Development News

Kensington's Memphis Taproom adds a beer garden with a gourmet hot dog truck

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 26, 2011

When the locally-adored Kensington restaurant and craft-brew bar known as the Memphis Taproom was last in the news, back in March 2010, it was due to a truly unfortunate circumstance involving restrictive state alcohol laws and the perennially unpopular Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. Responding to an anonymous tipster, the PLCB raided the Taproom--along with West Philly bar Local 44, and the Resurrection Ale House in Graduate Hospital, all of which are owned by Brendan Hartranft and his wife, Leigh Maida--for serving beers that hadn't been officially registered with the commonwealth.

And while the Memphis Taproom is once again finding itself the subject of media attention, this time the news is considerably happier: In an attempt to build its local profile by providing a bar experience that's unique to the neighborhood, the Taproom has constructed an outdoor beer garden in its next-door lot. The garden features white oak tables and an atmosphere that Hartranft describes as "a mini block party." Outdoor stereo speakers will soon be added to the mix, and eventually a projection TV will show sports at night.

But the garden's best feature is almost certainly the food truck that will be permanently parked in the lot. According to Hartranft, the truck will do double duty as both a gourmet hot dog cart (all dogs cost $5.00) and a bar serving nothing but craft beers in aluminum cans (Sly Fox; 21st Amendment; Oskar Blues).

And while the Taproom's new addition didn't exactly come cheap (the total cost was around $135,000), "we're adding another anchor to a neighborhood that desperately needs as many anchors as it can get," Hartranft says.

The beer garden's grand opening took place this past weekend, and it's currently open for business Mon-Thu 4-10pm, Fri 4pm-midnight, Sat noon-midnight, and Sun noon-10pm.

Source: Brendan Hartranft, Memphis Taproom
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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New ordinance increases transparency in the city's process of transferring public park land

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 26, 2011

When Microsoft's $63 million School of the Future opened in Philadelphia's Fairmount Park in September 2006, expectations among area parents--some of whom nearly battled in order to secure a spot for their children--couldn't have possibly been higher. But by the time that first class of students was preparing to graduate, attitudes surrounding the school--which didn't require textbooks, and where many of the core subjects required for university admission weren't offered--had shifted considerably.

Today, many of the school's educational kinks have been duly worked out. But if such a project was proposed within the city today--that is, if a public development project was proposed to take place within Philadelphia's public park land--the eventual outcome would almost certainly be different. That's because on April 15, Mayor Michael Nutter signed an ordinance to amend the approval process that takes place when the city's public park land is transferred to some sort of non-park use, as was the case with the Microsoft high school.

"It's an effort that's really been spearheaded by the Parks and Recreation Commission," explains Patrick Morgan, who works underneath Commissioner Mike DiBerardinis. "What it does," he says, "is it establishes a process that's predictable and transparent for all the parties: for City Council, for citizens, and for the (Parks and Recreation) Commission."

And while there aren't currently any plans in place to change usage of city parkland, this new ordinance, which is set to take effect with the change of the fiscal year (July 1), will set in motion that new process of transparency.

"Right now, all (city) parkland is being used for its intended purpose," says Morgan. "But if someone proposes changing the use for whatever reason, then this process kicks in."

Source: Patrick Morgan, Department of Parks and Recreation
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Waste Management opens $20M single-stream recycling facility in Northeast Philly

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 26, 2011

No matter where in the country you live, you've almost certainly seen the green-and-mustard colored logo of the Houston, Texas-based Waste Management corporation plastered onto the side of a Dumpster, or perhaps a garbage truck. Here in Philadelphia, at least, we'll certainly be seeing a lot more of that familiar logo now that the company has opened a hugely innovative, 60,000-square-foot single-stream recycling facility in the Northeast; it's known as the Philadelphia Material Recovery Facility (MRF).

The LEED Silver-certified facility, which opened in late 2010, held its official grand opening ceremony on April 11. Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter was on hand, as were a number of residential and commercial WM customers, who were invited to tour the $20 million facility, which was constructed atop a former brownfield site.

"In general," says George McGrath of McGrath Matter Associates, a public relations firm, "Waste Management has been one of the leading industry leaders in adopting and promoting single-stream recycling. We've got over 30 of these facilities around the country."

