Overbrook Neighborhood Plan

Overbrook Neighborhood Plan University of Pennsylvania | Penn Design City Planning Workshop | Spring 2016 Instructor: Andrew Dawson Team: Joshua Davidson | Cari Krol | Adija Manley | Xunze Su | Jarred Toups | Yajing Zhao | Xinyi Zhou

Overbrook Neighborhood Plan University of Pennsylvania | Penn Design City Planning Workshop | Spring 2016 Instructor: Andrew Dawson Team: Joshua Davidson | Cari Krol | Adija Manley | Xunze Su | Jarred Toupes | Yajing Zhao | Xinyi Zhou overbrook | philadelphia

Table of Contents 4

Introduction and Existing Conditions

Strengths, Deficiencies, Opportunities, Constraints

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Goals and Objectives

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Neighborhood Plan

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4

Introduction and Existing Conditions

Strengths, Deficiencies, Opportunities, Constraints Goals and Objectives Neighborhood Plan 5

INTRODUCTION Defining Overbrook Set on the far western edge of Philadelphia, Overbrook sits at the meeting point of multiple narratives (see Figure 1).

Geographically, Overbrook is located at the meeting point of West Philadelphia and the suburban Montgomery and Delaware counties just over City Avenue and Cobbs Creek. Lancaster Avenue connects Overbrook both to Philadelphia’s neighborhoods and the various townships of the suburban Lower Merion. The neighborhood commercial corridor on Lansdowne Avenue serves as a southern border of the neighbored (see Figures 1a-4).

City Avenue serves another border. On one side of the avenue is an urban neighborhood, characterized by commercial shopping centers, city schools, and a diverse residential environment. Across the street are suburban residences, elite public schools, and many region-serving institutions. Spanning City Avenue is Saint Joseph’s University, an asset for Overbrook and the surrounding area.

Figure 1: Philadelphia, Overbrook Highlighted Source: City of Philadelphia

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Figure 2: City Avenue

Figure 3: Lancaster Avenue

Figure 1a: Regional Context of Overbrook Source: US Census

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Figure 4: Cobbs Creek

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INTRODUCTION Fit within these borders, Overbrook exhibits a vibrant history, diverse built typology, and a unique physical and social environment.

Walking past the mansions on Sherwood Road or Woodbine Avenue in Overbrook Farms, Overbrook’s early history is still clear. These homes were largely built for the wealthy elite at the beginning of the last century, a suburban enclave built around a new rail station that could connect residents to the countryside and center city (see Figure 5).

Tracing the path of today’s Route 10 Trolley along 63rd Street and Lansdowne Avenue, Eastern Overbrook’s middle and working class row houses, commercial corridors, and community institutions crop up and densely populate the landscape. This built environment signifies a more urban character in the neighborhood (see Figure 6).

Figure 5: Mansion in Overbrook Farms

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Crossing Morris Park to the west, newer, less dense row houses, each with their own yard, dominate the landscape in Overbrook Park. Built for GIs returning from World War II, these homes reflect more modest, middle class aspirations, and grew to house a wide variety of ethnic groups over the last half century (see Figure 7).

Planning for overbrook must take into account the neighborhood’s rich history and structural assets, but must also engage with divisions in the social and physical landscape.

These three narratives reflect points along a shared path of development, but also divisions. In many ways, Overbrook is divided among three sub-neighborhoods; Overbrook Farms, Eastern Overbrook, and Overbrook Park. Though rooted in history, these divisions are reinforced today though signs that differentiate one neighborhood from the next, physical barriers like Morris Park and the Main Line rail, and the fraught limitations of race and class difference.

This plan seeks to both “reach in” and utilize Overbrook’s assets to better serve the neighborhood’s residents, while also “reaching out,” activating connections across the region.

Figure 6: Row Homes in Eastern Overbrook

Figure 7: Houses in Overbrook Park

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Overbrook Station

Figure 8: Overbrook, Philadelphia Source: City of Philadelphia

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REGIONAL CONTEXT Rail Connectivity Overbrook’s strategic location on SEPTA’s Paoli/ Thorndale Line, the historic “Main Line,” makes the neighborhood incredibly well-connected to Center City and the surrounding suburbs.

Overbrook station (located near the center of the neighborhood) is the first stop on the Paoli/ Thorndale after 30th Street Station. This makes Overbrook a gateway to Philadelphia’s Main Line suburbs.

Overbrook is only 10 minutes by heavy rail and 30 minutes by trolley (line 10) to the Philadelphia’s railway hub (30th Street Station), where SEPTA and AMTRAK can transport passengers as far as New York, Harrisburg, and Washington D.C. in under three hours (see Figure 9).

Highway Connectivity Overbrook is very well connected by national highways and Interstates. U.S. highways 1 and 30 intersect at the heart of Overbrook, making it a node along routes that traverse the entire East Coast and northern half of the United States. While not in the neighborhood boundary, Interstate 76 is less than three miles from Overbrook along City Avenue.

Overbrook is also well connected to education infrastructure. Saint Joseph’s University is within the neighborhood boundary and University City is accessed in less than 30 minutes via trolley.

Figure 9: Overbrook Rail Connectivity Source: Open Data Philly and Google Maps

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City Avenue City Avenue (U.S. Route 1) is a western border of Philadelphia dividing the city from Montgomery County. City Avenue serves as an important corridor for travel within and outside of Philadelphia. Along this route are homes, institutions, and prominent businesses such as the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and Action 6 News (see Figure 10).

Three miles of City Avenue frame Overbrook, from Township Line Road Station in Haverford, to 54th Street. The corridor along Overbrook is highly traveled and well served by SEPTA. City Avenue is diverse; private residences, Morris Park, Cobbs Creek Golf Course, City Avenue Shopping Center, Overbrook Station, and St. Joseph’s University all line Overbrook’s section of US Route 1.

Figure 10: Overbrook Highway Connectivity Source: Open Data Philly and Google Maps

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The City of Philadelphia and Lower Merion Township, in conjunction with the City Avenue District, are attempting to make part of Route 1 a regional center (see Figure 11). The City Avenue Special Services District (CASSD) which roughly extends from 63rd street to Interstate 76, has been formed to make parts of the area more activated and enjoyable. Part of Overbrook is included in this district. The City Avenue Overlay District is already included in Philadelphia’s Zoning Code, signaling strides taken in this effort.

Figure 11: Shopping Destinations along City Avenue.

Source: City Avenue Connectivity Study

Figure 12: City Avenue

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HISTORY Environmental and Physical History The creeks and streams in West Philadelphia yielded fertile land for agricultural production and forests, so Overbrook was largely rural farming until in the Lancaster Turnpike (today’s Lancaster Avenue) was built in 1795. The county’s first toll road, Lancaster connected far flung neighborhoods like Overbrook to the city center. In 1893, the property of what is now Overbrook Farms was purchased from its original owner, John M. George by Drexel and Company.

Overbrook, similar to other neighborhoods in West Philadelphia, developed from farm land into a streetcar suburb over the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The major driver for change in the built environment was the development of the regional transportation system, particularly

Figure 13: Overbrook 1855 Source: Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

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the building of rail and streetcar through the neighborhood.

Initial development occurred between 58th Street to the north, 66th Street to the south, City Avenue to the west and Woodbine Avenue to the east, in what is today Overbrook Farms (see Figure 15).

As part of the area’s historical development, wooded areas were cleared between 64th and 66th Streets and between Overbrook Avenue and Woodbine Avenue. Subsequently, new trees were planted in this area to make up for deforestation and several of those trees still stand along these corridors.

Figure 14: Overbrook 1895 Source: (Map Modified ) Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

In addition, several creeks were drained and filled in.

These included a creek at the current intersection of City Avenue and 59th Street, a section of Mill Creek that would have run along 63rd Street, and another creek along Sherwood Street that ran to 66th Street. The sewering of these creeks raises significant questions as to the land’s suitability for future development.

Today, only two main creeks remain: Indian Creek and Cobbs Creek, both of which run through parkland.

Figure 15: Overbrook 1910 Source: (Map Modified) Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps

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Social History Overbrook became home to a select number of upper middle class residents who wished to escape congested urban settings for a spacious living environment, close to nature. Yet, the lack of transit made travel to the city highly inconvenient.

To better serve the need of residents, Overbrook train station was built in 1840 and upgraded in 1867, but it was not until the trolley line extension to Overbrook in 1895 did the area receive its first large influx of residents. Frequent train service to Center City, with travel times at less than 15 minutes, facilitated commuters to move to the area. This development proceeded until Overbrook Park was built in 1940s, at which point Overbrook was fully built out.

