Private reinvestment has been the dominant trend over the past three decades in most of this area. The University City core has grown into a nationally prominent center for learning, health care and research. The Spruce Hill and Garden Court neighborhoods have retained their traditional ties to the university community, but they have also attracted many new families who are not connected with the universities. Powelton Village, meanwhile, made the dramatic leap from a blighted neighborhood (in 1955) to an upscale residential area with beautifully restored Victorian homes. More recently, the Cedar Park, West Powelton and Saunders Park neighborhoods have also experienced significant private reinvestment, and many of the historic apartment buildings in the Walnut Hill neighborhood have been rehabilitated. This reinvestment is reflected in the vacancy statistics. University City is the only neighborhood grouping in West Philadelphia where the number of vacant residential structures decreased between 1980 and 1991. Approximately 50,000 people live in the neighborhoods of University City, and this population figure appears to be holding constant. The 1990 Census shows that this is the only one of the four West Philadelphia neighborhood groupings where total population did not decline during the 1980's. Because of the student population and the presence of so many apartment buildings, most of the residents in these neighborhoods are renters. Among the four neighborhood groupings in West Philadelphia, the neighborhoods of University City have the lowest homeownership rate, at 17.7% (source: 1990 Census).
The population is diverse and includes students and families, high income and low income households, people of all races, and people representing many different nationalities. This diversity sets the area apart from other communities and gives University City a special appeal.
Preserving the diversity of University City's population is a goal that is embraced by this plan. Communities, investors and the City will need to make special efforts to deal with the challenges that are brought about by diversity. This means that some of the housing that is built in the future should be for low and moderate income households, so that new development and investment can benefit people at all income levels. It means that new groups of immigrants, such as the Asians who arrived in parts of University City beginning in the late 1970's, should be welcomed to the area with understanding and with a sensitivity for cultural differences.
It also means that in areas where single-family housing and student apartments exist side-by-side, disagreements must be ironed out through continuing dialogue among landlords, universities, fraternities, civic groups, and city representatives; and it means that the many apartment buildings, rooming houses, fraternities and sororities should be required to meet the City's building and safety codes. Properties owned by absentee landlords, which are so numerous in this area, need to be better maintained by their owners to help keep these neighborhoods attractive.
Strengths
Tremendous growth and private investment have occurred in University City's "core area" since 1980. Thirtieth Street Station has recently undergone an $80 million renovation. The University of Pennsylvania added five major buildings and a parking garage to its campus, renovated the Furness Library and the Penn Towers Hotel, and recently built another parking garage. Planning is well underway for the proposed Revlon Center, a University of Pennsylvania student activities center to be located on the 3600 block of Walnut Street. The University of Pennsylvania Medical Center has been renovated and modernized (in several phases) at a cost of over $150 million. Drexel University built a new library, an engineering complex and a dormitory, rehabilitated a former manufacturing and office building for academic use, and purchased several properties along the eastern edge of the campus for future development or reuse. Three major new buildings and a parking garage were added to the campus of the University City Science Center. The newest Science Center building is the headquarters of the National Board of Medical Examiners.
Additionally, a new dormitory was built at the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science, and Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia completed work on two new buildings and a building addition. A new office building and church headquarters was constructed adjacent to Presbyterian's campus. The Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center greatly expanded its hospital space and built a new parking garage.
By far the largest project of the last decade has been the development of the Philadelphia Center for Health Care Sciences, which has transformed the former site of Philadelphia General Hospital (PGH) into a new $450 million health care complex that includes new facilities for Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the University of Pennsylvania's School of Medicine, Children's Seashore House and the Veterans Administration.
At the same time, public investment has been improving the area's infrastructure. Subway stations were rehabilitated and new trolley cars were put into service on the subway-surface routes. The Walnut Street bridge and viaduct was reconstructed. The Schuylkill Expressway was rebuilt. Lancaster Avenue was reconstructed; a new city street was built at the Philadelphia Center for Health Care Sciences; physical improvements were recently made to improve traffic flow along Civic Center Boulevard.
Significant new investment has also taken place in the neighborhoods outside the "core area." The West Philadelphia Economic Development Corporation is rehabilitating an eight-story office building called the "Renaissance Center," at 52nd & Ludlow Streets. Many apartment complexes were built or renovated; prominent among these are the University City Townhouses in the Spruce Hill neighborhood, the Admiral Court, Dorset, Art and Locust apartments in the Walnut Hill neighborhood, and the Lancaster Mews, Old Quaker and Powelton Courts apartments in Powelton Village. These residential construction projects have added approximately 600 housing units in the neighborhoods of University City.
