Neighborhood Plan

Comprehensive Neighborhood Plan

May 2010 update – Our neighborhood plan recently became the first plan accepted by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission under its new Community Planning Guidelines. In 2006-2007 TEC-CDC worked with the Walnut Hill Community Association and 572 neighborhood stakeholders to create this comprehensive, resident-led plan that continues to be the neighborhood’s roadmap to revitalization. For more information, please contact Imanni Wilkes at iwilkes@theenterprisecentercdc.org or 215-895-4095.

History and process – The Walnut Hill neighborhood planning process began in summer 2006 when the Walnut Hill Community Association (WHCA) Executive Committee began to work with The Enterprise Center Community Development Corporation (TEC-CDC) to write a planning grant proposal to the Wachovia Regional Foundation. Our proposal was successfully funded and with the grant award in February 2007, the planning process was able to begin in earnest in mid-March 2007. A steering committee of WHCA Executive Committee and other local stakeholders was formed. The steering committee held a kickoff meeting on March 13 to familiarize committee members with the four areas of focus for the planning process: children and families, neighborhood building, economic development, and affordable housing and housing counseling.

572 stakeholders participated in the planning process between March and September 2007. Stakeholders attended at least one planning meeting or focus group, and TEC-CDC conducted face-to-face surveys of residents during a two-week period ending August 4. In total, 4 community-wide planning meetings, 2 focus groups, and 15 steering committee meetings were held between May 19 and August 25, 20007.

The resultant neighborhood plan was issued in September 2007. The objective of the plan is to amplify residents’ voices as they create a set of shared priorities for improving the neighborhood. The plan aspires to guide future development, to overcome obstacles and to ensure Walnut Hill remains a safe, vibrant, multi-ethnic multi-generational neighborhood. Using the plan as a roadmap, WHCA has embarked on implementing the plan’s recommendations in partnership with TEC-CDC. To read the plan, click here.