Author: Kim Washington

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Frankford Avenue Streetscaping Update

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Overview
One of the Frankford CDC’s major projects is developing and implementing a streetscaping plan for Frankford Avenue. With a design grant from the Community Design Collaborative, we are working with a design team to create a conceptual streetscaping plan for the area around Margaret-Orthodox. This conceptual design will explore and address issues of safety, litter and trash, lighting, greening, and stormwater management in the immediate area, while keeping an eye toward repicability along Frankford Avenue. Once the conceptual plan is complete, the Frankford CDC will be able to approach funders to finance the implementation of the plan.

Safe Growth / Safe Commercial Corridor Program
During the summer of 2015, the Frankford CDC participated in the City’s SafeGrowth/Safe Commercial Corridors Program. With a team including police, residents, and business owners, our two commercial corridor managers looked at how design and programming could contribute to the perception of safety around SEPTA’s Arrott Transportation Center, also known as Margaret-Orthodox. The team came up with a number of short-, medium-, and long-term recommendations, including removal of newsstand and benches, more frequent resource tables, improved lighting, and streetscaping.

Task Force Meetings
In early January 2016, we held the first small task force meeting with the design team from the Community Design Collaborative. At this meeting, roughly 30 stakeholders from the residential and business communities as well as from the City discussed various ideas and concerns regarding the area around Margaret-Orthodox to convey to the design team what the major issues and hopes for the area are. From here, the design team will come up with a number of recommendations which will be presented at a second task force meeting. The second task force meeting will provide an opportunity for stakeholders to respond to the preliminary ideas the design team comes up with. With feedback from the second task force meeting, the design team will complete the conceptual streetscaping plan. The second task force meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 17, at 6:30 PM at Second Baptist Church (1801 Meadow Street). Please RSVP to Ellie Devyatkin if you plan to attend.

Timeline
We anticipate having the complete conceptual streetscaping plan in hand by summer 2016. With the conceptual design, we will be able to develop an implementation plan and secure funding for the various stages of implementation. We will also be coordinating with SEPTA’s two-year Arrott Transportation Center project, which will include replacing much of the sidewalk in the immediate vicinity and removal of the newsstand and some benches.

For further information, meeting times/locations, questions, or concerns,
please feel free to contact Ellie Devyatkin
by phone (215-743-6580) or email (edev.fcdc@gmail.com)

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Frankford Market Study

The Frankford CDC has commissioned a market study for the Frankford neighborhood.  We have hired Urban Partners to study the Frankford area in order to determine what businesses we need and what we would be able to support. This will inform the development we are working on with SEPTA at the Frankford Transportation Center, as well as our business attraction efforts along Frankford Avenue.

As an organization, we are committed to supporting and growing existing business as well as attracting new businesses in order to promote economic opportunity for Frankford residents as well as provide diverse retail and service options within the neighborhood. This market study will help us move forward strategically in these efforts.

We welcome folks to participate.  If you are interested, please contact me so that when I secure a meeting location, with date and time, I can include you on the notifications about the meeting.

Kimberly Washington <kwashington.fcdc@gmail.com

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Frankford Transportation Center Update

The Frankford CDC is pleased to announce that we have made significant progress regarding the development of a new supermarket and retail near the Frankford Transportation Center. Since SEPTA’s June board meeting, we have worked closely with SEPTA, with consultation from the City’s Commerce and Planning Departments, private developers, and supermarket operators, and together have arrived at a plan the will allow for building a new supermarket, as well as developing some smaller retail space along Frankford Avenue.

To show your support for this project, please attend SEPTA’s September Board meeting where they will be voting on the “Finding of Special Opportunity” that would get this project off the ground. The board meeting will be on Thursday, September 24, 2015, from 3-5 pm, at 1234 Market St, Mezzanine Level, Philadelphia, PA 19107.

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Frankford to Get Big Bellies

We are excited to announce that Frankford Avenue is getting BigBellies! Over the next few weeks, the Streets Department will be removing the old wire basket trash cans along the Avenue, between Church and Bridge, and will be replacing them with approximately 35 Big Belly trash cans and 15 recyclers.
big belly
Powered by solar energy, the BigBellies compact the trash, allowing them to hold up to five times as much as the old trashcans.  The switch to BigBellies will help keep our sidewalks and streets cleaner while also improving the aesthetics of Frankford Avenue.

 
A Big Thank You To Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez and Deputy Streets Commissioner Donald Carlton for your advocacy and support in keeping our commercial corridor clean and welcoming!!
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Northeast EPIC Meeting 1/31/2013

Stakeholders,

Happy New Years!!!  Just a heads up, we are meeting this Thursday at Second Baptist Church which is located at 1801 Meadow Street, Phila, Pa. 19124 from 5:30 – 7:30.  Please arrive on time, we have a full agenda on Thursday and will need to begin promptly at 5:30pm.  This month’s guest speakers include our new Frankford NAC staff person, Simone Smith, Erica Smith from TreePhilly, Julia Hilligas from the mayor’s Office of Educations, Gail Anderson, from  Job Corps, Cheryl Lang from I-Lead and Laura Wagner from First Home Care.  This will also be the first opportunity to sign up for the EPIC/NAC Civic engagement training on Saturday, February 9th and Saturday February 16th.  If you are interested in earning a little extra money and participating on the Philadelphia Board of Elections please come out on Thursday evening and sign up for the trainings that will be held on Feb 9th and 16th (please find the flyer attached for more info.)

Also, if you are not aware, the Frankford NAC also has an RCO that was approved by the City Planning Commission to hold zoning hearings in the neighborhood.  The NAC’s zoning committee meets on the second Thursday of every month at Second Baptist Church (address above) from 7-8:30pm.  The next zoning meeting will be held on Thursday, Febuary 14th .  There is a flyer attached to this email, please feel free to circulate throughout the neighborhood.  If you have any questions or concerns or would like a copy of the Frankford NAC’s zoning procedures please contact myself or Simone Woods at ssmith@impactservices.org or by phone at 215 535 1093 ext. 191.

Hope to see you all on Thursday!!!

Thanks,

 Kimberly Washington, Esq.
Northeast EPIC Stakeholder Group, Coordinator
CORA Services, Inc.
8540 Verree Road
Philadelphia, Pa. 19111
215 701 – 2588