Elkins Park East Concepts

Assessment Overview

• Elkins Park is two districts not one
• Opportunity to enhance neighborhood oriented commercial
• Opportunity to create a unifying architectural and signage theme to enhance the identity of the district
• Opportunity to enhance facades to create a stronger village character
• Most key intersections need traffic calming to encourage pedestrian safety
• Inadequate parking management throughout
• Limited economic impact area – this is primarily a neighborhood serving commercial district
• One way streets at High School hurts commercial vitality
• Positive architecture and character to district

Enhancement Opportunities

• Introduce a traffic roundabout and pavilion at Elkins Park Train Station to slow traffic and create a gateway entrance
• Retrofit Elkins Park Bank for a restaurant with outdoor dining terraces
• Enhance pedestrian walkways and landscape features along train tracks that connect the Elkins Park Train Station to Gerard Avenue
• Extend Ashbourne Market to the corner and improve the facades to create a neighborhood village character; possible apartments above
• Establish a more defined intersection and gateway entrance at Montgomery and High School Road
• Swap some or all of the SEPTA parking lot with the municipal parking lot to improve short term and long term parking management for commercial uses
• Create a pedestrian walkway between the village center and the Montgomery Avenue parking area; possible second floor parking deck
• Reconfigure traffic patterns to create clearer circulation and more two-way streets
• Plant street trees in residential and commercial areas

Below are views of the draft plan.

Plan View

High School Road looking toward the Elkins Park Train Station

 
Content: Nancy Gibson, Public Information Officer, 215-887-1000