3400 Block of Lancaster Avenue

As part of their Master Plan, Drexel proposed a parking garage for the 3400 block of Lancaster Avenue. Many Powelton Village residents have expressed their hopes that this site gets used for more than just parking. What else could happen there?

This scenario shows how ground-floor retail and student apartments could occur on the site in addition to structured parking.

Dreaming Big at 38th and Lancaster

The public realm at Lancaster Avenue and 38th Streets is greatly affected by the underutilized land at the Drew School and back side of University City High. How could we put some of this land to better use while maintaining the same amount of playgrounds and parking for the schools? What would people like to see here?

This site is a great location for a drug store or small grocery store. These images depict two long-term ideas for the site. While there would be many potential challenges to realizing these ideas, they offer a vision of transformation for such a critical segment of Lancaster Avenue.

Retail Node at 34th and Spring Garden

In the area of 34th and Spring Garden Streets, there is potential for new housing opportunities with ground floor retail. What conflicts might exist for residents living close by? How could these problems be solved with good planning and design guidelines?

This image depicts one idea for what could happen here. In this scenario, the existing warehouse building remains, new residential and retail space is proposed for existing parking lots, and landscaping is used to define the corners.

Gateway at 31st and Spring Garden

The intersection at 31st and Spring Garden Streets is a critical gateway into Powelton Village. What should happen here? How could we attract Art Museum visitors to venture over the river?

This image depicts one idea for the site. In this scenario, a pocket park would integrate public art, anchor uses would enliven the southwest and northeast corners and terraces would showcase the view of Center City.

What is YOUR vision for Powelton Village?

At this critical moment in the history of Powelton Village, consensus among neighbors is key to successfully crafting a vision for the future. What is YOUR vision for the neighborhood? Should recommendations seek to be transformative or pragmatic? Can we do both?
The orange areas on the map show sites that are currently vacant or underutilized, or where some change is likely to occur. What should happen in these places? Should new retail and housing occur at a higher density along the Lancaster Avenue and Spring Garden corridors or should smaller, more decentralized neighborhood nodes occur throughout the neighborhood?

Neighborhood Plan Open House

Thanks to everyone who showed up to share their ideas at the Open House on May 31. We had a great turnout- over sixty folks participated in the event!

There was significant agreement about the issues that the neighborhood faces. The top three concerns that were voiced throughout the day were:

1) Absentee ownership and student housing
2) Deferred maintenance (trash, dilapidated buildings, etc.)
3) Lack of services (drug store, grocery store, restaurants, etc.)

Take the Powelton Village Neighborhood Survey

Powelton Village faces unique opportunities and challenges given its historic housing stock low homeownership rate, and proximity to institutions such as Drexel University. The Powelton Village Neighborhood Plan offers you the chance to strategize about these opportunities and challenges in order to ensure the economic stability and long-term viability of Powelton Village.

Please take a few moments to complete this survey online, the results of which will inform the creation of the neighborhood plan.