Unlike the 46th & Market district, the City Avenue corridor does not contain deteriorated or obsolete buildings, and underutilization of property is not a major problem. The physical condition and economic health of the City Avenue corridor is generally very good. Therefore, The Plan does not call for major changes in the land use pattern of the district. Instead, the goal here is to look for ways in which each section of the corridor can function better today, to identify development opportunities that will enhance the corridor in the future, and to address the area's transportation needs.
For planning purposes, the corridor is divided into several distinct areas. Each of these areas represents a different land use concentration. The general description of each area applies to both sides of City Avenue -- the City side and the suburban side. The areas are located and identified on page 120.
The heavily landscaped residential zone between Haverford Avenue and 59th Street lends considerable prestige to the corridor. Historic houses and apartment buildings line the street. Large lawns and mature trees abound. For the most part, traffic moves freely and with relative safety through this zone.
Further north, St. Joseph's University has added several new buildings to its campus during the past several years; and the university's growth has enhanced the appearance of the City Avenue corridor. In the future, the university plans to redevelop the former shopping plaza located at 5400 City Avenue. The proposal is to replace this row of stores with a major new addition to the campus that will house the National Center for Food Marketing.
Today, the intersection of 54th Street and City Avenue is clearly underutilized. The development potential at this intersection is far greater than is indicated by the single-story buildings located on the Philadelphia side of the street. Fifty-fourth Street has substantial traffic volumes, it carries a major bus route, and it is the gateway to the St. Joseph's campus.
City Avenue between 54th Street and Conshohocken Avenue is a "highway commercial" area. This is the only sizeable area within the corridor that suffers from problems of poor appearance, visual clutter and unsafe traffic patterns that are common along many highway commercial strips across the country. Each business has at least two curb cuts on City Avenue. The number of curb-cuts is excessive and creates an unsafe traffic condition by permitting frequent and uncontrolled turning movements along this busy four lane highway. Other problems include unsightly billboards, lack of landscaping, and noise conflicts caused by the proximity of auto service facilities to adjacent houses.
The predominantly commercial area between Conshohocken Avenue and Belmont Avenue is better organized and comparatively well planned; and this area is experiencing significant investment activity. The Bala Shopping Center has recently undergone a complete remodeling, including improvements to the parking lot and the addition of a free-standing restaurant at Belmont Avenue. Across the street, a new retail center has recently opened for business within the city limits. The Presbyterian Home, a residential facility for the aged containing historic buildings and plentiful lawn space, is a landmark in this area.
The northeastern end of the City Avenue corridor, near the Schuylkill River, is an employment intensive zone that plays an important role in the region's economy. While land for additional office development is scarce on the suburban side of City Avenue, there is space within the city for new development at the Adams Mark Hotel, Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and the Twelve Ceasars Conference Center. The traffic impact of new development is an issue that must be considered.
The most important planning objectives for the corridor: are (1) to realize the highest quality new development and the most appropriate uses on the opportunity sites that exist along the corridor; (2) to accommodate future development at a level that is consistent with the area's transportation capacity; (3) to enhance traffic safety and aesthetic qualities in the area between 50th and 54th Streets; and (4) to preserve the residential character of the corridor between Haverford and Cardinal Avenues.
Haverford Avenue to 59th Street
A new zoning policy is recommend for properties bordering City Avenue between Haverford and Cardinal Avenues. As explained in the "City Line Neighborhoods" section of the plan, the Planning Commission will oppose zoning applications that propose commercial use of properties along this portion of the corridor, to preserve the residential character of the area. Commercial use of the existing storefront space in the apartment building at 6300-18 City Avenue will be permitted as an exception, subject to reviewing plans for the signs that would accompany a new store at this location.
59th to 54th Streets
The Planning Commission supports the proposal of St. Joseph's University to construct a major academic building at 5400 City Avenue. The project will require zoning approval in the future. The existing zoning is "Institutional Develop-ment District." Mid-rise building height is recommended at this location, which is the point of arrival at a major university. Vehicular curb cuts should be made from 54th Street in order to minimize the traffic impact on City Avenue.
