Eastwick Public Land Strategy Comments and Concerns Public Meeting - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition

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Thursday, October 25, 2018

Embassy Suites Hotel Bartram Avenue, Philadelphia PA 19153

Eastwick Public Land Strategy Comments and Concerns Public Meeting

Eastwick Public Land Strategy

Planning the Future, Today

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 2

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation

EFNC advocates for equitable and meaningful participation by Eastwick residents and Heinz Refuge in any planning for the future of the Eastwick neighborhood. We are at the point of Reviewing the study, and submitting our comments.

Eastwick Public Land Strategy

Review, Consider, Comment – What do YOU Think?

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 3

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation

• Is it in Eastwick’s best

interest to develop in a special flood hazard area?

• Are the right land uses

proposed for the right places?

• Who benefits and who

pays the costs in the proposed strategy?

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 4

Eastwick, Then and Now

Environmental (In)Justice Community

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 5

• Disproportionate environmental

hardships – two superfund site landfills; pollution from nearby airport and mega‐highways.

• Sub‐standard homes built on

dredge spoil.

• Short‐dumping on dead‐end,

poorly‐lit streets.

• Community disenfranchised by

ill‐conceived urban renewal of the 1950’s that displaced 8,000+ residents and 50 churches.

Eastwick, Then and Now

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 6

Flooding #1 Issue for decades

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy – September 27, 2017 Public Meeting

Eastwick, Then and Now

Hurricanes ravage Eastwick

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 7

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy – September 27, 2017 Public Meeting.

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, pedestrian boardwalk under water. Hurricane Irene, August 2011.

2011

During Hurricane Sandy (2012), Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter stood on Saturn Place, adjacent to the rising Cobbs Creek, and publicly stated the need for a comprehensive solution to the flooding issues in Eastwick.

Eastwick Public Land Strategy

Study Commences 2016

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 8

2011

PRA Site 2: 5.6 acres green space Corner 84th St & Lindbergh Blvd. PRA Site 1: 128 acres green space Bordered by Heinz Refuge, residential streets, Mario Lanza Blvd. PRA Site 3: Acreage along 84th Street and Mario Lanza Blvd., ball fields, Pepper and CommTech (Wolf) schools.

Source: Interface Studio.

Eastwick Public Land Strategy

What is this study for?

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 9

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation

Eastwick Public Land Strategy

What are we trying to Accomplish?

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 10

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation

Eastwick Public Land Strategy

Clear Principles:

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 11

RESIDENTS’ SAFETY MUST BE THE HIGHEST PRIORITY BEFORE ANY OTHER PRIORITIES ARE MET

From Roundtables, Interviews, and Public Meetings From Residents and Stakeholders Assessment Survey conducted in 2013; sentiments from 93% (244 of 250) residences south of 84th Street

Eastwick Public Land Strategy

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 12

Our Principles: FLOODING IS EASTWICK’S #1 CONCERN

• No increase in flood hazard risk
• No net loss of flood storage
• No change in flood elevations
• No change in local flooding
• No adverse impacts on adjoining communities including the John Heinz

National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum (the Refuge). The burden of proof is on PRA before development could occur.

Water Always Wins

A legacy of filling wetlands and floodplains

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 13

Water Always Wins

The Filling Legacy Must Not Continue

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 14

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐ July 26, 2018 Final Public Meeting Recommendations..

Water Always Wins

FILL, FLOODING, FUTURE Reduce the severity of future flooding in Eastwick

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 15

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy – April 24, 2017 Public Meeting.

Water Always Wins

Stormwater versus Floodwater

Comparing apples and oranges…What gives?

• ‘Leaving the site undeveloped will not alleviate flooding issues in this community.

Development of the parcels can only improve the situation.’ Rina Cutler, Deputy Mayor ‐Testimony to City Council on October 9, 2012

• ‘Our friends at the Water Department have assured us that development on this site

will improve the stormwater situation in the area.’ Greg Heller, Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority ‐Opening remarks at the Lower Eastwick Public Lands Strategy Presentation, July 26, 2018.