Single-stream recycling, he explains, is the process whereby residential and commercial customers alike can place all their recyclables in a single container for pickup, including paper. At the MRF, which is capable of processing more than 20,000 tons of recyclables each month, the materials are almost entirely separated not by human hands, but by advanced technological methods.

McGrath also says that once the facility is fully staffed, roughly 70 new jobs will have been created, with the vast majority of new employees coming from nearby neighborhoods.

"Waste Management built this facility because we really are committed to helping cities and businesses recycle more," McGrath adds. "And in fact, on average, recycling rates go up about 30 percent with the single-stream program. If you make it easier for people to do, they'll do more of it.

Source: George McGrath, McGrath Matter Associates
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Fairmount Park's Shofuso Japanese House and Garden to expand thanks to Pew grant

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Here's a little-known Philadelphia factoid: According to Sukiya Living, a bi-monthly journal of Japanese gardening, the Shofuso Japanese House and Garden in Fairmount Park is the third-ranked Japanese garden in all of North America. And yet according to Shofuso's Executive Director, Kim Andrews, the historic site is so underfunded that it doesn't even have its own on-site storage or office space. But thanks to Andrews, that's all about to change.

After recently penning a 10,000-word grant proposal for the Pew Center's Heritage Philadelphia Program, Shofuso was awarded $184,300 to historically restore two run-down "comfort stations" that were built as restrooms for the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition. Andrews' "most brilliant move ever," as she refers to it, involved combining the Pew Center's grant with an even larger funding source from Fairmount Park's Preservation and Development arm.

In total, Shofuso received well over $500,000. Beginning this May, that money will be used to restore both of the former comfort stations back to their 1876 glory; the historic architectural preservation team from John Milnar and Associates will be in charge of the design.

"This is just transformational for a small organization like us," says Andrews. "It makes it so that we can fulfill our mission in a way that we've never really been able to do, ever, in the history of our organization."

And while one of the restored buildings will be used primarily as office and storage space, Andrews explains that the other will be a multipurpose classroom, where photography classes, bonsai workshops, and origami and Japanese flower arranging classes will take place. It will also be used as a staging area for weddings. "This multiplies our story exponentially," says Andrews. "Now we're literally anchored in history."

Shofuso expects to hold its grand opening for the buildings during the 2012 Cherry Blossom Festival, in April.

Source: Kim Andews, Shofuso
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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From the ashes of the Spectrum comes Philly Live!

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 19, 2011

When the Spectrum met its final match last November--a bright orange wrecking ball that transformed the storied South Philadelphia sports and entertainment arena into a sad pile of brick and ash--public reactions were understandably mixed. The Spectrum, after all, is one of Philly's most beloved and historic attractions; performers and athletes who've plied their trade at the arena range from Michael Jackson to Michael Jordan.

But there will be a second act on the land on which the Spectrum stood: In a matter of months, The Cordish Company, a Baltimore-based developer, will begin the construction phase of new retail, dining and entertainment complex. The name of the soon-to-be-built complex, Philly Live!, is intended to evoke its purpose of being "an inviting center of community for Philadelphia sports fans, where enthusiasts (can) share their common experiences in supporting the home team," according to the Cordish Company's Megan Slattery.

And although Comcast-Spectator--the firm that also owns the Wells Fargo Center--hasn't yet finalized every detail of the complex, it's probably safe to say that the 350,000-square-foot Philly Live! will likely prove to be nearly as popular as the live entertainment on offer at the Stadium Complex's other facilities.

According to Slattery, Philly Live! will be constructed in phases. Groundbreaking for phase one, during which a 42,000-square-foot building will be constructed at the southwest corner of Pattison Avenue and South 11th Street, is anticipated to happen this summer. The building will be home to "multiple dining and entertainment venues," Slattery says, as well as "at least one private dining area and an outdoor event space." Slattery didn't comment on whether or not a rumored ice skating rink project will be going forward at the site.

