West Philly bicyclists and everyone else who cares about biking in our area are invited to make their voice heard at two public meetings/open houses organized by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. The first meeting is tomorrow, Oct. 11, from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Myers Recreation Center (5803 Kingsessing Ave.); the second one is Wednesday, Oct. 12., from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at Penn’s Fisher Fine Arts Library (220 S. 34th Street, 4th floor).

At the meetings, there will be an opportunity to learn about the City’s plans for biking and walking in West Philly. Also, it’s a good chance to let the City know what residents think about the plan, to ask questions and share your concerns. Click on the flyer for more details.

The US Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Philadelphia office will move from its Center City location at 16th and Callowhill to West Philly by the end of 2012.

The new office will be located in 2.0 University Place, a new University Place Associates LLC’s five-story building at 30 N. 41st St. where it will occupy the first three floors (53,000 of the 97,000 square-foot space). The 15-year, $26 million lease was negotiated by building leasing and the US General Services Administration reps. The building is currently under construction.

University Place Associates founder Tom Leonard told The Philadelphia Inquirer, “they looked at what was available in Center City, didn’t like it, and broadened their (search) to West Philadelphia.”

“This will be a much nicer facility,” he added.

Located at the foot of the University City Science Center, the building will feature an extensive green roof with a 20,000-sf rooftop park, high-efficiency HVAC systems, open floor plans with 90 percent natural daylight, ‘gray water’ recycling systems that utilize rainwater to operate restrooms, onsite bicycle racks, changing rooms, and car sharing facilities among other things.

Drexel University has purchased a long, thin 3.6 acre lot along JFK Boulevard west of 30th Street Station that will become the “gateway” for its main campus and could include a mix of uses, including retail.

Drexel paid $21.8 million for the land, which is currently a parking lot sandwiched between JFK Blvd. and train tracks to the north (see the map below).

“The prime location of this site will significantly enhance Drexel’s capacity to be a powerful engine for regional economic growth,” said Drexel President John Fry in a written statement. “It provides various options not only for the development of the space for classrooms, research and other academic facilities, but also for sources of revenue for Drexel through potential residential and retail opportunities.”

Fry, who oversaw community development projects while a vice president at the University of Pennsylvania, has said that extending Drexel’s reach into its surrounding West Philadelphia community is a priority.

 

View Drexel land purchase in a larger map

Community members are invited to attend a meeting on the future development of Baltimore Avenue tomorrow at 7 p.m. at the People’s Baptist Church (5039 Baltimore Ave.).

The meeting is the next step in the “Baltimore Avenue Conversation,” a series of workshops and meetings on development topics ranging from senior/affordable housing and building facade improvements to business interests and landscaping. The meeting will include a brief review of the final recommendations of the Community Design Collaborative, a collection of design professionals who do pro bono work for non-profits.

Other scheduled presenters include:

• A representative from Friends Rehabilitation, who will talk about the process involved in building senior/affordable housing with examples from projects they have built around Philadelphia.

• Joe McNulty, Cedar Park resident and Baltimore Avenue commercial corridor coordinator for the University City District, will talk about commercial facade improvements.

• Leah Pillsbury from Mariposa Food Co-op will present information about the co-op’s expansion plans.

• Stephanie Chiorean from the Philadelphia Water Department will be speaking on greening plans for the City of Philadelphia.

• Danielle Denk will present a new proposal to bring a Garden Center to some of the empty lots at 51st and Baltimore.

We came across this video, which includes interviews with longtime Walnut Hill residents, on the website of The Enterprise Center. Asia Ray, a West Philadelphia High School graduate, shot the film a couple of years ago during the Walnut Hill planning process. It has only become available recently on The Enterprise Center’s website. The piece provides a good perspective on the past, present and future of the neighborhood, which runs from Spruce to Market Streets, 45th to 52nd Streets.

This is Home: The Story of Walnut Hill from The Enterprise Center CDC on Vimeo.