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Plans unveiled for the “New” Fairmount Park

Fairmount Park Waterworks, South Garden | Philadelphia

 
If you thought Philadelphia’s famed Fairmount Park could not get any better, you would be mistaken. The funny thing about FP is that it gets mixed results from those who live around it … seriously, it does.

Some love Fairmount Park, and some hate it. Some think its potential has been reached, and some think there is only room for improvement. Some Philadelphians use it every day, and some locals have never set foot in it.

For being one of the world’s largest urban park systems (aka “The Largest Landscaped Urban Park in the World,” according to Wikipedia), I personally feel that the park itself is underutilized. There are so many different elements to this 9,200 acre Philadelphia green space, that it’s too hard to recognize all of them. The most recognizable places include (but are not limited to): Philadelphia Museum of Art, Philadelphia Zoo, Boathouse Row, Please Touch Museum, and Bartram’s Garden.

And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

What I really love about Fairmount Park is that it’s so well protected and preserved, considering it’s located in the 5th largest US city. What was originally an 1858 agreement to protect Philadelphia’s main water supply (aka the Schuylkill River), has turned into a phenomenal public park system (63 different neighborhood parks, to be exact). This gives all Philadelphians the option to escape the busyness of city life (any day of the week), and still be within close proximity to their homes.

Okay, that should be enough background and history to get us started here.

Close to 1 year ago, Philadelphia Parks & Rec teamed up with local community groups and Penn Praxis (the design arm of UPenn) to discuss how East/West Fairmount Park could be better connected and utilized as a whole. The result, a comprehensive plan called “The New Fairmount Park.”

As to not deviate from my usual approach, let’s break this jawn down in traditional PUL fashion:

– “Why East & West Fairmount Park?”: Well, simply put, East/West Fairmount Park are the core of Fairmount Park as a whole. They both touch Center City (East) and University City (West), which both happen to be the biggest growth areas in Philadelphia today. On top of that, no other city in the US can match East/West’s combined size and overall value to the health of local residents. From a tourism standpoint, these 2 park sections draw 7M visitors every year, are home to some of Philadelphia’s most significant cultural institutions, and offer a wealth of sculptures and public art. In other words, East/West are a big draw for tourists. From a recreational standpoint, there are 54 trail miles, 16 creeks, and 4 playgrounds. In other words, East/West serve as a huge public playground for those younger and older alike.

– “The Big Vision”: This one has to be seen on the plan itself. In general, it capitalizes on some of FP’s greatest assets: creeks, trails, and park entrances. To see some of the graphics depicting the plan’s ideas and calls-to-action, click here.

– “First-Steps”: With any comprehensive plan, the goal is to start small by meeting short-term goals for long-term gains. That’s exactly what the plan calls for in this section. Things like improving watersheds, traffic studies, and pedestrian accessibility all contribute to exposing the park’s physical attributes and overall beauty. Simple things like painting bike lane lines on bridges that cross the Schuylkill River will help connect East and West. Making park entrances more visible to those walking, riding, or driving by will increase Fairmount Park’s curb appeal and encourage more usage. Steps like these do not cost millions of dollars to complete, they just require a plan and some attention to detail.

– “Focus Areas”: This section of the plan focuses on 5 key areas, and they mostly revolve around the same simple concept: bring people to the water sources in Fairmount Park. By following the 16 creeks that flow down to the Schuylkill River, park users will have a natural path from uphill to river (and vice-versa). The funny thing about the neighborhoods surrounding FP, is that many residents in those communities don’t realize how easy it is to access the park. Both natural and man-made barriers are the culprits. The goal is to use waterways as a guide to increasing park usage and park access.

Done and done.

My hope is that this blog post will serve as a launching point for all PUL readers to see how great Fairmount Park really is, and how much greater it will become in the not-too-distant future.

Let’s Trade: Multiple City-Owned Vacant Lots and Houses – FOR – 31 New / Mixed-Use / Eco-Friendly Homes

These roof decks should have awesome views!