Figure 16: Overbrook “Redlining” Map Source: University of Pennsylvania

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Middle class whites served as the dominant population in Overbrook for much of the early twentieth century. As developers built more row houses in other parts of the neighborhood, Jews, Italians, and African American families began to move to the area.

Even at this early point in Overbrook’s history, the multiple “redlining” categories projected onto the neighborhood foreshadow the racial divisions we still see today (see Figures 17 and 18).

These varied ethnic settlements are reflected in the Homeowners Loan Corporation maps from 1937 – colloquially called the “redlining maps” – where “safe” investment areas, colored in green, correspond with white, upper class populations .

Other parts of the neighborhood, coded in blue and yellow, are “at risk” and were largely populated

by Jews, Italians, and some African Americans (see Figure 16,).

Figure 17: Percent African American 1990 Source: US Census

Figure 18: Percent African American 2010 Source: US Census

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DEMOGRAPHICS Population The population in Overbrook is projected to grow slightly in the coming years. The neighborhood has more female residents than male residents and is slightly younger, on average, than the City of Philadelphia (see Figure 21).

The neighborhood is slightly younger than the city.

The median age in Overbrook is 32.9. We assume that the large number of students at Saint Joseph’s University contributes to the relative youth in the neighborhood (see Figure 20).

Overall, the population has remained relatively steady over the past 25 years. Overbrook has seen its population shift from a low of 26,692 in 2010 to a high of 29,593 in 2014 (see Figure 19).

Two parts of the neighborhood, Overbrook Park and Overbrook Farms grew continuously over the last 25 years. The population in Eastern Overbrook declined from 1990 to 2010, and only increased after 2010. Given the projected population growth in Philadelphia, we expect modest population growth across Overbrook in the coming years.

Population: 1990-2014

Figure 20: Population by Year, 1990-2014 Source: US Census

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Population: Age Distribution 2014

Figure 19: Population Age Distribution Source: US Census

Population: Age and Sex 2014

Figure 21: Population by Age and Sex Source: US Census

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Education The school age population in Overbrook has declined by around 8% between 2009 and 2014, though there has been growth both in the number of students enrolled in kindergarten and in high school during this period. There are more than 4,000 students currently enrolled in college in Overbrook, though much of this population are probably students at St. Joseph’s University.

There has been promising change in the level of education in Overbrook between 2009 and 2014.

The population of those who do not have a high school degree has decreased and nearly 90% of Overbrook’s population now has a high school diploma. The population of those with a bachelor’s degree or higher has grown from 23% to 29% (see Figure 22).

Education: 2009-2014

Figure 22: Educational Attainment Source: US Census

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Race The demographic portrait in Overbrook has changed dramatically in the last twenty-five years.

In 1990, Overbrook’s population was more than 50% white, an outlier in West Philadelphia, which by 1960, following the rapid migration of whites out of Philadelphia, was majority African American. By 2000, Overbrook’s population changed radically.

Between 1990 and 2000 the white population in Overbrook decreased by more than 6,300 persons, a decline of 43%. During this same period, the African American population grew by about 7,300 persons, a 63% increase from their population in 1990. In 2000, only 29% or the neighborhood was white, and 65% of the Overbrook was African American (see Figure 23).

Race: 1990-2014

Figure 23: Overbrook, Population by Race Source: US Census

Some parts of the neighborhood exhibit this demographic trend more dramatically than others.

In Overbrook Park, a historical enclave that for decades was a largely Jewish and Italian, there were more than 6,600 whites and only about 150 African Americans in 1990. By 2000, more than 4,000 whites had left Overbrook Park, replaced by approximately the same number of African Americans. This change was largely in response to aging white populations vacating homes which were purchased by African American households.

Race: 1990-2014

Figure 24: Philadelphia, Population by Race Source: US Census

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SOCIO-ECONOMICS Income The portrait of income in Overbrook is complex, sometimes contradictory, and differs based on sub-neighborhood.

Overbrook, on the whole, has a lower poverty rate and higher median household income compared to Philadelphia. In recent years, the household income of Overbrook has increased while the average for the city has decreased. Still, the poverty rate in the neighborhood increased almost twice as fast as in the city. The rapid increase of both median income and poverty rate signal a widening economic gap within the neighborhood.

Household income varies greatly within the neighborhood. The median household income in Overbrook Farms exceeds $60,000, while in Eastern Overbrook the median household income is only around $30,000. Even the two census tracts in Overbrook Park have quite different levels of income (see Figure 25).

Figure 25: Median Household Income per Census Tract Source: US Census

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Industries and Employment The main industry in Overbrook is education services, which we would expect given the presence of St. Joseph’s University. Among the 3,844 jobs in the neighborhood, 1,332 are housed at the University. Retail sales and accommodation and food services are the next leading industries in the neighborhood (see Figure 27). Most of the neighborhood commutes elsewhere (see Figure 26).

Philadelphia

5,446 3,844 3,063 177

Other Places

Figure 26: Employee Inflow and Outflow Source: US Census

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Figure 27: Overbrook, Employment Source: US Census

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SOCIO-ECONOMICS Economic Characteristics of Housing Overbrook has a much higher owner-occupied rate and lower vacancy rate than the city’s average. The vacancy rate of the neighborhood has increased by 18 percent while the rate citywide decreased by 7 percent over the past five years. In an area with historically low vacancy rates, this recent increase raises significant concern.

The median housing value of Overbrook is similar to the citywide average, though the median rent is higher. Given the income levels in the neighborhood, households in Overbrook face a greater cost burden in housing, as compared to Philadelphia.

Still, the percent of households with housing cost burden over 35 percent of has decreased faster in Overbrook than in Philadelphia, signifying the that the cost burden may be leveling out.

Overbrook Farms

Overbrook Park

Eastern Overbrook

Median Value: $200,000

Median Value: $137,000

Median Value: $90,000

Figure 28: House in Overbrook Farms Source: US Census

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The economic characteristics of housing differ greatly within the neighborhood. The vacancy rate in Eastern Overbrook is as high as the city average while other parts of the neighborhood have vacancy rates lower than Philadelphia. Similar disparities are apparent regarding housing value.

The median housing value is greater than $200,000 in Overbrook Farms, and only $90,000 in Eastern Overbrook. The housing value corresponds well with household income geographically (see Figures 28-30).

Figure 29: House in Overbrook Park Source: US Census

Figure 30: House in Eastern Overbrook Source: US Census

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Crime Overbrook is a relatively peaceful neighborhood when compared to other neighborhoods in Philadelphia. From 2006 to the present, Overbrook ranks 34th of 55 neighborhoods in violent crimes and 41 of 55 neighborhoods in property crimes.

The criminal heat indexes in Eastern Overbrook and Overbrook Park are relatively higher than other places in the neighborhood, which are areas that correlate with lower median household incomes. In Overbrook Farms and around Saint Joseph’s University the crime incidents are the lowest in the whole neighborhood. We assume that the campus police force contribute to this safety, but the low levels of crime are also correlated with higher median household income. The housing vacancy rate is also correlated with the crime intensity (see Figure 31).

Figure 31: Crime Index Heat Map, 2014 Source: Philadelphia Police Department

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BUILT ENVIRONMENT Physical Diversity Overbrook’s built environment is reflected in three buildign typologies, aligned with the sub neighborhoods of Overbrook; Eastern Overbrook, Overbrook Farms and Overbrook (see Figure 32).

Figure 32: Overbrook Building Typology Source: City of Philadelphia

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Overbrook Farms Within Overbrook Farms, the building typology is mostly large single unit detached and twin housing units with deep set backs and large lots.

Significant changes in building typology is evident along 66th street between Woodbine Avenue and City Avenue. These avenues have both mansions and smaller single family detached houses. Some of these mansions look across the tree canopy of Morris Park. Large apartment buildings and small commercial corridors frequent along 63rd Street.

Figure 33: Overbrook Farms

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Eastern Overbrook Buildings between Lansdowne Avenue and Lebanon Avenue consists primarily of single unit attached housing and mixed use commercial. The buildings east of 63rd Street are mostly in poor to acceptable condition. The physical condition of the built environment noticeably improves west of 63rd Street, immediately after the conclusion of the trolley line. In the northern section of Eastern Overbrook, bounded by Lebanon Avenue to the south and Woodbine Avenue to the north, the physical conditions of the built environment improve. The housing building typology remains predominately single unit attached row homes.

Larger set backs provide front yards and front porches along the houses.

