Far Northeast

Neighborhood Open Space Planning Profile for the Far Northeast

Neighborhoods Included: Upper Holmesburg/East and West Torresdale/Brookhaven/Morrell Park/Millbrook/Parkwood/Pennypack Woods/Winchester Park/Academy Gardens/Ashton/Walton Park/Normandy/Somerton/Bustleton

1) Open space concerns, issues or challenges

• Improved security- look into innovative ways to improve security (e.g., camera at hangout sites)
• Maintenance of existing open space
• Develop a wider variety of open space opportunities

2) Community open space interests and desires

• More street trees
• More benches in existing parks
• Walking paths along newly designated 'greenways,' particularly along the Delaware River, Poquessing Creek & the Pennypack Creek watersheds
• General desire by the community for stronger 'connectivity' to greenways, i.e. connections from the local drainage swales in the Parkwood community to the Poquessing Creek, & from the Poquessing Creek to the Delaware River
• Access to the mouth of the Pennypack Creek
• Connect pathways from community to community into areas of the city & outside the city

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 imrpoved enforcement & possible ammendments
• Brownfield development
• Riverfront zoning (Delaware) to allow public access & use

4) Demographic trends or changes

• Small increase in the number of households
• Slight decrease in the size of households
• Stable communities, but becoming more diverse

5) Market demands or pressures

• Rise in real estate value
• Increased interest by developers to convert single-family units to multi-family dwellings. This trend is strongly opposed by the community
• Density is increasing as more homes are being built on oversized lots
• Increased number of cars per household, without requiring additional parking spots
• Proliferation of free-standing tool sheds at rear property lines, adjacent to rear driveways, impacts quality of life by eliminating open space, reducing open space visibility, & increasing the risk of traffic accidents.
• Increased gas prices have led to an increased interest in bicycle transportation.

6) Specific environmental issues

• Removal & replacement of dead trees
• Support of the East Coast Greenway (off-road)
• Improve the PA bicycle route 'E' (on-road)
• Stream bank erosion
• Acquisition of open space to develop safer pedestrian crossings at busy intersections
• Loss of open space at Burlholme Park for the private expansion of the Fox Chase Cancer Hospital
• Traffic calming on pedestrian streets

7) Major developments and/or open space opportunities

• Redevelopment opportunities along the North Delaware waterfront (East Coast Greenways, 'Riverfront Development District' Zoning Classification--similar to Independence Pointe)
• Watershed Revitalization Planning for Poquessing & Pennypack Creeks
• 'U-Pull-It' auto parts proposal for Upper Holmesburg, at Torresdale Avenue & Pennypack Street