Keep Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls Whole
January 17, 2021 To: Pennsylvania Legislative Reapportionment Commission (LRC) From: Residents of the 194th House District Re: Keep Whole the Roxborough, Manayunk, East Falls Community of Interest Esteemed leaders, we appreciate the difficult process involved in creating maps and acknowledge that there have been great strides in the overall Senate map for Pennsylvania. However, the current House map breaks up the communities of Roxborough, Manayunk, and East Falls currently located within the 194th District. We urge you to keep our District located in the Lower Northwest section of Philadelphia intact. As a community of interest since 1854 when Roxborough was incorporated into the City of Philadelphia, we seek your support in retaining the Lower Northwest as one district. We urge the commission to maintain the integrity of the current 194th House legislative district by utilizing the Fair District People’s PA House Map here: https://davesredistricting.org/maps#viewmap::1f6aa7de-308c-4ea1-a1bb-bff32d498d77 This map ensures that the historic, diverse working-class communities of Roxborough, Manayunk and East Falls are kept whole. The Lower Northwest section of Philadelphia has clear natural boundaries - bordered to the southwest along the Schuylkill River and the northeast by the Wissahickon Creek section of Fairmount Park. There is also a unified community of interest in this district. Currently, civic organizations and residents in the Lower Northwest are engaged in planning for sustainable growth in response to the unprecedented explosion in residential construction due to zoning changes that opened opportunities for new development. The seven civic organizations in our district are working with City and state elected officials to develop sensible plans in support of planned growth while preserving affordability, safety for pedestrians and bicyclists, open green space, and historic buildings. These zoning changes are specific to the Lower Northwest, and we seek to remain one district to enable the residents to work together and not have our power diluted at this very important time. The Fair District People’s Map keeps our Lower Northwest communities intact, as separate and distinct, from the Upper Northwest communities on the other side of the Wissahickon Creek that are neither similar in demography nor easily accessible. Our fragile democracy depends on civic engagement and connected communities. Roxborough, Manayunk, and East Falls represent a long-standing community of interest woven together by civic engagement and shared commitments. We urge the LRC to adjust the proposed House map to preserve our community of interest and keep the Lower Northwest Philadelphia communities in one district. Sincerely, Residents of the 194th District: Christine Ertz, 19128 Cheryl Feldman, 19128 Tina Krovetz, 19128 Eric Peterson, 19128 Elizabeth Robinson, 19128 Marlene Schleifer, 19128