The University City District is planning a bi-level water park on the western bank of the Schuylkill, between Chestnut and Market streets, featuring a large public pool, beach and a restaurant. The $60 million project unveiled at the district’s State of University City event would be built to withstand “a 500-year storm event,” according to promotional materials, and would offer large swathes of shaded areas to provide respite during the summer months. Fundraising efforts are underway, and the price tag is large enough that the resources won’t all come from one source. University City District would operate the new park, just as it does the Porch at 30th Street Station and several other public spaces it has created in recent years. Because the bi-level park is planned over the river, it faces a tangle of jurisdictions. There is no zoning, for example, because there is no land there right now. A variety of approvals will be needed from federal, state and city agencies. Read more in the Inquirer and see details and renderings on the University City District blog.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/18/2024