Ready for a makeover

Transforming the lackluster 175 acres roughly bounded by the Schuykill and Walnut, Spring Garden, and 32d Streets into a new, pedestrian-friendly community with offices, an expanded Drexel University, and housing is not just smart; it is inspired.

The plan linking two of the city's most vibrant economic centers, University City and Center City, represents the kind of clear thinking that has been missing from past plans for the 30th Street Station area, among them covering the rail yard with a baseball stadium, convention center, or amusement park.

Separated by the river and Schuylkill Expressway, neighborhoods in the area are bursting with jobs and residents. Plans include adding three walkways across the Schuylkill and covering much of the unsightly rail yard with buildings and waterfront green spaces. One proposal also calls for more shops at 30th Street Station and a new transit center for long-distance buses and high-speed trains.

Some initial elements of the plan are already in the works, including a new Cira tower, but other ideas won't become reality until far into the future.

It makes sense not to rush the planning process, but the development partners, including Drexel University, SEPTA, Amtrak, Brandywine Realty Trust, and the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, should try to get more elements of the project underway.

One early target could be to open an underground tunnel linking Amtrak trains and SEPTA's Market-Frankford Line. An underground interchange was closed in the 1980s, in part because of crime. But SEPTA is considering reopening the tunnel or at least making a better connection.

The transit authority should make the tunnel decision quickly. Commuters deserve a better experience than what they're getting from a configuration that sends them outside to battle traffic just to get to the dingy El station.

Right now, the Amtrak station, the old post office, and the Drexel and Cira buildings are islands in an otherwise gray limbo. The station's neighbor, the former home of the Bulletin newspaper, sits like a discarded box waiting for the recycling truck. The structure serves as a visible example of what should be avoided. In fact, it might be good to hide the building behind trees, vines, and shrubs.

Greenery and open spaces comparable to what exists around the train station could form an attractive gateway that unites neighborhoods and helps soak up all the gas fumes and soot from the buses, cars, and trains in the hub.

The development partners will need significant public funding and permits to pull off their plan, so they are seeking public input. One way to earn public support would be to show people how a revamped neighborhood would look.