To reach this goal, we must accomplish the following: Create destination parks on public land at the Festival Pier, former incinerator site and Penn’s Landing. On the few publicly owned parcels within the central Delaware, we can provide parks that will serve the entire city and region. Two adjacent pieces of public land, located at Spring Garden Street, Festival Pier and the former incinerator site, currently serve as concert locations during warm months. By taking better advantage of these sites— adding attractive gathering areas, events and activities—we could make them lively, year-round destinations for residents and tourists. On Penn’s Landing,
Improve the existing 8 acres of parkland. Fishtown’s Penn Treaty Park and Port Richmond’s Pulaski Park provide the riverfront’s only parkland, yet both need significant improvements. Although the Fairmount Park Commission controls Penn Treaty and the Philadelphia Department of Recreation controls Pulaski Park, maintenance has been left largely to volunteer friends-of-park organizations. Penn Treaty will have an opportunity to create a master plan for improvements and upgrades through a grant from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR). It is hoped that Pulaski Park will have a similar opportunity in the next year.
from Walnut to Market Streets along the river, an extraordinary opportunity
Expand boating and fishing opportunities along the central
exists to replace cement with grass and create a great lawn where Philadel-
Delaware by building a public marina and fishing piers and
phians can play games, sunbathe or read. Other activities could be offered,
encouraging private boat-rental operations along the river. Today,
including water features such as splash pads that provide a playground for
motor boating is a popular river activity, yet there are no active public marinas
kids, interactive public art and attractive viewing areas for watching ships.
on the Philadelphia side of the Delaware and just a few private marinas.
As the popularity of these new destination parks grows, Philadelphia could
Activating the public marina in the boat basin of Penn’s Landing would provide
extend the riverfront and add performance space by using a floating concert
a much-needed place to launch and dock boats. Motorboat, kayak and canoe
and movie barge, as cities across the country have done.
rentals would give many households the chance to enjoy the river.30 Less
Open publicly controlled piers, such as Pier 11 beneath the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, for public use and provide unique waterfrontrecreation spaces. New York City’s Hudson River Park converted one former shipping pier into a dog run, another into a golf driving range and some piers into playgrounds for children. The piers, like all potential park sites, must be
experienced kayakers and canoeists could be driven to a safe, calm launching
Battery Park City, NY
Penn Treaty Park, Philadelphia, PA
point without currents or wakes from large ships and could be returned to centrally located Penn’s Landing after their trips. Well-maintained, safe fishing piers and a cleaner river’s edge will also expand the small number of locations from which residents can enjoy fishing.
tested for environmental contamination, and environmental remediation must be completed if needed. Parks and green spaces built on former industrial sites must be cleaned to the same level required for residential properties, with virtually all contamination removed.
Pulaski Park, Philadelphia, PA
Action Plan for the Central Delaware 25