Springtime is a season of rebirth and regeneration. Thus, following a long and disruptive construction project,wemarked rebirth with a weekend of good deals from local restaurants.
It was comeback time for East Falls aswe celebrated the reopening of Midvale Avenue on Saturday and Sunday, April 19th and 20th. Ridge and Midvale Avenues was the place to go for good food. Welcoming both the season and the reopening of the area's Ridge and Midvale gateway,people spent theirEast Falls Business Bucks at one of the area eateries to experience what the neighborhood has to offer.
Local restaurants Johnny Manana's, Buckets Bar and Grill, Franco's Trattoria, The Pour House, Shan Chuan Chinese Restaurant and the Café at the Mills, as well as the two pizza shops, Slices and Golden Crust had specials to showcase their unique flavors.
This event was supported by The Merchant's Fund. To see theirweb site, www.merchantsfund.org click here: Merchants Fund.
Philly Spring Cleanup was a Success (4/5/08)
Mayor Nutter set Saturday, April 5th as "Philly Spring CleanUP"...
The East Falls Development Corporation, Community Council and Business Association arranged for East Falls to be included....and we had a great day!
By creating partnerships, we hope to help make Philadelphia and East Falls, healthier and more beautiful.
Over 65 neighbors and volunteers came together to clean up the Riverfront Business District at Ridge & Midvale Avenues and Cresson Street, by the train station and from Calumet to Indian Queen.
The event was the beginning of the City's ongoing “Love Where You Live” anti-litter campaign. The Mayor's plan is to recruit thousands of Philadelphians to help clean major sections of our city; to raise awareness about litter prevention; and to instill neighborhood pride and civic responsibility in residents in an effort to keep our city clean each and every day.
The Spring Cleanup was a one-day event, with a host of cleaning and beautification projects throughout the city. You can view more about the City's campaign at their web site www.phillycleanup.com.
On April 5th the Mayor's goals were to:
Engage over 10,000 volunteers in a day of service
Clean 5,000 residential blocks throughout the city
Clean 50 commercial corridors along major thoroughfares
Clean 10 neighborhood recreation centers in the community
Clean 10 areas within Fairmount Park
Remove over 1 million pounds of litter and trash from our city!
Sports Murals will be replaced with new public art (4/5/08)
The Sports Murals under the Twin Bridges will be removed and replaced with a new public art project. The EFDC has partnered with the Mural Arts Project (MAP) to bring a different look to the area. The East Falls Community Council decided to proceed with this project and a volunteer committee of volunteers has been working together.
The committee has selected four finalists who are working on designs.Everyone is invited to have their say about these designs. They will be at 3720 Midvale Avenue (formerly Well Grounded) from noon - 4 p.m. on April 19th and 20th, during the Flavors of East Falls days. For those who can't make the Flavors, the designs will be at Dobosn Mills for the following week, from 9-5. Evening hours will be on Wednesday, April 23, from 5 - 8.
The final project will then be installed this summer.
Weaver's Way Meeting (2/18/08)
Weavers Way held a meeting in East Falls to discuss what it would take to start a food co-op Wednesday, Feb. 13, 7 p.m. Tuttleman Hall, Philadelphia University. Weavers Way discussed what it might take to start a community-based co-op with the 60 people who came. A number of people signed up to partnicipate in a steering committee. If you are interested in participating, please contact the EFDC. Email the EFDC
A New Philadelphia Landmark is on! (updated 1/25/08)
On January 12 the Falls Bridge’s new Lighting was officiallyturned on by Governor Edward G. Rendell, Mayor Michael A. Nutter, State Senator Vincent Hughes, State Representatives Kathy Manderino and Jewell Williams, and City Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. They were joined by about 1000 people who came to the party to celebrate the new look in East Falls.