• ‘So we've been trying to be very honest with those officials about a plan like this. One

can certainly not address catastrophic flooding. You have hundred‐year storms. Our systems are going to flood. There's really not a whole lot you can do about that…’ Philadelphia Water Dept., Darby And Cobbs Creeks Watershed Act 167 Stormwater Management Plan

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 16

• STORMWATER refers to all

precipitation that falls on the ground and runs off into ponds, lakes, streams, rivers, or the ocean.

• In Philadelphia, stormwater runs

into the storm sewer system. In Eastwick it flows into the storm sewers and then into the Mingo Creek Basin before being pumped into the Schuylkill River.

• FLOODWATER refers to unmanaged

water that exceeds the capacity of watercourses such as streams and rivers, to handle the flow from catastrophic rain or tidal surge events.

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 17

Water Always Wins

Stormwater versus Floodwater

• PWD’s toolbox addresses

stormwater; they acknowledge they can’t manage floodwater — BUT they’re bringing those tools anyway —

• If all you have is a hammer,

everything looks like a nail

• Goal: to capture the first 1.5” of

runoff from the proposed Light Industrial and Residential sites.

• Eastwick’s stormwater system is

designed to accommodate the 3‐5 year design storm.

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 18

Water Always Wins

Stormwater Management

Water Always Wins

Flood Storage: Protect the Floodplain

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 19

• Water spreads out during a flood
• Increase flood storage
• “Nearly all floodplain filling

activities create negative consequences to adjacent areas. The ‘bottom line’ is, if you fill in floodplain and reduce the flood storage area, you will likely cause more flooding and other problems in the homes and properties adjacent to it.”

Association of State Flood Plain Managers

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 20

Water Always Wins

Room for Water

Eastwick’s experience tells us the smart thing is NOT to build there, even if the regulations allow for it. An OUNCE of Prevention Is Worth a TON of Cure

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 21

Water Always Wins

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 22

1) Of these 3 concerns – economic, environmental, and social equity – which, if any, have been successfully addressed? 2) Will development address Eastwick’s issues and challenges? 3) Is it prudent to develop in Eastwick’s FEMA‐designated Special Flood Hazard Area (the 100‐year floodplain), even if it is legal? 4) Are the right land uses proposed in the right places? 5) Who benefits and who pays the costs in the proposed strategy? 6) What do Eastwick residents get from the plan?

Evaluating the Proposed Strategy

Six (6) basic questions EFNC asked for this plan

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 23

Evaluating the Proposed Strategy

PRA Site 2 – Corner of Heinz Refuge and 84th Street

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation

• The plan originally mentions

using the site as a gateway to the Heinz Refuge but that idea was discarded. How was that decision made?

• There are several large

affordable senior housing projects currently in the planning and design process, is senior housing still a critical need?

• Should affordable senior

housing be located closer to services such as Penrose Plaza?

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 24

Evaluating the Proposed Strategy

PRA Site 3 – Repurposing of Wolf/CommTech School

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation

Great Benefit to Eastwick; Strong community asset

• Opportunity for senior housing,

along with community center, theater, or other uses;

• Regional recreation with

gymnasium facilities;

• Ballfields relocated adjacent to

building for field‐based athletics;

• Significant historic and housing

tax credits available to developers;

• Identify ideal organizational

structure to develop and operate the building.

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 25

Evaluating the Proposed Strategy

PRA Site 3 – Demolish Pepper School

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy –September 27, 2017 Public Meeting

Situated in the lowest point in Eastwick, it makes no sense to develop in the “Pepper Bowl”

• Development in this space would

worsen flooding;

• Pepper sustained significant

damage from water and mold. The facility is too costly to rehab;

• The site is a beacon for short‐

dumping;

• The plan calls for demolition, but

would also consider bids to develop.

• PRA needs to provide a

deadline for making the decision about bids. Status quo of the Pepper School facility is harmful and untenable.

