Pleasant Hill Park
Pleasant Hill Park is a 3-acre park and public boat launch situated on the Delaware River in the East Torresdale neighborhood of Northeast Philadelphia. Neighbors and city residents that used the park were interested in having access to the river for casual walking and viewing. The original design of the park was not friendly to boater trailer parking and caused numerous traffic-related issues. Also, flooding from the river often made the parking lot unusable and large amounts of debris were left on the pavement. Redevelopment of the park was needed to improve these traffic and flooding problems.
The city undertook a master site plan which addressed all of these issues – boat users, stormwater and flooding and making the park more user-friendly and accessible to the river. A pedestrian path was constructed along the river to increase the feel of a user-friendly park. In order to prevent pollutants entering the river, the parking lot was moved back and bioswales were put in between the river and the parking lot. The parking for boat trailers and a lane for those launching boats was separated from parking for regular park visitors.
Growing Greener funds for this project helped to leverage a PA Redevelopment Capital Assistance Program gran, Philadelphia Capital funds, and a grant from the PA Fish and Boat Commission.
Sustainable Practices Stormwater Management Stormwater management was the driving force for the redevelopment of this park. The stormwater entering the Delaware was contaminated with trash and chemicals picked- up from the pavement. To correct this problem, the parking lot was moved several feet back from the water’s edge and numerous bioswales were installed. The bio swales were constructed with layers of gravel and topsoil and planted with native vegetation. The swales will serve to improve the water quality of the stormwater entering the Delaware by filtering out harmful pollutants. To decrease standing water on the pavement in the park, 20,000 square feet of pavement was removed and replaced with vegetation. Improvements made to the riparian edge also helped with the management of stormwater.
A 300 foot riverwalk was installed in between the parking lot and the river. To increase the usability of the park, 20 solar light posts were positioned along the riverwalk. Improvements in the traffic patterns for boaters also enhanced the parks usability. Boaters are now able to put in their boats and park their trailers without interference from cars or fellow boaters.