What's The Future of Swanson Street?

South Bowl as the southern anchor to Swanson St (via Philly.com)

The hits just keep on comin' for Swanson Street in South Philly. While we all know this crazy stretch of road for in uneven roads and confusing traffic patterns - it's primed to become the entertainment hub of South Philly.

A few years back, Naked Philly broke the news that a bowling alley/amusement facility would be coming to Oregon and Swanson. As you may have seen, it's going to be run by the friendly people of North Bowl and become the face of the new Swanson Street.

Music at The Arena - this looks oddly familiar (via)

This alone would be great news for South Philly. However, news today broke that a new music venue is being planned in place of The Arena, mere steps from the proposed "South Bowl" location. This project being led by the folks who run the legendary Troc.

A couple things off the bat. Both of these projects have major cred when it comes to who is planning them. North Bowl and The Trocadero have long standing reputations of putting out a fantastic and entertaining product. Rest assured, these projects will be well done.

Developments like these should lead to improvements to the surrounding area. Anyone who took a Saturday afternoon visit to Foreman Mills can attest that this area is incredibly difficult to navigate. These roads are uneven and all over the place. Pedestrians are almost non-existent because there simply isn't anywhere to walk without being in the road. With South Bowl as the southern anchor of Swanson St (Target being the northern),  I hope to see improved road and walkways at the very least.

What do make of the future of Swanson Street? Excited for the new entertainments options or skeptical of these new developments?