Editorial for April 24, 2008 edition:


Bigger is better

Now that officials at Community College of Philadelphia’s Northeast Regional Center are pressing plans to expand their compact facility in Parkwood, it’s good to see that they have opened a dialogue with the community.
A three-story addition, 57,000 more square feet — including parking lots and landscaping — is not unreasonable for the present site, which has been at Townsend and McNulty roads in the Byberry East industrial park for 13 years.
Once upon a time the area was home to a portion of the Philadelphia State Hospital campus, including a prison farm for patients at Byberry, as the hospital was known. Now there’s light industry in the area, along with a great educational entity like CCP. The presence of CCP in the Far Northeast is testament to the appeal of the area, and if CCP wishes to become bigger and better, neighbors should be eager and supportive.
At a Parkwood Civic Association meeting last week, college bigwigs bent over backward to assure the community that they’re all in it together and that the college will work with residents to resolve any problems, be they increased traffic, noise, lighting, or whatever else arises. The spirit of cooperation is encouraging.
When CCP expands, the area’s representative in City Council, Brian O’Neill, should consider changing the zoning, if necessary, to allow for construction of a restaurant or two, along with other retail establishments, to help serve the needs of the increased student population. SEPTA bus service in the somewhat remote location will need to be beefed up as well.
Meanwhile, Parkwood and CCP deserve a big fat A+ for getting the ball rolling. So far, so good. ••

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