Finding a permanent (or even temporary) home for intracity bus station remains a frustrating waiting game

The seemingly interminable saga of finding a new permanent home for an intercity bus station is nowhere near its conclusion Instead work is ongoing to have an interim method in place for the historic celebrations and events of But beyond timelines the city is not ready to provide more details That was the frustrating state of play after sitting through a three-hour City Council hearing in which the city provided an update Wednesday SEPTA major private bus companies neighborhood associations academics and advocates testified after the update The hearing was convened by District Councilmember Jeffery Young Jr Interim plans In the initial presentation John Mondlak first deputy chief of staff in Philadelphia s Department of Planning and Progress DPD spoke about both the interim- and long-term facilities processes Regarding an interim site Mondlak revealed the city had analyzed locations identified through a data-driven approach and narrowed it down to six likely sites Each of the sites is Near a SEPTA station or Regional Rail stop At least square feet in size Able to accommodate a bus turning radius Ideally city-owned or can be speedily acquired Able to launch in time to meet the necessities of the semiquincentennial events However the city still demands to complete a traffic impact analysis for each site This work is underway and DPD expects for it to be completed in early summer Mondlak reported Only then will the city begin conversations with communities that could be impacted This includes anticipated neighbors bus carriers and other major institutions When will the group engagement take place It will be in the fall It ll be before the end of the year for sure Mondlak reported Billy Penn Long-term plans Regarding a site for the long-term intercity bus facility Mondlak explained at the hearing that six other locations have been selected They used similar criteria as for the interim site with selected differences such as size since the long-term facility requirements to be large enough to accommodate a comprehensive operation Additionally the list includes sites that are at present vacant or used as surface parking both publicly and privately owned Locations within or near Center City with a safe and well-amenitized pedestrian climate and reasonably close highway access were prioritized Mondlak mentioned City Councilmembers listen as testimony is provided during the hearing on progress on an intercity bus station on Wednesday May Natalia Sanchez Loayza Billy Penn A consultant is at this moment evaluating the locations and will recommend one to three options for further analysis planning and negotiation As with the interim sites Mondlak declared the options would not be shared yet Because staff want to ensure that communities hear directly from us first and only after the viability of sites is substantiated we will not be naming specific sites at this time Mondlak mentioned When will this happen At the hearing Mondlak revealed the first round of population engagement on the permanent site will take place this fall with a second round planned for spring More questions than answers Council members petitioned several times about timelines and realizable solutions that could be implemented right away City representatives stuck to the timeline estimates they had already shared For instance District Councilmember Anthony Phillips questioned How do we go from the brainstorming phase to planning not to execution Do you have a timeline for that Mondlak clarified that the timeline is tied to the Transportation and Group Evolution Initiative TCDI planning grant they received The deadline to complete the evaluation of feasible sites is the end of fiscal Seems like a long time Phillips responded A succession of panels followed SEPTA released its full promotion for identifying a dedicated intercity bus facility while concerned residents academics activists associations companies and neighborhood groups were given time to weigh in Specific like representatives from the Philadelphia Chinatown Advance Corporation and the Logan Square Neighbors Association believe the greater part logical location to relocate the intercity bus terminal is th Street Station Sydney Rexroad executive director of the Northern Liberties Business Improvement District which hosts the current temporary station at Spring Garden expressed frustration over how the intercity bus operation arrived abruptly in their neighborhood Rexroad also criticized the city for postponing the timeline for moving the buses out of the area from three months to potentially a year or more turning what was supposed to be a short-term interim site into a long-term interim site We respectfully request that the city publicly commit to a transparent process for choosing an alternative site whether that is in Northern Liberties or elsewhere in the city she shared in a written letter to Councilmember Mark Squilla The Powelton Village Civic Association Zoning Committee Transit Forward Philadelphia the Center for Advocacy for the Rights and Interests of Elders and the chair of the Mayor s Commission on People with Disabilities focused on expressing what they need in a future site A new intercity bus terminal just north of the city s Amtrak station was envisioned as part of th Street Station District Plan published in Priorities mentioned included ensuring the station has funding for ongoing maintenance clarity around the construction timeline bike storage lockers and accessibility for older adults and disabled individuals Representatives from major bus companies like Greyhound FlixBus and Peter Pan also addressed Council All expressed a commitment to working with the city on a timely and suitable method Peter Picknelly CEO of Peter Pan Bus Lines based in Springfield Mass offered to help fund an expedited process Long-term I think th Street station is a great option I also like the old police station I think that that s a nice location as well and I ll develop it for you Picknelly explained to applause I ll buy it I ll pay for it and lease it back to the city And I ll get it done quick I m telling you we ll do it We ve done it elsewhere We re working in Providence Rhode Island to do it now It was the second time the crowd applauded Picknelly Earlier he stated Philly is an amazing city It s one of the largest part amazing cities on the planet It requirements a better bus terminal Our company s committed to Philadelphia We re committed to providing first-class transportation but we need to do a better job People deserve a better bus terminal than what we have and they need a new bus terminal speedily In addition to those who spoke more than people submitted written comments to City Council members for consideration Trust the process So what s next In a word wait The next expected deadline is this fall when the city hopes to announce the interim site options After nearly three hours of testimony Young Jr was the only remaining City Council member City representatives stayed until the end including Mondlak who revealed he appreciated the society feedback and understood the frustration but the process is critical John Mondlak first deputy chief of staff in Philadelphia s Department of Planning and Expansion DPD spoke about both the interim- and long-term facilities processes at the City Council hearing on Wednesday May Natalia Sanchez Loayza Billy Penn We go to district meetings we engage This is their opportunity to have a microphone and say the things they supposedly don t think we re hearing We are he commented But I think it s a lot more challenging than anybody that doesn t spend all their time looking at it realizes It s very easy to look at a map and say Put it there He also expressed frustration that various communities don t want the station built in their neighborhoods but declared that s the reality his office has to deal with We ve got to do it right You really have to dig into the details You have to examination it look at it from every angle and incorporate all of these voices into your analysis because it all matters And at the end of the day somebody won t be happy and that s inevitable he explained But if you did it right and incorporated everybody s viewpoint into your analysis you re going to come up with a better remedy The post Finding a permanent or even temporary home for intracity bus station remains a frustrating waiting match appeared first on Billy Penn at WHYY