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 26

PRA Site 1 is divided into 3 private parcels with three different owners

• Zone A: Industrial area on 30

acres of fill with large stormwater basin.

• Zone B: Residential Area on 15

acres of fill with with large stormwater basin.

• Zone C: Undevelopable because
• f wetlands with potential for

some community green space.

Evaluating the Proposed Strategy

PRA Site 1 – the Eastwick Tract “128” acres

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation (slide 23)

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 27

The proposed development‐

• Addresses stormwater NOT

floodwater

• Fills the 100‐year floodplain
• Reduces flood storage
• Fills low area along former Route 37

trolley tracks

• Propels floodwater to spread out

into adjoining neighborhoods

• Creates a stormwater basin: large

cut‐in area with high water table likely to fill up with ground water

The Filling Legacy Cannot Continue

Evaluating the Proposed Strategy

PRA Site 1 – the Eastwick Tract “128” acres

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation (slide 22)

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 28

Evaluating the Proposed Strategy

PRA Site 1 – the Eastwick Tract “128” acres

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐ July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation (slides 23, 12)

• Residents south of 84th Street bare

the biggest impacts of proposed industrial development.

• “Support” for light industrial

development is based on 11 ‘agree’ responses at public meeting (27%

• f 43 resident responses).
• Results of EFNC 2013 Community

Assessment Survey of 244 residences south of 84th Street are IGNORED; 82% of survey respondents would support the 128‐acres to be preserved as a park

• r extension of Heinz Refuge.
• Flood insurance premiums likely to

increase in surrounding neighborhoods.

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 29

Evaluating the Proposed Strategy

PRA Site 1 – the Eastwick Tract “128” acres

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation

Uphold the Principles! Plans must –

• Address flooding, not just

stormwater runoff.

• Increase, NOT Decrease

flood storage.

• NOT fill the 100‐year floodplain.
• FIX flooding. The burden of

proof is on PRA.

Plans must address and account for future challenges: Storm Surge; Sea Level Rise; Climate Change.

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 30

Other Options….Dream Big

• In the Eastwick Community Assessment of 2013, 198 households (81% of respondents

in south of 84th Street) support the use of federal money to purchase the 128‐acre development site for preservation as a park or an extension of the Refuge.

• The Conservation Fund, a national conservation organization with experience in

conservation real estate, is willing to purchase the Eastwick Tract and donate it to the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

• The preserved space would purify air, absorb stormwater, soak‐up soil toxins, mitigate

flooding, and attract visitors for wildlife watching and passive recreation.

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy – September 27, 2017 Public Meeting

• Community residents and stakeholders

would be involved in developing green‐ space uses of the land, such as passive recreation, environmental education, pollinator meadows.

• Light industrial facilities and residential

could be constructed in more appropriate nearby areas such as the Eastwick Industrial Area or proposed Logistics Hub indicated in the Lower Schuylkill Master Plan. (Concept only)

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 31

Where do we go from here?

EFNC cannot support the study until PRA clarifies the next steps for public input and comment.

Source: Interface Studio. Lower Eastwick Public Land Strategy ‐July 26, 2018 Final Public Mtg Recommendation

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 32

Critical Crossroads for Eastwick

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 33

Submit Your Comments to the Eastwick Public Land Strategy!

Due by next Wednesday, October 31, 2018

Complete the Comment Form, put in sealed envelope, drop into the box here.

Or submit comments ON‐LINE at PRA website:

https://philadelphiaredevelopmentauthority.org/community‐ engagement/lower‐eastwick‐public‐land‐strategy/

Or MAIL comments using the pre‐addressed envelope (must be postmarked by October 31, 2018)

Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition – Comment on Eastwick Public Land Strategy Recommendation – Public Meeting 10‐25‐2018 34

Questions?

Raise Your Hand and Ebony will call on you. (1‐minute limit on questions). If we run out of time, please jot your question on an index card, and leave it at the table on your way out. EFNC will respond as soon as possible. Thank you for staying engaged, informed, and involved!