Plans for a walkable, bikeable, and mixed-use Delaware River waterfront are in jeopardy with a suburban-style gas station / convenience store proposed for Columbus Blvd and Tasker Ave. 

These plans are slated for the northeast corner of this intersection, on the river side of Columbus Blvd.

Voice your opposition to the project in-person at:

Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA)
1515 Arch Street, 18th Floor - Room 18-002

You only need to tell the hearing officer that you would like to comment on the project you are interested in. 

Can't make it in-person?

Email the ZBA at rcozba@phila.gov
Be sure to include Case #38216 and
Property Address: 1525 S Christopher Columbus Blvd

Central Delaware Overlay is designed to prevent auto-oriented land use like this: 

If the waterfront is going to be an enjoyable place for pedestrians, development needs to be at a human scale, and auto-oriented uses can’t be allowed to dominate. They’re good for some parts of the city, but with a beautiful environmental resource like the river, the land is far too valuable to make it for cars rather than people.  

The developer's lawyers are getting around this zoning ordinance through a technicality in the zoning code, by saying the gas station is not on Columbus Blvd (they divided the parcel so a 20-ft strip sits in between Columbus Blvd and the gas station) and they submitted this project one-day (!) before city council made Tasker Ave a "river access street" that would have stopped this.

Now, this project goes before the ZBA as a "special exemption" which is much easier to obtain than a "zoning variance."

This development has proceeded despite vocal neighborhood opposition in Pennsport.

We are hoping that good turnout and statements opposing this development will sway the ZBA to turn it down.

This car-oriented development would be disastrous for the neighborhood and our city. It would draw increased traffic from I-95 into the community's streets, exacerbating congestion and pollution. The development would also counter efforts to decrease vehicle dependency on the waterfront and to turn it into a more walkable environment.

For Further Reading:

https://www.inquirer.com/news/blatstein-delaware-river-gas-station-wawa-zba-meeting-waterfront-zonign-20190930.html

https://www.inquirer.com/news/blatstein-waterfront-gas-station-wawa-pennsport-delaware-river-20190913.html

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/inga-saffron-philadelphia-super-wawa-gas-station-delaware-waterfront-20180704.html

https://www.inquirer.com/philly/columnists/inga_saffron/blatsteins-wawa-proposal-ignores-pedestrian-friendly-goals-along-delaware-waterfront-20171214.html

5th Square is co-hosting an event with Delaware Valley Smart Growth Alliance featuring University of Iowa Greg Shill, author of the forthcoming paper "Should Law Subsidize Driving?"

Read the paper or this shorter magazine article-length version of Dr. Shill's argument in The Atlantic, reviewing all the ways that the law stacks the deck in favor of automotive transportation to the detriment of cheaper, cleaner, and more space-efficient ways of getting around.

The event will be held the morning of November 21st at Obermeyer (1500 Market, Suite 3400). Light refreshments will be served.

RSVP today