Source: Megan Slattery, The Cordish Company
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Technomads and co-housing: Living differently with the aid of technology

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 19, 2011

A mere five or ten years ago, the relatively simple practice of telecommuting--working from home instead of from a traditional office--was seen as a fairly revolutionary concept. But thanks to the multitude of productivity-enhancing tools that technology has made possible--smart phones, netbooks, Skype, email--members of the so-called creative class have increasingly been transforming not only how and where work gets done, but also how and where life itself gets lived.

During the April 25th installation of the Junto, "a monthly meet-up of hot topics and local issues" organized by the South Philly web design firm P'unk Ave, those very concepts--living and working just about anywhere, with the help of technology--will be discussed, debated, and possibly even expanded upon. (Reception at 6:00pm; discussion at 7:00pm.)

Past P'unk Ave Juntos have explored topics ranging from art criticism to the future of the Free Library. But the upcoming "Rethinking Shelter" Junto will explore the ideas of alternative housing, including cohousing, in which multiple families live together, and even multibasing, a practice in which travelers can share numerous homes in varied locations for short periods of time. "It's not like staying in a hotel," says DiMasi of multibasing, "and it's not like crashing on someone's couch."

The philosophy of the technomad--a knowledge worker who takes advantage of technology to live like a nomad--will also be discussed.

Two founders of Philly's uber-sustainable Postgreen Homes firm will be on the event's panel, and as DiMasi explains, although cohousing was originally based around the idea of family, "one of [Postgreen's] proposed projects is a co-housing place in Fishtown that will be more focused on the young and urban."

"We've had some really interesting discussions," says DiMasi of past Juntos, which have been ongoing since 2006. "And sometimes you don't even know that you care about this stuff!"

Source: Geoff DiMasi, P'unk Ave
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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At long last, SEPTA's renovation of historic Allen Lane station is nearly complete

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Regularly maintaining the entire network of SEPTA's regional rail stations is certainly no simple task. It's also far from affordable, and with a total of 280 separate stations, there's nearly always some sort of renovation happening somewhere in the system. But there's little doubt that the Allen Lane Station, which is located on SEPTA's Chestnut Hill West Line in Mount Airy, has been the cause of one of the biggest ongoing frustrations for the public transportation agency. SEPTA officials spent nearly 10 long years in the planning phase of the station's upgrade, which didn't officially get under way until early 2009. And yet according to SEPTA officials, the $8.1 million project is finally nearing its end.

Once renovations are finished at the end of May, this registered historic site--which was designed by the prominent architect Frank Furness in the 19th century--will be nothing less than a gleaming SEPTA showpiece; a brag-worthy destination, even, for a public agency that has drawn its share of consternation in recent years.

That's partially due to the fact that the station, according to SEPTA's Wendy Green-Harvey, "was renovated not only because it was in a state of disrepair, but also to make the station fully ADA-compliant." An ADA-accessible path, for instance, along with wheelchair ramps leading directly to train platforms, has been constructed. A new audio-visual PA system has been installed. And passenger amenities, such as benches and shelters, have been improved. As Green-Harvey explains, there are just a few minor items that still need to be completed, such as landscaping, painting, and installing handrails.

So by the time spring weather gets around to showing itself in Philly, SEPTA's Chestnut Hill West Line riders, at least, will have something clean and new to look forward to: an historically significant rail station that is finally getting the recognition it deserves.

Source: Wendy Green-Harvey and Heather Redfern, SEPTA
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Liberty Bell's new neighbor, Hotel Monaco, is latest addition to Old City's boutique lodging scene

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Given the unfortunate state of both the economy and the hospitality industry at the time, it was certainly a boon for Philadelphia when the Kimpton Hotels group announced last October that it would be transforming Old City's historic Lafayette Building into one of its many adaptively reused boutique hotels. According to Nick Gregory, Kimpton's Director of Operations, the project is still going forward, and the company expects the hotel to be complete by the third quarter of 2012.

"Location is important to us," says Gregory, explaining why Kimpton chose to purchase the Lafayette, which sits directly across the street from the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. "And the ability to do another adaptive reuse is always exciting."

