WHEREAS, Strawberry Mansion is a neighborhood rich in tradition and history located in Lower North Philadelphia; and
WHEREAS, Its boundaries include Allegheny West to the north; the Amtrak Northeast Corridor Line and the North Central neighborhood to the east; Brewerytown to the south; and Fairmont Park along the Schuylkill River to the west; and
WHEREAS, In the late 1880s, Strawberry Mansion was developed as a working class, residential neighborhood and has developed a rich culture that can be heavily attributed to its heritage and diverse group of inhabitants; and
WHEREAS, Another prominent asset of Strawberry Mansion is its housing stock which consists primarily of two- and three-story, single family row homes; and
WHEREAS, Strawberry Mansion’s streetscapes are lush with ornate cornices, Victorian turrets, bay windows, and unique paint which express the personalities of current inhabitants as well as link today’s residents with the neighborhood’s history and past dwellers; and
WHEREAS, In recent years, Strawberry Mansion has become subject to the same pressures of development and potential future gentrification that other Philadelphia neighborhoods have experienced; and
WHEREAS, Such pressure threatens the physical and cultural integrity of the neighborhood and the future capacity of its current residents to afford and stay in their homes; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED,
BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That City Council’s Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless is hereby authorized to hold public hearings to explore the best ways to preserve the physical, cultural and social integrity of the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood, including but not limited to the possible creation of a “Strawberry Mansion Preservation District” that would contain guidelines regarding future development.
End