Revitalization efforts focus on Walnut bridge

Penn and city officials are trying to turn the Schuylkill River into a destination, and their efforts may be bearing fruit.

A number of projects are under way to make the area east of campus more attractive, and officials say consumer traffic near the Walnut Street Bridge, which connects University City to Center City, is up.

Penn will expand to the waterfront when it takes possession of the Postal Service property east of campus next year. But the Schuylkill River Development Corporation, which seeks to improve land on the river's banks, is working in the meantime to improve the area, Facilities and Real Estate Services spokesman Tony Sorrentino said.

Louise Turan, executive director of the SRDC, said plans are also in the works to install wireless Internet along the river so students can study outdoors.

"The riverfront and the amenities there, the trail, places to sit and enjoy the skyline, I think offer a tremendous compliment to the urban campus," she said.

And though Penn's campus has not officially begun to expand eastward, some say students are taking advantage of the area already.

Michael Caro, co-owner of the Walnut Bridge Coffee House at 2319 Walnut St., said he has noticed a slight increase in the number of student customers at his shop since it opened in July.

He added, however, that he is unsure whether the change is due to a general increase in student traffic in the area or greater knowledge of the coffee house specifically. He said that the shop is "still growing as a business."

The Walnut Street Coffee House is across the street from Sweat Gym and near Rittenhouse Square, which both draw students to the area, Caro said.

However, Frank Pellerito, owner of Fellini Cafe Trattoria at 2216 Walnut St., said he has not noticed an increase in student patronage since his restaurant opened about a year ago, though he says about 60 percent of his customers come from Penn and Drexel University.

Such new businesses are symbolic of positive growth in the area, Sorrentino said, adding that eventually, "Center City and University City will merge, and the river will be in the middle."

In 2001, the University conducted a survey which indicated that around 5,000 people cross the Walnut Street Bridge daily. Sorrentino predicts this figure would be higher if the survey was repeated today because of the improvements near the bridge.

Caro said his business offers something unique to students that they can't find on campus.

"We are a departure from the traditional coffee-shop setting," he said, adding that the coffee shop offers a comfortable setting in which students can work.

And the Walnut Street Bridge and its surroundings are considered safer than other off-campus areas, said Engineering sophomore Erica Chalmers, who lives nearby.

The bridge is "a lot more well-lit," she said. "There is a general feeling of safety."

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