Figure 34: Eastern Overbrook

Overbrook Park West of Morris Park, the housing stock consists primarily of single unit attached houses with setbacks for front lawns. Unlike the rest of Overbrook, there is little variation in architectural diversity. The housing stock is generally blocks of similar brick and stone row homes. Some streets also have duplex housing, however the architectural style remains the same. A prominent low-density, commercial corridor runs along Haverford Avenue, and a series of strip mall developments with a generous amount of surface parking runs along City Avenue, both examples breaking with the typology of the area. Additionally, several institutions including Overbrook Park Church of Christ, the Lamberton School, and the Haverford Court Apartment Complexes breaks the uniform typology.

Figure 35: Overbrook Park

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ENVIRONMENT Environmental Conditions Overbrook’s current environmental conditions are a result of its development patterns. The neighborhood is situated on two watersheds: Schuylkill River watershed and Cobbs Creek Watershed. Only two of the original creeks in the neighborhood remain; Indian Creek and Cobbs Creek. Both of these creeks run through Morris Park.

Within the 1589 acres of the neighborhood, 542, or about one third, is green space, primarily Morris Park and the Cobbs Creek Golf Course. Other signs of greenery are scattered throughout the neighborhood in the forms of small recreational centers with playgrounds, front and back lawns of houses and an abundance of street trees.

Figure 36: Environmental Conditions of Overbrook Source: USGS

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Morris Park As seen in Figure 36, Morris Park is north of the golf courses and loosely bounded by the intersection of Lansdowne and Haverford Avenue to the south and City Avenue to the north. Morris Park provides numerous activity and recreation possibilities including multiple playgrounds and hiking trails.

However, many of the facilities are in poor condition or inaccessible.

Morris Park straddles the east branch of Indian Creek. West of the Creek is a baseball field and the start of the West Branch Trail; an unpaved trail that runs along Indian Creek. The West Branch trail and accompanying trails are all soft surfaces; unpaved gravel, dirt and grass. The creek and one of the three quarries inhibits the ability to cross over into the northern section of the park without some

Figure 37: Flooding in Morris Park

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difficulties (see Figure 37). The East Branch Trail and accompanying walking trails listed on the map are not evident within their portion of the park. In addition, there is a large field with another baseball diamond and multiple areas with playground equipment to the south, a community garden to the north, and a stretch of green field in between.

Accessibility to the park and programming within the park is difficult to decipher. Although it appears that the neighborhood can access Morris Park at multiple points, this is not the case.Changes in topography, dead end streets with fences and limited signage inhibits accessibility (see Figure 39). Furthermore, there appears to be little programming beyond Rose and Papa playground.

Rose Playground and Papa Playground, both located at the southern edge of the park, contain a jogging track, playground, recreation center, basketball courts and tennis courts. The playground equipment is in need of repair and rusting away, basketball nets are missing and the side walks and paths within the playground are in need of maintenance (see Figure 38).

Figure 38: Poor Conditions of Papa Playground

Figure 39: Poor Signage in Morris Park

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ENVIRONMENT Indian Creek The first creek day-lighted in Philadelphia was the west branch of Indian Creek in Morris Park. This portion of the creek was underground for 86 years and allowed to resurface in 2014. Like other creeks in the city, it was capped to allow for housing to be built over it, however, housing was never built on this part of the creek.

The daylighting of this creek was completed as part of a project to make the structure that housed the creek store combined sewage overflows. Combined sewage overflow problems had been a major issue in the Morris Park area, with an average of 24 events a year. During one storm, flooding extended from the park across Haverford Avenue, inundating the street and area. The project was completed by the Army Corps of Engineers, Philadelphia Water Department and the RC&D company in 2014.

Figure 40: East Indian Creek

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Figure 41: East Indian Creek

Figure 42: West Indian Creek

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Cobbs Creek Golf Course Cobbs Creek Golf Course was a major golf destination in the first half of the 20th century, hosting a number of national tournaments. The course was opened in 1917 and is the first public golf course in Philadelphia. In recent years it has suffered from disinvestment. The Friends of Cobbs Creek have been working to push for the course to be renovated.

Figure 43: Cobbs Creek Golf Course

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Figure 44: Cobbs Creek Golf Course

Figure 45: Cobbs Creek Golf Course

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LAND USE AND ZONING Land Use Overbrook is a predominately residential neighborhood in West Philadelphia. One third of the neighborhood is residential and another third of the land is used for parks and open space. The neighborhood is both suburban and urban in nature, with land use patterns more typical of suburbia found in the northwestern portion of the neighborhood and the rest more consistent with what is expected of urban West Philadelphia – row homes and duplexes.

Single-family detached housing resides on 30% of residential land despite being only 6% of the housing stock.

Commercial activity uses less than 3% of space in the neighborhood and is primarily zoned Neighborhood Commercial MixedUse. Businesses are concentrated along thoroughfares such as Haverford and Lansdowne Avenues. Overbrook Park contains a major shopping district which includes a strip-mall zoned, auto-oriented commercial along City Line Avenue.

Overbrook has less vacant land than the rest of the city: less than 1% of Overbrook’s land is vacant versus 5% in the city (according to Philadelphia’s 2035 comprehensive plan). However, vacancy is not evenly distributed in the neighborhood, with a higher concentration of vacant parcels in Eastern Overbrook (see Figure 46).

Figure 46: Overbrook, Land Use Source: City of Philadelphia

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Zoning The zoning map of Overbrook and recommendations for zoning in the district plan for West Park reflects largely what is already in the neighborhood (see Figure 47).

Figure 47: Overbrook, Zoning Source: City of Philadelphia

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TRANSPORTATION Access Overbrook residents are served by dense network of major arterials and public transportation. City Avenue (U.S. Route 1) and Lancaster Avenue (U.S. Route 30) are the most frequently traveled corridors to access the rest of the city and surrounding region. The transit modes cover a range of options including bus, regional rail, light rail, heavy rail and streetcar (see Figure 48). Bike lanes are present on some major arterials, but the network is not well-connected.

Safety Some major arterials such as Lancaster Avenue Haverford Avenue and 63rd Street do not intersect at right angles, the intersections are usually a narrow “X” shape or contain triangular traffic islands which increase the risk of traffic accidents (see Figures 49 and 50).

The sidewalk conditions are uneven in different parts of the neighborhood with several reconstruction projects ongoing (see Figure 51).

Options The neighborhood is crossed by numerous SEPTA transit lines: Paoli/Thorndale Line, Trolley Line 10, and the Norristown High Speed Line (see Figure 54).

Immediately over the neighborhood boundary are Trolley Line 15, the Market-Frankford Line, and suburban trolley lines 101 and 102. Eleven SEPTA bus routes run through Overbrook and provide even coverage throughout the neighborhood (see Figure 52).

The bike path network in Overbrook provides mostly Class II bike lanes (striped bike lane adjacent to vehicle traffic), but the bike network does not have full coverage of the area.

Figure 48: Overbrook Regional Rail Station

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Figure 49: “X” Shaped Intersection

Figure 50: “X” Shaped Intersection

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Ridership Even with a robust transit network. the main commuting mode was by car (56.7%), a rate slightly lower than the city average (58.9%). About one third of the working residents took public transit, much higher than the city average. Less than six percent of Overbrook walks or bicycles to work.

Walking and bike riding to work is most common near St. Joseph’s University. This area also had the lowest rate public transit usage. This is an area where students may be walking and biking to classes.

The wealthiest neighborhood within Overbrook has the highest rate of car usage to get to work, and accordingly, the percentage of public transit users in this neighborhood was among the lowest. The second most used mode was public transportation including regional rail, trolley, buses and metro rail.

The highest rate of transit use exists where the transit network accessibility is the highest.

Figure 51: Poor Sidewalk Conditions

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Figure 52: Public Transit options in Overbrook

Figure 53: Car Usage in Overbrook

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PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

Figure 54: SEPTA Rail Map

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COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONS Overbrook’s Institutions As Overbrook is a largely residential neighborhood, much of the community resources and institutional infrastructure derive from this residential base.

The churches, libraries, schools, and neighborhood centers are often local serving institutions, though Overbrook’s unique location on the border with Montgomery County does allow for a level of cross communal interactions. The arterials of City Avenue and Lancaster Avenue allow access to institutional resources in the suburban region and other neighborhoods in the city. Below we highlight a select number of institutions in Overbrook that are model examples for future institutional development.

Figure 55: Overbrook Mural

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Good Shepard Presbyterian Church

Overbrook Revitalization Corporation

Founded: 1859

Founded: 2005

Program: Houses four other churches, a pre-school, after school and senior services.

