Boathouse plan tests park law

By Nancy Goldenberg

A new process for reviewing the use of park and recreational land in Philadelphia is about to be tested. Thanks to a change in city law, members of the public will play a leading role tonight when the Parks and Recreation Commission reviews a proposal by Temple University to build a new boathouse on Kelly Drive.

As The Inquirer reported last month, Temple officials hope to build a 23,000-square-foot boathouse on a parcel of parkland in the shadow of the Strawberry Mansion Bridge, on the eastern bank of the Schuylkill. Temple's crew teams currently operate out of temporary shelters adjacent to their former home, the historic East Park Canoe House, which was condemned by the city in January 2008.

Penn's vision

While this proposed private use of Fairmount Park land is significant for many reasons, it is the first project that will undergo a new review process codified by a city parkland protection ordinance that was passed by City Council and signed by Mayor Nutter in 2011.

Why the change? The ordinance addresses concerns that public parkland could be sold or leased for private development without proper oversight and public review. The concern arose when the Fairmount Park Commission was replaced by the Parks and Recreation Commission as a result of a voter-approved merger of Fairmount Park and the city Department of Recreation in 2008. Many feared that without the old Fairmount board, development of Philadelphia's parkland could begin to unravel its unique and magnificent open spaces - which make up 13 percent of the city's land - and erode William Penn's vision of a "greene country towne." So delivering the parkland protection ordinance was among the first orders of business of the new Parks and Recreation Commission.

New guidelines required by that ordinance are now in place, and Temple officials have submitted a required "alternatives analysis" to the commission explaining why they believe developing this parcel of open space would be in the public interest. The analysis is available for public viewing online at www.scribd.com/doc/113029885/Temple-University-Boat-house-proposal.

In a public meeting scheduled for 6 p.m. at Lloyd Hall, the Parks and Recreation Commission will hear from university representatives and consider public comment on the proposed boathouse. In addition, anyone can review the proposal and submit comments online.

Greatest asset

Following the review and public comment, the commission will submit a recommendation on the proposed land transfer in writing to the mayor and City Council president by early March. Council and other city officials are required to give substantial weight to the commission's determination.

While Temple's proposal is the first to go through this newly prescribed public process, it clearly will not be the last. The process is designed to continue ensuring that decisions affecting the use of our city's greatest asset - the land set aside for public parks and recreation - will be made in a fair, consistent, and informed manner.