Germantown Design Charrette
Saturday, March 23
10 a.m. - 3 p.m.; 2 p.m. final design presentations
Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust, 6133 Germantown Ave.
Email [email protected] to RSVP

Sometimes all it takes is a good idea. That's what the Young Architects Forum, the Germantown United Community Development Corporation, Philly Office Retail and Flying Kite Media are hoping to generate this Saturday.

We're hosting a design charrette at the Germantown Mennonite Historic Trust (6133 Germantown Avenue). A charrette is a meeting of the minds (and community stakeholders) that hopes to generate discussion around design, development, land use and revitalization. Groups brainstorm and then present their final ideas. 

For this particular event, the attendees will focus their energies on the 6100 and 6200 blocks of Germantown Avenue. Those blocks are notable for a number of reasons; most importantly, they sit directly on the Mt. Airy/Germantown Border -- an area of transition and opportunity.

"Mt. Airy USA [Community Development Corporation] has done quite a bit to bring attention to their stretch of the corridor," says Garlen Capita, urban designer at Wallace Roberts & Todd, LLC and Germantown resident. "It's really progressing towards a vibrant mix of retail and commercial, and has really become a destination point for Mt. Airy and the surrounding neighborhoods." 

The goal is to take that energy and funnel it down Germantown Avenue. These particular blocks have inspiring assets, as well as major challenges.

"The scale of development is great," explains Capita. "There's fabulous transit access. There are local committed business owners. It has historic architecture. There are a number of organizations and institutions, like the Johnson Historic House, one of the stops on the underground railroad. 

"But it also has a lot of issues and weaknesses that provide an opportunity for redesign," she continues. "There is a lack of maintenance. There is not a good pedestrian environment because there is a lack of continuity, of the buildings as well as the uses along the corridor. It's not as vital. There is a lot of traffic at that intersection -- Germantown Avenue and Washington Lane are both very high traffic corridors. There is not really public gathering space. There is poor signage."

The charrette hopes to grapple with those shortcomings, and generate some creative (and feasible) solutions. Organizers have invited local businesses -- in particular those from the 6100 and 6200 blocks -- community groups, historic organizations and residents.

"We thought it was an opportunity for visioning that's really focused on place-making, and rethinking what that corridor could be," explains Capita. "We're interested in starting a discussion with the stakeholders there, as well as the wider community."

LEE STABERT is managing editor of Flying Kite.