Rendering of The Porch 2.0 (courtesy of UCD).

The Porch, the public space by the 30th Street Station, will soon get some new features and upgrades, including new landscaping design, custom-made swings, and a permanent food and beverage concept, University City District (UCD) announced this week. Rendering for The Porch 2.0 has also been released and suggests that the space, which replaced a large 30th St Station parking lot in 2011, will become greener.

UCD is collaborating with urban landscaping firm Groundswell Design Group on space redesign. The new design features include a series of tiered wooden platforms, intermingled with planters and vine canopies that “offer a variety of comfortable and intimate spaces for people to sit and enjoy each other’s company, savor the food and drink, or simply lounge and linger.”

San Francisco-based Gehl Studio will create several custom-made, brightly-painted wooden swings designed exclusively for the Porch. The swings are expected to add to user enjoyment of the space.

Finally, chef-restaurateur Michael Schulson has been invited to develop a permanent food and beverage concept for The Porch, which includes a parked food truck with a specifically designed and newly installed rotisserie. Rotisserie at The Porch will serve lunch seven days a week, and there will be a beverage trailer that will offer beer and liquor options Wednesdays-Saturdays from 4-9 p.m. By the way, revenue from the Rotisserie will benefit UCD’s West Philadelphia Skills Initiative (WPSI) program.

The new features are expected to be unveiled this spring.