FDR Park and the continued destruction of natural ‘green’
The battle for South Philly’s largest park persists despite major destruction and recent setbacks.
The threat of forever chemicals and environmental destruction has not wavered Fairmount Park Conservancy’s plan for redevelopment of FDR park. Released in 2019, the FDR Park Plan was a multi-step process to reimagine the meadowlands as a place for youth and the community with an emphasis on sustainability. In actuality, it has become a protracted but flagrant example of steamrolling the dissent. The meadows, which have come to stand as an ecological marvel in in the city are being destroyed, and in their place will stand a short-sighted greenwashed investment.
Immediately when the plans were approved by the city backlash from the surrounding community ensued. The rationale, was that the infrastructure changes would allow for better flood and storm water management. However, included within all of the plans was the investment of 16 artificial turf fields.
A climate change “disaster”
The meadows that flourished in recent years also provided environmental benefits. In a city like Philadelphia, a natural hub of unspoiled oxygen, masses of carbon storage, and natural flooding barriers takes time to establish according to Rich, a neighbor of the park and volunteer with Save the Meadows.
“It will take a generation, or two generations to get the same ecological benefits,” says Rich of the destroyed meadows in the park. To date, the city has cleared more than 70 acres for the project. To complete, they will destroyed 100 more. “It’s a disaster in terms of climate change and so forth because our climate issues are happening now,” says Rich.
Over recent years more extensive studies on the lasting impacts of artificial turf rubber pellet based activity spaces have revealed the lasting toxic effects on the environment. In fact, Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection has classified the disposal of these turf fields as solid waste.
The west portion of FDR park has been portion ed off by the city in anticipation of the FDR Park plan. The proceeding developments will wipe out more than 100 acres of meadowland.
“Why would you spend millions of dollars to put 16 fields way down in South Philadelphia instead of spending that money fixing up dozens and dozens of fields that are in the neighborhoods where peoples live,” says Rich of the proposal. He is among the 11 residents who filed a lawsuit against plan.
Back in 2024, we spoke to organizers from the Save the Meadows Coalition surrounding the ongoing legal challenge to stop the destruction of the park. We discussed the then-proposed toxic PFAS turf, and the physical harms that it causes to the body. Listen here.
The plaintiffs and supporters now await another decision as the case has been bumped to the superior Orphans Court. For more information relating to the case, visit the Save the Meadows coalition at www.savethemeadows.com/
FDR Park is home to several mixed use natural grass fields. The ongoing redevelopment plan would see them prioritize the construction of 16 artificial turf fields. This would be a substantial introduction of toxic forever chemicals or PFAS to the parks infrastructure.
Since the pandemic, FDR Parks meadows have become somewhat of an ecological marvel.