Kimpton Hotels, in fact, which also owns the LEED-Gold certified Hotel Palomar in Rittenhouse Square, has a long history of picking up historic buildings and adaptively reusing them. "We think they add a lot of charm," says Gregory. "And if the building tells a story, even better!" (The Lafayette Building, as Gregory explains, was developed by the ultra-wealthy Stephen Girard, who personally financed the War of 1812.)

When the Lafayette Building finally completes its transformation into the Hotel Monaco Philadelphia, it will be home to 271 guestrooms, roughly 13,000 square feet of meeting space, a 3,200-square foot ballroom, and a restaurant with a still-undecided concept. "We don't want it to be too stuffy or fancy," Gregory says, "because of the leisure component that Independence Park offers. So I think it'll be a casual place, but it'll definitely be a great, chef-run restaurant."

Kimpton Hotels is also planning to earn LEED-certification for the Hotel Monaco.

Source: Nick Gregory, Kimpton Hotels
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Rutgers-Camden to build city's first new student housing complex in over 20 years

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 12, 2011

If the announcement had been made in just about any other university town in the nation, the news probably wouldn't have raised more than an eyebrow or two. But regardless of the fact that a branch campus of Rutgers University resides there, Camden, N.J., is certainly not thought of as a university town. On the contrary, this struggling urban area located directly across the Delaware River from Philadelphia has been consistently ranked as one of the most crime-ridden cities in the country.

And that's essentially why the latest announcement from Rutgers-Camden was so surprising: On Feb. 8, the school's Board of Governors approved the construction of a 12-story, $55 million facility where 300 graduate students will be housed. The 161,653-square-foot building will be home to 102 separate units, many of which will be three- and four-bedroom apartments. Roughly 7,000 square feet of retail space will exist on the ground floor of the building, which will be fully owned by Rutgers. This will be the first student housing built on the Camden campus since 1989, when the Rutgers-Camden Tower was constructed specifically for undergrads.

According to Rutgers-Camden publicist Mike Sepanic, the project was a direct result of the campus' increasing enrollment numbers; 6,337 students enrolled during the fall 2010 semester, a record high for the school, where the majority of students live off-campus. And as the school's chancellor, Wendell Pritchett, explains, "These new housing facilities will allow New Jersey to retain some of its brightest graduate students, while attracting other students to our state, where they will be more likely to remain and contribute to our economy upon earning their degrees."

The building, which will be constructed on the 300 block of Cooper Street, and which is being designed by Northern Liberties-based Erdy McHenry Architecture LLC, is scheduled to be occupancy-ready by August, 2012.

Source: Mike Sepanic, Rutgers-Camden University
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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High-rise down, LEED-certified up: PHA remakes North Philly's Norris Apartments

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 12, 2011

The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) has most certainly had its fair share of self-imposed problems and struggles recently. March 25, however, was an especially positive and exciting day for the organization, thanks largely to the implosion-by-wrecking ball of a high-rise at North Philadelphia's Norris Apartments, a public-housing facility that is now in the process of being fully replaced with a LEED-certified housing complex.

Located just outside Temple University's campus in North Philadelphia, the Norris Apartments were constructed in the 1950s, and as one area resident rightly commented during a video that was posted on Philly.com, "That building's been there too long. It looks like it's gonna fall anyway!"

Indeed. And according to the stunning architectural renderings produced by Blackney Hayes, the Center City East firm responsible for building the complex that will replace the high-rise, the new Norris Apartments will be quite unlike anything else in the immediate area. The development's 51 units, for instance--a mixture of two-story and three-story walkups and townhomes--will be arranged in the shape of a square. A small pocket park will sit in the center of the development, and with the help of a new Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) pilot program, the park will also be specially designed to keep excess rainwater from entering the city's sewer system.

What's more, the new units will come complete with all the trappings of green development: low-flow plumbing, Energy Star appliances and windows, and solar roof panels, to mention just a few. These apartments are modern, sustainable and affordable, says Michael Kelly, the PHA's Administrative Receiver. "That makes it a win-win for the residents and the environment."

The new Norris Apartments are scheduled to be complete by spring 2012, at which point the PHA will consider the feasibility of constructing more new units on or near the site.

