Philadelphia's Fox Chase defends taking parkland

A legal debate has begun in Philadelphia, with the city and Fox Chase Cancer Center arguing the merits of surrendering a quarter of Burholme Park to keep the hospital and research facility in the city. The expansion requires 19 acres of the 69-acre park, and would encompass most of the land that makes up the privately run Burholme Park Golf Center. A lawyer representing a group of neighbors argued that leasing active parkland is unprecedented and that it goes against the will of Robert Waln Ryerss, whose 1895 bequest of his mansion and surrounding property created the park. Fox Chase has looked at other options, including moving to Delaware, if it’s not allowed to expand into Burholme Park.