June 2024 Board Meeting: 48th Street Restriping and 64 bus route update

48th Street Restriping

At the June Cedar Park Neighbors board meeting, a group of concerned residents living on or around 48th Street presented materials and a petition in opposition of the 48th Street restriping project, which began last week.

After the public portion of the meeting, the board also discussed two other requests: 1) CPN to request a pause on the project and form a committee with other stakeholders to review the project and 2) request that 48th Street have bike lanes next to the traffic lane instead of parking protected lanes.

The board decided to remain aligned with their letter of support sent to the Councilwoman's office on April 10, 2024 and declined these requests to pause, form a committee, and ask for a different design.

Their 3rd request was for the President to ask Councilwoman Gauthier’s office for a meeting. The President formally requested a meeting with Councilwoman Gauthier but her office declined because the project was approved and underway and because public meetings were previously held.

 

Bus 64 route change updates

The group is also in opposition to the 64 Bus route change and asks CPN to intervene. On May 23rd 2024, the SEPTA Board approved the new network and their project team is making preparations for implementation starting in Summer 2025.

However, the Councilwoman’s office said SEPTA is open to reassessing after a year or two if the route changes end up causing new problems."

Please stay in touch with this project by checking www.SEPTAbusrevolution.com and www.SEPTA.org for updates.

PUBLIC COMMUNITY MEETING - TUESDAY MAY 21 2024 - 7:00 PM

Cedar Park Neighbors invites you to a

Public Community Meeting

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 – 7:00 PM

 

This will be a virtual meeting, via Zoom – please see the link at the bottom of this notice.  Please log in early enough to make sure your connection is working and that you can see/hear the meeting.  We are not able to assist with individual technical difficulties. Please note the agenda is subject to change.

 

To receive notice of future zoning meetings, please sign up for the CPN Newsletter at https://www.cedarparkneighbors.org.  For questions, feel free to reach out to the Zoning Committee at zoning@cedarparkneighbors.org

 

There is one case on the agenda.  The property owner is seeking a use variance; the building is currently three units, and the owner is seeking to legalize an existing fourth unit.  The refusal is not for the number of units, but rather for the size of the property, which does not meet current zoning requirements.

 

 

Case #1    761 S. 51st Street     

This is a use/dimensional variance request – the owner seeks to legalize a four-family dwelling in an existing structure; the existing lot size does not comply with current minimums. 

 Join Zoom Meeting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82753421309?pwd=aO35El5OMgvbmbjEQhmIIrZ6AiWVgi.1

 Meeting ID: 827 5342 1309        Passcode: 272837

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CPN Transit Committee Support Letter for 47th and 48th Street Complete Streets Project

Office of Councilmember Jamie Gauthier
City Hall, Room 586
Philadelphia, PA 19107-3290

April 10, 2024

Dear Councilmember Gauthier,

I am writing to you in support of the proposed complete streets project on 47th and 48th Streets in the Cedar Park neighborhood.

Throughout Philadelphia, complete streets programs have been shown to reduce vehicular crashes and deaths - a crucial intervention at a time when pedestrian deaths are on the rise, particularly among children and Black and Hispanic residents [1]. As proposed, the project offers a number of benefits for the neighborhoods in its scope, including narrower crossing distances on 48th Street, traffic calming measures to reduce vehicle speeds, and a more connected cycling network for West and Southwest Philadelphia. Looking beyond the immediate neighborhood, the proposed bike lane changes align well with other projects like Chestnut and Walnut Streets [2], Woodland Avenue [3], and the extensions of the Schuylkill River Trail into Southwest Philadelphia [4]. Taken in context, this project helps the city move closer to accomplishing its safety and sustainability goals while broadly adhering to the vision laid out in the Philadelphia2035 plan [5].

That said, there are some concerns around this project, the most pressing being that the 47th and 48th Street project area is not included in the current mechanical street sweeping program [6]. Given current conditions on other separated bike lanes in the area, adding 47th and 48th Streets to the street sweeping program would be generally beneficial. Additionally, the proposed plans have not made any clear provisions for accessible parking, loading activity, or permitted parking. While these can be incrementally added to the design, the city could take a more proactive approach to addressing community concerns for projects like this one by including these as options during community engagement.

Overall, Cedar Park Neighbors welcomes this improvement to its streets and hopes to see it folded into a broader plan for the future that addresses safety, maintenance, and accessibility needs in a comprehensive fashion.