Area-Wide Recommendations
The recommendation for redevelopment of a portion of the Market Street corridor is also discussed under "Districts," page 115. This corridor borders the University City, Saunders Park, West Powelton, Spruce Hill and Walnut Hill neighborhoods. The marginal commercial strip that exists west of 40th Street should be encouraged to make a gradual transition to multi-family residential use in the future. Successful residential uses in the 3900 block of Market Street are cited as precursors of this land use transformation. The imposing width of Market Street and the presence of the subway station at 40th Street suggest that mid-rise or high-rise building types would be appropriate. Institutional and commercial buildings would also fit into this new residential district. Market-rate housing, subsidized housing, nursing home and life care facilities are examples of the kinds of uses that are envisioned. Properties between the Elwyn Institute and 40th Street would remain as retail stores, forming the northern end of the 40th Street retail district.
South 40th Street is a commercial area that forms the boundary between University City and Spruce Hill. Fortieth Street boasts a unique collection of ethnic restaurants and contains two movie theatre complexes. This commercial district has the potential to be a very popular area for shopping and nightlife. Already, the theatres and especially the restaurants draw many customers from outside the area. The recommendation is for this commercial area to grow as a retail, restaurant and entertainment district. Street and sidewalk improvements are recommended in order to spur private investment, and extra security patrols are needed to counter the fear of crime. These enhancements should be funded by property owners, institutions and merchants, with support from the City. The University City Special Services District can provide leadership in this regard.
The University City Special Services District is a community-based initiative that operated in 1992 and 1993 in the commercial areas of University City and Spruce Hill. Businesses supported the effort on a voluntary basis, paying for a crew of employees who cleaned the sidewalks in the area. Program sponsors are studying ways to re-establish the special services district as a permanent entity with a dedicated funding source. This program represents the kind of self-management that is needed in the commercial areas of West Philadelphia, and the Planning Commission supports this endeavor.
The proposed "Victorian University City" historic district affects the neighborhoods located south of Market Street, and promises to stimulate investment in historic preservation within this area. In national historic districts, investor/owners can take advantage of federal tax credits that apply to the rehabilitation of multi-family or commercial properties. However, National Register Historic District designation cannot always preserve valuable buildings that are threatened by alteration or demolition. An area can be listed both as a National Register Historic District and as a local historic district. Local certification confers no tax benefits, but provides greater protection from alteration or demolition.
Graphic Temporarily Unavailable
University City is located south of Powelton and Lancaster Avenues, between the Schuylkill River and 40th Street. This is the institutional and commercial "core area" for this grouping of neighborhoods. It is a remarkable concentration of educational, health care and research facilities. The largest of these facilities is the University of Pennsylvania, which controls more than 250 acres of land and has a total enrollment of approximately 19,000 students. With over 17,000 employees, the university is the city's largest private employer; and more than 5,000 additional workers are employed at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center.
Other major institutions and land holdings in University City include Drexel University, the University City Science Center, Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, the Philadelphia Center for Health Care Sciences, the Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, the 30th Street Station and rail yards, the Civic Center, and the regional headquarters of the U.S. Postal Service. The Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science is located just outside the "core area" at 43rd Street & Woodland Avenue.
University City is different from most neighborhoods because almost all of the existing housing units are in dormitories or apartment buildings occupied by students attending the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University.
As the Planning Commission has reviewed development proposals in University City over the years, one important design goal has consistently been promoted: the need to provide permanent, enclosed retail facilities within institutional buildings, institutional campuses and large residential complexes. This desire for mixed-use development is reflected in most of the recommendations for University City. Retail facilities are needed at the Philadelphia Center for Health Care Sciences, where thousands of new jobs are located. Retail uses should also be designed as part of future development on Chestnut Street and Walnut Street (east of 40th), and at the Civic Center site.
The question of how retail needs should be met is crucial to the appearance and function of many areas in University City. The role of street and sidewalk vendors and their economic and aesthetic impacts is a serious concern in the area. Should vendors'
trucks continue to dominate the streetscape in front of the Annenberg Center, the Institute of Contemporary Art and the Postal Service headquarters? Does the reliance on vendors discourage the creation of permanent, enclosed stores and restaurants? Can effective, area-wide vending regulations such as those enacted for Center City be applied here? It is recommended that the local business community, neighborhood groups and vendors work with City government to examine these questions and consider new policies.
Redevelopment of the City-owned Philadelphia Civic Center is recommended. This 19.5-acre site can provide land for the further expansion of University City's existing health care complex. The site's prominence creates an opportunity for an excellent design which responds to multiple goals: generating jobs, promoting institutional identity, and meeting the retail and service needs of many thousands of employees who will work at the site and in the immediate area.