Program: Community and economic development corporation working across the Wynnefield and Overbrook neighborhoods.

Assets: Supports commercial corridor, affordable housing, and workforce development and will be of great assistance to any development efforts.

Assets: Central location on Lansdowne Avenue, in proximity to trolley stops, and can serve as a central meeting place for the whole neighborhood.

Figure 56: Good Shepard Presbyterian Church

Figure 57: Overbrook Revitalization Coporation Source: Pennrose Properties

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Overbrook High School

Overbrook School for the Blind

Saint Joseph’s University

Founded: 1928

Founded: 1832

Founded: 1851

Program: Main public high school in Overbrook

Program: Provides education resources for the blind.

Program: Private university

Assets: Located at border of the neighborhood on Lancaster Avenue; a possible bridging point between the Overbrook and Wynnefield neighborhoods and a Federal Historical Landmark building.

Figure 58: Overbrook High School

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Assets: Regional draw, ornate campus and could serve as a meeting point between the city and suburbs.

Figure 59: Overbrook School for the Blind

Assets: Brings nearly 9,000 students from across the world to Overbrook and provides substantial employment. The campus spans across Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties and can assist in regional efforts.

Figure 60: Saint Joseph’s University Source: Saint Joseph’s University

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Introduction and Existing Conditions

Strengths, Deficiencies, Opportunities, Constraints Goals and Objectives Neighborhood Plan 35

SDOC ANALYSIS Strengths Diversity of Housing

Institutions

Figure 61: Saint Joseph’s University

Economic Stability

Figure 62: Diverse Housing in Eastern Overbrook

Figure 63: Commercial Corridor along Lancaster Aveue

Overbrook has several well-established institutions including St. Joseph’s University and the Overbrook School for the Blind. These institutions create jobs and bring economic vibrancy.

There are many housing options in the neighborhood both in terms of type and cost.

The overall economic condition of the neighborhood is stable. Overbrook has a higher median household income, lower unemployment rate, and lower poverty rates than Philadelphia.

Public Transit

Adequate Green Space

Low Vacancy

Figure 64: SEPTA Trolley on Lansdowne Avenue

The neighborhood has a well-developed public transit system. Overbrook is connected to Center City Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs by regional rail, trolley, and 11 bus lines.

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Figure 65: Morris Park

Approximately one third of the land of the neighborhood is green space, including Morris Park and numerous smaller, city parks.

Figure 66: Houses in Overbrook Park

The vacancy rate in Overbrook is approximately 1%, much lower than Philadelphia’s average rate of 7%.

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Deficiencies Morris Park Not Leveraged

Figure 67: Blocked Entrance to Morris Park

Economic Divisions

Garbage

Figure 68: Diverse Housing Types in Overbrook Farms

Unclear signage, unmarked trails, and facilities make for a largely inaccessible Morris Park. The programming does not leverage the assets of such a large park.

There are major differences in economic position across the neighborhood. These stark transitions are reflected in the disjointed physical fabric.

Poor Commercial Options

Lack of Cultural and Entertainment Options

Figure 70: Vacant Storefronts on Lansdowne Avenue

Some of the neighborhoods commercial corridors have substantial vacancy, lack diversity in their commercial mix, and some have zoning that prevents against highest and best use.

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Figure 69: Trash Covered Lot on Lansdowne Avenue

There are few trash cans in the neighborhood and the sidewalks oven feature lots of litter.

Figure 71: Overbrook Art Center

Major intersections such as 63rd and Malvern, and Lansdowne and Lancaster Avenues lack cultural anchors. No entertainment centers remain in Overbrook.

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SDOC ANALYSIS Opportunities Commercial Corridors Along Major Arterials

Figure 72: Commercial Corridor on City Avenue

Regional connectivity

Institutional partnerships

Figure 73: Overbrook School for the Blind

Figure 74: Overbrook Station

Lansdowne, Lancaster, Haverford, City Avenue, and 63rd Street all feature strong physical infrastructure and successful commercial enterprises. They are also characterized by strong transit options, and could become vibrant centers.

Overbrook’s location affords the possibility to build strategic relationships with major institutions in both Philadelphia and Montgomery County.

The neighborhood has easy and fast access to both Center City and major centers in the surrounding suburbs, meaning possibilities for a strong position in the metropolitan framework.

Recreational Improvements for Park Space

Adequate green space

Philadelphia’s green infrastructure

Amended

Green City Clean Waters The City of Philadelphia’s Program for Combined Sewer Overflow Control Program Summary Amended by the Philadelphia Water Department June 1, 2011

Figure 75: Rose Playground

Morris Park, Rose Playground, and numerous other outdoor spaces could become premier facilities with strategic improvements.

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Figure 76: Morris Park

Approximately one third of the land of the neighborhood is green space, allowing for a high quality of live and diverse recreational options.

Figure 77: Green City Clean Waters

The substantial green space in the neighborhood could help fulfill Philadelphia’s citywide environmental goals.

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Constraints Poor Educational Services

Multiple Jurisdictions

Figure 78: Overbrook Regional Context Map

Figure 79: Overbrook High School

City Avenue and Lansdowne Avenue are US highways under different standards and regulations regarding lane width and speed limits, all of which may inhibit against possible interventions.

Overbrook High School is struggling to retain students.

Physical Barriers

Saint Joseph’s University

Figure 81: SEPTA Rail Yard

The hard rail line for AMTRAK and SEPTA Regional rail is at a lower grade, in a large channel that cuts through the neighborhood. Few roads cross the rail within Overbrook. This barrier separates Eastern Overbrook from St. Joseph’s University.

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Distance from Center City

Figure 80: View of Center City

The distance from Center City could prevent new residents from moving to the area who wish to be closer to downtown businesses and work places.

Figure 82: Saint Joseph’s University

The presence of student renters may negatively skew development and housing demand. In addition, the institutional ownership of properties in the area may inhibit against future projects.

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Introduction and Existing Conditions

Strengths, Deficiencies, Opportunities, Constraints Goals and Objectives Neighborhood Plan

GOALS + OBJECTIVES Enhance the Public Realm Activate paths and gateways

Improve Mobility

Anchor Economic Opportunities

Promote bicycle and pedestrian connections

Focus development in already existing commercial corridors

Strengthen trail network in Morris Park

Capitalize on major institutions located in and around the neighborhood

Upgrade and maintain streetscape Improve pedestrian amenities Bridge railroad tracks and yard for non-automobile users

Promote commercial and employment expansion in vacant areas

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Figure 82: Vacant Lot on Lansdowne Commercial Corridor

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Introduction and Existing Conditions

Strengths, Deficiencies, Opportunities, Constraints Goals and Objectives Neighborhood Plan 45

PLAN INTRODUCTION We propose a series of plans that seek to “reach in” by promoting a higher quality of life for Overbrook’s residents, while also “reaching out” by positioning the neighborhood as a strong actor in the region.

The anchor to our interventions is a revived Morris Park, part of the Fairmont Park system. By renovating public facilities, increasing access points, and promoting programmatic opportunities, Morris Park will be a natural reprieve in the city, drawing neighborhood and regional residents in to the park and out to commercial corridors.

Connecting Morris Park to Fairmount Park, as well as promoting a West Philadelphia loop in the region’s bicycle plan, will bring additional audiences to the neighborhood, while also allowing for greater ease of movement for the neighborhood’s residents.

Our proposed Overbrook Greenway will provide residents and visitors with added recreational opportunities that connect them to the city and across the region.

We also propose a series of diverse commercial corridor interventions at three key spatial locations: City Line Shopping Center, Lancaster and 63rd Street, and Lansdowne Avenue.

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Figure 83: Neighborhood Plan

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MORRIS PARK Existing Conditions East Branch Trail The East Branch trail runs approximately eight tenths of a mile from Lansdowne Avenue to City Avenue and along East Indian Creek. Accessibility and mobility to the trail is limited.

Figure 84: Site of Former Bridge on East Branch Trail

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West Branch Trail The West Branch Trail runs for approximately three quarters of a mile from north of the baseball fields to City Avenue along West Indian Creek. West Indian Creek overflows onto parts of the trail making mobility difficult. A lack of signage complicates navigation.

Figure 85: West Branch Trail

Upper Trail The Upper Trail runs approximately half a mile split around Quarry 1 and Quarry 3. The path is unclear, narrow and is along steep and rugged terrain.

Certain portions of the trail have been guarded by fences, however there are still many drop offs surrounding the quarry that are potentially hazardous.

