Sign the petition: Save the FDR Meadows
To: Mayor of Philadelphia & City Council
We, the people of Philadelphia, demand that you STOP the destruction of the FDR Meadows, South Philadelphia's only public green space with urban meadow and woodlands. The development and privatization of our public lands is out of control in Philadelphia.
The administration’s plan for FDR Park does not reflect the present-day needs and wants of the community. It is dangerous for the environment and public health, and it sets a precedent of privatization of our public lands that we, the public, do not accept.
Sign this petition telling Mayor Kenney and City Council to STOP the destruction of the FDR Meadows, South Philadelphia's only public green space with urban meadow and woodlands.
Why should you add your signature?
The current FDR Master Plan is wrong in many ways for Philadelphia, its communities, and the environment:
The Parks & Recreation Department would clearcut public parkland to build a $100 million sports complex with artificial turf fields, stadium lighting, and parking lots,to be rented out privately for tournaments — instead of investing it in the chronically underfunded parks, pools, and playing fields in our neighborhoods.
Artificial turf fields, including those with plant-based infill, are toxic and are linked to cancer, especially in children. Other municipalities, including Boston, are banning new artificial turf for health and environmental reasons.
Parks & Rec would destroy South Philadelphia’s largest tree canopy, habitat, and migration zone; this green space protects our neighborhoods from stormwater flooding, increasingly hot summers, and pollutants from surrounding industry.
Thousands of community members discovered the healing effect of the Meadows during the pandemic. We learned the importance of having access to nature, but the plan, created from 2018 to 2019, does not reflect what was learned.
The wetlands project that has already cleared part of the Meadows is part of another assault on the environment. It is a trade with the airport, enabling destruction of a large area of wetlands and woods in nearby Tinicum, a substantial net loss for our environment.
The plan was developed behind closed doors. There’s no evidence that Parks & Rec incorporated community input into the design in any significant way.