 
I would say that’s a good deal.

All kidding aside, it wasn’t an actual trade but a purchase by a private developer for city-owned real estate. Nonetheless, it will be a nice change for an already-on-fire neighborhood. Postgreen’s Folsom Powerhouse project promises a few things to its future customers: Convenient Mixed-Use Development, Energy Efficient Design, and Affordable Units for Varying Income Levels. Based on Postgreen’s past development history, I’d say it’s doable.

Francisville is going through a building boom right now, due to its highly-accessible location (right next to Fairmount and Center City) and an abundance of vacant lots. Well, there used to be an abundance of them. Most have either been bought by developers, or are being developed as we speak.

If you’ve never heard of Francisville before, you’re not alone. Most residents of this area refer to the entire 19130 zip code as either Fairmount or the Art Museum Area. It’s the locals who have lived there for a long time (sometimes for generations), that know the difference between Fairmount and Francisville.

The unofficial borders of Francisville are Girard Ave (North), Broad St (East), Fairmount Ave (South), and Corinthian Ave (West). These are the borders typically listed online, and they are also the ones that real estate agents use most often. Again, since I’m not a Francisville local, I apologize for any errors with defining your neighborhood.

So, why is Francisville being reinvented?

There are a few reasons why (IMHO):

1) Its Location: Francisville is super-conveniently located just east of Fairmount (which has been going through positive neighborhood changes for a few decades now), and just north of Center City (which allows those who work downtown to either walk, bike, or hop on the subway during their daily commute).

2) Its Changing Demographic: The new residents seeking shelter in Francisville are typically young professionals, families, and empty nesters. The same type of people who are currently buying in Center City. They want access to Center City (and its surrounding area/amenities), but do not want to pay Center City prices (per sq/ft). Hot real estate, for less money, equals high demand.

3) Its Housing Stock: Due to the large proliferation of vacant lots in Francisville, it has allowed developers to get in fairly easily, build what they want, and still make a good profit (probably better than most Philadelphia neighborhoods). New construction townhomes/condos, with upgraded amenities and roof decks, is the most common theme. All for less than what you would pay for similar real estate in Center City (most of the time). On top of that, there are many different new construction homes to choose from due to all of the new development; so buyers can be a little picky, even though the current trend is slowly changing to a seller’s market. In a neighborhood like Rittenhouse Square, new construction is hard to find due to its denser, and more established, layout.

There are more reasons why Philadelphians are flocking to this small section of the city, but I’ll let you do a little Google’ing on your own to learn more about why Francisville is one of Philadelphia’s 10 hottest neighborhoods for real estate.

New businesses are seeing value on Ridge Ave in Roxborough

Feel free to call this one “Part II” of the Roxborough Series. Honestly, it’s hard for me not to blog about my own neighborhood when I find a great article from my sources.

Since the 1980s, Manayunk and Chestnut Hill have been known as the Main Street hubs for most of Northwest Philadelphia, but things are starting to change ( … for the better). Not only are Manayunk and Chestnut Hill still thriving, but Mount Airy, East Falls, and Roxborough now all have successful neighborhood development groups of their own and they’re getting things done. Things like streetscape improvements, trash/litter patrolling, and sidewalk planters all help create an inviting environment for those who want to walk along their neighborhood’s avenue (i.e. shoppers, diners, tourists, etc.). It may seem trivial, but it works.

Roxborough has been catching steam over the last 5 years, and new businesses have been building/developing new storefronts and setting up shop in existing retail spots along Ridge Ave; anywhere from Port Royal Ave all the way down to Terrace St. Antique stores, restaurants, pharmacies, and architecture/design firms are taking advantage of Roxborough’s central business location in NW Philadelphia, as well as its close proximity to the Montgomery County suburbs.

If you haven’t been to our neighborhood for a while, take a drive down Ridge Ave and see all of the positive changes that are taking place for yourself.