In 2022, the Philadelphia International Airport cleared dozens of acres of trees and vegetation in FDR Park to make way for the tidal wetland. The conservancy cleared 48 large, healthy trees in 2024 on a former golf course area slotted for sports fields and courts.
Some of the renovations are already complete, including a destination playground, gateway plaza, 33-acre tidal wetland and the Welcome Center.
A spokesperson for the conservancy said last month that construction was underway on a fitness area, a path, basketball courts and a multipurpose turf athletic field with stormwater infrastructure. Future work planned at the park includes planting 7,000 native trees, creating a pollinator meadow, restoring a creek and constructing more wetlands.
Woods-Skipper wrote in her opinion that the residents are “not likely to prevail on the merits” of their case, and that granting an injunction would “adversely affect the public interest” by delaying access to sports fields.
“We are pleased by Friday’s court order,” said Ra’Chelle Rogers, a spokesperson for Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, in a written statement. “While the FDR Park litigation remains pending, the City is confident that the Master Plan is the best way forward for the Park’s ecological resilience and functionality.”
Rich Garella, the South Philadelphia resident leading the case, said he and the other residents are appealing to state court because they feel they are unlikely to get a “fair hearing” in Philadelphia.
“Commonwealth Court has shown a much better appreciation of the value of our natural environment and the role of the Pennsylvania Environmental Rights Amendment,” he said in a written statement, referring to one of the laws cited in the case. “If the City of Philadelphia can turn natural lands into a commercial sports complex without even getting court permission, then no parkland in the state is safe from development.”