Figure 86: Upper Trail

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Creeks The Indian Creek divides into two branches; The West Branch and the East Branch and runs through the entire length of Morris Park. Currently, the water level is shallow and the West Branch Creek is stagnant, which limits activity. The creeks periodically flood onto the adjacent hiking trails.

Figure 87: East Indian Creek

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Signage Signage in Morris Park is limited and inadequate.

Current singage throughout the park is on fence posts, small, and hard to read. Signage is rare and missing along the juncture of trails. Without proper signage, the park is very difficult to navigate.

Figure 88: Current Morris Park Signage

Access and Entrance Points Most of the access points into the park are blocked off by gates. Smaller entrances occur behind residential streets. In some instances, the park is fenced off, and in other instances, access is via back alleys of row homes.

Figure 89: Blocked Morris Park Entrance

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Montgomery County

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The trail network is made up of four trails The designated main entrance is located at Lansdowne Avenue. There are three quarries within the park, in addition two main destinations that are historic; the Mill Ruins and the Indian Rock. The main programming of the park includes athletic fiends, the Papa Playground and a small community garden. In addition to the trail conditions, the physical terrain and rugged topography adds a layer of complexity to park navigation.

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The theme of neglect is still evident in it’s existing conditions. There are nine access points to the park, but most are unclear. Some entrances are along main roads and others are at the end of residential streets. Most of the access points are blocked or gated off. The trails are difficult to navigate for a number of reasons. First, there is an inconsistency of trail surfaces and parts of the trails are missing.

Flooding is also an issue that affects mobility along the trails. Most importantly, the signage system is limited; it is unclear, small and scarcely located.

Additionally, the park offers little programming outside of its playground and athletic fields.

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Morris Park was established as a part of the Fairmount Park System in 1910. It has a long history of neglect and mismanagement. The only official plan for the park was created in 1990 by the Academy of Natural Sciences. However, none of the interventions were implemented. Today, the park is managed by the Friends of Morris Park.

Morris Park Existing Trail System East Branch Trail | 0.85 mi West Branch Trail | 0.70 mi Connector Trail | 0.60 mi Upper Branch Trail | 0.60 mi

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Montgomery County

Destinations Primary Entrance Points Secondary Entrance Points Trail Signage Parking Lot

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To utilize Morris Park’s potential, we recommend a series of interventions to the existing park infrastructure. To improve access and mobility within the trail network, we propose to widen the existing trails, establish primary entrance points, establish secondary entrance points, and implement a new way finding system that establishes access points and directions along the junction of trails.

We also propose a perimeter loop trail to run along the eastern boundary of Morris Park and connect with the existing western branch trail. This trail will replace the guard rail that is currently surrounding Morris park and its flat topography will allow for different modes of mobility.

Morris Park Proposed Trail System East Branch Trail | 0.85 mi West Branch Trail | 0.70 mi Connector Trail | 0.60 mi Upper Branch Trail | 0.60 mi Perimeter Loop | 1.35 mi Overbrook Greenway Connector

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PAPA PLAYGROUND AND RECREATION

Figure 91:HProposed Morris Park Trail Network Map ave rfor d Ro ad

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MORRIS PARK West Branch Trail Mill Ruins Along the West Branch Trail is the historic Mill Ruins.

The ruins date back to the industrial mills from the 1890s.

Currently, this historic landmark is unmarked and physically inaccessible. Trail improvements to the West Branch Trail can make the Mill Ruins accessible to visitors. Proper signage and way finding can help guide those along the trail and can clearly point out the historic landmark.

Connecting the West Branch Trail over the West Indian Creek would allow visitors access to the Mill Ruins. The site can serve as a gathering place, an educational site and can be a programmed on a historic tour of Morris Park which could ultimately attract more park usage.

Figure 92: Proposed Mill Ruins Destination

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East Branch Trail Quarry One Surrounded by the Connector Trail, Upper Trail and West Branch Trail is Quarry One. The quarry was extracted to build the original houses in Overbrook Farms.

Today, most of the material in the quarry has been extracted with the exception of a few spots. These spots currently serve as a habitat for various bird species and ducks. The remaining wetland areas are difficult to cross and hinder trail navigation.

Proper signage would allow for way finding along the three surrounding trails. Additionally, bridging over the wetlands would allow for better access between the trails.

As a juncture of three trails, Quarry One has the potential to serve as a gathering space and can accommodate for a multitude of activities such as running, bird watching or simply playing along the quarry. The bird habitats allow for ecosystem exploration and programming for visitors.

Figure 93: Proposed Quarry One Destination

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MORRIS PARK East Branch Trail Bridge The East Branch Trail ends at the juncture of 66th and City Avenue and then continues across the street. The northern tip of the trail between 67th and City Avenue is divided by East Indian Creek.

This section of Morris Park once served as an entrance to the park and main gathering space. In the 1970s, an existing bridge and picnic area were destroyed in a flood and have not been replaced since, which limits mobility.

North of the creek, the park opens up and the terrain flattens out. The area can be looked out on from a former guard booth and information kiosk.

Rebuilding the bridge can revitalize this portion of Morris Park. It can become an area for people to socialize or picnic without having to hike along the trails. Providing a picnic area and reopening the guard booth and information center can create a main access point and entry to the park as well as creating a space that is along the edge of the neighborhood, rather than deep in the park.

Figure 94: Proposed Main Enterance and Bridge Access

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Upper Trail The Upper Trail runs in two fragments and connects to the Connector Trail and West Branch Trail surrounding Quarry One and the newly proposed perimeter loop trail surrounding Quarry Three. The portion of the trail that surrounds Quarry Three begins at two points on residential streets.

Through the implementation of a new signage that is consistent with the Fairmount Park signage, Morris Park, and especially the Upper Trail can become more accessible and allow for better mobility through the trails.

Proposed signage would allow for way finding through various sign types. The sign kiosks would be placed at main access points such as along City Avenue and Lansdowne Avenue. Smaller entrance signs would be placed at secondary access points, such as residential streets.

Within the trail network, signage would be placed at the junction of trials and at destination points.

Morris park has the potential and framework to reach into the neighborhood and reach out to Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs.

Improvements to its infrastructure, accessibility, and mobility will allow for programming and activity to occur. Ultimately, Morris Park will leverage the neighborhood as a community asset and also draw people into Overbrook.

Figure 95: Proposed Signage at the Upper Trail

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BICYCLE NETWORK Existing Conditions The Overbrook Greenway is a 4.5-mile proposed bike lane to connect Morris Park and Fairmount Park via a tree-lined corridor, Lebanon Avenue, and a proposed bridge over the SEPTA /AMTRACK rail tracks.. The route will start at 63rd Street and Market Street to reach the Cobbs Creek Trail, enter Morris Park on Lansdowne Avenue, exit the park onto Lebanon Avenue, cross passenger rail tracks via a proposed bridge and connect to exiting bike lanes on Upland Way or continue on Lebanon Avenue to Fairmount Park. The Greenway and overpass bridge will allow residents in West Philadelphia and Lower Merion to overcome the physical barrier of the rail track and access green space and work centers by a pleasant bike ride.

Context

Southwest Philadelphia. Commuters can also take advantage of the bike trail network to travel between Philadelphia and surrounding counties.

Additionally, an east-west bike corridor through Overbrook could also serve as a green corridor, to physically and thematically connect Fairmount Park to Morris Park and Cobbs Creek in a continuous recreational environment (see Figure 95).

Proposed Route The southern end of Overbrook Greenway will connect to the Cobbs Creek Trail that ends at 63rd Street and Market Street. The route then follows the proposed Cobbs Creek Trail along Cobbs Creek south of the Karakung Golf Course and turns to Cardington Road to connect with the existing bike lanes on Cardington. A potential connection to

69th Street Transportation Center across the creek is recommended since it offers a better biking experience than access from Cardington Avenue due to huge grade change near the train yard. After Cardington Road merges with Lansdowne Avenue, the Overbrook Greenway will follow Lansdowne and turn into Morris Park from the upgraded park entrance on Lansdowne. Within the park, the route will follow the trail along East Indian Creek and turn towards Lebanon Avenue to connect with the major Overbrook Greenway bike infrastructure on Lebanon Avenue.

After the bike lane crosses the boundary between Overbrook and Wynnefield via the Greenway bridge, it will split into two branches. One branch will continue on Lebanon with new bike lanes and one branch will utilize the existing bike lanes on Upland Way – offering two paths to access Fairmount Park (see Figure 97).

