Schuylkill Avenue Phase I Community Briefing Summary and Notes December 2, 2013

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1 Schuylkill Avenue Phase I Community Briefing Summary and Notes December 2, 2013 Representatives from The Children s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), joined by design firm, Cooper Robertson & Partners, architecture firm, Pelli Clark Pelli Architects, and engineering and architecture firm, Ballinger, held a meeting at The Philadelphia School to provide an update to community members on Phase I of CHOP s Schuylkill Avenue project. Please note elements of this project remain conceptual and are subject to change. Accordingly, updates to the plans and statements below will be made available at and in subsequent communications. If you have additional questions, please community@chop.edu or call (267) Peter Grollman CHOP Vice President Government Affairs, Community Relations & Advocacy Welcome and introduction of Senior Vice President of Facilities at CHOP, Doug Carney, and additional CHOP Facilities staff. Phase I of Schuylkill Avenue will be built to accommodate clinical (i.e. office based) research focused on the improvement of pediatric health care. Introduction of State Representative Jordan Harris, Philadelphia City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson and staff from State Representative Brian Sims office. Don Clinton Architect, Cooper, Robertson & Partners CHOP has held 4 community meetings. At the previous meeting, on May 7, 2013, the site master plan was revealed and discussed in detail. The project is now in the schematic design phase when the entire team makes more technical adjustments to the master plan. Demolition of the existing JFK Vocational School structure is expected to begin in early Construction on Phase I will likely begin mid The Schuylkill River Development Corporation (SRDC) has an easement for the Schuylkill River Trail. This is one of five (5) public spaces that will be incorporated into the property. Phase 1 Development: o The foundation for all of the open space as well as the green space and landscaping will be built to enhance the public realm. o A clinical research office building (approximately 23 stories) will be constructed. The majority of vehicle traffic will enter the parking garage directly from the South Street Bridge. This will help decrease traffic into the neighborhood. Additionally, the drop off entrance to the site on Schuylkill Avenue has been moved closer to the building which will increase the amount of space for pedestrian traffic in front of the building. 1

2 The schematic design phase has yielded some visual changes from the master plan presented at the last meeting: o The outdoor space will include a landscaped stairway and a 5 percent graded walk way to the promenade. These will be similar to the Spanish Steps. o CHOP s goal is to develop the character of the building at street view and blend it with the neighborhood, possibly including a terra cotta base. o A shadow study has revealed that the largest shadows cast by the building will be in the winter and the shadows will be over the Schuylkill River. During the summer months, there is the potential for shadows to be cast in the afternoon over a small residential area east of the building. Doug Carney CHOP Senior Vice President, Facilities and Construction Management CHOP is extremely grateful to have such helpful, productive involvement from community members. CHOP is committed to a transparent process and will continue to make all new information available to the community including the newest presentation which will be posted on within a week. Introduction of Ballinger, the engineering and architecture firm. State Representative Jordan Harris 186 th Legislative District Pennsylvania s recently passed Transportation Infrastructure Funding Bill includes $10 million to complete the Grays Ferry Bridge which will connect the community to Southwest Philadelphia. City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson 2 nd Councilmanic District Councilman Johnson offered to be a source of information for the community; therefore, if community members have any questions or would like to obtain additional information, please contact his office. Questions from Community Members (Answers by Peter Grollman, Doug Carney and Don Clinton) 1. Can you tell us about any retail that might be involved in the project that residents would have access to? The mission of CHOP is to advance the health and wellness of children. Therefore, retail will not be a specific focus. The current plan does include space on the promenade for café type establishments that will be open to the community Additionally, the potential for future phases to include retail locations in the building design continue to be a part of the ongoing design team dialogue. The team may conduct a dimension of market analysis to determine the type of retail that would be utilized. 2

