Public Land Strategy
PRA and the City of Philadelphia released the Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy March 25 2019. This report marked the conclusion of a two-year endeavor that had two goals:
1) empower Eastwick residents through an inclusive process to shape the future of their community; and
2) provide a framework for responsible land use decisions to build a resilient neighborhood.
The consultant team, led by Interface Studio, guided us all through a complex process that analyzed the potential for these 190+ acres of land. They looked at feasibility through three lenses: what the community aspires to, what the market will bear, and what is environmentally responsible. This Strategy was produced in partnership with a Steering Committee comprised of community residents and public-sector stakeholders. This process focused as much on informing and educating as it did on engaging and empowering.
While this feasibility study is a major step forward to achieving the vision. Our promise to the community is that every step will continue to engage and empower the residents of Eastwick through an inclusive process. Every step will be made with a primary focus on neighborhood resilience. Many thanks to the members of the Steering Committee, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, all of the public agencies that worked on this initiative, and foremost, the residents of Eastwick who took part in this process to shape a positive future for the community.
History
In December of 2015, the City of Philadelphia and PRA reached an agreement with New Eastwick Corporation (NEC) to release any development rights for 134 acres of land in Eastwick. PRA and the City committed financial compensation to NEC, as well as agreed to carry out a planning and feasibility study to engage the community to determine the best use for the property. Less than a year later in August 2016, a Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued for Eastwick Public Land Planning Services to complete a vision and development/ implementation plan for this property, other PRA-owned tracts of land and vacant publicly-owned facilities located as follows:
- The aforementioned property released by NEC include
1) a 128.54 acre, largely residential tract bounded by 84th Street, Lindbergh Boulevard and Mario Lanza Boulevard, and
2) a 5.65-acre, commercial tract at the northwest corner of 84th Street and Lindbergh Boulevard;
- Additional PRA-owned lands
3) located along and generally bounded by Mario Lanza Boulevard, between 81st & 84th Streets;
- also north and east of buildings formerly held by the School District of Philadelphia include
4) the former Communications Technology High School site;
5) the former Pepper Middle School site.
Plan
Interface Studio LLC was selected as the consultant to embark on this study and lead this planning process in partnership with PRA, Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC), the Philadelphia International Airport (PHL), other local officials and community stakeholders. Led by its Founder and Principal, Scott Page, the Interface Studio partnered with a team of consultants that include University of Orange, Real Estate Strategies, BLD Partners and Parsons Brickenhoff. Collectively, this team brings together planning, urban design, community engagement, landscape architecture, ecology, public health and engineering in one integrated team. Members of our team have collaborated previously in Philadelphia, Detroit, Fargo, Grand Rapids, Pittsburgh and Rochester. Interface completed a 12 month planning process and hosted several opportunities for public and stakeholder engagement and input.
The sale of both aforementioned facilities formerly held by the School District of Philadelphia (SDP) have been placed on hold until this planning process is complete. These properties will continue to be maintained by SDP, and Philadelphia Parks and Recreation (PPR) will maintain the associated recreation fields until further notice. While the school board itself has not been involved in this process, SDP has participated in a stakeholder interview, and has agreed to defer to the findings of this planning process in future decision making on the sale and potential use of these properties.