Source: Philadelphia Housing Authority
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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The Preservation Alliance bring aesthetic improvements to the streets of Fairmount

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Located just north of the Art Museum, Philadelphia's Fairmount neighborhood is generally thought of as one of the city's toniest enclaves. But as Rebecca Johnson, the executive director of the Fairmount CDC, explains, "We actually have a surprising number of boarded up, PHA-owned properties north of Poplar."

And yet the community development organization's latest neighborhood improvement project, which is known as the Vital Neighborhoods Initiative, and which was funded this year with a series of grants from the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia, wasn't focused on the run-down or boarded-up sections of Fairmount at all. Instead, the grants are intended to strengthen and improve those sections of a neighborhood that are considered to be middle-market. They can't be high-income sections, as Johnson explains, nor can they be extremely low-income. "The whole concept of Vital Neighborhoods," she says, "is that it's targeting areas that maybe need a chiropractor, so to speak, but not back surgery."

In Fairmount, the section deemed most in need of a metaphorical adjustment this year was the 900 block of North 26th Street, between Poplar Street and West Girard Avenue. Perhaps not coincidentally, that same block is also on the route of the Girard Avenue trolley. "So in terms of neighborhood marketing," Johnson says, "and sending a message that this is a place that people really care about, we felt like it was giving a lot of visibility to people traveling through the neighborhood."

Before long, Philadelphians traveling through that section of Fairmount will have a first-hand chance to see what the $30,000 grant has accomplished. Currently the plan includes basic streetscape improvements: Out-of-shape steps and retaining walls, for instance, will be spruced up, while trees and solar powered light posts will be installed in front of some properties. "We're looking at long-term outcomes, like improved home sales," says Johnson. "And just cleaner, more aesthetically-pleasing environments. That's really kind of the goal."

Source: Rebecca Johnson, Fairmount CDC & Amy E. McCullom, Preservation Alliance
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Major improvements coming to Manayunk's Venice Island Rec Center

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Although it was once an economically booming section of Philadelphia's Manayunk neighborhood, the thin strip of land known as Venice Island, which sits between the Manayunk Canal and the Schuylkill River, is today something of a desolate place. And yet according to representatives from the Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) and the Manayunk Development Corporation (MDC), things are about to change on Venice Island, thanks to a $45 million improvement project that is being paid for by the PWD, and that will transform the now-crumbling Venice Island Recreation Center into a place where creativity, the arts, and good old fashioned child's play will be taken very seriously.

According to Kay Sykora of Destination Schuylkill River, the project to improve and partially remake the recreation center came about due to the fact that "the Water Department is (federally) mandated to rectify a situation which currently allows sewage to get dumped into the river. So they're building a tank." But as Sykora explains, "the community wasn't wildly enthusiastic about having a (sewage) tank," and so the two organizations began discussing ways in which the PWD could contribute to the community. A vastly improved recreation center was the compromise they settled on.

A 250-seat performing arts theater will likely be the jewel of the island's new recreation center, which will also house a multi-purpose recreation building where community meetings and after-school events for children will be held. The area will also house athletic fields; a kid's spray pool; small stations that will educate visitors about rainwater recycling; an all-green pumping station; and a 25,000-square-foot park that's being designed by the Manayunk-based Andropogon, an ecological landscape architecture firm. "All of this," says Sykora, "because we'll have a tank."

The project is expected to break ground this July.

Source: Kay Sykora, Destination Schuylkill River
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Two new commercial developments coming to Germantown Avenue in Mt. Airy

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 05, 2011

"If you were to walk down Germantown Avenue between Mt. Pleasant Street and Allens Lane, you'll see a thriving downtown area," says Anuj Gupta, the executive director of Mt. Airy USA, a community development organization. Gupta was hired to lead the group last November, and as he explains it, one of his major goals is to capture the explosive growth taking place along Germantown Avenue's northern stretch ("that energy, that momentum," he says), and to push it further south.

The process of creating new commercial life, of course, is no small feat. But Gupta and his colleagues recently learned that they've been given a considerable head start in the form of a Community Development Block Grant. Mt. Airy USA was awarded $249,600, all of which has been earmarked for a city-sponsored project known as the Mixed-Use Development Pilot Program. The funds will be used to rehabilitate two small and dilapidated Germantown Avenue buildings--one on the 6500 block and another on the 6600 block--into commercial spaces with affordable apartments on top.

