Renderings complete for the potential public space, community meeting to be held
By Melissa Komar
The 2400 block of Moyer Street nestled between Planet Fitness and CVS Pharmacy at the intersection of Aramingo Avenue and York Street is one step closer to being transformed.
In 2013, Olde Richmond resident Mike McCullough visited the site and walked away with a vision of a shared community space and dog run, and, on Wednesday, Dec. 13, that vision became concrete.
The Olde Richmond Civic Association vice president received renderings for the project, which it will present at a community meeting.
Ruggiero Plante Land Design created the renderings for the potential park pro bono.
The renderings are a view looking north on 2400 Moyer St.
A dog park is located on the right, landscape improvements on the left and the reset Belgian blocks, which make up the old railroad tracks, are in between.
Green acorn lamps line the street, which “are city standard right now,” according to McCullough.
Similar lamps are located along Richmond Street between Huntingdon and Ann streets, which were installed as part of the 95 Revive project.
Another rendering depicting a view looking out of the park is forthcoming.
The initial rendering is posted on the Moyer Street Park Facebook page, but residents will have a chance to get a closer look in the new year.
ORCA will hold a meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 7:30 p.m. to solicit feedback from the community prior to presenting the project to the Streets Department.
“We want to optimize the project plan and vision from the community’s perspective,” McCullough said. “The purpose of the meeting is to allow people to say, ‘I don’t really like that,’ or ‘Add more trees,’ and ‘Where are the trash cans?’”
Residents’ ideas will be factored into the final plan, which McCullough hopes to present to the city in February.
Once approved by the department, ORCA will formally apply for a permit that closes the street to vehicular traffic as part of the city’s Pedestrian Plaza Program.
The initiative allows for the conversion of underused roadways into community-supported public places.
Once a permit is obtained, the civic will work with the community and elected officials to secure funding for the project.
“Realistically, the goal is to put the fencing up by June because the Triangle Dog Park is going to be gone around the end of May,” McCullough said, “so, we want to replace that as much as we can right now.”
There is an active GoFundMe for Moyer Street Park to cover the costs of retractable bollards and fencing.
Because the weather isn’t conducive to outdoor events, there are no public events such as cleanups scheduled at the site, but ORCA is always looking for volunteers for the park moving forward.
And, one of ORCA’s “Can It” campaign trash cans, “Fish Scale Mandala,” is located at the future entrance to the park to reduce litter in the area.
McCullough hopes the latest development will re-energize the community.
“We still have the GoFundMe active, and hopefully with these renderings, we reboot it,” he said. “We still have strong community and elected official support, so this is really exciting.”
To donate to the Moyer Street Park, visit gofundme.com/moyerstreetpark.
For details or to volunteer, contact Mike McCullough at [email protected]. Updates on the park will be posted on the Moyer Street Park Facebook page.
