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Landscaping a greener path The neighborhood could add a park to complement its other thriving components.
“Every dollar gets us closer to that goal and gets the park where we need it to be,” Vidas said.
■ By Lauren Hertzler Review Contributor
W
hen their neighborhood association asked South of South residents what they wanted more of in their community, the answer was simple, green space. Where to put the green space was the tough question, as new development for houses or retail space in the area’s vacant land is constantly being issued. That’s why 2nd District Councilman Kenyatta Johnson is backing the South of South Neighborhood Association, 1901 Christian St., in its mission to turn the empty assembled lots on the northwest corner of 17th and Carpenter streets into a park dubbed Carpenter Green. “Carpenter Green is a great project for the Graduate Hospital community because it takes advantage of one of the last opportunities for meaningful green space in the neighborhood,” Johnson said. “This project will transform a plot of land, that long plagued neighbors with blighted buildings and illegal dumping, into a beautiful place for families to congregate.” Otherwise, third-year SOSNA board member Lauren Vidas said, the lot would likely turn into “another eight rowhomes.” “And we have a lot of rowhomes,” Andrew Dalzell, SOSNA’s fourth-year programs coordinator, added. The location at 17th and Carpenter streets is an ideal spot for a park, Vidas, of 15th and Montrose streets, said, with its proximity to Carpenter Square, a major new development being pursued on the southeast corner, and because of its proximity to Edwin M. Stanton School, 1700 Christian St. “We thought it was very important to provide green space close to where kids are,” Vidas said. Stanton’s playground is undergoing a redesign, she noted, and SOSNA is trying to figure out a way to integrate both spaces so they’re cohesive. SOSNA is working through the Community Design Collaborative to make this idea a reality. The green space also provides a great opportunity to improve on stormwater management. Vidas said the Philadelphia Water Department, as well as every department in the city, has been “overwhelmingly supportive.” “I think Councilman Johnson’s energy about the project was contagious to them,” she said. She divulged the entire South of South
neighborhood, which stretches from South Street to Washington Avenue and Broad Street to the Schuylkill River, has only two green spaces. Compare that to the combined neighborhoods of Hawthorne, Bella Vista and Queen Village, which together have only a slightly larger footprint than South of South, yet still have more than 10 passive park spaces. “A couple years ago, SOSNA did a pretty expansive poll in the neighborhood to try to figure out what people felt was the most important priority for the organization to pursue,” Vidas said. “Pretty much at the top of the list was green space. That’s something the organization has taken to heart.” A petition to see neighbor’s thoughts on implementing the green space at 17th and Carpenter streets showed that more than 100 people were in favor and only two were opposed. “If we don’t set this plot of land aside for a park, future generations of the neighborhood are going to look back and see that we missed a huge chance,” Dalzell, of 20th and Fitzwater streets, said, adding that the park space will help increase the values of near homes. With Johnson’s help, SOSNA entered into an agreement with the City of Phila-
This rendering provides a sneak peak at what this vacant lot at the northwest corner of 17th and Carpenter streets could look like, with two other designs possible. P h o t o P r o v i d e d b y L a u r e n Vi d a s
delphia Redevelopment Authority to set aside the land for green space. That gave the group and community members access to the lot to put up a fence and do some basic maintenance. Before, construction debris and garbage covered the empty lot. “When it looks like just an empty lot, people will treat it like such,” Vidas said. “When you start to beautify it, then there’s sort of a social norm that they’re crossing [if they litter].” “People would use the land however they wanted, whether it was for dumping or for sleeping or for letting their dog run around,” Dalzell added. So far, a group of about 20 SOSNA members have hosted two volunteer cleanups and hired Ready, Willing & Able, 1211 Bainbridge St., to do a sweep. “They whipped that lot into shape in like an hour,” Vidas said of the organization’s workers. But, Vidas noted, the desire to get the fence down and construction finished as quickly as possible should urge people to donate.
KNOWING THE CITY is in a financial crunch, SOSNA and the community have committed to fundraising for the park project. “We’ve exhibited a history, we’ve put together a record of public, private partnerships that have been able to raise money and finance what would typically be city roles,” Vidas said. Before SOSNA starts asking for money, though, it wants to talk design with the community. “It’s a little bit of a chicken-and-egg kind of thing,” Dalzell said. “To be able to get the money to pay for the design services, you need to have something [tangible] that’s attractive so we can apply for grants and we can show with confidence this is what we want.” Luckily, architecture students in the neighborhood volunteered their time to design three basic, yet distinct concept plans based on feedback from the community. The next step is to take the preliminary designs on “tour” in the neighborhood – placing the designs in ccommunity institutions – to really capture w what residents want. A survey has found the community most wants the park to have landscaping, lighting, w sseeding, trash facilities and sustainable design, Dalzell said, which has been beneficial to know while planning the initial designs. SOSNA is aiming to canvas the designs during the winter, work on a final design with everyone’s feedback and be able to solicit a professional architect by spring. “Once the weather warms up, people are going to be more eager to get outside and get their hands dirty,” Vidas said, so she’s making sure SONSA takes care of all its administrative duties within the next few months. She said several architects have already expressed interest in working on the new park, which is a good thing for these neighborhood residents, who are ready for a haven between the concrete. “SOSNA’s role is stimulating community and economic development and a park project like this does both because it brings a place for people to come together and build those ties to make the community strong,” Vidas said. “If we didn’t do anything now, that opportunity would be lost.” SPR
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