Gupta's hope is that by properly repairing and then leasing the two spaces, which are both located just south of the booming strip in Mt. Airy, community revitalization will continue its forward march south along the avenue. And while he does have other neighborhood-improvement plans in place--talks are underway to start an outdoor summer movie series, for instance--Gupta ultimately hopes the upcoming projects will help "ignite the next resurgence of Germantown Avenue" by enticing private investors to seriously consider the underutilized and less trendy stretches of the street.

"Small business owners are climbing on top of one another to try and get in there," Gupta says, referring to the stretch of the avenue between Mt. Pleasant Street and Allens Lane. "And we want to try and get to the same tipping point further south."

Source: Anuj Gupta, Mt. Airy USA
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Fabric Horse relocates to a newly spruced-up East Passyunk Ave.

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 05, 2011

There's no doubt that South Philadelphia's East Passyunk Avenue commercial corridor--not to mention the various residential communities surrounding it--has grown, changed and become considerably gentrified over the past few years. And along with that growth and change, of course, comes a litany of fairly standard urban issues, such as the litter that seems to spout along the avenue at the conclusion of each weekend.

Thankfully, a new community group--Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation--has sprouted in the area as well. Along with various neighborhood greening initiatives, its duties also include renovating and maintaining both commercial and non-commercial properties in the area. One of those properties, at 1737 East Passyunk Avenue, will soon be the new retail home of Fabric Horse, the bicycle accessories shop that was formerly located in Northern Liberties. The shop is scheduled to open within the next two weeks.

And although Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation, or PARC, is in fact the same Vincent Fumo-founded organization formerly known as Citizens Alliance for Better Neighborhoods, PARC is being led by a newly installed executive director, Sam Sherman Jr., a dedicated New Urbanist who previously served on Mayor Nutter's sustainable development committee. PARC is also building five loft-style apartments in the former Citizens Alliance office space, at 1137 Wharton Street; PARC's offices will then move to the building's first floor.

Last Tuesday, the group held a press conference at the Passyunk fountain to announce its many greening initiatives, which have already included the planting of 17 trees along the avenue. The fountain square itself, says Sherman, will be spruced up with "Central Park-style benches on the perimeter, and a permanent chess table." At night, says Sherman, the fountain will be illuminated by lights affixed to the roofs of the buildings surrounding it; a lighting ceremony will take place sometime in June.

Source: Sam Sherman Jr., Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Fairmount Bikeway Trail keeps getting better

Flying Kite Tuesday, April 05, 2011

Bicyclists in the Philadelphia area have been buzzing for ages about the continued development of the ultra-popular Schuylkill River Trail, which in about five years time should be a fully accessible and continuous trail running all the way from Bartram's Garden to Schuylkill County. To be sure, the eventual completion of the 130 mile trail is a goal that is both ambitious and high-reaching. But on a chilly and overcast day in mid-March, Mayor Nutter and various members of the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia were on-hand at a groundbreaking ceremony that marked the beginning of yet another small step towards the successful completion of that goal.

The Fairmount Bikeway Improvement Project was the enterprise being celebrated at the groundbreaking; the project's aim is to make a series of major improvements to the Fairmount Bikeway trail, which is the section of the Schuylkill River Trail between Falls Bridge and Ridge Avenue. As Mark Focht of Philadelphia Parks & Recreation says, "I'm not sure when this section was originally built, but it really doesn't meet the standards of the trails as we construct them today."

The plan, says Focht, essentially involves making the trail both wider and safer. Currently, the width of the trail varies between roughly six and 10 feet, and that'll be expanded to a width of between eight and 12 feet when the project is complete. As for the portion of the path that runs alongside the roadway - Focht describes it as little more than a glorified sidewalk - it'll be made considerably safer by the addition of a guiderail, which will be smartly positioned between the widened trail and the nearby traffic. Portions of the trail will also be sloped to allow for proper water drainage. The project is expected to be complete this June.

Source: Mark A. Focht, Philadelphia Parks & Recreation
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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