Overbrook sits between multiple arms (both existing and proposed) of Philadelphia’s regional bike network, but there is not an east-west connection in West Philadelphia between the Schuylkill River Trail and Cobbs Creek Trail (see Figure 96). Overbrook’s position between these two major bike trails makes it the ideal host for this east-west connector. Once complete, there will be a cycling loop in West Philadelphia providing more flexibility to navigate the bike trail network. Cyclists in West Philadelphia and Lower Merion will be able to access parks and waterfront within and outside Philadelphia.

To the north, following the Schuylkill River Trail cyclists can get to Wissahickon Valley Park, and further reach out to Valley Forge National Park, Norristown Farm Park and Evansburg State Park in Montgomery County. To the south, the Cobbs Creek Trail and Schuylkill River Trail provide access to Fort Mifflin and John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Figure 95: Rendering of Overbrook Greenway on Lebanon Avenue

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Proposed Bike Plan

Figure 96: Regional Bicyle Network with Overbrook Greenway Added

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Figure 97: Detail view of Overbrook Greenway with Exisitng Bicycle Network

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LEBANON AVE Existing Conditions Lebanon Avenue, with its existing 10-foot median and location between Morris Park and Fairmount Park, is selected as the main corridor for the Overbrook Greenway. Conditions that make Lebanon Avenue an ideal candidate for bike lane infrastructure are: 1) Lebanon Avenue goes east-west between Fairmount and Morris Park, so it is a direct linear connection needed for placing bike lanes.

2) It has an existing 10-foot median that is ideal for tree planting to create shade on the street, contributing to the idea of a green corridor as an extension of the park environment (see Figure 98).

3) Lebanon Avenue is mostly residential with houses that have rear parking and feeder streets for Lebanon Avenue can provide parking spaces.

Therefore, on-street parking on Lebanon Avenue could be replaced with dedicated bike lanes with minimal impact on residents’ parking needs (see Figure 99).

Figure 98: Section for Lansdowne Avenue

4) There is no dramatic grade change along the corridor, so bike lanes can be laid out on a flat terrain.

Figure 99: Lansdowne Avenue

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Interventions The proposed design of the protected bike lanes on Lebanon Avenue is shown in Figures 100 and 101.

The traffic lane is redesigned to be 11 feet wide and on-street parking is removed for installing bicycle infrastructure. The 5.5-foot bike lane will be raised to the curb level, painted in green and isolated from traffic by a 3-foot buffer with plants. Signage for bike lane will be added throughout the corridor (see Figure 100).

The sidewalk buffer with planted trees is widened from 3.5 feet to 4.5 feet, and will be filled with pervious gravel to prevent cyclists from running onto sidewalk. Bike racks and a drainage gutter will be installed to the 4.5-foot buffer as shown in Figure 101. Ideally the entire corridor is sheltered under tree canopy so cyclists and pedestrians can be surrounded by trees traveling down the corridor (see Figure 101).

Figure 100: Proposed Section for Lansdowne Avenue

Figure 101: Rendering of Lansdowne Avenue

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CARDINGTON ROAD Existing Conditions The existing bike lanes on Cardington Road are utilized as part of Overbrook Greenway. As one of the two corridors crossing Cobbs Creek Golf Course, Cardington is already close to woods and the creek and it can offer a great experience for non-motorized travel. There are existing bike lanes in both directions, but the stripping paint is fading so it reduces the safety and clarity for biking, as cars travel fast along the corridor and often drive onto bike lanes. There is no paved sidewalk on the side of the road so pedestrian experience and safety is impaired (see Figure 102).

Figure 102: Section of Cardington Road

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Interventions The plan proposes improvements for the bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure on the corridor to facilitate non-motorized travel and to enhance safety. Since the street width on Cardington is fully utilized by traffic lanes and bike lanes, and there is no extra space for widening without infringing into golf course, no buffer can be added to the existing bike lanes. Instead, bike lanes will be painted green with signage installed to clearly remind cyclists and drivers of the bike lanes. Paved sidewalks are recommended to be added on both sides of the street with a buffer planted with trees (see Figure 103).

Figure 103: Proposed Section of Cardington Road

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OVERBROOK GREENWAY Existing Conditions Currently, Lebanon Avenue is interrupted by a large, below grade rail yard used by both SEPTA and AMTRAK. On the west side of this yard, there are auto-oriented businesses and gravel parking lots on Lancaster Avenue. On the east side, there is a large lot (also below grade) owned by the neighboring industrial businesses. Traversing this sunken and unsightly barrier is key for the completion of the Overbrook Greenway (see Figure 104).

Creating a new cycling bridge is safer and more pleasant option than the existing bike lanes on the 59th street bridge. This way, the bridge can continue to serve as a major arterial for vehicular traffic without being impeded. By separating these modes into separate bridges, we ensure cyclist and pedestrian safety and vehicular flow.

Figure 104: Diagram of Rail Yard Exisiting Conditions

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Interventions A pedestrian/bicycle bridge over the AMTRAK/ SEPTA railyard is the final component to complete the Overbrook Greenway on Lebanon Avenue. It helps connect the regional bike network, along with being a connection for Fairmount and Morris Park.

Additionally, the bridge allows pedestrians and cyclists living in far east Overbrook (Upland Way) and Wynnfield an easier means of crossing the rail yard (see Figure 105). This will make it easier for these residents to get to several Septa services, including Trolley 10, Bus 105, Bus G, Bus 46, Bus 65.

The Lebanon – Lancaster intersection is a vertex of several SEPTA routes. This proposed bridge allows residents along Upland Way, St. Joseph’s University, and Wynnfield to better access these services and commercial options like the Lancaster corridor (see Figure 106).

Figure 105: Proposed Section of Bridge

Figure 106: Plan of Proposed Bridge

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OVERBROOK GREENWAY Finally, the bridge is an anchor for new public/open spaces: 1)A small parklet built on a berm on the western end of the bridge (off of Lancaster Avenue).

2)An observation deck in the middle of the span, with views of the rail yard below and center city in the distance.

The Overbrook Greenway helps Overbrook “reach in” by traversing a large physical barrier (the rail track) and enabling people to use non-motorized modes (walking and biking) to better access neighboring amenities. This plan helps “reach out” by connecting several regional bike paths and facilitating cycling as means of travel both deeper into Philadelphia and out into the suburbs (see Figure 107).

3)Finally, a small eco-preserve in the fields below the bridge’s eastern half that residents can appreciate from above.

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Figure 107: Elevation of Proposed Bridge

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COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS Existing Conditions As has been highlighted throughout this report, Overbrook sits a unique location with access to both Philadelphia and the surrounding suburbs. This level of access is apparent also in the commercial portrait of the city and region (see Figure 108).

Three commercial typologies are apparent in West Philadelphia, and the eastern segments of Montgomery and Darby Counties: 1) Auto oriented shopping centers, 2) Commercial thoroughfares, and 3) Pedestrian/Transit oriented neighborhood corridors.

The neighborhood corridors are generally local serving. These corridors exhibit shopping set close to the sidewalk, oriented nearby major transit such as a heavy rail station or trolley line, and are often in close proximity to dense residential development.

Interventions These areas provide nearby residents with a proximate place to go about their daily tasks, visit with neighbors, and access necessary goods and services.

The shopping centers are regional serving. They tend to feature substantial parking lots and big box retail. These shopping areas provide the region with convenient access to multiple services in one location.

Lastly, the commercial thoroughfares serve a hybrid regional-local population. These thoroughfares provide commercial opportunities that cover a wide geography, meaning both passers-through and nearby residents and users can access these commercial options.

On City Avenue we seek to bring greater density to this mid-century strip mall, while at the same time building green infrastructure that connects Morris Park to the far reaches of Cobb’s Creek Golf Club.

On Lansdowne, significant land vacancy, empty storefronts, and a lack of commercial diversity will be remedied through creative development initiatives. And on 63rd Street and Lancaster Avenue, physical design interventions will promote a safer pedestrian environment and build upon the landscape of this “town center” within the city.

Together these three interventions will “reach in” by providing greater access for neighborhood residents to a quality commercial environment and greater economic opportunity, while also “reaching out” by targeting unique geographical locations that allow access to users from across West Philadelphia and the surrounding suburban counties.

