Upper Darby Mayor Envisions a Town More Walkable, Greener and Cleaner

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Image via Tom Gralish, The Philadelphia Inquirer.
69th Street Business District.

A town where cars have ruled is about to go in a different direction.

Upper Darby Mayor Barbarann Keffer has another vision for Upper Darby than what’s been here, a walkable community with lots of green space, writes Inga Saffron for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

Take the new environmentally friendly community center with the rooftop vegetable garden being built in Bywood.

 Residents complained it lacked sufficient on-site parking.

But the center was just four blocks from the 69th Street transit hub, Keffer said.  It’s an easy walk from many neighborhoods. Plus, there’s lots of curbside parking and an empty parking garage across the street.

 She sees the community center as an accessible place for young people to gather safely for after-school and evening activities.

She wants the township to have a planning commission and several historic districts.

Keffer’s planning goals for Upper Darby favor more pedestrians, parks, preservation, safety and cleanliness.

That will get Upper Darby residents to stick around.

Just look at 69th Street at the height of the pandemic. There were people on the sidewalks and very few vacant businesses.

A town of diverse people also offered diverse restaurants and cultural activities.

Read more at The Philadelphia Inquirer about Upper Darby’s transformation.

Click here for a video 2018 aerial view of the 69th Street area.

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