Help NKCDC decide uses for 2211-17 Frankford Ave and the NKCDC Garden Center
NKCDC owns two properties on Frankford Ave that are dedicated for the use of community members, neighborhood and cultural organizations, and entrepreneurs. In over 20+ years of owning open land at 2211-17 Frankford Ave and 1825 Frankford Ave, the spaces have seen a variety of seasonal uses including children’s programming and art installations, beer and wine gardens, and dog-walking and leisure space.
Now NKCDC is in the process of determining the next use of our properties at 2211-17 Frankford Av and the NKCDC Garden Center at 1825 Frankford Ave. In November 2023, we issued a Request for Proposals and received a variety of responses from local businesses, artists, and community groups for use of the space.
NKCDC is gathering feedback from residents about preferred potential tenants and activities for both spaces. Decisions about the use of these spaces will be based on your feedback as well as other considerations, including the preferences of and the impacts on individuals who live immediately adjacent to these spaces; revenues; and the alignment of proposals with NKCDC’s mission and work. We may end up with a blend of several proposals.
Anchor Tenant Proposals
NKCDC received several proposals from potential partners for use of the NKCDC Garden Center and/or 2211-17 Frankford Ave for 3-4 days per week. You can vote online here on the following tenant proposals:
Mural City Cellars
(NKCDC Garden Center)
Mural City Cellars is Philadelphia’s first urban winery, creating minimal-intervention wines with grapes sourced from within a 300-mile radius of the city. They will be opening a new winery, bar and bottle shop at 1831 Frankford Ave in 2024, directly across Berks Street from the NKCDC Garden Center, and propose use of the Garden Center during spring, summer, and fall months.
Guests will be able to enjoy Mural City Cellars’ locally-made wines as well as products from other PA producers and non-alcoholic beverages. Mural City Cellars would also offer multiple opportunities for other businesses and organizations to collaborate in the space. Examples of these types of collaborations include yoga classes with Monarch Yoga, a pop-up market with Philly Queer Flea, and hosting their Rosé Soiree party series in the spring, which will bring in live performers and up-and-coming chefs.
Cantina la Martina
(NKCDC Garden Center or 2211-17 Frankford Ave)
Cantina la Martina is a restaurant located at 2800 D St in Kensington that celebrates pre-hispanic Mexican food and connection with Mexican culture and history through gastronomy. They propose to activate the NKCDC Garden Center or 2211-17 Frankford Ave with collaborative events with local partners that connect different demographics of the Riverwards community.
Proposed activities include: cultural events, cooking classes, art classes, dance classes, yoga, craft activities and an expansion of Cantina La Martina’s Placita vendor market series. Potential partners listed in Cantina La Martina’s proposal include: Impact Services, Taller Puertorriqueño, Vetri Foundation, Estilo Dance Studio, Power Street Theater, Philly Bridge & Jawn.
CBG PHILA
(2211-17 Frankford Ave)
CBG PHILA is a bar and restaurant located on the corner of Frankford Ave and Clearfield St in Kensington. Their team strives to play a proactive role in the neighborhood and provide a safe space for local residents to relax and unwind within walking distance from their homes.
CBG PHILA would like to host a community beer garden at 2211-17 Frankford Ave with music, cocktails and beverages, and family-inclusive programming. Proposed activities include cooking workshops, family nights with games for kids, arts activities, and collaborative events with other local restaurants, food vendors and breweries.
Fishtown Business Improvement District & Harriett’s Bookshop
(2211-17 Frankford Ave)
The Fishtown Kensington Area Business Improvement District (BID), in partnership with Harriett’s Bookshop, proposes to transition its Under the El Bazaar series to 2211-17 Frankford Ave. The space, featuring an original 1948 trolley car, would host a marketplace every Thursday through Saturday with makers, music, live performances, and food and beverages that focus on our neighborhood, as well as from different cultures and countries. There are no fees for vendors to participate in this series of events. The BID also proposes to run guided Fishtown Food & Culture walking tours, which would begin and end at the Garden Center, with a stop for local food and beverage at 2211-17 Frankford Avenue.
Occasional Uses for NKCDC Garden Center and 2211-17 Frankford Avenue
NKCDC is also considering occasional uses for the NKCDC Garden Center and 2211-17 Frankford Avenue that would happen less frequently than activities curated by the anchor tenants. Occasional uses could include:
- Community health and wellness activities
- Drumming and music classes for teens and children
- Free neighborhood orchestral concerts, music education programs, and music therapy events
- Themed events highlighting local grassroots efforts and organizations, featuring guest authors, discussions, and music
- “Books as movies” event series – screenings of family-friendly movies based on books
- Fishtown food and culture walking tours
- Gardening activities for children and youth
- Meetup events for the local Registered Community Organization (RCO)
- Sunday school and worship service
- Weekend vendor markets with or without live music
- Yoga and physical fitness classes
- Youth drill team practice
- Nutrition and food education demonstrations and workshops
- Performing arts clubs and activities
- Live music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday evenings (ending by 9 p.m.)
- Weekday daytime use by local daycares or schools (not open to the public)
- Weekday evening use by local schools for events (not open to the public)
Share your opinion on these Frankford Ave spaces!
- Vote online here by Sunday, March 3rd.
- Come in-person to the event at 2211-17 Frankford Ave on Saturday, February 17, from 11:00 AM – 2:00 PM. Proposed tenants will be present as well as members of NKCDC’s staff to talk through the options, as well as share some history and process.
- Vote on paper at the ballot box at 2211-17 Frankford Ave from February 12 to March 3.