neighborhood innovation : Development News

When it came time for the Mt. Airy Business Improvement District to tackle the annual chore of getting its fiscal year-end books in order, the staff there stumbled upon a pleasantly unexpected surprise: For the first time in its brief history, there was a small financial surplus. It was the result of assessment taxes that local business owners pay to the BID.

Thanks to that very surplus, the stretch of Germantown Avenue that sits between Cresheim Valley Drive and East Washington Lane will undoubtedly be even more inviting this year. That's because $3,000 of the BID's surplus is being used to execute a neighborhood beautification project that's being referred to as the "Clean and Green Program."

The program itself is simple enough: Business owners, groups, and even individuals are being encouraged to submit applications to the BID that would outline their own ideas for mini-beautification projects. The BID will then choose the smartest proposals and award the necessary funds.

"I've already gotten quite a few inquiries," says Hollie Malamud-Price, the BID's Executive Director. "I think people are excited about it because it's an opportunity for money, when money is scarce."

Applications for the program are currently being accepted on a rolling basis, although since the BID has to distribute all its funds by Sept. 30, anyone interested is being encouraged to act fast.

Along with the Clean and Green Program, the BID will also be using its surplus funds to launch a planter program--it's scheduled to begin in May--during which dozens of perennial plants will be hung from lampposts along the avenue. "As grant money becomes more available," says Malamud-Price, "I hope it can spur the ability to build upon the programs. So I'm hoping it'll (trigger) more economic development in that sense."

Email or call Malamud-Price directly to apply for Clean and Green grant money: [email protected] or 215-844-6490. 

Source: Hollie Malamud-Price, Mt. Airy BID
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Crime and other challenges have often stole the spotlight in Chester County from its many historic buildings and landmarks. But thanks in part to the Buccini/Pollin Group, a development company that spent $60 million in 2005 on a renovation of the town's historic Wharf building--now known as the Wharf at Rivertown--Chester's economic revitalization seems to be continuing its steady forward march.

Formerly home to the Delaware County Power Plant, today the Wharf is a mixed-use office and retail project. The building's newest tenant is the Power Home Remodeling Group, which on Jan. 3 relocated its entire headquarters to the Wharf after outgrowing its old space in Brookhaven.

According to Jeff Kaliner, PHRG's co-founder and CEO, the move was made possible after the company became a recipient of the 2010 Governor's Discretionary Grant. The fund provides assistance to organizations that are actively growing the economy. "And in return," says Kaliner, "we've promised to hire 250 (new employees) over the next couple years."

Perhaps equally as impressive are the promises that Kaliner and his company have made to the city of Chester. PHRG signed a 10-year lease on its new space, for example, even though it will only see tax breaks for the next three years. (Chester sits inside a Keystone Opportunity Zone.) The occupancy rate of the Wharf, in fact, is now an impressive 95 percent.

"For us," says Kaliner, "the move was less about the KOZ than it was about helping revitalize Chester. And it's not that we're taking a gamble," he adds. "We see this as an opportunity for growth, for both the city and for our employees."

Source: Jeff Kaliner, Power Home Remodeling Group
Writer: Dan Eldridge

For quite some time now, hardcore coffee lovers living in certain reaches of South Philly have had to suffer the indignity of traveling slightly outside the neighborhood--to Bodhi Coffee, for instance, or to Ultimo Coffee or Spruce Street Espresso--to score a high-quality, fair trade Americano. But that all changed about three weeks ago, when Shot Tower Coffee opened for business inside a beautifully refurbished space near the corner of South 6th and Christian streets.

The shop's two owners, Mariel Freeman and Matthew Derago, met while working at Rojo's Roastery, a small batch artisan coffee roaster located in Lambertville, N.J. "And after working there, we kind of had an idea about what we wanted in a cafe," says Derago, a trained biologist who previously co-owned the South Street-area sneaker and street-wear shop Afficial.

Without a doubt, Shot Tower is a coffee obsessive's paradise. (Portland's Stumptown Coffee Roasters, for instance, is currently its main supplier.) And as Freeman is quick to point out, the ethical considerations that go into the shop's purchasing decisions extended to its architecture, as well. "Everything is recycled and reused," she says. "Everything."

Which is pretty much true: The backsplash tiles came from a 1920s Trenton subway station. The white pine holding up the front counter is recycled barn wood from Lancaster. And the table frames were snatched up from the old Tastykake factory.

