Fowler Park Master Plan
Project Overview
Fowler Park is the only green space serving the Perry South neighborhood of Pittsburgh so its role in the community is very important, but it is in critical need of redevelopment. OpenSpacePGH, the City’s open space plan, recommends investment and expansion in the park and a master plan is needed to ensure that future park developments meet the needs of the neighborhood as well as organizations involved in partnership with the park.
Core Services Performed:
- Stakeholder Coordination
- Meeting Planning
- Public Outreach
Client: City of Pittsburgh, PA
Prime: Pashek MTR
Timeline: 2021 – 2022
Project Website: engage.pittsburghpa.gov/FPMP
Stakeholder & Public Outreach
Pashek MTR, has contracted E. Holdings to coordinate both stakeholder and public engagement. As there are several organizations that are deeply involved in the current and future upkeep and operation of the park, it is critical that robust, thorough, and meaningful engagement is conducted not only to ensure their voices are heard but that they understand the process and can agree on goals and next steps.
The park has already been identified for several potential developments. Most notably, ALCOSAN (Allegheny County Sanitary Authority) has indicated that Fowler Park would serve as an ideal location for their GROW program grant funding for green stormwater infrastructure, as this area has a high overflow removal efficiency rate and availability of public land. The City and PWSA (Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority) would like to explore opportunities for green stormwater infrastructure via this master planning process, in anticipation of a GROW grant application. One of the most critical areas for improvement is circulation and visibility within the park and improvement of entrances to the park, which lacks strong presence along public streets. While much of the park is surrounded by severely steep, landslide-prone hillsides, there are certainly opportunities for improved access to and through the park.
There will also be a concurrent neighborhood planning process called the Northside CHOICE Plan. This will focus primarily on the redevelopment of public housing, but will also include open space and public realm improvements. It is anticipated that this Fowler Park master plan will be included or referenced in the CHOICE neighborhood plan, so coordination between the two processes will be necessary to ensure that they are not redundant or in conflict.
View the final plans at https://engage.pittsburghpa.gov/FPMP
