FDR Park

FDR Park Master Plan Elicits Serious Opposition

FDR Park is the largest and most extensive green space in South Philadelphia. The Park consists of approximately 350 acres and provides for incredibly high number of unique visits for sports, hiking, recreation, picnicking, birding, and nature observation, to name a few.

The Park is over 100 years old and needed a new vision and considerable upgrades, so in 2017 a Master Plan was commissioned to re-develop the Park. Clearly the Plan is creating the scenario for the long-term viability, usage, enjoyment, and future of the Park.

The Master Plan has been met with mixed reviews with many dissenting views. Many users of the Park--from diverse and geographically dispersed backgrounds throughout the city--oppose the Master Plan, or parts of it, for the following critical reasons:  

1. The destruction of 28 acres of natural fields and green spaces into concrete and impervious AstroTurf fields, roads, bleachers, and buildings. This is especially a concern for the western part of the park.
   
   
2. The loss of rare, forested, tidal wetlands.
   
   
3. The negative impact on migratory birds and nesting Great Horned Owls.
   
   
4. Parts of the Park that reverted back to the natural ecosystem of wildlands and parkland should remain that way.
   
   
5. The long-term construction detriment.
   
   
6. The increase in noise pollution and parking spaces.
   
   
7. Many of these changes to the Master Plan are not reversible, rather forever irreparable.
   
   
8. The unchecked political influence, and not the community’s input, in the decision-making.
   
   
9. The genuine concerns of using the Park for the city’s financial gain to override the community’s benefit.