"Our coffee is mostly certified direct trade," says Freeman, when asked to describe what makes her cafe special. "It's all about encouraging sustainability and transparency, on every step of the path that coffee makes, from seed to cup."

Source: Mariel Freeman and Matthew Derago, Shot Tower Coffee
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Photo Courtesy of Drew Lazor

The Enterprise Center's community development corporation has long played an important role in the lives of the 8,634 residents who live in the West Philly neighborhood it serves, Walnut Hill. And thanks to a recently awarded grant from the U.S Department of Agriculture's Farmers Market Promotion Program, it will soon be doing even more important work in the neighborhood--namely, promoting the regular consumption of fruits and veggies in a part of town where fresh produce isn't always easy to come by.

The $89,613 grant will allow the CDC to complete the construction of a quarter-acre community farm that sits between Market and Ludlow streets in Walnut Hill. It will also allow the group to build its own farm stand on the site, where the youth growers involved with the program can sell their produce--everything from kale, broccoli and Swiss chard to spinach, eggplant and collard greens--to the community. (Last season, the group sold its produce primarily at the Clark Park Farmers' Market.)

The money will also be used to start a CSA (community supported agriculture) program this spring in Walnut Hill, which will allow local residents to buy seasonal produce directly from the youth farmers by buying into a membership or "subscription" program. And it'll even allow the CDC to provide EBT access, allowing locals to buy the produce with their food stamp cards.

"We're a lot better off here than a lot of neighborhoods," says Managing Director Greg Heller, referring to Walnut Hill's proximity to supermarkets and green grocers. "But a lot of people do still rely on corner stores and bodegas, so we see a pretty big need for this project. We think the impact locally is going to be pretty huge."

Source: Greg Heller, The Enterprise Center CDC
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Photographs courtesy of: The Enterprise Center CDC

When it was announced in 2008 that Philadelphia would be selected as one of the country's 25 Solar America Cities, the mission was relatively straightforward. It involved the city and the U.S. Department of Energy working together in an effort to "rapidly increase the use and integration of solar energy," according to the program's website.

Last month, the city took a major step towards that goal when it broke ground on its very first municipal-owned solar power plant, a project that was the result of an $850,000 grant from the Department of Energy. The solar photovoltaic system is currently under construction at the Philadelphia Water Department's Southeast Water Pollution Control Plant, where it will be ground-mounted on a little more than an acre of formerly unused land. Its construction is expected to be complete sometime this spring.

According to Paul Kohl, the Philadelphia Water Department's Energy Champion, the plant will produce roughly 300,000 kilowatt hours of energy each year, which is enough to power somewhere between 28 and 30 homes in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

And what of the relatively small size of the plant?

"To give a very pedestrian answer," says Kohl, "the amount of money that we were willing to spend--and that the Mayor's Office of Sustainability was willing to give us--was about the size of the site."

According to Kohl, the city does plan to continue moving forward with the installation of other solar plants at sites much larger than that of the Water Department's. Those installations, however, will be operated through what's known as a Solar Power Purchase Agreement (SPPA) model, in which a developer would design, build and run a solar plant, and the city would then promise to purchase the plant's energy for a specified length of time, usually somewhere between 15 and 20 years.

Source: Paul Kohl, Philadelphia Water Department
Writer: Dan Eldridge

It's unlikely that anyone who spent a significant amount of time hanging around the South Street commercial corridor of the 1970s will have forgotten about Paper Moon, which served as both an indoor newsstand and a countercultural institution during its heyday. While news of the shop's Thanksgiving weekend reopening at 520 South 4th Street by its original owner, Bill Curry, came as a welcome surprise to the shop's former customers, it has also been considered a touch curious, what with the unfortunate economic state of the print publishing world today (not to mention that of the retail industry in general).

"This all came about because we had a 40th reunion of the people that had the [South Street] Renaissance," explains Curry, who also owns the nearby Copabanana restaurant, referring to the economic revival of the area that took place during the late 1960s and early 70s.

At the reunion, which happened at Isaiah Zagar's Magic Gardens last October, someone suggested to Curry that he reopen the old shop. And since Curry is currently in the process of transferring the management of Copabanana to his nephew, he decided to give it a go.

As Curry points out, though, "magazines are only about 20 percent of my business." Paper Moon also stocks obscure greeting cards, a selection of high-end candies and snacks, and a number of cookbooks and New York Times-bestsellers that can even be rented, library-style, for $3 a week.

