Neighborhood Open Space Profile Planning Area i

Neighborhoods Included: Chestnut Hill/Mt. Airy/Germantown/East Falls

1) Open space concerns, issues or challenges:

2) Community open space interests and desires:

'Common ground' spaces for all neighbors
On Wissahickon Avenue in Mt. Airy & Chestnut Hill, sidewalks are lacking.
Sidewalks are needed to improve access to the Wissahickon & to calm traffic.
Sidewalks & bike lanes are needed for streets that lead to the Park, including Westview St. & Kitchen's Lane.
Utilize the abandoned rail line that crosses Germantown Avenue between Mt. Airy & Chestnut Hill as a walking/biking trail & entrance to the Fairmount Park system.
Sitting parks for small children & the elderly
Improvements to Pleasant Playground in Mt. Airy, including appearance, access, & new recreation facilities
Create visual connections between Pleasant Playground, Mt Airy Playground, & the surrounding streets
Better maintenance of the Wissahickon Valley

3) Compliance or regulatory issues:

The Wissahickon Watershed Ordinance
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
Stormwater & Sourcewater

4) Demographic trends or changes:

Chestnut Hill & Mt. Airy are middle to upper-income neighborhoods, & Chestnut Hill is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in the City
One of the special characteristics of Mt. Airy is its racial, ethnic, & socio-economic diversity
Germantown is a low to moderate-income neighborhood also characterized by its diversity
East Falls is a middle to upper-income neighborhood
All of these neighborhoods have a high degree of economic & social stability

5) Market demands or pressures:

Chestnut Hill is one of the city's most expensive neighborhoods, & there are many infill residential developments
Mt. Airy has a mix of housing types & price ranges. There are pockets of deterioration in the southern portion of Mt. Airy.
Germantown's housing & economic conditions are deteriorated, but it possesses a rare combination of qualities that make it a "town within a city."
East Falls is unique in Philadelphia because of its mile of riverfront park along the Schuylkill River. The commercial district has suffered from disinvestment, but is in the midst of a positive transformation. The housing market is brisk, property values are rising, & new homes are being built

6) Specific environmental issues:

Stormwater runoff from Northwest Philadelphia drains through the Monoshone Creek Watershed, which joins the Wissahickon Creek & the Schuylkill River. Twenty four percent of the City's drinking water comes from the Queen Lane Facility, located near where these waters join each other

7) Major developments and/or open space opportunities:

There are major open space opportunities in all these neighborhoods, some noted in the City's plans
Improved access to the Wissahickon & greening of these access points is a priority
Creation of the Saylor Grove Wetland

8) Other important information that should be noted?

The Wissahickon Valley is one of Planning Area I's, & indeed the City's, finest assets, & is an important part of Fairmount Park.