I wasn't able to attend the unveiling of the plans for the 'hood but here is the write up from the Intelligencer Journal : The northeast section of Lancaster city has served as a gateway to the city for decades, and plans are under way to rebuild the area to make it even more livable.
The first phase of the Northeast Revitalization Initiative, known as Northeast Neighbors, was introduced to an audience of about 50 community members Thursday at the McCaskey East High School Auditorium. Mayor Rick Gray said the northeast section of Lancaster — roughly bounded by North Lime Street to the west, the Amtrak line to the north, the McCaskey campus to the east and East Marion Street to the south — is one of the most beautiful parts of the city but is in need of revitalization.
John Hershey, senior landscape architect with Thomas Comitta Associates, introduced the plan, saying it was based on input from community meetings held in April.
Residents were asked questions at that time on topics such as what they considered the northeast's best attributes to be and what changes they would make.
Suggestions from the April meetings included lighting public spaces such as Lancaster Cemetery and increased lighting of sidewalks. Hershey said lighting was the top request from community members.
The plan proposes installing 16-foot-tall lighting fixtures on key traffic corridors and 12-foot-tall fixtures on secondary streets and sidewalks.
Another concern was safety, and there are plans to introduce community policing activities with more police foot and bike patrols and the possible installation of surveillance equipment.
Hershey said the city strategic plan has a five-pronged approach to improving urban mobility, including enhanced pedestrian corridors, increased parking, improved signs, promotion of alternative forms of transportation and reduced truck traffic.
He said the northeast plan includes the first four of those elements.
The plan includes a proposal for a "Fulton Marketplace" at the intersection of North Plum and East New streets and Park Avenue, near the Hotel Fulton. More parking would be installed and traffic patterns would be modified to permit a section of street to be shut down for exhibitions, markets and other community events, along with outdoor cafés.
Another part of the plan calls for improvements at the entrance to the city on New Holland Avenue and East Ross Street. It includes a small dog park, pedestrian crossings, more sidewalks and traffic measures to slow automobiles.
One of the most ambitious parts of the plan calls for creating a greenway path extending along the old Philadelphia-Columbia Railroad line from north of the McCaskey campus to East Chestnut Street. The path would be designed for bike and pedestrian use and would add more than 9 acres of green space, Hershey said.
The greenway is one of the environmental elements of the plan. There also are provisions for planting more trees and creating more green spaces for better storm water infiltration.
"If Lancaster is to be a livable city for future generations, we need to look at issues such as air quality and water quality, among other greening concerns of our time," Hershey said.
A dollar amount to implement the plans has yet to be calculated. The city would seek state and private grants to help cover the cost.
Community members had several comments and questions about the proposals.
Elaine Herr, a resident of East Lemon Street, said she lives across from Lancaster Cemetery and likes the idea of more lighting there.
Herr said the cemetery board has worked to put more gardens in the area in the hope more people in the community will use the area.
"It's delightful to look out your window and see people sitting on the few benches that we have now, and it's wonderful just to see neighbors gathered (in Lancaster Cemetery)," Herr said.
One of the most controversial parts of the northeast plan includes building several homes on the edge of the 6th Ward Park on East Ross Street. Planners believe that would allow better neighborhood monitoring of activities in the park.
Several community members in attendance said the neighbors around the park already do a good job of monitoring activity, and building homes there would be a detriment.
Other residents said they would like to see more plans for building in industrial areas such as East Walnut Street.
"The intent is not to gentrify the northeast and have every area be cute shops and residential homes," Hershey said. "We need some industrial components in the northeast." By MICHAEL YODER, Staff, Intelligencer Journal