Curry has a wide range of future plans for the shop, including wireless Internet access and printing capabilities. "I'm still feeling my way (in terms of) how the store will evolve," he says. "But I know it has to be a 21st-century version of what I did in the '70s and '80s."

Source: Bill Curry, Paper Moon
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Even in a down economy, workers with solid construction skills can generally find decent paying jobs. And if those workers have been trained in environmentally-sustainable green building techniques, they're even more employable still. That's the general idea, at any rate, behind the YouthBuild Philadelphia Charter School in North Philly, where for the past 17 years, high school dropouts and at-risk youth have been earning diplomas and picking up valuable green construction skills while building affordable homes in their communities.

YouthBuild Philadelphia's current project kicked off recently at 4620 Greene Street in Germantown, where a dilapidated and crumbling house that has sat vacant for the past two decades will soon be rehabbed by a rotating group of 40 YouthBuild students. After completion of the project, which will be energy efficient and supplied with sustainable appliances, the group plans to apply for LEED Gold or Silver Certification for the house.

Germantown residents can thank Philadelphia Neighborhood Housing Services, a local community development corporation, for the environmentally conscious changes taking place on Greene Street. "I live in the area, and that's how I first became aware of (the house)," says PNHS Executive Director Bernard Hawkins. "The property was in abandoned condition, and it looked to me like it might be a potential site for a renovation project, so we began the process of acquiring the title to the property. That was several years ago now."

Being a perennial favorite on an annual top 10 list is usually a point of pride. But for the Divine Lorraine, the historic hotel at 699 N. Broad Street, the distinction of being atop the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia's Endangered Properties List is nothing to cheer about--yet. With several development projects beginning and then falling through, this historic hotel is in danger of becoming extinct along with nine others on the Preservation Alliance's eighth annual list. Still, while the list may look like a rebuke of Philadelphia developers, the Preservation Alliance looks at the list as a shining example of the historic assets our city holds and the potential for amazing future projects.

"There are examples in the tony Old City and in more impoverished areas," says PAGP Director of Advocacy Ben Leech. "But what ties them all together is that they all are or could be important neighborhood landmarks."

With three new additions to the list, the Preservation Alliance decided to focus this year on buildings like the Divine Lorraine, featuring seven properties that have appeared in the past but still remain underdeveloped. Luckily, most of the buildings that have been featured have since been developed and the Preservation Alliance is working with developers to continue that trend.

"The spirit of the list tries to balance between the optimistic view that these are our future landmarks, our future neighborhood assets," says Leech, "and the view that there is no reason for these structures to be in the condition they are in. We are so used to seeing them in the condition they are in that it blinds us to the critical risks facing them if they remain in this state. Let's celebrate what we have and also let's do something to make sure they remain."

Others on the list are: Dilworth House, Germantown Town Hall, Henry Pierce House, Burk Mansion, Provident Mutual, Lynewood Hall, Laverock Hill Estate, Cruiser Olympia, and 109 Elfreth's Alley.

Source: Ben Leech, Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia
Writer: John Steele

In November, Mayor Michael Nutter and members of the Metropolitan Caucus representing Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties launched a new initiative to help business and home owners save energy. EnergyWorks is an informational program and website that helps explain energy rebate programs, tax incentives and home energy audits. One month this 5-county program, it has received hundreds of requests for information. As the program refines its message, EnergyWorks officials hope to create educational programs, outreach efforts and online campaigns  to bring new building management solutions and development projects to the region.

"We realized we had to make this a one-stop shop like when you take your car to a mechanic and he fixes the tire and the brake pad and the axle so the whole system runs right," says Philadelphia Deputy Chief of Staff for Economic Development Andy Rachlin. "Building management is very complicated and oftentimes people won't know what is wrong. They know that they are cold in the winter, hot in the summer and their energy bills are sky high. So we help them improve energy usage from start to finish."

The process begins with a complete energy assessment to determine the energy leaks where simple solutions like insulation may do the trick. Program instructors also recommend switching to energy efficient light bulbs and setting thermostat timers. If you own a business and you want to go bigger, EnergyWorks can help you find rebates for everything from energy efficient appliances to six- and seven-figure loan financing for construction projects designed to expand your business in a sustainable way. But the most important thing, says Rachlin, is that people understand the importance of energy.

