Welcome to the Eastwick Beautification Project
Thank you for all of the feedback! We appreciate your opinions and ideas and are working on how to implement them.
Overview
Community Centered Design Approach
Thomas Jefferson University landscape students are interested in working with you on beautifying a series of green spaces in Eastwick. These parks will also be part of a greenway along Cobbs Creek that connects John Heinz Wildlife Refuge to the Philadelphia Zoo. Your input is critical to ensure that the design process in inclusive and equitable. We need your ideas and vision to beautify Eastwick!
Proposed Green Spaces
Why green spaces?
Last year, the community identified several green spaces in Eastwick that they would like to see reactivated to create a space for people to come together, sit and talk, walk, play, enjoy nature and wildlife, and more. To move forward, we need you to fill out the survey and tell us which green space you would like worked on first.
These green spaces will connect people and places through walking and biking trails, places to sit and meet a friend, wildlife habitat, ecological restoration as well as restrooms and shelters. They will also connect to the greenway (or pollinator corridor) to provide convenient and safe access to the greenway from the neighborhoods, local businesses and institutions.
We need to know what you would like to do along the greenway as well as what you would like in to do in the new park sites. What’s missing in Eastwick that the parks might address? Where are the best streets to connect to the greenway? Which parks might you want implemented first?
Some of these sites are included in the survey, but the list of proposed green spaces is still open to suggestions. The survey asks that you rank your top three sites so that one may be selected to work on this spring.
Proposed Greenway/Corridor
Why a greenway/pollinator corridor?
The proposed pollinator corridor (or greenway) would connect John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge with The Philadelphia Zoo. It would provide the community access to more outdoor spaces for people and nature to connect. Corridors may include trails for walking, running, or biking, spaces to meet a friend, wildlife habitat to watch birds, ecological restoration for pollinators, or Parks & Rec amenities. The corridor will include plants that beautify the area as well as provide sustenance for animals like butterflies that help our food grow. We hope to extend this corridor into your local streets so there is convenient and safe access to green space, local businesses, and institutions.
Partners
Who are we working with?
John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, in partnership with Audubon, reached out to the Landscape Architecture department at Jefferson for their expertise in the design process. Nine undergraduate students are getting to know the community with help from Eastwick Friends & Neighbors Coalition and Eastwick United. Its our goal to complete designs for the top 6 parks as indicated by the community as well as possible alignments for the greenway and access points in Eastwick.
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This map clearly illustrates our need to connect green space in West Philadelphia.
Eastwick Beautification Project 
I am speaking for some of the Neighbors at 8400 Crane. You must understand the Residents here are Seniors. We put a respond letter for the Neighbors to be aware of the plans. We would like a Community meeting to verbally address our concerns. Since we are the Residents in this area we have issues with your required Computer responses. Our business in this area has been related to the format of a Community mtg. We are aware of COVID-19 issues. However it is just as bad with outside decisions or non facial decisions about out Neighborhood. I placed a letter in the mail boxes in the 8400 block of Crane. Again these are Seniors and we need their input. Some of the Neighbors have not heard about this project. Within the next few days we will have written responds from them. Your only means to reply should not be limited to technology as some of the persons do not have Computers and are not willing to come outside to use one. However there are 6 homes on this facing the proposed Site. I have laced my response on a separate page.
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Good morning Ms. Nunley, I apologize for the lateness of this response (I thought I had your email address from a EU meeting, but couldn’t find it) and appreciate you raising the issue of having the survey available only online. Before we build anything and when it is safe to do so, we will have in-person meetings with the neighbors closest to the green space to finalize designs. It’s likely they’ll take the form of a mock-up design of the green space, so people can visualize what a bench would like here, or a pollinator-friendly flower bed would like like there, etc. Since neither the Refuge nor the community owns the designated green spaces, we are currently navigating permission to work on them. If you have more questions, concerns, or would like to talk about the project at all, please feel free to email me at carmelita_rosner@fws.goc or call me at my work cell 215-528-1053. Thank you for your thoughtful comment.
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I am not sure if the location at 8400 Crane st is a realistic ideal. Who will monitor outsiders coming to the park smoking drugs, hanging around until late hours of the night and the car racing team now have a location to park and carry on. We have racing on 84th St and in the back near the train Cars have been seen doing doughnut for hours. When the Police is called this is not a matter of priority and if the Police come at all. Anybody can hang out in the Park and destroy the Property at Will. I would like to see beautification in the area like anyone else. But these are not the Times to open up for anyone to just do as they please in a space built to give them the opportunity. I would suggest the areas outside of John Heniz be the area for People to meet and socialize. I am requesting the Project provide paint to redo the benches and on a Saturday we formulate a Committee to take and beautify the Landscrape. 8400 Crane Street is beautiful and at this time and needs paint and a clean up crew. I will have my Grands start the paper pick up and taking the area. My household will gladly assist. We are not in agreement with any outside decisions until we meet in person and discuss what is in our best interest and people can express their concerns in a democratic manner
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There are areas where I reside in Eastwick that have some beautiful open green spaces that are currently victim to large amounts of trash dumping from roofers, clutter cleaners, etc. It is pitiful eyesore and really vexed ones sense of joy and peace of mind. Can we talk about my area?
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