Center City

Neighborhood Open Space Planning Profile for Center City

Neighborhoods Included: Old City/Society Hill/Chinatown/Washington Square/Logan Square/Rittenhouse Square

1) Open space concerns, issues or challenges

• Access to the Schuylkill River Park from Locust Street
• Development plans for Penn's Landing
• Retaining public access to the Delaware River waterfront
• Maintaining multi-use spaces, playgrounds, & open areas to attract families
• Finding open space in highly developed areas (Chinatown, Old City)
• Keeping Independence National Historic Park open despite security concerns
• Police presence/security
• Homelessness & "inappropriate" use of park space
  

2) Community open space interests and desires

• Keeping as much open space as possible
• Maintaining present facilities
• Attracting familes & retaining current families in the area
• Keeping Independence National Historic Park as accessible as possible
• Having public access to both riverfronts
• Adding more "cover parks" spanning the Vine Street Expressway
• Integrate open space into tourism industry
• Maintain open space at Penn's Landing

3) Compliance or regulatory issues

• Working with various agencies for the development of the Schuylkill and Delaware River Waterfronts
• Reaching an agreement with CSX for access to the Schuylkill River Park
• Most of the area's open space is under the jurisdiction of the Fairmount Park Commission
• Combined sewer overflow (CSO) into surrounding bodies of water
• Clean Water Act regulations regarding pollutant discharge into waterways
• 100-year floodplain requirements for regulating land & property damage, as well as safety
• PA stormwater management & sediment erosion control
• Philadelphia Zoning Code, landscape buffer requirements: need for improved enforcement (for parking?)

4) Demographic trends or changes

• Dramatic increase in the number of residents
• Increase in the proportion of young professionals & empty-nesters
• Acquistion of the last few empty parcels for development
  

5) Market demands or pressures

• Increased demand for both high-rise & townhouse condominiums
• Anticipated changes with gaming along the waterfront
• No gated greenspace
  

6) Specific environmental issues

• Possible environmental remediation around the industrial core of Chinatown
• Green routes, etc.
• Storm water management
• Noise/air pollution from I-95/Vine St. expressway
  

7) Major developments and/or open space opportunities

• Turning parts of the Reading Railroad viaduct into an elevated garden/park
• Landscaping Thomas Paine Plaza, located next to the Municipal Service Building
• Covering Vine Street Expressway with parkland
• Development of Penn's Landing to ensure public access
• Making JFK Blvd., Washington Ave., & Market West two-way with parkway median
• ILMAC properties along I-95
• PA Convention Center route & connection to the Reading Viaduct
• Connecting the 5 squares with greenways
• "Fingers" from Schuylkill Park into city streets/schools
• Improvements to the City Hall courtyard
• RDA ground in Chinatown (at 7th & Race), a former development site

8) Other important information that should be noted?

• Center City District predicts that, by the year 2025, the Center City population will top
  100,000; additional residents will strain the present open space greatly, leading to
  maintenance problems & the need for additional open space. Owing to the investment
  of the Fairmount Park Commission in various parcels, its funding & structure needs to be
  monitored.