PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Neighbors in Nicetown have been through some tough times in the last several years. But on Thursday, city officials and residents gathered to celebrate improvements on North Broad Street they hope will revitalize the entire neighborhood around it.
The intersection of North Broad Street with Germantown and Erie avenues forms a giant X, one side of which is known as Butler Triangle, a small, scrubby, largely unused patch of rocks and weeds, with a few metal tables and chairs, that neighbors have been trying to reclaim for years, according to Amelia Price of the BGE (Broad, Germantown and Erie) Coalition.
“A lot of folks are prisoners in their own homes. When they know they have a safe place to come, we could have generations out here,” Price said.
A ceremonial groundbreaking on Thursday marked the start of renovations to Butler Triangle, including a plan for a greener space with bike lanes, bus shelters, sidewalks, street trees and public art.
“My big thing is the trash,” said neighbor Joanne Sailor. The plan includes durable trash cans. “And to bring commerce back where I can go within my neighborhood, spend money with my people and circulate the money to help grow the community.”
Sailor is part of a group of residents who have been working on getting these improvements for at least six years. Planning Commissioner Anne Fadullon thanked them for their patience.
“It’s great when we get to finally show some investment and give back to the residents and businesses that have dedicated so much of their time, effort, blood, sweat and tears to just keeping their communities going,” Fadullon said.
City Councilmember Cindy Bass said she sees it as just the beginning of restoring the vibrant neighborhood she recalls from her childhood.
“We’re expecting bigger, better and improved for this community, which has been underserved for quite some time,” Bass said.
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The neighborhood has had its share of tragedies, just in the past few years. This is a block away from where a barricaded gunman shot six police officers in 2019, and from where a strip of stores was looted and vandalized during civil unrest a year later.
But Price said she is ready to leave that behind.
The hoopla of the groundbreaking felt like a new beginning, and neighbors responded with gusto when asked to believe the best is yet to come.
“We’ve had a lot of hurt, so to see — if people are crying now, it’s tears of happiness,” Price added. “You know how Stevie Wonder says, ‘You brought some joy inside my tears,’ and I’m hoping that’s what today represents.”