Your ideas for improving the 40th Street Portal

[Ptolemy]

I always believed the 40th Street Portal - the open space where the Green Line trolleys emerge into the surface - could stand some improvement.

My ideas - recognizing that money is tight and improvements can be made without costing the city or SEPTA a huge fortune - would be: up-dating the bench shelters to make them more attractive, create a more "garden-like" atmosphere by putting in containers with flowering plants and small trees, and how about a small leased concession that sells coffee, donuts, and snacks?

On the last suggestion, I would like to add that there was once a retail space (a travel agency) on the corner of Baltimore Ave and 40th, in an 1860 building on the northeast corner. Wouldn't that be a good place for such a business? After all, 4 different trolleys stop at the portal: the 11, 13, 34, 36.

What are your ideas?

Inquiring minds want to know!

[seand]

I always wondered why they didn't use the middle of that circle for small coffee/newstand as a revenue generator. Ads could pay for better shelter structures, right?

[New2Fishtown]

On the Boards | University City District

If you click through the slides on this page, you'll see that this is something that UCD has been looking into and wants to advance. As best I understand and remember from earlier iterations, the space along Baltimore up against the portal would become a cafe (there is currently a grass patch there) and I believe the rendering implies that one of the old trolley cars would be reused as a room for the cafe, much like the Trolley Car Diner in Mt. Airy. I don't believe there's currently any money for this project, and I don't know other design details such as new seating, lighting, etc, but I'm sure UCD would be happy to engage with any residents that have thoughts on the matter.

[thoth]

Be great to incorporate the Woodlands somehow. Def West Philly's most underutilized resource as far as open space goes. I still meet plenty of people that don't even know it exists. Maybe some better signage at the portal area?

[MariusPontmercy]

Be great to incorporate the Woodlands somehow. Def West Philly's most underutilized resource as far as open space goes. I still meet plenty of people that don't even know it exists. Maybe some better signage at the portal area?

Something to keep idiots from wandering in front of trolleys or driving through the loop area would be great.

[lewblum]

I think a nice tree canopy would be a great place to start.

[seand]

I think a nice tree canopy would be a great place to start.

I understand and appreciate that electric wires put very real constraints on how far we can go in this direction but taking that into consideration, +1.