Sincere regards,

John N Schaeffer
Transit Committee Chair, Cedar Park Neighbors

CC: CPN Board


Election Time!

Our Annual Meeting and Election will take place this Monday, April 15th at Calvary Community Center (48th and Baltimore). 

AGENDA
6:30 - Voting Opens
7:00 - President - Welcome & State of the Union
7:20 - Treasurer - this years budget
7:30 - Election Results - Judges of Election
7:35 - Public Q&A / Town Hall
8-8:30 - Adjourn 

SLATE OF CANDIDATES
President - Catherine Hofmann (currently Secretary) 
Secretary - Angela DiBattiste (currently at-large)
Treasurer - Amara Rockar (currently Treasurer) 
Vice President - John Schaeffer (currently VP) 
At-Large Board Members: Francesca Carvalho, Steve Dolnak, Jess Lowing, Frenchie Pryor, Renee McBride Williams (current President). 12 spots are open. 


YOU MUST BE A MEMBER TO VOTE

By becoming a member, not only do you financially support our work, but you can join committees and vote in the general election! 

Join us today and be a part of something truly special. Together, we can make our neighborhood an even better place to call home. 

Join CPN and Vote in the 2024 Election!

Hello Neighbors!

We're gearing up for a great year of Jazz, Scholarships, Holiday Baskets, along with maintaining Cedar Park, hosting Zoning activities, advocating for safe streets, and so much more!

By becoming a member of Cedar Park Neighbors, you are supporting a wealth of community programming. Plus, you can join committees, run for board seats, and vote in elections.

Become a member today!

Run for a board seat

If you are interested in joining the board, please read more about here: https://www.cedarparkneighbors.org/join-the-board

Public Zoning Meeting - Tuesday, March 19, 2024

REVISED NOTICE

PUBLIC COMMUNITY MEETING

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2024 – 7:00 PM

This will be a virtual meeting, via Zoom – please see the link at the bottom of this notice. We are notholding in-person meetings at this time. Please log in early enough to make sure your connection is working and that you can see/hear the case in which you are interested. We are not able to assist with individual technical difficulties; nor can we confirm exactly when the second case will begin.

There IS ONE case on the agenda - a zoning variance request

for a change of use.

THE TWO RESTAURANT CASES – CLEO BAGELS AND BOOKER’S

RESTAURANT – HAVE BEEN POSTPONED UNTIL OUR APRIL MEETING.

A NEW ZOOM LINK WILL BE CREATED AND MADE PUBLIC.

Case #1 4710 Warrington Avenue

This is a use variance request – the owner would like to create a two-family dwelling in a single-family district.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87268951854...

Meeting ID: 872 6895 1854

Passcode: 967851

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Community Zoning Meeting re: 4601 Springfield Ave

invites you to a

Public Community Meeting

Tuesday, February 20  – 7:00 PM

This will be a virtual meeting, via Zoom – please see the link at the bottom of this notice.  We are not holding in-person meetings at this time.  Please log in early enough to make sure your connection is working and that you can see/hear the case in which you are interested.  We are not able to assist with individual technical difficulties.

There is one case on the agenda – 4601 Springfield Avenue  

There are 2 refusals – one for use, and one for parking.  The applicant is requesting a variance to allow for four-family use; this property is in a single-family district, RSA-3.  Zoning requires one parking spot per unit, on site; this proposal does not include any parking, nor is there space on the site for parking.

Cedar Park Neighbors invites you to join our Zoom meeting:

Join Zoom Meeting:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83472816648?pwd=U0tVZ1QweldLanAxTjNHT2RaSFZUZz09

Meeting ID: 834 7281 664

Passcode: 426660

49th STREET TROLLEY TRACK RENEWAL PROJECT 

There will be major renovation of the trolley tracks on 49th Street between Baltimore Avenue and Chester Avenue, between August 14th and October 28th. Here are some highlights:

  • This project includes the excavation and renewal of existing corroded and broken rail on 49th Street between Baltimore Avenue and Chester Avenue

  • Construction will take place from August 14, 2023, through October 28, 2023

  • The Route 13 and 34 trolleys will operate as normal.

  • The Route 64 bus will be detoured to 48th Street for the duration of the project. Check for posted signs. Check www.septa.org for travel information or call Customer Service at 215-580-7800.

  • Staging of rail and other materials is likely to begin the week of August 7th within the work limits. This preliminary work could result in some loss of parking.

Click here for the full announcement from SEPTA