Planning

Balancing beneficial development with protection of architectural and environmental resources

Chestnut Hill is special and unique to Philadelphia in its seamless meshing of natural and man-made beauty. Topographically the highest point in the city, Chestnut Hill is situated wholly within the beautiful Wissahickon watershed, whose nerves extend deep into the neighborhood via Cresheim Creek, Hartwell Run, East Brook, and other tributaries of Wissahickon Creek. With three centuries of development, one can read the layers of history and architecture and how they’ve incorporated the scenery around them. These two characteristics drive Chestnut Hill Conservancy’s two primary planning principles: land conservation and historic preservation.

• The Upper Northwest District Plan is progressing! The City Planning Commission has released the Draft Plan (read it HERE). From July 19 until September 4, 2018, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission will take written comments on the draft. LEARN MORE.

• The 2017 Residential Conservation, Preservation + Development Study, done with generous support from the William Penn Foundation’s Watershed Protection program and in collaboration with Chestnut Hill Community Association, identifies the highest priority areas for conservation to protect the Wissahickon watershed against development pressures and historic properties to save. The study was executed in advance of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s Upper Northwest District Plan, set to happen in Fall 2017. The study’s two biggest deliverables are 1) a set of development management tools to help guide future development and 2) a set of maps that illustrate Chestnut Hill’s natural and historic resources. View the study HERE.

• Our easement program, established in 1990, now manages more than 40 properties valued at over $10 million, protecting 130 acres of watershed and 13 historic façades. Learn more about the easements program HERE.

• Our Historic District Advisory Committee (HDAC), comprised of professionals in the preservation, architecture, planning and development fields, meets monthly to review community design, particularly as it relates to the Chestnut Hill National Register Historic District. Learn more about the HDAC HERE.

CITYWIDE EFFORTS

HISTORIC PRESERVATION TASK FORCE

Mayor Kenney created a Historic Preservation Task Force to help the City reassess how Philadelphia preserves its historic resources. See below to keep up to date with preservation planning in Philadelphia and to participate in the process.

Interested in getting involved? Go HERE for ways to shape preservation in Philadelphia.

News and Reports:

Current state of historic preservation, white paper

Meeting Schedule:

Jan 18, 2018: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, The Enterprise Center, 4548 Market Street
March 15, 2018: 8:30 – 10:30 am, 1515 Arch Street, Room 18-029
On the road: May 17, 2018: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm Northeast High School, 1601 Cottman Avenue
(entrance at Cottman and Algon Avenues)
July 19, 2018: 8:30 – 10:30am, 1515 Arch Street, Room 18-029
Public Meeting: Date and location to be determined
On the road: Sept 20, 2018: 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm South Philadelphia
Nov 15, 2018: 8:30 – 10:30 am, 1515 Arch Street, Room 18-029

PHILADELPHIA2035

Consisting of a Citywide Vision and District Plans, Philadelphia2035 is a comprehensive plan for managing growth and development in the City of Philadelphia. The Upper Northwest District Plan is the last of 18 district plans to be created through this process. See below for preservation and related excerpts from the completed plans.