PCPC weighs adopting/accepting waterfront plan, final public school closing hearings, Girard block funding, texting while driving ban

Will the City Planning Commission adopt the Master Plan for the Central Delaware in its entirety? PlanPhilly’s Kellie Patrick Gates reports that there is talk that the northernmost (Marlborough Ave. to Allegheny Ave.) and southernmost (Oregon Ave. to Mifflin St.) portions could only be “accepted.” Kellie explains the difference between accept and adopt. In an interview Saturday, Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger told PlanPhilly that the Commission staff will either recommend adopting or accepting the whole plan (not part), and that negotiations were still ongoing. “We are still wrestling with the pros and cons, and probably will be to the last minute,” said Greenberger.

On Saturday the School Reform Commission held its final hearings on planned public school closures and consolidations. The Notebook was on hand and has a detailed school-by-school rundown. Saturday’s hearings were the last opportunity for school community members, students, faculty, and staff to weigh in before the SRC makes its final recommendations on March 29.

In a roundup of Center City real estate plans, the PhillyDeals blog reports that there’s a little movement on the Girard block (11th to 12th, between Market and Chestnut). The ownership group of the Girard block is working with Indure, a union-backed fund, to secure government funds to redevelop the property. The hope: to attract a large-scale anchor retail tenant (Target? Giant?), a hotel, and a residential developer to the site.

Don’t text while driving. Starting Thursday a new state law goes into effect making texting or emailing behind the wheel a primary offence, reports the Inquirer.

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