You can get more information on the proposed SEPTA bus route 49, which would connect Brewerytown and Fairmount with Grays Ferry via West Philly’s University City section, at an open house this Monday (March 28) at SEPTA Headquarters, 1234 Market Street.

The Open House is scheduled for 5-6:30 p.m. and will introduce SEPTA’s Fiscal Year 2017 Annual Service Plan, which includes proposals for some new transit services and changes aimed at improving existing services. SEPTA riders, stakeholders and the general public are encouraged to provide feedback regarding the proposals.

The Open House will be held in the Board Room, Mezzanine Level.

For more information on the proposals, or to submit comments, click here.  Continue Reading

A draft plan has just been released summarizing the two-year joint planning process as part of a long-range re-development of the station and its surrounding area (30th Street Station District Plan). The plan will be presented today (Wednesday, March 16), from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at an open house, which will take place at the station (behind the Amtrak ticket office).

The draft plan pinpoints several key development areas, including remodeling and enhancements to the station and building a new urban neighborhood with “a healthy balance of residential buildings, station-anchored commercial office towers, and retail, recreational, and cultural amenities to sustain a 24/7 environment.”

The plan also proposes a new expansive park, two new pedestrian and bicycle bridges over the Schuylkill river and both vehicular and pedestrian bridges across Powelton Yard to the west, a new intercity bus terminal, and reopening the tunnel connecting 30th Street Station to SEPTA’s subway and trolley station.  Continue Reading

The planning process focused on creating a single integrated vision for the area surrounding 30th Street Station continues this Wednesday with an open house. The 30th Street Station District Plan project team will present refined design ideas for the area.

The open house will be held from 4 – 7 p.m. at the station, behind the Amtrak ticket office.

More than 200 people attended the open house on June 17 to learn about and provide feedback on three preliminary concepts for the 30th Street Station District in the year 2040. The concepts are divided into three themes:

• “Central Business District 2,” a new central business district.

• “Schuylkill Crossing,” a new urban neighborhood.

• “Innovation City,” which hooks in with nearby universities, mainly Drexel.

Nearly 1,400 comments were received at the June open house and from an online survey that was posted on the District Plan website. The summary report is available here.

The 30th Street Station District Plan is a joint planning effort led by Amtrak, Brandywine Realty Trust, Drexel University, PennDOT and SEPTA with support from a wide range of public and private agencies, area stakeholders and other interested parties. For more information, visit: http://www.phillydistrict30.com/.

Here’s a chance to participate in an important neighborhood planning process. Residents are invited to an open house on Wednesday, Dec. 2 to provide feedback on the draft Action Plan for the West Philadelphia Promise Zone. The open house will be held at People’s Emergency Center Community Room (325 North 39th Street). Participants are welcome to come anytime between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. to review key aspects of the Action Plan, and provide feedback.

At the open house, you can learn about:

• Strategies to help residents in economic development, education, health and wellness, housing, and public safety.
• The planning process that helped develop the Promise Zone Action Plan.
• Opportunities for ongoing public involvement.

Your feedback can help guide important work in the neighborhoods, designated by President Barack Obama as the Promise Zone, and in some adjacent areas, including Belmont, East Parkside, Mantua, Mill Creek, Powelton Village, Saunders Park, Spruce Hill and Walnut Hill.

You can register for the meeting here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/promise-zone-community-meeting-tickets-19431205258

Image provided by Resource Generation Philly chapter.

The local chapter of Resource Generation, a group of 18- to 35-year-olds who have pledged to leverage their wealth or class privilege for social justice, is holding an open house on Thursday, Oct. 15.

Over the past year the group has committed to providing more than $27,000 in funding to promote racial justice, splitting the money between the Organization for Black Struggle in Ferguson and the Bread and Roses Racial and Economic Justice Fund in Philadelphia. Its members have also hosted meetings on radical investing and regenerative finance, transferring capital and resources to communities impacted by economic inequality.  Continue Reading

The first Open House for the 30th Street Station District Plan Open House took place on January 2 and was well attended. (Photo from phillydistrict30.com)

On Wednesday, June 17, there will be another opportunity to learn more about the 30th Street Station District Plan, a joint planning project for the area surrounding 30th Street Station. The second open house for the project will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. at the station’s Amtrak building (30th St entrance).

Nearly 300 people attended the first open house on January 28 and participated in a survey. This Wednesday, open house attendees can see results of the survey (click here for the summary).

There will also be opportunities to:

• Meet the project team
• Gain a better understanding of the plan
• View early design ideas and provide input
• Learn what’s next for the plan

The 30th Street Station District Plan is a joint effort by Amtrak, Drexel University, SEPTA, Brandywine Realty trust, and other public and private stakeholders. More information about the project is available at: www.phillydistrict30.com.