Regional Commercial Typology Auto oriented shopping centers 1. Suburban Square 2. Wynnewood Shopping Center 3. Ardmore Park 6. City Line Center 8. Lancaster Avenue plaza 10. Pilgrim Gardens 14. Upper Darby plaza

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Commercial thoroughfares 4. Montgomery Avenue 7. Lancaster Avenue 11. West Chester Pike 16. Chestnut Street 19. Market Street 25. Walnut Street

Pedestrian/Transit oriented corridors 5. Downtown Narberth 9. Haverford Avenue (Overbrook Park) 12. 69th Street Transportation Center 13. 69th Street 15. 60th Street 17. Haverford Avenue 18. Girard Avenue 20. 52nd Street 21. Baltimore Avenue 22. 40th Street 23. Lancaster Avenue 24. 34th Street

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Figure 108: Regional Commercial Context Aerial Map Source: Nearmap

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CITY AVENUE Existing Conditions City Avenue Shopping Center is an suburban style strip mall. About 51% of the total site area are surface parking lots. Commercial types include discount stores, hair and nail salons, chain fast food restaurants, a grocery store, car service shops and some office spaces. There is not much foot traffic and the large parking lots are mostly vacant (see Figure 109-115).

Joseph’s University. In this way, the site can act as a gateway for Overbrook to be better connected with the outside areas.

Lastly, the site connects the northern edge of Morris Park with Cobb’s Creek Golf Course, two major green spaces in the neighborhood.

Residents in Overbrook Park and Overbrook Farms have an average annual income around $60,000.

A better developed shopping mall next to their homes will catch some of their consumer potential.

Also, given the location along City Avenue, the site has the potential to become an attractive shopping and entertaining center which catches customers in counties across City Avenue and students at Saint

Figure 109: City Avenue Shopping Center

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Figure 110: City Avenue Shopping Center

Figure 111: City Avenue Shopping Center

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Figure 112: Exisiting Site Plan for City Avenue Shopping Center

Figure 113: City Avenue Shopping Center

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Figure 114: City Avenue Shopping Center

Figure 115: City Avenue Shopping Center

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CITY AVENUE Interventions The goal of this intervention is to create a retail and office mixed regional commercial center in a green environment (see Figure 116).

Rezoning The four parcels are currently zoned as CA-2 and CMX-2. The maximum height is 38’, which means the buildings cannot be taller than two stories. To appropriately increase the density of the site, the parcels need to be rezoned to CMX-3.

Density One or two stories of office spaces are added to three existing commercial buildings. The site is between two park areas and the location on City Avenue makes the site quite accessible. The office spaces will add vitality to the site during weekdays.

New Development Three new one to two-story buildings are proposed along City Avenue. The two closest to the parks can be developed as grocery store and restaurants, which can also attract and serve people visiting the parks. The two in the middle can be developed as a specialty store and a department store.

The original large, underutilized park spaces are consolidated into four surface parking lots and a two-story parking garage. The new proposed parking spaces can not only serve people shopping and working here but also serve people visiting the park (see Figures 117 and 118).

Green Infrastructure Located between two large park areas, the new development focuses on creating a continuous

green feeling by creating a green corridor which connects five new green spaces and the park areas.

A green roof is included on the top of the biggest retail building. The green roof together with the green corridor and green spaces function to collect rainwater from the hard surfaces, adjust small scale climate, and create an open-air experience.

Moreover, the green roof brings economic benefits because of the associated tax credits policy of the city.

The proposed shopping mall together with the park system will create a new recreational destination for the neighborhood. Located at Overbrook Park, it can attract residents from Overbrook Farms and Eastern Overbrook, which will promote better

Figure 116: Proposed Site Plan for City Avenue Shopping Center

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connections within the neighborhood. Also, the new mall has the potential to catch customers from nearby counties and students at Saint Joseph’s University. In this way, it can act as a gateway for the neighborhood to reach out to the broader region.

This development project is a for-profit commercial development, so most of the funding will come from bank mortgages. Meanwhile, it has several unique attractions for a developer. First, 273,911 SF of land belongs to the City Commission, the price of which will be negotiable. Second, the green infrastructure offers benefits of tax credits according to the policy of the city.

Figure 117: Proposed Section for City Avenue Shopping Center

Figure 118: Proposed Section for City Avenue Shopping Center

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LANCASTER AVENUE Existing Conditions At the juncture of Eastern Overbrook and Overbrook Farms is a small commercial center with a Main Street feel (see Figure 119). Contributing to this sensibility is a beautifully landscaped traffic triangle and the majestic Our Lady of Lourdes Church (see Figure 120). The structure of this space lends itself to being a strong neighborhood commercial center, however we propose interventions to make this a more active space for the community to congregate in and an attractive place for people outside of the neighborhood to visit.

•Not all of the stores are clearly marked, and may be vacant or not used as commercial space (see Figure 121).

•There are different types of establishments here: restaurants, corner stores, salons, religious organizations, and child care centers.

•The landscaped traffic triangle feels disjointed from the rest of the space due to the width of the street, parking, traffic, as well as a short, stone, retaining wall (see Figure 122).

Figure 119: Lancaster Avenue and 63rd Street

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•There is the potential for growth, with underutilized lots with single-story buildings in an area zoned CMX-2 and CMX-2.5 which permit up to 3 stories.

•Street amenities are not uniform (eg: trees, lighting).

•There is a need for additional trash receptacles.

Figure 120: Lancaster Avenue and 63rd Street

Figure 121: Lancaster Avenue and 63rd Street

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Figure 122: Existing Conditions Diagram of Lancaster Avenue and 63rd Street (Top A, Bottom B)

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LANCASTER AVENUE Shared Space Intervention Our major physical project on Lancaster Avenue and 63rd Street is implementing a “shared spaces” plan. This would make the space more pedestrian friendly, slow down traffic and facilitate community engagement and interaction. It will also stimulate economic development of underutilized lots and stores (see Figure 123). Interventions include: •Widening sidewalks •Reducing width of vehicle travel lanes •Changing material of street •Reducing parking •Traffic signs at each entry of the space

Streetscape Intervention

Development Process

Uniform tree trenches and lighting along the sidewalks constitute our main streetscape intervention (see Figure 124). Other interventions include:

We propose working with a private developer to redevelop the church (see Figure 122b) into a community performing arts space/small movie theater. The process we propose includes:

•Uniform sidewalks •Trash and Recycling receptacles on each street corner •Benches •Mural on garage on Woodbine and Lancaster •Signage at entrances of 63rd Street and Lancaster Avenue to let people know where they are •Additional lighting and landscaping at the bridge that crosses over Woodbine Avenue

•Purchase the theater from the church and help them find a new location •Connect members of the business community Lastly, we seek to attract: •Restaurants •Pharmacy •Retail & Specialty Stores •Grocery Together, these interventions constitute our proposed plan (see Figure 125).

Figure 123: Shared Space Target Area

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Figure 124: Shared Space Rendering

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Figure 125: Proposed Plan

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LANSDOWNE AVENUE Existing Conditions The problems on Lansdowne Avenue, Eastern Overbrook’s main commercial corridor, are stark.

Empty storefronts line parts of avenue and there are substantial amounts of vacant land on the corridor.

The commercial environment is not diverse, with similar stores often one block apart from each other.

Given the substantial residential environment, there are few spots on the avenue that have commercial activity on both sides of the street (see Figure 128).

Lastly, the sidewalks are in poor repair, with garbage amassing on street corners, and a lack of trees to provide shade.

At the same time, Lansdowne has a number of structural assets that can be utilized to anchor a strong, vibrant, and convenient commercial environment. Namely, the number 10 trolley runs

down the heart of the corridor, from 63rd Street to Lancaster Avenue. This trolley takes residents from Overbrook Farms to Center City, and has substantial use. The corridor is also very age diverse, with a number of daycares and a playground, but also, as we saw in our street surveys, substantial use by older adults as a space to gather and socialize.

Lastly, the corridor features large numbers of residential properties, providing an already-existing mixed use environment that not only can provide customers for commercial options and employees for new workplaces, but also the neighborly “eyes on the street” that are so important to the safety of an urban corridor. The current zoning matches the mixed use character of the corridor (see Figure 129).

An economically active, socially engaged, and physically beautiful Lansdowne Avenue will be an anchor for Overbrook to “reach in” to neighborhood residents, specifically the population in eastern Overbrook who feature lower incomes and higher rates of vacancy that the rest of the neighborhood.

This corridor will be provide this part of the neighborhood with close at hand services, new jobs, and revived public space. By strengthening the environment on Lansdowne these interventions also “reach out,” removing vacancy in the city’s commercial landscape, and strengthening the network of neighborhood commercial corridors in West Philadelphia.

