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Schuylkill River Open Space Master Plan from East Falls to Manayunk in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Schuylkill River Open Space Master Plan from East Falls to Manayunk in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania ROXBO ROUGH EAST FA LLS MANAYUNK LOWE R ME RION SchuylkillFrom River East Falls Open to Manayunk Space in Philadelphia, Master PennsylvaniaPlan Plan prepared by: THE PHILADELPHIA BUILDING 1315 WALNUT STREET SUITE 900 PHILADELPHIA PA 19107 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many partners have contributed to this document. Their contributions and insight are greatly appreciated. Advisory Committee Alice Ballard | East Falls resident; advocate for in-river swimming Jennifer Barr | Philadelphia Planning Commission Dennis Burton | Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education Stephanie Craighead | Fairmount Park Joanne Dahme | Philadelphia Water Department Tom Dignam | Philadelphia Department of Recreation Jane Glenn | Manayunk Neighborhood Council John Grady | East Falls Development Corporation Chris Leswing | Lower Merion Township Terri Loring | Manayunk Development Corporation Matthew McClure | East Falls Development Corporation Dan Neducsin | Manayunk Development Corporation Bob Swarbrick | Manayunk Development Corporation Carolyn Sutton | East Falls Development Corporation Kurt Zwikl | Schuylkill River Heritage Area Project Partners Schuylkill Project Kay Sykora, Executive Director Gwen Cohen, Education Coordinator East Falls Development Corporation Gina Snyder, Executive Director Manayunk Development Corporation Loree Jones, Executive Director Special Thanks to our Project Sponsor 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Plan Overview 7 Introduction to the Plan 9 Project Background Project Context Guiding Principles The Big Picture: Urban River Systems 11 The Role of Urban Rivers Examples of Urban River Revitalization The Local Picture: The Schuylkill River in Philadelphia 17 Overview of the Schuylkill River Watershed Existing Conditions Strategies for Implementation 21 Overview Action Steps Atlas of Projects 43 Schuylkill River Segments Projects and Implementation Tables Flat Rock Dam Venice Island Wissahickon Manayunk Valley Lower Merion Westminster Cemetery Existing Trails West Laurel Hill Cemetery Planned Trails Existing Trails East Falls Undergoing Enhancement Proposed Trails Neighborhood Connections Proposed Bike Lanes Schuylkill River Trail Connections PLAN OVERVIEW Goal 1 | Create Great Places on THE River Action Steps The resurgence of East Falls and Manayunk, and the general interest in revitalizing • Emphasize the importance of gateway areas, landmarks the city’s waterfronts has elevated the expectations people have for the Schuylkill and river access landings. Riverfront. As a result, there are many public and private projects being initiated along • Improve open space amenities along the river. Philadelphia’s upper reach of the Schuylkill River. These initiatives can have a dramatic • Ensure that private development effectively relates to the and positive impact on these riverfront communities — providing new public spaces river. that will activate riverfront neighborhoods, forge new connections between people and the river and stimulate new development, civic activity and recreational opportunities. Goal 2 | Improve Movement Along THE River The Schuylkill River Open Space Master Plan introduces a framework to organize, prioritize and guide these initiatives by focusing on conserving and improving Action Steps public access to and along the river. The plan addresses key concerns for riverfront • Connect the trail system where there are gaps. development, including physical planning and design, programming and maintenance • Improve and maintain the quality of trails. challenges. With the vision and goals in mind, this plan lays out a series of Action • Allow for better pedestrian and bicycle movement on Steps, which are recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a thriving river streets. realm designed to address the key concerns for open space development on the river. Goal 3 | Engage People in THE Life of THE River Action Steps • Continue existing educational opportunities and expand program offerings. • Support existing and create new festivals and events. • Get people wet- promote opportunities for swimming, boating and fishing. Plan Overview 8 SCHUYLKILL RIVER OPEN SPACE MASTER PLAN INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAN Project Background Key Concerns The Schuylkill Project | The Schuylkill Project is a multi-stakeholder process Physical Design established to create a comprehensive vision for Philadelphia’s upper reach of • Gaps exist in the trails along both sides of the river. the Schuylkill River, which extends from East Falls to the Flat Rock Dam. The • A lack of connection exists between riverfront spaces and upland Schuylkill Project aims to “not only