uses

More


Less

Park Amenities

More

Car Traffic

Less

Pedestrian Movement

More

Housing

Less

Nonhousing Uses

Fairmount Park Mobility Vacant Lots

* * *



78Philadelphia2035:


THRIVENeighborhoods

Neighborhood Centers

1.1.1 Strengthen neighborhood centers by clustering community-serving public facilities.

1.1.2 Strengthen neighborhood centers by developing viable commercial corridors.

1.1.3 Strengthen neighborhood centers by promoting transit-oriented development around stations.

1.1.4 Provide convenient access to healthy food for all residents.

Housing

1.2.1 Stabilize and upgrade existing housing stock.

1.2.2 Ensure a wide mix of housing is available to residents of all income levels.

1.2.3 Promote new affordable housing development to strengthen existing neighborhood assets.


Metropolitan and Regional Centers2.1.1 Support and promote Center City/University City as the primary economic center of the region.

2.1.2 Strengthen metropolitan subcenters.

2.1.3 Encourage the growth and development of both existing and emerging Regional Centers.

Industrial Land

2.2.1 Ensure an adequate supply and distribution of industrially zoned land.

2.2.2 Reposition former industrial sites for new users.

Institutions

2.3.1 Encourage institutional development and expansion through policy and careful consideration of land resources.

2.3.2 Create cooperative relationships between institutions and neighbors.

Cultural Economy

2.4.1 Maintain Philadelphia’s strong role in the national and international tourism market.

2.4.2 Provide ample resources to cultural institutions to enrich the city’s quality of life.

Land Management

Vacant Land & Structures

3.1.1 Centralize land management in a single City agency to track and dispose of surplus land and structures,

and return publicly owned vacant parcels to taxable status.

3.1.2 Prevent abandonment of land and structures.

3.1.3 Reuse vacant land structures in innovative ways.

Land Suitability

3.2.1 Use topography to direct land development.

Municipal Support Facilities3.3.1 Reduce expenditures for municipal support facilities.

Citywide Vision Objectives



7Appendix

CONNECTTransportation

Transit

4.1.1 Invest in existing infrastructure to improve service and attract riders.

4.1.2 Extend and introduce new technological advances to the transit network to serve new markets.

4.1.3 Coordinate land use decisions with existing and planned transit assets to increase transportation choices; decrease reliance on

automobiles; increase access to jobs, goods, and services; and maximize the economic, environmental, and public health benefits of t ransit.

Complete Streets

4.2.1 Implement a complete streets policy to ensure that the right-of-way will provide safe access for all users.

4.2.2 Expand on- and off-street networks serving pedestrians and bicyclists.

4.2.3 Improve safety for pedestrians and bicyclists and reduce pedestrian and bicycle crashes.

Streets and Highways

4.3.1 Upgrade and modernize existing streets, bridges, and traffic-control infrastructure to ensure a high level of reliability and safety.4.3.2 Control automobile congestion through traffic management and planning.

4.3.3 Improve highway access for goods movement.

4.3.4 Improve pedestrian connections across major rights-of-way.

Airports, Seaports, and Freight Rail

4.4.1 Strengthen the airports’ global and local connections.

4.4.2 Elevate the competitive position of Philadelphia ports on the Eastern Seaboard.

4.4.3 Modernize freight rail assets to ensure efficient goods movement to and through Philadelphia.

Utilities

Consumption, Capacity, and Condition

5.1.1 Reduce electric, gas, and water consumption to reduce financial and environmental costs.

5.1.2 Ensure adequate utility capacity to serve customers.

5.1.3 Modernize and bring the condition of existing utility infrastructure to a state of good repair.

Broadband Infrastructure

5.2.1 Prepare a long-term plan for maintenance and use of City-owned broadband infrastructure and wireless assets.

5.2.2 Expand affordable access to broadband and promote digital literacy programs among low-income populations.

5.2.3 Encourage technical innovation and recruitment of high-tech businesses.

RENEWOpen Space

Watershed Parks and Trails

6.1.1 Create a citywide trails master plan to coordinate the planning and construction of trail systems within Philadelphia.

6.1.2 Create a corridor network that connects parks, neighborhoods, and trails citywide.

6.1.3 Connect citywide parks to the existing protected natural areas of the regional green-space network.

Waterfronts

6.2.1 Improve and increase waterfront recreation opportunities.

6.2.2 Expand use of rivers for passenger transportation.




80Philadelphia2035:



6.3.1 Ensure that all Philadelphians live within a 10-minute walk of a neighborhood park or a recreation center.

6.3.2 Connect neighborhood parks and trails to neighborhood centers and major public facilities.6.3.3 Ensure proper maintenance and vibrancy of parks and recreation facilities.

Environmental Resources

Air Quality

7.1.1 Reduce overall and per capita contributions to air pollution.

7.1.2 Reduce overall and per capita greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by 45 percent by 2035.

7.1.3 Reduce air temperature during the warm season in the city.

Water Quality

7.2.1 Improve the quality of city and regional water sources.

7.2.2 Restore and create urban stream banks and tidal wetlands along watersheds.

7.2.3 Support stormwater regulations set by the Philadelphia Water Department to capture stormwater on-site and reduce flooding damage.

