Make your voice heard to save heritage trees in FDR Park!

Are you a resident of Philadelphia? You may be able to help stop the Fairmount Park Conservancy from cutting down heritage trees in FDR Park to build its turf fields in the Meadows. The Zoning Board of Adjustment will hold a Zoom hearing on Wed, Feb 21 in the afternoon to consider the Conservancy’s request to do that.

The hearing is like a court, but less formal. It’s based on more on common sense than legal technicalities. The board could approve the Conservancy’s request (bad), reject it (good) or delay it (almost as good).

To participate, fill out the form on this page. We’ll follow up with instructions on how to sign up to speak at the hearing and more specific info about what the Zoning Board needs to hear. We're also planning a virtual prep session, most likely on Tuesday, because the statements need to be very focused.

(To just view the meeting at 2pm, use Zoom or listen by phone: (646) 876-9923, webinar ID 820 8829 2595, password 634842.)

The Fairmount Park Conservancy, working with the Parks & Rec Department, plans to cut down 48 heritage trees (and hundreds of others) in the FDR Park Meadows as it starts building its $100 million sports complex: 16 artificial turf fields plus floodlights, roads, and parking lots.

The sports complex represents nearly 40% of the cost of the $256 million FDR Park plan.

Clearing of the area around Bellaire Manor, including the Picnic Grove, could start as soon as late February — but only if the Conservancy gets a "special exception" to cut down the heritage trees that are in the way.

To do that, it needs to show the ZBA that it has a plan to replace the trees (with lots of small trees) and that the project "cannot be practically redesigned to protect the heritage tree." See Phila Code § 14-705 (f)(.2). That is what we will help you speak on.

After you sign up, we’ll give you more details on how this all works!
For more information on the FDR Park plan, visit us at SaveTheMeadows.com.