Cookies, hot cocoa and coffee were waiting for the guests at Kelly Drive and Midvale Avenue. The ceremony began with opening remarks from East Falls Development Corporation’s President Carolyn Sutton. She and EFDC Director Gina Snyder were presented with an official citation celebrating the lighting from Councilman Jones. Rep. Manderino then introduced Mayor Nutter, who was then welcomed East Falls resident Gov. Rendell. They were later joined by Senator Arlen Specter, another East Falls neighbor.
The nighttime look is a new landmark for Philadelphia. The bridge highlights Philadelphia’s identity as a “New River City” and announces the community with a strong visual marker. Check out these photos.
Grenald Waldron and Associates (GWA) did the beautiful lighting design. The electrical contractor, Carr and Duff, did the work with Urban Engineers as the inspectors. .As an added benefit, there is now a permanent signed and marked pedestrian crossing on the Martin Luther King Drive side of the Bridge.
This project was many years in the planning. The idea was instigated during East Falls’ 100 year anniversary celebration of the bridge in 1995. The current project was led by the East Falls Development Corporation a Because of financial limitations, only the downriver side of the bridge is lit.
GWA’s designer Sandra Stashik, was guided by the Falls Bridge Lighting Committee, that included East Falls residents, Sandra Radich, an architect with Cope Linder; Julie Camburn, President of the East Falls Business Association; Carolyn Sutton, President of the EFDC; and, Ellen Sheehan, President of the East Falls Historical Society. The committee also included Stephanie Craighead, Deputy Director of the Fairmount Park Commission, and Lane Fike and Joe Doyle from the Streets Department’s Bridge and Lighting Divisions, respectively. This committee worked with Grenald Waldron to present the design to the East Falls Community Council where it was enthusiastically endorsed.
Coordinating the project also took extra efforts from Joseph Certaine in the Governor’s Office, Southeast Region, Jim Donaghy from the Managing Director’s Office, and Streets Commissioner Clarena Tolson.
Lighting the Falls Bridge was funded through a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania’s Dept. of Community and Economic Development. The project and January 12th lighting event would not have been possible without the encouraging support of Governor Rendell and significant contributions from Mark Sherman of Sherman Properties, FX Duffy & Co. Accountants, Urban Engineers, East River Bank and Independence Blue Cross. Funding was also provided by Cope Linder Architects, Robert Brasler, Sunoco Inc., PECO, and the East Falls Community Council and Riverfront District Partners. Contributors included Dorothy Storm of Prudential Fox & Roach, Elfant Wissahickon Realtors, Gypsy Lane Franco’s Trattoria, Gilbert Rowe, Connie Gillespie of Elfant Wissahickon Realtors, and the East Falls Business Association. Tom and Arlen Leschak of Conrad Catering and Alma Catering kindly donated the cookies and hot cocoa.
Dotting the “i”s and crossing all the “t”s was a team of party-planning volunteers from the EFDC.. They included Greg O’Loughlin, Heidi Grunwald, Steve Ohm, Gilbert Rowe, Sandra Radich, Ed Delisle, and Lorina Marshall-Blake. East River Bank was especially supportive, through President Chris McGill, Branch Manager Nancy Karahuta, and Vice President Rose Siegel: The Redevelopment Authority, Executive Director Michael Koonce, and Robert LaBrum are especially appreciated for allowing the use of the Rivage lot for event parking.
Youth Study Center to be in East Falls for Three Years (1/5/08).
The City of Philadelphia's application for zoning approval to locate the Youth Study Center at the site of the former Easter Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute (EPPI) was approved by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. The Multi-Community Alliance is appealing.
East Falls' 2nd annual. ARTS BY THE RIVER was a great hit! Over 40 artists, artisans and vendors from the region came in with handmade items of all sorts, including glass blowing, textiles, paper, textiles, mosaics, fine art, painting and photography. Over a thousand visitors came out on a warm October day to enjoy the day. People got their holiday shopping done early or picked up items for the home. This year's 2008 Festival is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 4. Applications are already available for artists.Arts by the River vendor form
The ARTS BY THE RIVER FESTIVAL is one of many events of annual East Falls Fall Festival.