3 2. Will parking on Schuylkill Ave be available for residents that currently live there during both the demolition and phase one construction? During demolition, there will be a lane and sidewalk closure for safety reasons. There will be accommodations made during this time for residents to utilize construction parking areas, if possible. Long term, the goal is to create either permit or meter parking on Schuylkill Avenue with the potential for parking on both sides of the street. This may also mitigate traffic in the neighborhood and increase the safety of pedestrians. 3. Will residents be able to utilize parking created for the building once Phase One is complete? CHOP is exploring the possibility of allowing residents to park in the garage on nights and weekends; however, a balance needs to be met so employees are not prevented from accessing the garage in the morning. Timing and overflow space are currently being evaluated. 4. How many employee vehicles do you anticipate to park on the site? It s estimated that there will be roughly 500 total parking spaces 250 on the surface lot and 250 in the garage. 5. How many people will work in the building? It s estimated that 1000 professionals will initially work in the building. The number slowly will grow over time. 6. Due to the size of the structure and the images we have seen, is there a concern for harming the bird population due to birds flying into the building? To some extent, that will be unavoidable; however, the current design includes fritted glass which is not entirely transparent and is more easily visible to birds. Additionally, façade articulations will be made of non-glass material that will be more visible to birds. 7. What will be done to mitigate the speed of traffic accessing the Bainbridge-Schuylkill drop off in front of the building? Will it be safe for pedestrians? CHOP will not be altering the existing traffic design. The drop off will be moved closer to the building which will allow greater room for pedestrian traffic. 8. Will the parking garage entrance on the South Street Bridge also be an exit? Yes, it will be an entrance and an exit for parking garage traffic. It is expected that 50 percent of all vehicle traffic coming to the site will come via the South Street Bridge. By having an entrance and an exit off of the Bridge, there will be less traffic entering the neighborhood. 9. When will Phase I be complete? CHOP s goal is to open the building in the 2 nd quarter of Demolition will likely begin in early 2014 and construction of Phase I will begin mid A resident expressed concern for moving the existing traffic light from where the Schuylkill River Trail is to the parking garage entrance. There will be two traffic lights within a very near distance for pedestrians and bicyclists to use on either end of the South Street Bridge. 3

4 11. Approximately how far back will the buildings be from Schuylkill Ave? The Phase I building will be set back approximately 60 to 80 feet. 12. How will demolition be completed? CHOP is currently in negotiations with one of the largest and most experienced demolition companies in the country. There will be absolutely no explosive demolition used. The current plan is to use demolition excavators and small bobcats where appropriate. Additionally, this company has their own patent for a dust control device that will aid in the mitigation of dust in the area during demolition. We are committed to having phone hotlines that will allow neighborhood residents to let demolition crews know about any concerns or issue they may have. 13. About how long will demolition take and what will the hours of demolition be? Approximately 3 to 4 months. Demolition hours will strictly follow what is permissible by city ordinances. However, CHOP is open to feedback about timing that fits best for the community but still allow for an 8 hour day. 14. Which way will the debris from the demolished building be removed? A route has not been determined, but there is a possibility it will be taken out via Schuylkill Avenue. 15. Is there any information or planning for continued construction for the second phase of the project? There is currently no further demand for clinical research space beyond Phase I: however, it s always important to remember that the health care sector and the needs of our patient population do change and a new need for the second phase may be identified. For example, one need that has been identified is extended lodging for out-of-town patient families. This is merely conceptual and is part of an ongoing discussion within CHOP. Furthermore, there are zoning changes that would need to occur for this to be a viable option. 16. There are potentially 4 phases of construction that have been identified for this project. Will there be years of continuous construction to complete this project in its entirety? With the exception of Phase I and the earlier discussion about Phase II, there are no further plans at this time. This site is being developed to meet identified needs from 2017 through Current CHOP planning doesn t exceed the year Is there a storm water management plan in place? This site will meet the City s current storm water regulations. Under normal rain conditions, sewer drains as well as rain water collection basins will be utilized. In flood-like conditions, the plan is to channel water into holding tanks in the basement of the first building and other built-in channels to manage the flow of water. 4

5 18. What type of truck traffic should be expected when construction is complete? There will be some supply, delivery and sanitation trucks; however, there will be no major truck traffic. 19. What percent of the total employee population will drive? It s estimated that approximately 20% may drive. CHOP will also continue to assess how mass transit will be used and will work with SEPTA and the community to address identified needs. 20. Metered parking was mentioned earlier, what would be the need for that on Schuylkill Avenue? Initially, the thought was it may decrease the use of street parking by employees; however, we currently believe permit parking for resident use on Schuylkill Ave would be more feasible. 21. Will the south end of the project have a finished sidewalk area even though the part of the site will not be developed until a later phase? Yes, Phase I includes the completion of all public and green spaces this includes landscaping. 22. How will the site be powered? All power will be fed into building at the northeast corner and all lines will run underground. 23. Can the height of buildings be altered to better blend with the residential buildings? The architecture and design team is working to make buildings blend with the neighborhood and have a similar look as the buildings in the area. Overall, there is no plan for future construction, but conceptually, CHOP s goal is to make the buildings as low as possible, while still meeting the program needs. 24. Is there any concern for hazardous material exposure with the demolition of the JFK building? The current data doesn t suggest there is any potential danger from hazardous materials to the community residents. As the demolition process progresses, any and all safety measures will be promptly addressed. 25. Will there be access to the Schuylkill River Trail south of the South Street Bridge? CHOP is currently in discussion with CSX to create an area as a part of the promenade that will cantilever over the existing railroad tracks. A bridge from the promenade to the Schuylkill River Trail is being considered. 5