Reclaiming a Kensington park | Morning Newsletter

Happy Monday. As we shift from WrestleMania to eclipsemania here in Philadelphia, we have a rundown of last-minute, need-to-know info to help you prepare for this afternoon’s solar event. Most importantly, the weather: Expect mostly sunny skies with a high around 65.

In Kensington, residents and community organizations banded together to transform Hope Park from a place where open-air drug dealing thrived to a cleaner and greener, yet more restricted, space. Some stakeholders think the makeover could be a model for the rest of the beleaguered neighborhood.

And a 19-story outpatient center will open at 11th and Chestnut Streets next week. Architecture critic Inga Saffron digs into whether its glittering glass can redeem an otherwise uninspired stretch of Center City.

Let’s get into those stories and more.

— Julie Zeglen (@juliezeglen, morningnewsletter@inquirer.com)

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Just two years ago, a few blocks from the heart of Kensington’s opioid crisis, Hope Park was filled with homeless encampments and open-air drug dealing. Nearby residents in the high-poverty area didn’t feel safe going outside.

Since then, Hope Park has seen something of a revival. Crime is down. The park is cleaner and greener. A nearby, long-vacant former textile mill is now an affordable-housing complex. Homeowners who previously struggled to pay for home repairs like collapsed roofs are getting payment help for renovations.

The turnaround took a coordinated effort from multiple civic partners. It’s not without trade-offs — for one, restricted access to the otherwise public space. Only neighbors have keys to the new, locked fence. But some stakeholders believe Hope Park’s turn could be a model for the rest of Kensington.

Several factors contributed to the revitalization.

Coordinated investment: The full makeover cost $32 million. The nonprofit Impact Services secured state and private funding to renovate the old mill, while the Neubauer Family Foundation contributed $750,000 to spruce up the park and provide home repairs.

Lawmaker and police attention: The neighborhood’s former councilmember, Maria Quiñones Sánchez, helped secure the fencing. A police cruiser now sits watch on the corner of Hope Park.

Community involvement: Residents such as Guillermo Garcia, who first urged Impact Services to do something about the textile mill eight years ago and now connects neighbors to the home-fix resources, have informed the redevelopment process throughout.

Reality check: Those involved know these interventions can’t solve all of Kensington’s ills. “This is a billion-dollar drug market, I don’t think we’re fooling ourselves,” a Neubauer executive said. “But we can look at these pockets of progress and scale up over time, block to block.”

Max Marin and Anna Orso have the full story. Their report comes the same week Mayor Cherelle L. Parker is expected to release her public safety plan for stabilizing all of Kensington.

Philadelphians have heard plenty of promises in recent years about Center City’s pedestrian revival. Will the Fashion District bring people downtown on an odd Monday night? If not, perhaps the proposed Sixers arena will enliven the area?

🏙️ A new Jefferson Health outpatient center at 11th and Chestnut could hold promise for the challenged East Chestnut Street, in particular, with thousands of patients expected to walk through its glass doors each day.

🏙️ Yet the starkness brought on by a “me-first approach to planning” by Jefferson and others on surrounding blocks lingers, architecture critic Inga Saffron writes. While beautiful, the 19-story Honickman Center, which opens April 15, doesn’t counter the area’s dearth of retail activity and slew of car-centric features.

🏙️ What could help? A strong urban planning vision from the new mayor and tax incentives to encourage more mixed-use development in the area might, Saffron suggests.

Here’s what the new Jefferson building does get right.

At long last, the solar eclipse is (almost) here. Between 2:08 and 4:35 p.m. today, Philadelphians can see the moon pass between the Earth and the sun, with 90% of the sun obscured at its peak.

A quick rundown of eclipse info to help you prep:

Watch The Inquirer’s homepage for real-time updates and recaps of the celestial spectacle.

SEPTA’s bus route overhaul has been delayed since City Council asked the agency to hold more meetings with constituents. What is the overhaul called?

A) Bus Revolution

B) Speeding SEPTA

C) No More Delays 2024

D) The Bus Boost

Think you know? Check your answer.

🎤 Bopping to: “Ick” by viral Philly artist Lay Bankz.

🍩 Eyeing: The Inquirer’s new vegan food guide (Dottie’s Donuts forever).

🏳️‍🌈 Visiting: Two traveling exhibits exploring queer history, on display at Drexel later this month.

This recently shuttered Manayunk venue was a live-music hotspot for decades.

Hint: 🍇

MAG POORER

Email us if you know the answer. We’ll select a reader at random to shout out here. Cheers to Rick Goosenberg, who solved Sunday’s anagram: Doug Collins, the former Sixer who played eight seasons with the team and was just inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.

Don’t fret, “Only in Philly” fans — the column sharing heartfelt stories of local belonging will be back next Monday.

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