Figure #:

Figure 126: Vacant storefront on Lansdowne Avenue

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Figure 126: Vacant Lot on Lansdowne Avenue

Figure 127: Vacant Storefront on Lansdowne Avenue

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Figure 128: Lansdowne Avenue Parcel-Level Current Use

Figure 129: Lansdowne Avenue Current Zoning

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LANSDOWNE AVENUE Field Survey Process To best understand the commercial environment on Lansdowne Avenue we conducted a storefront by storefront survey of the existing conditions on the corridor. We found that much of Philadelphia’s land use is not accurate. Generally we found more vacant storefronts and more vacant land than in the land use records.

Yet, we also found a far more active lived environment than that portrayed in the geographic data. Vacant plots were being used for barbecues, street corners for conversation, and new business had opened in basements or the second floors of what appeared to be residential properties. These instances of action and excitement give inspiration to the Avenue’s future possibilities.

Figure 130: Lansdowne Avenue

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Figure 131: Lansdowne Avenue

Figure 132: Lansdowne Avenue

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Figure 133: Field Notes from Commercial Survey on Lansdowne Avenue

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LANSDOWNE AVENUE Summary Statistics Lansdowne Avenue is a commercial and residential mix-used trolley corridor with a high vacant store front rate, high vacant lot footage, and not-sodiverse store types. Along the avenue are 80 storefronts and 40% of them are currently vacant.

Residents only have food access at small corner grocery stores and some Chinese restaurants. To address this stark commerical environment, we propose a series of physical and policy oriented interventions.

Although the parcels are mostly occupied on both sides of the avenue, there are still approximately 67,000 square feet of vacant lots in total. They vary in size – some of them can be as large as about 13,000 square feet, and some others can be as small as just a little over 1,000 square feet. They also vary in condition – some large ones are beautifully filled with grass, trees, flowers, tables, and chairs; while some other narrow ones not only have garbage but are fenced in and shaded.

Figure 134: Lansdowne Physical Plan (63rd to 59th Street)

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Physical Interventions The physical interventions on Lansdowne encompass five different aspects. First, aided by the policy interventions, several infill developments will take place on those larger vacant lots and in vacant store fronts. The former will happen mostly from 54th Street to 59th Street on Lansdowne, and the latter is targeting at the entire avenue but chiefly from 59th to 63rd due to the amount of storefront vacancy. Second, for those narrow vacant lots, the plan proposes commercial expansion potential.

Third, the major intersections on Lansdowne will be improved to create a safer crossing experience.

Proposals include clearer signs and better painted zebra crossings due to the amount of people living and shopping along the avenue and the trolleys running in two directions on the street. Some

crossings, for example the ones on 54th, 56th, 57th, 61st, and 63rd Street will be prioritized because they either have “gateway� functions welcoming individuals to the corridor or are wide in nature.

Fourth, poles and telephone wires will be buried, but not the trolley wires. This aims to create a clearer view for pedestrians and people driving by, so that the street scape will look less crowded as opposed to the current view. Fifth, the sidewalk condition will be enhanced through increased three cover, benches, and outdoor seating. This intervention will upgrade the walking experience for corridor users and work to attract more potential shoppers (see Figures 134 and 135).

Figure 135: Lansdowne Physical Plan (59th to 54th Street)

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LANSDOWNE AVENUE Economic Interventions

Policy Framework

The primary goal in the commercial/economic environment on Lansdowne is to remediate the extensive storefront and land vacancy on the corridor. We propose a sequenced plan, where, first, existing storefronts are filled with new business providing diverse services, and second, new development is built on vacant land that will be provide additional commercial opportunities and job opportunities.

To achieve our physical and commercial interventions, a creative and aggressive policy and funding framework is necessary. Based on the unique needs of different parts of the corridor, we propose four policy and funding interventions that target specific sites on the Avenue. We provide case studies for each example that can model project implementation.

Community development finance The large amount of storefront vacancy, distance from Center City, and lack of anchor institutions immediately on the corridor make Lansdowne and unlikely client for standard bank financing.

Community development financial institutions leverage their mission-oriented programs to provide lending services to often neglected neighborhoods.

While this lending is often utilized for housing, there are strong examples of CDFIs working on commercial investment and redevelopment, such Reinvestment Fund’s recent project on the 60th Street Corridor in West Philadelphia. Smaller scale, grant funding to entrepreneurs could also come from the Merchant Fund in Philadelphia.

Community land trust The significant number of vacant parcels on Lansdowne necessitate “outside the box” solutions to promote redevelopment. While the city’s Land Bank may provide some remedies in this regard, we are not confident in this agency’s organizational capacity going forward. Thus, we recommend a more radical intervention through the use of a community land trust on a commerical corridor. In

Figure 136: Lansdowne Policy Plan (63rd to 59th Street)

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a community land trust, a community development organization or community development financial institution purchases and owns the land under development and sells properties to neighborhood residents. The trust also ensures that properties remain affordable and, ideally, any monetary increase derived from growth in land value is redistributed to the community, rather than profit for the land owners. A local example is the Women’s Community Revitalization Project’s land trust development in the Kensington neighborhood in Philadelphia. Expanding the capacity of the Wynnefield Overbrook Revitalization Corporation, or extending the geography of the Enterprise Center (a major West Philadelphia CDC located at 46th and Market) would be necessary to engage in a land trust.

Cooperative enterprise In tandem with the logic of a land trust, we

propose building cooperative enterprises on one or more of the vacant parcels on the corridor.

In cooperative enterprises the workers have an ownership stake in the corporation and are fully engaged in the management and decision making process of the company. There are numerous merits to this model, including higher wages, increased financial literacy, and the personal agency that comes with ownership. Cooperative enterprise has been successful seeded spatially nearby and structured to serve anchor institutions in a region. One primary example is the Evergreen initiative in Cleveland, Ohio, which used foundation support to seed workers’ cooperatives that provide laundry and other services to the numerous hospitals and universities nearby in the University Circle neighborhood. The strong philanthropic infrastructure in Philadelphia, including organizations such as the William Penn Foundation, and nearby anchor institutions like Saint Joseph’s

University and Lankenau Hospital, together could lead to successful cooperative initiative on Lansdowne Avenue.

Community design The lack of community development capacity in Overbrook means that non-profit design assistance will be necessary to support the streetscape improvements we propose on the Avenue. The Community Design Collaborative in Philadelphia already provides small design consultancy for projects like those that we propose for Lansdowne.

Similarly, partnership with design researchers, students, and faculty at any of the regions planning, landscape architecture, and design programs could bring pro-bono design support to the Avenue.

Figure 137: Lansdowne Policy Plan (59th to 54th Street)

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PHASING + PARTNERS Morris Park

Phase I

Phase II

Phase III

0-5 years

5-10 years

10-15 years

• Stormwater management • New wayfinding • Clear access points

• Trail improvements • Promote programming

Potential Partners: Fairmount Park Commission, Water Department, Department of Conservation, Friends of Morris Park

Overbrook Greenway

• Site preparation for bike lane & bridge • Bike lane upgrade on Cardington Road

• Lebanon Avenue bike infrastructure

• Bridge completed

Potential Partners: Streets Department, Bike Coalition, Amtrak, Parks & Recreation

City Avenue

• • • •

Tenent negotiation Property acquisition RFP Predevelopment

• Construction completed

Potential Partners: PIDC, PCPC, Zoning Board of Adjustment

Lancaster & 63rd

• Basic streetscape improvement

• Theater redevelopment project

• Shared street

Potential Partners: Streets Department, PCPC, PIDC, Department of Public Property

Lansdowne Avenue

• Cosmetics • Capital accumulation

• New building & infrstructure construction

• Redistribute capital benefits

Potential Partners: Reinvestment Fund, The Merchant’s Fund, Saint Joseph’s University, Lankenau Hospital

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IMPLEMENTATION Morris Park

Year 0

Year 5

Year 10

Stormwater management

Promote programming

Establish clear access points

Physical trail improvements Implement new wayfinding

Overbrook Greenway

Year 0

Year 5

Begin site preparation for bike lane & bridge Complete bike lane upgrade on Cardington Road

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Year 10

Complete bike lane on Lebanon Avenue

Year 15

Complete bridge construction Complete bridge to Fairmount Park connection

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IMPLEMENTATION Neighborhood Centers

63rd & Lancaster

Year 0

Year 5 Complete basic streetscape improvements

City Avenue

Year 0

Theater redevelopment project

Year 5

Tenant negotiation & land assembly

Shared space completion

Year 10

Year 15

Construction completed

Predevelpment

Year 5

Complete cosmetics Lansdowne

Year 15

RFP

Year 0

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Year 10

Complete capital accumulation

Year 10

Complete new building & infrastructure construction

Year 15

Redistribute wealth benefits to new cooperative ventures

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