Plan Philly
- Plan Philly says that the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, pending PennDOT approval, will launch a $200,000 yearlong study this summer to determine the best course of action in improving the transportation network along the Roosevelt Boulevard. Options run the gamut from simple investments, to Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), to light rail. Old dreams of heavy rail might be unfeasible, seeing as SEPTA couldn’t match the $1.5 billion of a hypothetical grant from the federal government.
- In her column this morning, Inga Saffron rails against the entire notion of the downtown parking garage, noting that even the accomplished Erdy McHenry architectural firm doesn’t have the chops to enliven the self-parking garage on Arch Street, first proposed by developer Dennis Maloomian in 2010. “With nearly all garages, the most unattractive features are the open parking decks and looming concrete walls. Erdy McHenry use their considerable design skill to camouflage those eyesores, but they fool nobody.”
- City Paper reports that Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez quietly offered a solution yesterday to one of the Actual Value Initiative’s more onerous shifts in the tax burden: the $200 million being redirected from large commercial properties to residential parcels. The Use & Occupancy tax, reserved for commercial properties, would not be cut in half as currently envisioned, but retained at its 5.51%, yet waiving the first $2,000 altogether.
- At a City Council hearing on Wednesday, natural gas industry representatives told Council members to shoot for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) export center in the city. Such a facility would create 3,000 jobs, yet would be have to be approved by the Department of Energy. “We’ve got an oversupply of gas here, and tremendous demand in Japan and India,” said Mitchell Bormack of TRC Engineering Services, so it might be worth taking a number (17!) and standing in line.
- Take a look at muralist Nosego’s work-in-progress over at Elixr Coffee, 207 South Sydenham Street, to be unveiled to the public tomorrow night at 8PM.
About the author
Stephen Currall recently received his BA in history from Arcadia University. Before beginning doctoral studies, he is pursuing his interest in local history, specifically just how Philadelphians engage their vibrant past. Besides skimming through 18th century letters, Steve is also interested in music and travel.
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