Bartram’s Mile is a plan to connect neighborhoods in SouthWest Philly to the Schuylkill River waterfront and amp up the area’s green amenities via a riverfront trail and new green space. The residents in the area have long been disconnected from the water due to industrial sites and generally unkempt land along the river.

Area in question

Many areas look like this

It’s also a plan to spur development of the two vacant former industrial sites owned by Philadelphia Industrial Corporation (PIDC) to the north and south of Bartram’s Garden. The souped up riverfront area could serve as campus-like green amenities for corporations that might occupy the office-space PIDC envisions developing on the sites in coming years.

But first, the trail. Think Schuylkill Banks but across the river. When the early stages are completed by mid-to-late 2015, the trail will cross the river from the Grays Ferry Crescent and run along the water until it opens up into Bartram’s Garden, making for about an 8-acre green space in Southwest Philly. It will also eventually connect to the 58th Street Greenway and perhaps in time, the East Coast Greenway, the bike equivalent of an Appalachian Trail that stretches from Key West to Maine. The concept of Bartram’s Mile grew out of the larger Parks and Rec Green2015 plan that sought to develop the planning side of how to meet a goal set forth in Mayor Nutter’s Greenworks program to create 500-acres of new green space by 2015. PIDC approached Parks and Rec with the aim of catalyzing development, according to Patrick Morgan of Parks and Rec.

The trail crossing the river. It could make use of the swing bridge visible from the Grays Ferry section of the trail

This guy

“This aligns nicely with that,” Morgan said about the project’s connection to larger plans, including Green2015, but also the University/Southwest Phila2035 district plan.

In July, Parks and Rec, in conjunction with Penn Praxis, hosted Phase II, a second round of community engagement meetings in the planning process. As one might imagine, during Phase I, hosted last year, a process that included bike tours of the garden, community members expressed that they would like to see the riverfront come to life. They’d like to fish, be able to bring their families, have a picnic. They also thought this area could perhaps serve for recreation and entertainment events like small concerts. Conceptual drawings created by andropogon show a lush waterfront complete with public gathering spaces, bridge overlooks, ponds and wetlands. Those types of amenities are conceptual and could be included down the line. But the first priorities, according to Morgan, are to connect the surrounding communities to the trail and the local neighbors to Bartram’s Garden. Things like connector streets north and south of the Garden, like 51st and 56th, still have to be determined. And because many of the sites used to be industrial, there is a good deal of remediation work that has to be done to clean and clear the site.

Northern section

Central section, includes Bartram's Garden

Southern section

It’s interesting to see Parks and Rec align with real estate entity PIDC to engage in a green project that will benefit anyone interested in hitting the trail, local neighbors, and development in general. The William Penn Foundation funded the planning part, and Parks and Rec has $2M they plan to leverage with other organizations. That makes for about $4M of new investment coming to the Southwest Philly waterfront. Money well spent, if you ask us.

Renderings from Plan Philly.

–Lou Mancinelli