Tag: frankford transportation center

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Development at the Frankford Transportation Center

There has been talk about development in the area of the Frankford Transportation Center for years.  You can see all the projects that follow the El from center city up to Tioga and then it slows down.  This project is long overdue and with luck it will get done.

There is a meeting on July 13th at Second Baptist where you can hear the details of the plan.  Some information that I have gleaned from the internet follows.

This project is strategically located across Frankford Avenue from SEPTA’s Frankford Transportation Center (FTC) and is a transit oriented development (TOD) project which will consist of a mixed-use development, anchored by a supermarket, City of Philadelphia health center, additional retail, as well as both affordable and market rate rental housing. This project will have a significantly positive impact on the surrounding area and will also catalyze further development along Frankford Avenue.

The site includes the following parcels:

• 5129-35 Frankford Ave – 73,090 sq ft

• 5119 Frankford Ave – 13,724 sq ft

• 5113-17 Frankford Ave & 5102 Darrah Street- 19,202 sq ft

• 5127 Griscom Street – approx. 20,000

• 1522 Pratt Street – 65,808 sq ft

A. Site Description and Location

One of Frankford’s greatest assets is the combination of its proximity to Center City and its high level of transit connectivity, allowing it to serve as the gateway from Northeast Philadelphia to Center City. Frankford sits between I-95 and Roosevelt Boulevard and is served by several SEPTA bus and trackless trolley routes, the Market-Frankford Line, and Regional Rail.

SEPTA’s Frankford Station is the second busiest transit center in Philadelphia, serving an average of 41,000 customers daily. Combined with Frankford’s inexpensive real estate and vacant land, transit nodes such as FTC present an excellent opportunity to develop a new retail anchor that will attract foot traffic to the corridor and create quality, affordable, transit-oriented housing for the city’s workforce.

This project is consistent with the goals and recommendations in the City’s Philadelphia 2035 Comprehensive Plan and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission that both call for high impact transit-oriented development that would increase housing and commercial development around the transit stations and the specific recommendation to develop a health and wellness center adjacent to the Frankford Transportation Center.

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Collegeville Intersection show Frankford what a nice, walkable intesection looks like

If you’ve walked around the Frankford Transportation Center, you may feel like you’re taking your life in you hands crossing the street.  If you cross Bustleton or Frankford Ave you may get the impression that motorists are just waiting for a chance to run you down.  But it wasn’t until I got a walking tour pointing out the FTC issues that I started noticing other areas of the tristate area that were doing it right.  Take in point this intersection at the Collegeville Diner in Collegeville:

collegeville-intersection

This intersection is doing a few things.  It’s alerting motorists to an oncoming insection by showing a brick colored crosswalk.  It’s also inviting pedestrians to cross it by showing a path, several lights, and the Walk/Don’t Walk siganls.

The block of Frankford Ave crossing the FTC provides nothing but doom.  Check out this guy crossing:

guy-crosses-FTC

Poor guy, I wonder if he ever made it.  People are going to cross where they’re going to cross.  Our brains are smart enough to know the path of least resistance, even if it means putting us in danger.  It is our community( i.e. the city) job to ensure that we can safely make it.

My amateur walkability suggestion is to at least give a crosswalk and “Yield to Pedestrian” sign.  Best case, give it a light.  That spot right there is the de-facto entrance to the center and doesn’t invite anyone to cross the street to shop in stores.

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Saturday, March 2nd: Frankford Transportation Center Community Visioning Workshop

On Saturday, March 2nd the City’s Planning Commission is hosting a community visioning workshop focused on the Frankford Transportation Center. The event will take place from 10:00a to 1:00p at Frankford Aria Health, 4900 Frankford Avenue, in the 2nd floor conference rooms / cafeteria.
We hope you will be able to join – and please help us spread the word for what will surely be a productive morning!
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Last Week for Peaches at the FTC Farmer’s Market

We took a look at the FTC Farmers market last week and I have to report rave reviews from the neighbors here on the block who sampled the corn and peaches.  I emailed Lindsey (the farmer) to see if there would be more this week and she reports that this may be the last week for peaches.

Coming up though: “The season is ending for peaches, tomatoes, and watermelons, but we’ll have lots of fall crops to fill the table.  In the weeks to come, we’ll start bringing sweet potatoes, beets, carrots, collard greens, turnips, etc.  We’re also excited about our winter squash haul this season–we have 5 different varieties that should keep us well-stocked through Thanksgiving.  And, thankfully, we expect to have the corn into October.”

The market is open Tuesdays, from 2PM to 6PM.  Located at the Frankford Transportation Center on the corner of Frankford and Bustleton Avenues.  Try the Peace water melon if you get a chance.