By Robin Mann and Leonard Stewart, EFNC Board and Sierra Club members

In December 2015 the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority reached an agreement to close the dark chapter of massive urban renewal begun 60 years before in the southwest neighborhood of Eastwick, and return to city ownership the remaining 134 acres of land held in a lease option by New Eastwick Corporation/Korman Residential.  This represented a historic win for community members including leaders of the Eastwick Friends and Neighbors Coalition (EFNC) who were on hand to witness and celebrate.  Five years earlier, the EFNC had swiftly formed as a coalition of community residents, friends of the Heinz Refuge and others to oppose what, unbeknownst to them, Korman had negotiated with the City for that last remaining acreage -- a rezoning and construction of 722 residential units, with parking for 2 cars apiece, on 35 acres of the site and conveyance of the balance to the Philadelphia Airport.  The arrangement had been negotiated without community input and would have severely harmed the already fragile and flood-prone environment in Eastwick and negatively impacted the adjacent John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge.  The massive pushback mounted by the coalition (of which Sierra Club is a supporting member) and other community groups ended up successfully convincing City Councilmembers and ultimately the Mayor's office to reconsider the deal, and to negotiate a buyout with Korman.  Especially heartening for Eastwick leaders was the City's commitment to conduct a planning process that for the first time would involve community residents in shaping what was next for the land.

Photo by Tom Ipri | John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge

The five-year battle to stop the Korman development had raised the profile of the multiple challenges faced by Eastwick, both economic and environmental.  Added to the ongoing displacement and disinvestment from the stalled urban renewal project is the underinvestment in the broader community.  Much of Eastwick lies in FEMA's Special Flood Hazard Area and is at high risk of flooding.  The dredged material brought in as fill many years ago for the redevelopment is unstable and some homes have been sinking.  This environmental justice community has suffered from disproportionate industrial pollution, lies adjacent to two Superfund sites, and experiences the ongoing and heavy impacts of I-95 traffic and the airport on air quality and the quality of life in general.

At multiple community meetings convened by the community during the five years, residents voiced concerns about these issues.  These concerns were captured in a 2014 Community Assessment conducted by EFNC involving a door-to-door survey of 244 residents in the neighborhood surrounding the parcel.  Flood risk topped the list of concerns among the residents, and 81% of respondents supported preserving the land as open space and conveying it to the adjacent Refuge if resources were available.  There was what seemed a shared understanding as the City and PRA convened the planning process in early 2017 that the residents' views, including the Assessment, would help inform the dialogue.  PRA Executive Director Greg Heller observed at the launch of the process, "This is a community that has felt the negative impacts of urban renewal for decades, that has large portions of the neighborhood that are unbuilt, and - significantly - is a neighborhood whose residents feel that their voice has not been heard and has not been part of the process for a very long time.  It's our intentions through this project to - at least partially - try to overcome some of those issues."

The Steering Committee chosen by the PRA to oversee the planning process included four members representing Eastwick neighbors, an Eastwick business community member, and representatives from various City agencies.  The City specified a targeted focus for the planning:  the 128 acres of land southeast of 84th St. and Lindbergh Blvd., the 5-plus acres northwest of that intersection bordering the Refuge, and also the shuttered Pepper Middle School site, a site north of it, and the former Communications Technology High School site.  The consultant Interface Studio was selected to convene the meetings and draft the plan.  As discussions proceeded, it became clear that the City had its own agenda.  There was an unstated expectation that the City would recoup some portion of its buyout of Korman through redevelopment on the parcels.  There appeared to be an unwillingness to meaningfully factor in objective environmental constraints, especially flood vulnerability.  And there was little receptiveness to the idea of preserving the undeveloped acreage on the 128-acre parcel as open space.  What came forward after the Steering Committee meetings, community roundtable sessions and a drafting phase was a "Draft Lower Eastwick Public Lands Strategy," (LEPLS) laying out a proposed approach for reuse of each of the parcels.

The draft LEPLS was, for the most part, profoundly at odds with recommendations from Eastwick community representatives, and with the Community Assessment, especially with respect to the areas near the Refuge.  The approach put forward for the 128-acre parcel included, in addition to further residential development, a "cut and fill '' project -- excavation of a large area within the floodplain to create an elevated site with the fill -- for light industry, such as warehousing.  This was a startlingly retrograde approach for an area in the floodplain.  A senior housing project was proposed for the wooded acreage at the corner of 84th and Lindbergh, a notoriously dangerous intersection that also lies a significant distance from community services.  EFNC conducted an intensive review of the LEPLS and provided detailed comments.  The need for no net loss of flood storage was heavily underscored.  Also expressed was the importance for reuses to be well-suited to the sites and to provide community benefits.  The organization also raised serious concerns about the lack of transparency as to the purpose of the strategy.  Was it a draft strategy for refinement based on feedback?  Or was it a plan that would shape the City's next steps in soliciting development?

From what has transpired since it appears the City is proceeding on the latter course.  There has been no response to the community’s extensive list of concerns.  A Request for Proposals (RFP) was issued, and one developer’s submission made, for the senior housing project.  Meanwhile, while the community has not yet been consulted, the Conservation Fund working with the US Fish and Wildlife Service has approached the City offering to purchase the 128 acres to convey to the Refuge, contingent on a community master plan for the site.   While there is a willing and able buyer, the City has not been receptive.  The Conservation Fund has been told they would need to participate in the upcoming bidding process once an RFP is issued.  In the meantime, Eastwick United, a collaboration of Eastwick’s multiple community organizations, is preparing a  comprehensive plan, sharing collective interests and voice in creating a vision of hope for Eastwick’s future.

Especially given the history, an accounting to the Eastwick community about what the City is planning, and why, is long overdue.  It should happen before the City makes any further move.  And there should be an open process, involving the community, in considering the offer from the Refuge and the Conservation Fund.  After all, the outcome should honor the City's commitment, as voiced by Greg Heller, and reflect the desires of the community.

By Robin Mann and Leonard Stewart, both members of EFNC’s Board as well as Sierra Club.  Leonard, a resident of Eastwick, also serves on the Lower Eastwick Public Lands Planning Steering Committee.

This blog was included as part of the 2020 Fall Sylvanian newsletter. Please click here to check out more articles from this edition!