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http://www.planphilly.com/node/9182
June 23
By Kellie Patrick Gates
For PlanPhilly
The lead architect of the city's plan to revitalize the Market East corridor gave the public a second look at his still-in-draft-form vision Tuesday evening.
The major themes presented by Stan Eckstut, principal of New York's Ehrenkrantz Eckstut & Kuhn Architects, did not change from his first public presentation in Februrary: The area already has a lot going for it, including a large transit hub, Chinatown and other vibrant neighborhoods, Reading Terminal Market, the Convention Center, and Thomas Jefferson University. But none of these amenities have much of a presence on Market Street. What these good bones need is strong connective tissue to link them all together.
“The key is Market Street,” Eckstut said. “The answer is that Market Street once again becomes Philadelphia's Main Street, and that everybody gets back on Main Street.”
The Reading Terminal Market should extend through the HeadHouse area to Market Street, Eckstut said. Market Street should also be the “front door” for transit. And rather than the current separate Greyhound bus terminal on Filbert Street, buses should drive up a ramp to pick people up from waiting areas inside The Gallery’s exquisite space.
Eckstut imagines more hotels on Market Street. And more retail, office, and residential space, too.
“The only thing we'd like to get off of Market is some of the buses,” he said.
The proposal calls for making sections of Arch and Filbert Streets two-way for traffic, creating a new travel pattern. Removing buses will make Market Street more of a pedestrian destination, he said.
The plan includes new uses for vacant spots, including the abandoned elevated viaduct, which would become a park that comes down to grade at Broad Street. Eckstut proposes putting tall, residential towers on large parcels of vacant, city-owned land surrounding Franklin Square. This would be “a city within a city,” similar to Vancouver's Chinatown, he said.
During his presentation, Eckstut hardly mentioned the proposed Foxwoods Casino. “The casino is just another building, another tenant on Market, another use,” he said.
City planning boss Alan Greenberger said the goal is actually to get bus traffic out of Chinatown.
Eckstut, and Philadelphia Planning Department Executive Director Greenberger, were emphatic that Foxwoods does not drive the proposal. If the casino project dissolved tomorrow, Eckstut said, “nothing changes.” Said Greenberger: “PREIT would have to find a new tenant.”
One thing about the proposal that could benefit Chinatown: Developing the vacant property around Franklin Square. The key, however, would be that any development must include affordable housing.
The Planning Commission will have to approve the plan to make it official, and Greenberger said he hopes the final version comes before them in August or September.
Meanwhile, his staff will this summer work on an action plan – an outline of how to make some of these ideas real. Their first three bites: Bringing the Reading Terminal Market to Market Street. Determining how an intermodal transit hub would work. Changing traffic patterns so that “bus trains” are no longer congesting Arch Street.
Greenberger said there have already been talks with the folks at Reading Terminal, and they are interested. The project is simplified because the Head House area into which Reading Terminal would expand is owned by the city's Redevelopment Authority. “It's a beautiful space,” Greenberger said. There's a small bit of retail there now: A bank, a bar and a Dunkin Donuts. But a lot of the beauty is hidden by two huge escalators that take people to the convention space.
Other portions of the plan are much more long-term, but equally important, Greenberger said. Conversations have also taken place with PREIT about revitalizing the portions of The Gallery they own. PREIT officials have said in the past they have wanted to improve the property. Greenberger is hopeful that now that PREIT's Cherry Hill Mall revitalization is completed, they will turn their attention to The Gallery. It's an important piece of the puzzle, Greenberger said, because a revamped Gallery would signal to other businesses and investors that a new, improved Market East was really happening.
Contact the reporter at
kelliespatrick@gmail.com