It’s decision day for Washington Avenue | Morning Newsletter

You probably woke up to clouds but we’re looking at a dry day with temperatures in the low 50s.

We’re monitoring what the city will reveal later today about its plans for the highly contentious street corridor that is Washington Avenue.

And we look at the snags in Philly’s new tool for fixing the affordable-housing crisis.

Also, we have the latest from Ukraine and its continued effects here at home.

— Kerith Gabriel (@sprtswtr, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

I should actually say we’ll know the potential final plan, which is expected to be revealed tonight during a community meeting of concerned residents, business owners, and the city’s Office of Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability.

🚴 What’s this plan expected to reveal? The culmination of decade-long debate, numerous studies, and fraught discussion over a roadway design meant to reduce crashes and protect pedestrians and cyclists who populate what’s currently a five-lane commercial and industrial corridor.

🚶🏽‍♂️ When is the city revealing the plan? OTIS is expected to present the plan and answer questions from the public tonight at 6:30 p.m. at the Christian Street YMCA (1724 Christian St.). If you plan to attend, masks are required.

🚗 Why have residents been so opposed to past plans? Mostly parking, increased side street traffic, and growing gentrification. On Monday, a group of Point Breeze residents opposed to reducing the number of car lanes protested by briefly standing in the street during morning rush hour. They believe the city wants to abet more development and further gentrify the historically Black neighborhood.

Our reporter Thomas Fitzgerald brings us up to speed on how the redesign of Washington Avenue got detoured by a clash of competing needs.

A site at 13th and Bainbridge, which has sat vacant for decades, has been approved for a new 45-unit apartment complex called the Parker.

What makes this building unique from others going up all over Philadelphia is that the Parker was supposed to be the city’s first experiment with what’s known as a “land trust” — an arrangement that has the city leasing the land to a redeveloper long term instead of selling it outright, to ensure that affordability requirements are honored.

Initially, 14 of the 45 units of the Parker were designated for tenants earning just 60% or less of the area median income. But now Benchmark, the developer of the project, plans to keep fewer of the units affordable — placing the project on hold as the redeveloper also considers adding parking amid neighborhood pushback.

Experts say it shows how stymied development in the city can be — especially a proposal that includes affordable housing, which requires some creativity to finance.

Our reporter Ximena Conde takes a look at “land trust” and what some believe are the flaws in its design.

There’s a rare literary journal created entirely by Philadelphia writers currently going through a revival. What’s significant is that this almost 100-year-old journal is comprised entirely of works written by Black writers. Today’s question: Do you know the name of the journal? Take a guess and find the answer here.

a. The Green Book

b. Black Opals

c. Stories of Us

👀 Reading: The curious case of this 5-year-old’s pink eye diagnosis.

👉🏽 Sharing: This approach to boycotting vodka from Russia, as opposed to buying bottles to pour down the drain.

🦅 Updating: Our passports in case rumors of the Eagles playing a game in Mexico next season are true.

This Philly native has turned trash into activism, one treasured block at a time.

SAT THAY NAVARMF

Know who it is? Send your guess our way at morningnewsletter@inquirer.com. We’ll give a shoutout to a reader at random who nailed the answer. And shoutout to Mandy from East Falls who correctly guessed the SS UNITED STATES as Monday’s answer.

Have a great Tuesday, everyone. Hope to catch you bright and early on Wednesday. 🌞