54th Street to Conshohocken Avenue
The 1.5-acre property at 5320 City Avenue should be redeveloped in the future as a multi-story office building with ground floor retail use. The existing zoning is C-2 commercial; the recommended zoning is C-3 commercial, which would permit a higher density building up to five stories in height.
| Organization of the Study Area |
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| Summary of Recommendations |
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| Transportaion Recommendations |
| Public Transit - Public transit gives this corridor a competitive advantage over suburban employment centers. Public transit should be used to its maximum potential along City Avenue. Several recommendtations are aimed at improving bus and tralley service to the City Avenue corridor, and another recommendation suggests that Light Rail Transit (LRT) service should be added in the long term. Traffic - Traffic is often congested on City Avenue, but widening the highway will only serve to attract more vehicles to the corridor. In this plan, traffic recommendations focus on controlling the growth of traffic through employer-initiated transportation programs and through the increased use of public transit. Physical improvements to the avenue and to certain intersections are also proposed. |
Other recommendations are directed at improving traffic safety and aesthetics in the "highway commercial" area located between 54th and 50th Streets. Changes in design, zoning and circulation are proposed. Property owners and developers are strongly encouraged to have vehicular ingress and egress from the existing side streets instead of directly from City Avenue. Rear driveways that connect to the side streets can also be used to reduce traffic hazards on City Avenue. Increased use of landscaping, landscaped buffer areas adjacent to housing, and tastefully designed signage are also recommended. Rezoning this area from existing C-2 commercial to C-7 commercial is also recommended. The proposed C-7 classification has the following advantages: it requires open space buffer areas adjacent to residential properties, landscaping on the commercial property, and off-street parking
Conshohocken Avenue to Belmont Avenue
The Presbyterian Home property includes a two-acre lawn area at the east corner of City Avenue and Conshohocken Road. If this land is proposed for development in the future, the preferred use is institutional. Residential or commercial development could also be compatible with nearby City Avenue development, as long as the site planning and design is of high quality.
Belmont Avenue to Schuylkill River
The Adams Mark Hotel's parking lot (the lower-level parking lot fronting on City Avenue) is part of a potential development site that is seven acres in size. The proposed use for this site is commercial, at a density that is consistent with existing zoning. A previous proposal for an upscale retail development, approved by the city for UDAG funding in 1986, still merits support. A new health and fitness club is another example of a use that would be compatible with other uses in the area. The billboards that currently exist on the site impact negatively on the area's aesthetic qualities. If the landowners were to let the leases expire and remove these billboards, the public perception of this part of City Avenue and the image presented by the hotel would be enhanced.
Adjacent to the hotel, the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine owns eight acres of open space and surface parking on Monument Road (opposite Stout Road). If this site is developed in the future, institutional expansion is the preferred use.
Several years ago, a new hotel was planned as an addition to the Twelve Caesars Conference Center (4200 City Avenue). The City approved a zoning variance and a special arrangement for parking, but the project was never constructed. The hotel was an appropriate use for this site and still merits support; it would serve the Twelve Caesars facility and the office park across City Avenue.
New street trees and landscaping are recommended along City Avenue and Monument Road. The sidewalks that connect the Presidential Apartments, the Adams Mark Hotel, City Avenue Hospital and the Pathmark shopping center are used by thousands of employees and visitors every day. On City Avenue, the bus stops are heavily used. Consistent with the trees and landscaping that exist on the WPVI property, new planted material (installed by private owners) and street trees (installed by the City) are recommended in order to make these sidewalks more inviting to pedestrians.
Traffic congestion is a significant problem on City Avenue. During peak hours, the volume of "through" traffic has reached or exceeded the highway's carrying capacity at Belmont Avenue and at Presidential Boulevard. In addition, peak hour turning movements exceed the capacity of the intersections at Presidential Boulevard, Monument Road, Kings Grant Drive, Belmont Avenue and 63rd Street. Traffic is congested despite the fact that City Avenue has been widened and improved many times, lending credence to the theory that traffic volume will continue to grow until it has met or exceeded the capacity that is available.
Costly construction projects that increase highway capacity are inevitably followed by a corresponding increase in traffic. This cycle should not be repeated another time in the case of City Avenue. The Planning Commission does not recommend large-scale highway widening as a response to traffic congestion along the corridor. Instead, the task of keeping traffic moving along City Avenue should be accomplished by improving public transportation, by controlling the growth of traffic in the future, and by making certain traffic control and intersection improvements.
Public Transit Recommendations
Public transportation is one of the advantages that the City Avenue corridor enjoys over other suburban growth centers. There are two commuter rail stations on City Avenue, a station on the Route 100 light rail line, and many bus routes that connect this corridor with Center City, the Main Line suburbs, the 69th Street terminal, and with West, North, Northwest and Northeast Philadelphia. The following recommendations are aimed at maximizing the potential for public transit usage along the corridor.
Provide continuous bus service along the full length of the corridor.
The Route 1 or the Route 65 bus line should be rerouted so that riders can travel the entire corridor, without transfer, between West Chester Pike and Presidential Boulevard. Currently, no single transit route runs the entire length of the corridor. Continuous bus service will benefit riders who are residents of Philadelphia, and it will also shorten trips between many suburban communities and the major employers along the corridor.