Summary of Recommendations: University City
The Plan for West Philadelphia envisions that an important new mixed-use urban district will emerge alongside University City in the future --"Schuylkill West Bank," bounded by the Schuylkill River, South Street, 31st, 32nd and Spring Garden Streets. New office and university buildings of medium to high density will combine with the 30th Street rail yards development to bring significant new activity to Schuylkill West Bank. The Schuylkill River bridges should receive special architectural and pedestrian improvements as part of the new streetscape plan for the area. See "Districts" on page 105 for a complete discussion of these recommendations.
Approximately 13,000 people live in Spruce Hill. The neighborhood is bounded by 40th Street, Market Street, 46th Street and the Schuylkill River, and is located immediately to the west of the University of Pennsylvania. Many of the large homes of Spruce Hill have been renovated by middle income and upper income families who are attracted to the area because of the location, architecture and cultural offerings. These families share the neighborhood with students, faculty and employees of the university, and with low-to-moderate income renters and homeowners who live in the neighborhood's less expensive housing.
Spruce Hill has three distinct sections. The area to the north of Locust Street is a mixed use zone that contains many commercial properties, very heavily travelled streets, and affordable apartments and row homes. The central section, between Locust Street and Baltimore Avenue, contains the largest and most expensive homes. Here, the streets are quieter and lined with mature trees. The section below Baltimore Avenue is dominated by two landmarks: Clark Park, which is the only recreation space in Spruce Hill, and the Philadelphia College of Pharmacy and Science.
Spruce Hill's long-established community group is concerned about a number of issues. The group is especially concerned about code enforcement for the many rental properties and rooming houses that exist in the neighborhood. Zoning and development issues arise on a regular basis, particularly with respect to the development sites located in the northern section of the neighborhood. University development, campus expansion and the need to accommodate both the needs of the student population and the homeowners are also issues in Spruce Hill.
Recommendations: Spruce Hill
The Walnut Hill neighborhood, located to the south of Market Street between 45th and 52nd Streets, contains a mixture of building types and land uses. Isolated sections of Sansom, Chancellor, Ranstead and Ludlow Streets are lined with small row homes, but otherwise the neighborhood is characterized by large structures situated on heavily-travelled streets. Some of the easternmost blocks in the neighborhood provide housing for students and employees of the University of Pennsylvania, but Walnut Hill is generally an area where moderate-income families live in affordable rental housing. Total population is approximately 6,500, with the median family income slightly less than the median for West Philadelphia as a whole. The homeownership rate is relatively low (below 35%). Public transit routes cover all sections of the neighborhood, and residents can shop on 52nd Street or at 48th & Spruce Streets.
The "West Philadelphia Project," a public/private partnership focused on the rehabilitation of large rental properties, has taken advantage of several kinds of housing subsidies and tax credits to revitalize this neighborhood, which contains many historic apartment buildings. Six apartment complexes have been completed, all located within two blocks of West Philadelphia High School, yielding more than 330 subsidized rental units. Two of the buildings were rehabilitated by the Redevelopment Authority and four other projects were initiated by private developers. The apartment complexes are Admiral Court, the Dorset Apartments, Glademore Apartments, Art Apartments, Locust Apartments and the buildings at 4702-22 Chestnut Street. Top priority sites for future rehabilitation are the Chatham Court Apartments and another apartment building at 4724-28 Walnut Street.
The West Philadelphia Project is an important success story for Walnut Hill and for West Philadelphia. Administrative and financial assistance was provided by the staffs of the city's Office of Housing, the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation, the Redevelopment Authority and the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency.
The Walnut Hill Community Association is working on a plan for the neighborhood, with assistance from the West Philadelphia Partnership Community Development Corporation. Some of the recommendations in the community's plan are included here.
Summary of Recommendations: Walnut Hill
This neighborhood of roughly 3,000 residents is bounded by Locust Street, 45th Street, Cedar Avenue and 52nd Street. Garden Court is a racially mixed community with incomes and property values that are well above average for West Philadelphia. The neighborhood has traditionally been considered to be part of the university community. The Garden Court National Register Historic District covers the majority of the neighborhood.
Garden Court has formal parkland within its boundaries: Black Oak Park (also known as Malcolm X Park) is a full-block park square bounded by 51st, 52nd, Pine and Larchwood Streets, and Ben Barkan Park is a smaller landscaped area at 50th & Spruce Streets. Public tennis courts also exist at 47th & Spruce. In addition to recreation and open space, the neighborhood also has a small shopping district centered around the intersection of 48th & Spruce Streets.
