Efforts to address a section of East Falls plagued by storm water began a year ago, but last week community members finally got their first look at suggestions that might remedy the situation.

Representatives with the East Falls Development Corp. stood alongside partners in their quest to both mitigate flooding and beautify the section of Midvale Avenue that stretches from Ridge Avenue to Conrad Street/Warden Drive.

The "East Falls Goes Green" program has city agencies such as the Philadelphia Water Department and Streets Department working side-by-side, and also includes participation from the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society, and land planning, urban engineering and landscape design firms.

"In the case of designing a street, you have all kinds of different things," to contend with, said Gina Snyder, executive director of the development corp. "We've started a very different dialogue in the city."

Snyder, who presented during an East Falls Community Council meeting, noted that a project of this scope would require various city departments to work together, something not often easily done in a city the size of Philadelphia.

The proposed "greening" up of Midvale Avenue would require municipal cooperation for various reasons. For instance, one recommendation for slowing flood-causing storm water would be to construct "rain gardens" alongside the potentially redesigned street. The gardens, essentially earthen plots that would collect runoff, preventing it from rushing down the hill and into the Schuylkill River - most certainly accompanied by pollution - may need to be maintained by both the Water and Streets departments.

Generally, each city department has its own specific duties, but this project could break that mold, Snyder said, in that it would open up an opportunity for municipal employees to work together.

In addition to the rain gardens, the project also proposes functional features, such as bike lanes, and traffic-calming measures such as "bump outs," as well as aesthetic upgrades like new landscaping.

Similar streetscape improvements have been done in cities such as Portland, Ore. and Seattle, Wash.

"These are the kinds of ideas we're looking at, but how can we get that to work in Philadelphia?" posed Michele Adams, an engineer with the Kimberton, Pa.-based firm Meliora, a partner in the project.

In some cities, so-called "green streets" are a mandatory component of city-funded development. In Portland, for example, if some type of green construction is not included in a development, redevelopment or enhancement project, one-percent of construction costs must be contributed to what is known as a green street fund.

Seattle has implemented something called Street Edge Alternatives (SEA), which help to mitigate storm water runoff. The designs can help to save 20 percent or more of the costs of traditional street drainage.

Information provided by the East Falls Development Corp. states that in three years of monitoring SEA's, 98 percent of storm water runoff was eliminated during the wet season, and 100 percent during the dry season.

Tracy Tackett, green storm water infrastructure program manager for Seattle Public Utilities, was invited to participate in a design charette, or study group, held this spring in East Falls.

"I learned that Philadelphia is pretty far along the path ... that they're using a lot of green infrastructure," Tackett said by phone from Seattle.

Tackett said many cities across the country are becoming more environmentally-friendly when it comes to public construction projects, and she pitted Philadelphia right up there with Washington D.C. and other East Coast states when it comes to "forward thinking."

"There's a growing enthusiasm in projects on the ground," she said.

In East Falls, the goal is to enhance storm water management practices, but the project also looks to improve life for pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and those using public transportation.

"There's a real opportunity that East Falls would be a model," not only for the rest of Philadelphia, but for surrounding suburbs, said Snyder, the development corp. director.

The plan, merely visionary at this point, shows a bicycle lane on the eastbound side of Midvale, while those traveling on bikes would share the westbound side of the road with vehicles. The plan calls for lessening the width of the roadway on each side, making room for new amenities such as the bike lane and rain gardens.

The sketches initially elicited positive reaction from the crowd, residents clearly impressed with the design team's work. Throughout the presentation, however, questions arose about the practicality of some measures.

Ray Lucci, head of the East Falls Community Council's traffic committee, said he was impressed with the workd done in Portland and Seattle. But he's concerned that moves such as lessening the road width will impact his community.

"Is it fluid enough to accommodate change?" he said of the study area.

Resident Meg Greenfield questioned the idea of having only one bike lane. One on each side would be preferable, she said, since biking in traffic could be dangerous. \

"You take your life into your hands on a bike in this city," she said.

Unfortunately, the area isn't wide enough to accommodate two designated bike lanes, Snyder said, so designers had to look at what made sense given the space constraints.

"They were really thinking through how to make the best use of the space," said Seattle's Tackett.

Tackett noted that design team members, in sketching out the idea for an uphill bike lane, saw that bicycles traveling downhill would more likely go with the speed of traffic, thereby showing designers that it made more sense to have the designated lane in the other direction.

Tackett said while West Coast cities have gotten more attention when it comes to green infrastructure and public street projects, a similar thinking is taking place nationwide.

The Midvale Avenue study was initially done with a $30,000 planning grant from the William Penn Foundation, which offered further funding as the process moved forward.

April's planning sessions had representatives from various city agencies joining forces with others involved in the project to look at ways to improve the study area.

Adams, of the engineering firm Meliora, said the sessions were a great opportunity for city departments to collaborate. Since that time, she said, the Water and Streets departments in particular have been meeting regularly, "which is huge."

Now that proposals have been sketched out, the development corp. hopes to secure additional funding to help make the planned upgrades a reality. Snyder said the plan is to seek grant money from the Pennsylvania Infrastructure Investment Authority, whose mission is to fund sewer, storm water and drinking water projects throughout the commonwealth.

To learn more about planned improvements to Midvale Avenue, and what's going on with storm water management in general in East Falls, visit http://eastfallsstormwater.blogspot.com.

Reporter Jon Campisi can be reached at 215-354-3038 or jcampisi@phillynews.com