Increase the frequency of service on the Route 1 bus line.
This bus route connects Northeast Philadelphia with the 69th Street terminal, principally using City Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard. It runs only seven times in the morning and seven times in the evening, at half hour intervals. Increasing the frequency of service should reduce the amount of traffic going to and from Saint Joseph's University, because a large percentage of the university's student body resides in Northeast Philadelphia.
Establish a bus stop on City Avenue for Routes 124 and 125.
These buses link Center City with King of Prussia, using the Schuylkill Expressway. They currently make an intermediate stop at the Wissahickon Transfer Center. Having this intermediate stop moved to a location near City Avenue & Presidential Boulevard would be less time-consuming for the buses, and would bring the riders within walking distance of many large employers along City Avenue.
Extend the Route 10 trolley to the Overbrook Station of the R-5 Commuter Rail Line.
This improvement has been proposed in the past, but has not been implemented. Route 10 is a subway-surface trolley that runs between Center City and 63rd Street & Malvern Avenue. Extending this trolley line 1/3 of a mile to the Overbrook Station would facilitate "reverse commuting" and increase transit usage along the City Avenue corridor.
Begin studying the feasibility of converting the R-6 commuter rail line to Light Rail Transit (LRT).
Conversion to LRT will reduce the financial losses that have plagued the R-6 line by allowing for single person operation, smaller vehicles and more frequent service. The new line should be routed so that a larger market is served relative to existing R-6 service. One possibility that would dramatically improve access to City Avenue would be to extend the LRT line in a northeasterly direction from the Bala Station, along a new right-of-way that is parallel and adjacent to City Avenue, to the densely built-up area near Presidential Boulevard.
Recommendations for Controlling Future Increases in Traffic Volume
The Planning Commission recommends that in the future, traffic volume on City Avenue should be controlled through the introduction of employer-initiated transportation programs that act to reduce the number of autos used by the work force to commute to work.
| Major Employer/Site | Estimated # of Jobs |
|---|---|
| Adams Mark Hotel | 500 |
| Bala Cynwyd Shopping Center | 600 |
| Bala Office Park | 7,800 |
| City Avenue Hospital | 1,200 |
| Holiday Inn | 250 |
| Phila. College Osteopathic Medicine | 300 |
| St. Joseph's University | 930 |
| Saks Fifth Avenue | 190 |
| Total jobs at major sites on City Avenue | 11,770 |
Transportation Control Measures (TCMs) should be implemented bymajor employers.
Consistent with the requirements of the federal Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990, Transportation Control Measures should be devised and put into practice by City Avenue's large employers. TCMs are alternatives or incentives, offered to commuters, that reduce the use of the automobile during peak hours. TCMs can include car pools, van pools, guaranteed ride home, subsidies of transit fares, charges for parking, subsidies of transit services or facilities, transportation information services, transit promotion programs, or on-site pedestrian amenities (such as paved or covered walkways, transit shelters or on-site bus stops).
TCMs represent the future direction of traffic management efforts in the United States, and the City Avenue corridor is especially well suited for this approach (see Table 16). Employment is concentrated along City Avenue, and there is already a high level of transit service compared to the other suburban centers in the region. Employers and building managers should organize together to help employees to use public transportation.
Under the 1990 Clean Air Act Amendments, the area's largest employers -- those with 1,000 or more employees -- must prepare and submit commuter management plans by November 1994. Smaller companies, those with 100 or more workers, must submit their employee trip reduction plans by November 1995. A specific vehicle reduction target must be achieved by November 1997, according to the new federal requirements.
Recommended Traffic Improvements
The first two recommendations represent additional ways to address traffic congestion on City Avenue without increasing the capacity of the roadway. The final recommendation, to create additional capacity at certain intersections, should be employed if all other measures fail to prevent gridlock.
Extend the mountable concrete median from its current southern terminus at King's Grant Drive (near City Avenue Hospital) southward to 54th Street.
This would eliminate the mid-block left turns which currently cause traffic disruptions and accidents. The resultant loss of access to businesses could be offset by establishing a system of signed alternate access routes using signalized cross streets and parallel streets.
Install a high-technology signal system along the entire length of the corridor.
The new signals would be automatically responsive to fluctuations in the traffic flows, and could be manually adjusted by traffic engineers from a central control center.
Intersection Improvements
A 1988 study by Orth-Rogers Associates found that traffic volume exceeded capacity for certain turning movements at the following intersections: Presidential Boulevard, Monument Road, Kings Grant Drive, and Belmont Avenue. Planning Commission staff observation indicates that the 63rd Street intersection is also congested because of turning movements. Traffic engineering studies are recommended for these intersections so that physical improvements can be made in the future.
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