Upper North Philadelphia

Neighborhood Open Space Planning Profile for Upper North Philadelphia

1) Open space concerns, issues or challenges:

• Lack of open space
• Lack of parkland & recreational areas
• Insufficient security has led to illegal activities in open space & on vacant land
• Maintenance & up-keep of open spaces is lacking
• Illegal dumping

2) Community open space interests and desires:

• Residents would like a combination of both indoor & outdoor spaces for recreational purposes
• Better control & maintenance of existing spaces is needed
• More police presence is needed throughout the area, particularly around spaces that serve children

3) Compliance or regulatory issues:

• 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

4) Demographic trends or changes:

• Continuing decrease in population within these neighborhoods
• Continuing reduction of the tax base
• Continuing low income levels
• High rates of unemployment
• Increasing percentage of senior homeowners
• Increasing number of vacancies & abandoned buildings

5) Market demands or pressures:

• Possible future demands from the single largest employer, Temple University Health System, for growth & expansion
• Development of the former Budweiser site
• Re-use of other former industrial sites in the area

6) Specific environmental issues:

• Concern over possible environmental hazards at former industrial sites that have been demolished

7) Major developments and/or open space opportunities:

• As a result of City-led demolitions & acquisitions, particularly in Tioga & Allegheny West, new developments are being built or are planned in the Fairhill, West Fairhill, & St. Hugh neighborhoods.
• Some new open space opportunities are being created throughout these neighborhoods in Upper North Philadelphia.

8) Other important information that should be noted?

• The City's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI) program has created a 'land bank' of vacant properties as a result of demolitions & the acquisition of other vacant land sites in the Upper Northern neighborhoods of this part of the City.
• An Acquisition Zone has been created in neighborhoods like Tioga & others throughout the City. In Tioga alone, 500 individual properties have been either demolished (158) &/or acquired (300+ vacant lots) & are being held for future development &/or temporarily used as fenced green spaces.