Arts by the River was held on Riverfront Business District in East Falls on Ridge Avenue between Midvale Avenue and the Falls Bridge at the Inn Yard Park. 
The RDA Board voted on Sept. 25 to preliminarily select "East Village" as the new plan for the old Rivage Site. The developers are Riverfront District Partners, a team that includes Ball Street Partners from Washington DC, a partnership between Brian Davis and Christian Laettner and local developers Paul Horning, of Devon Urban Advisors and David Stubbs, of Ivary Towers Investments from Philadelphia. This 1.6 acre site should be sold within the next year.
This is good news for local residents who came to the August 13 Special meeting of the EFCC and indicated that they preferred this project. The EFDC conducted a survey at the meeting and on-line about the three proposals that were submitted, EastVillage got the highest positive rankings. It was considered the most well designed, thoughtful and connected to the community. It received some negatives because of its height; it was the tallest of the three proposals submitted. Close behind was the Westrum proposal. East Village is as multi-family living over 10,000 sq. ft. of retail spaces with a 3-level indoor garage within its core. They are proposing 173 residential units, in a mixture of 118 apartments and 55 condominiums. They plan to sell the apartments as condominiums within 3-5 years after occupancy. Torti Gallas & Partners, of Silver Spring, Maryland, is responsible for Land Planning and Architecture. They are proposing two buildings, connected by an pedestrian bridge over a public walkway.
The East Falls community has been actively engaged in the selection and review of the potential developers for this site over the past two years. The neighborhood has had a number of a special meetings of the East Falls Community Council, facilitated by the East Falls Development Corporation, to hear about the site, urban design, and various proposals and to provide input. Even before selection, important community goals were put in the Request for Proposals itself through the work of the EFDC. These include streetscape improvements and design requirements. As a result, the developers are required to undertake over $500,000 in public improvements as part of their project. This made sure that the proposals were in line with community concerns in advance. The RDA's vote was a confirmation of a recommendation from the RDA's Selection Committee. Six people sit the Committee, including Sharon Jaffe, the EFCC's representative and representatives from these City agencies: the Commerce Department, the Planning Commission, the Office of Housing and Community Development, the RDA, and the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation: The Committee's vote was unanimous. Members evaluated the proposals on a variety of factors, including bid price, design, experience with development in Philadelphia, minority participation, and financial feasibility. Riverfront Patners will have until Nov. 27, 2007 to enter into a development agreement with the RDA and will then have six months to obtain the neighborhood's approval for any zoning variances that might be needed.
Torti Gallas & Partners, of Silver Spring, Maryland, is responsible for Land Planning and Architecture. See Their PowerPoint Presentation
Gateway Pedestrian Island
East Falls will have a Gateway Pedestrian Island sign. This pedestrian island will be located on Midvale Avenue where Midvale meets Kelly Drive. The funding for the island has been secured by the EFDC, as a way to make the area friendlier for pedestrians. The sign will also give us a landmark identity market – telling people they are in East Falls.
The idea of the pedestrian island is simple – to provide a protected area where the pedestrian can safely cross a wide expanse of roadway. At an East Falls Community Council meeting in Fall 2006, Mark Havens and Tod Corlett, design consultants, showed the design. They have taken the new East Falls logo and created a beautiful sign. The sign will have a natural stone column in the center and curved metal that has the design cut out of it. It is designed to be weather resistant and vandal proof. The materials of metal and stone reflect our industrial heritage but pick up on the elegant design of the bridge railings from the logo. Behind the sign, placed in a long planted section, will be a series of curved metal elements that will reflect the railing design. The island will have attractive plantings designed by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
Expanded Parking in East Falls
The parking lot under the Twin Bridges has 50 new spaces. It is located under Rte. 1 (The Twin Bridges), between Ridge Avenue and Kelly Drive. Construction is finished. The lot will be operated by the EFDC, with input from local business owners. The cost will be free for the first two hours during the day and then .50 for time after. There will be a flat rate fee of $3.00 for evening parking. No overnight parking permitted.