Summary of Recommendations: Garden Court
The Cedar Park neighborhood has a total population of approximately 10,000 persons. It is located between 46th and 52nd Streets, from Larchwood Avenue on the north, to the R-3 commuter rail line on the south. Baltimore Avenue is the main street in the community, and it is the route of a subway-surface trolley line. The 4900 block of Baltimore Avenue is the community gathering point, containing Cedar Park, a shopping district, farmer's market, and a police mini-station.
Most of the houses in Cedar Park are large three-story structures, and most are architecturally ornate. The housing to the north of Baltimore Avenue is densely developed, mostly with row homes. Semi-detached homes are predominant in the area to the south of Baltimore Avenue, and several older mid-rise apartment buildings also exist in this section of Cedar Park.
The diverse population of this neighborhood can be viewed as a microcosm of West Philadelphia's social fabric. Students, faculty, professionals, middle income and low-income persons all live here. About 65% of the population is black, and the majority of the residents are renters. Residential blocks west of 49th Street are still untouched by the private reinvestment that has revitalized so much of the University City area, and a portion of Baltimore Avenue is badly deteriorated. The long-established community group in the area is especially concerned about housing abandonment and deterioration in the section west of 49th Street.
Approximately one-quarter of the neighborhood's land area is also known as "Squirrel Hill." Squirrel Hill is located in the vicinity of Springfield, Chester and Kingsessing Avenues, between 46th and 49th Streets. A separate community group is active in this area.
Summary of Recommendations: Cedar Park
The residential area located to the north and west of Drexel University is known as Powelton Village. The major streets in the neighborhood are Powelton Avenue and Lancaster Avenue. Approximately 4,000 people live in the neighborhood, which literally has a "village" character because of its small size, its Victorian porch-front houses with landscaped yards, and its tree-lined streets.
Among the various neighborhoods near University City, this neighborhood has made the most dramatic turnaround since the late 1960's; as investors purchased architecturally magnificent homes that were in disrepair, restored the houses, and caused property values to increase tremendously. In 1984, the local civic association succeeded in establishing the Powelton Village National Register Historic District. Soon thereafter, the few structures that had remained vacant were also beautifully restored, partly because of the tax credits associated with national historic certification.
As Powelton Village evolved into a more affluent residential area, homeowners became increasingly concerned about the growth of Drexel University's campus and about the fraternities, sororities and student apartment buildings that are often located next to single family homes. Today, this well-organized community is still dealing with "town and gown" concerns, and with other issues such as zoning, traffic and parking, recreation and open space, crime and public safety. Powelton Village is not alone in its concern about public safety. This issue has become a top priority for all community groups in the neighborhoods of University City.
A major issue looming in Powelton Village's future is the possible development of the 30th Street rail yards. This potentially massive development will be located immediately to the east of the Powelton Village National Register Historic District, so planning for the rail yard site must be sensitive to the character of Powelton Village. The Planning Commission recommends that future buildings on the rail yard site should be low-rise in height where the rail yards abut the Powelton Village Neighborhood. Community groups from the Powelton area must be involved in the planning process for the 30th Street area.
Summary of Recommendations: Powelton Village
West Powelton (bounded generally by 38th, Market, 42nd and Haverford Avenues) experienced considerable real estate speculation during the 1980's. Investors discovered that the relatively small row homes of West Powelton are within walking distance of the universities, Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia, the University City Science Center, the Market/Frankford El, the subway/surface trolleys, and the shopping district along Lancaster Avenue. Unfortunately, much of the speculative activity has had a negative impact on this neighborhood. Some owners are holding on to vacant properties, hoping for another surge in real estate values; this has made many vacant properties unavailable to organizations that seek to rehabilitate houses and revitalize the neighborhood.
West Powelton remains a predominantly low-to-moderate income area. The community here is concerned about vacant properties, especially along the major streets -- Market Street, Powelton Avenue and Haverford Avenue -- and about recreation, open space, zoning and affordable housing. Long term redevelopment of the Market Street edge, mentioned previously as a area-wide recommendation, will benefit this neighborhood.
Recommendation: West Powelton
This neighborhood is bounded by Powelton Avenue, 38th Street, Lancaster Avenue and 40th Street. It is a small mixed-use neighborhood with a population of approximately 1,600 persons. Saunders Park is a neighborhood name that was established during the early 1980's by a new community group that represented the population living near the large park-like open space at the NE corner of 39th Street and Powelton Avenue. This open space site is zoned for residential use and is owned by Presbyterian Medical Center. The expansion of the medical center is a major concern of the residents in Saunders Park.
Summary of Recommendations: Saunders Park
| webmaster@partners.upenn.edu |