revitalize the waterfronts, but to better connect communities the communities to the river by bringing people to the waterfront and providing and open space/recreational resources. opportunities for recreation and education.” • There is a lack of access to the water along many parts of the river. • There is a lack of visual continuity among the various segments of the trail. The Schuylkill Project seeks to build on the community’s excitement and interest in the river by implementing public improvement projects and encouraging more Programming programming and public activity in the public places along its banks. The project • Public spaces are not fully utilized for special events or public education. is being led by the East Falls and Manayunk Development Corporations, and also • The potential exists to build interest in environmental stewardship of involves the Delaware Estuary, the Schuylkill River Greenway, the Schuylkill Center the river through organized and passive recreation and educational for Environmental Education, the Philadelphia Water Department, the Lower Merion programming. Planning Commission and the Fairmount Park Commission. Management • Maintenance of public spaces — from routine repairs to cleaning — is Purpose of the Schuylkill River Open Space Master Plan | The resurgence of East haphazard. Falls and Manayunk, and the general interest in revitalizing the city’s waterfronts has • Invasive vegetation on the river’s banks is difficult to manage and maintain. elevated the expectations people have for the Schuylkill Riverfront. As a result, there are many public and private projects being initiated along Philadelphia’s upper reach of The plan demonstrates how existing public and private projects can be conceptually the Schuylkill River. These initiatives can have a dramatic and positive impact on these and physically woven together and provides the basis for recommending new projects riverfront communities — providing new public spaces that will activate riverfront and initiatives along the Schuylkill. This plan builds on the accomplishments of neighborhoods, forge new connections between people and the river and stimulate previous planning initiatives and advances those efforts. It defines next steps, reveals new development, civic activity and recreational opportunities. missing links, and suggests new projects and policies that are needed to create a The Schuylkill River Open Space Master Plan introduces a framework to organize, connected, coherent system of trails and riverfront places along the Schuylkill River. prioritize and guide these initiatives by focusing on conserving and improving public access to and along the river. The plan addresses key concerns for riverfront Related Studies and Plans | The Schuylkill River Open Space Master Plan has been development, including physical planning and design, programming and maintenance informed by numerous planning studies and project proposals undertaken in the past challenges. few years. One goal of this Schuylkill River Master Plan is to chart the progress of these numerous initiatives and assure that they proceed in concert with one another, with the goal of creating a connected river realm. Introduction 9 Many projects described in the Existing and Planned Projects section of this document as the Wissahickon Creek in Philadelphia. These connections stretch across defined were recommended in the following documents: boundaries or jurisdictions, creating transitions in activities, politics and physical • East Falls Reconnects to the River barriers. Connections might be bridges that cross the river or perpendicular trails that • East Falls Wayfinding Project plan connect to the River Trails. • Manayunk Towpath Project Plan The River Realm describes the system of river trails, river places and neighborhood • Venice Island Master Plan connections of the study area. • The East Falls/ Manayunk Water Access Study • Locks Restoration Plans Vision | Based on this framework, the Schuylkill Project establishes the following vision for the Schuylkill Riverfront: Other documents that informed new recommendations in this plan include: The Schuylkill Riverfront will be a resource for local neighborhoods and the region, • Schuylkill Heritage Park and Trail Wayfinding Project tying together riverfront communities through a connected system of River Trails, • Montgomery Open Space Plan River Places and Neighborhood Connections. • Lower Merion Township Comprehensive Plan • Schuylkill River Development Corporation Master Plan Goals and Action Steps | With the vision and goals in mind, this plan lays out a series of Action Steps, which are recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a thriving Schuylkill Riverfront designed to address the key concerns for open space PLAN Framework development on the river. A framework of three Goals is used to organize the Action Steps. These Goals are 1) Create great places on the river; 2) Improve
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