Tree Cover

7.3.1 Increase the overall tree canopy across the city to 30 percent.

7.3.2 Enhance the city’s forests to create a total of 7,200 acres.

7.3.3 Support tree planting and stewardship within the city.

Historic Preservation

Cultural, Architectural, and Historic Resources

8.1.1 Preserve culturally, historically, and architecturally significant buildings, sites, structures, and districts.

8.1.2 Rehabilitate abandoned industrial infrastructure for new uses and reuse industrial buildings to create new neighborhood anchors.

8.1.3 Preserve and reuse all “at risk” historic anchor buildings, commercial corridor buildings, and districts’ elements.

8.1.4 Protect archeological sites.

8.1.5 Ensure maintenance and management of cemeteries and religious properties.

8.1.6 Preserve historically significant viewsheds and landscapes.

8.1.7 Preserve cultural and ethnic traditions, places, and resources.

Heritage Tourism

8.2.1 Create new and enhance existing tourism programs based on various cultural experiences unique to Philadelphia.

8.2.2 Demonstrate sustainability practices in visitor activities and facilities.

Public Realm

Development Patterns

9.1.1 Preserve the walkable scale of the city.

9.1.2 Ensure that new development reinforces the urban scale.

Urban Design9.2.1 Apply sound design principles to guide development across the city.

9.2.2 Create welcoming, well-designed public spaces, gateways, and corridors.

9.2.3 Link public art with major capital initiatives.

9.2.4 Ensure maintenance and protection of public works of art.




8Appendix

As noted in the Framing Our Future sections, the goals and objectives found in Philadelphia2035

will be accomplished with the partnership of various agencies and organizations. Below is a

listing of organizations and government agencies at the federal, state, regional, and local levelthat will play a role the implementation of the Citywide Vision . The abbreviations correspond

with those used in the Citywide Vision .

Full Name Abbreviation

State Agencies

Pennsylvania Department of Transportation PennDOT

Regional Agencies

Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission DVRPC

Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority SEPTA

Quasi-Governmental Agencies

Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation PIDC

Schuylkill River Development Corporation SRDC

Other

Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia BCGP

City Avenue Special Services District CASSD

Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine PCOM

Philadelphia Horticultural Society PHS

St. Joseph’s University SJU

Agency Names and Abbreviations

Full Name Abbreviation

City Agencies

Department of Public Property DPP

Mayor’s Office of Sustainability MOS

Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities MOTU

Office of Housing and Community Development OHCD

Philadelphia City Planning Commission PCPC

Philadelphia Corporation for Aging PCA

Philadelphia Department of Commerce Commerce

Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections L&I

Philadelphia Department of Public Health PDPH

Philadelphia Housing Authority PHA

Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department PPR

Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (formerly known PRA

as The Redevelopment Authority of Philadelphia; RDA)

Philadelphia Streets Department Streets

Philadelphia Water Department PWD

School District of Philadelphia SDP

Zoning Board of Adjustment ZBA



82Philadelphia2035:


Acknowledgments

Andrew Meloney, Project Manager

Jack Conviser, LEED-GAMartin GregorskiIan Litwin, LEED-APClint Randall, Healthy Communities Coordinator

Laura M. SpinaMichael Thompson

> Philadelphia City Planning Commission

> West Park District Planning Team

> Steering Committee

> City of Philadelphia

Honorable Michael A. Nutter, Mayor Alan Greenberger, FAIA, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development

Alan Greenberger, FAIA, Chairman Joseph Syrnick, Vice Chairman

Rob Dubow

Gary J. Jastrzab, Executive Director

Eva Gladstein, Deputy Executive Director

Danielle DiLeo Kim, Director, Special Projects

William Kramer, Director, Development Planning DivisionRichard Redding, Director, Community Planning DivisionR. David Schaaf, RA, Director, Urban Design DivisionAlan Urek, AICP, Director, Strategic Planning and Policy Division

Frances Aulston Wynnefield Residents AssociationGwendolyn Austin Cathedral Park NeighborsHolland Brown Carroll Park CDCMarty Cabry Office of Councilwoman Jannie BlackwellCalla Cousar East Parkside Residents AssociationStephanie Craighead PPR

Sandra Dungee Glenn American Cities FoundationTerry Foley CASSDLiz Gabor PIDCStuart Greenberg PPRAiisha Herring-Miller CommerceLucinda Hudson Parkside Association of Philadelphia

Stephanie Kindt Overbrook Farms ClubAngela Murray Lower Merion TownshipJessica Noon PWDKathryn Ott Lovell Fairmount Park ConservancyMiller Parker Business Association of West ParksideBill Porter Belmont Village Community Association

Kevin Robinson St. Joseph’s UniversityJoyce Smith Viola Street Residents AssociationAl Spivey Office of Councilman Curtis Jones, Jr.Ken Woodson Philadelphia ZooGail Young Wynnefield Heights Civic Association

Patrick J. EidingBernard Lee, Esq.Elizabeth K. Miller

Richard NegrinNilda Iris Ruiz, MBANancy Rogo Trainer, AIA, AICP



PCPC

PHILADELPHIA CITY PLANNING COMMISSION

Philadelphia2035 is supported, in part, with funds granted from The William Penn Foundation toThe Fund for Philadelphia, Inc.

This document was printed on FSC-certified paper using soy inks.

Philadelphia City Planning Commission1515 Arch Street, 13th FloorPhiladelphia, PA 19102

215.683.4615

www.philaplanning.orgwww.phila2035.org

March 2012

west park district plan

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