"At a local level, these things help lower people's bills and make them more comfortable," says Rachlin. "But this is more than just a local issue. Climate change is something that won't be affected without everyone working together."

Source: Andy Rachlin, EnergyWorks
Writer: John Steele

When the Obama administration announced the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act two years ago, Philadelphia Housing Authority General Manager of Community Development and Design Michael Johns set to work getting applications in for as many projects as he could. From fixing blight in Mill Creek to the construction of the Mantua Square development in West Philadelphia, many of PHA's wishes have since been answered. This week, PHA cut the ribbon on 340 rehabbed housing units scattered across the city. The development is PHA's largest stimulus-funded project to date and provides homes for people once living in shelters or on the street.

"PHA has over 1000 vacant properties so in terms of that inventory, this is a significant step forward in addressing our scattered sites portfolio," says Johns. "In addition to that, this project makes a statement to the city and to the communities that we are in that we are committed to addressing their concerns about public housing."

Not only were the homes substantially rehabbed, 71 of the homes were made handicap-accessible, complete with ramped entrances and chair-lifts, allowing handicapped residents the opportunity to live on their own. In accordance with the Stimulus funding they received, PHA brought all homes to greater energy efficiency through sustainable improvements including improved insulation, energy efficient air and water heaters, doors, windows and Energy Star appliances and fixtures.

"In these older homes, energy is always a concern and we were ready to meet the energy criteria outlined in the stimulus funding," says Johns. "We worked with caulking, insulation, and weather stripping to seal those leaks and reduce the amount of energy lost in these new units."

Source: Michael Johns, Philadelphia Housing Authority
Writer: John Steele

When the planners of Penn Praxis designed the Civic Vision for the Central Delaware, they envisioned a bustling commercial waterfront loaded with restaurants, shopping, and, above all, green space. As development plans have begun, projects like the Race Street Pier and Pier 53 have brought parks to areas previously disconnected from green space, raising property values and public health in the process. Penn Praxis returns this week with its latest plan, Green 2015, an action plan designed to add 500 acres of open space to Philadelphia by 2015.

Green 2015 is a response to the Greenworks Sustainability Plan, issued by the Nutter Administration, to add 500 acres to the equity of the city, giving special focus to those areas without proper park access. Penn Praxis unveils this plan at the today's Urban Sustainability Forum at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

"In the report, we try to address people who might ask why we would invest in something like this during such tough economic times," says Penn Praxis Executive Director Harris Steinberg. "How do we serve those areas who are underserved? By adding those economic as well as social, environmental and public health benefits of green space."

Even with these considerations, cost is a concern. So the plan focuses first on using city-owned land to reduce acquisition costs, focusing on school yards, rec centers and vacant lands in under-greened neighborhoods, giving planners more than 1,000 acres to work with. The plan also examines storm water management goals set forth by the EPA, adding funding to these initiatives. Mayor Nutter and Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael DiBerardinis will be on hand Tuesday to mark the official start of this action plan.

"There is a lot of collaboration across many different agencies, which I think bodes very well," says Steinberg. "It is always hard during tough economic times because you have to strike a balance between existing resources and getting the most out of your work but we expect a positive response overall."

Source: Harris Steinberg, Penn Praxis
Writer: John Steele

With Temple University in the midst of its 20/20 vision plan--an ambitious development proposal that will bring renovations across the North Philadelphia campus and renew North Broad Street's commercial corridor--it is easy to forget about the neighborhoods surrounding Temple. But while Temple prepares for millions of dollars in student housing and resident services centers, one nearby corridor was quietly getting a facelift of its own.

This week, Columbus Property Management announced completion of Temple 1, a LEED-certified rehab of 22 town homes on N. 16th Street between Cecil B. Moore and Montgomery. The renovation converts 58 low-income rental units with features like low-flow bath fixtures, high-efficiency heating and cooling systems, energy-saving windows and new insulation. The project has been given the LEED Gold certification and will re-open later this month.

"There is a lot of construction going on in this immediate area of North Philadelphia," says Columbus Director of Construction David Hahn. "All of these projects are working together to restore some of the blighted areas across this part of North Philadelphia."

The all-union, local construction continues as Columbus begins Temple 2, bringing energy efficiency to an other 40 units on the 1500 block. Beyond the new construction bringing more people to the developing area, Hahn hopes this project will generate revenue for nearby commercial corridors.

"By lowering living expenses, it gives our tenants a few more dollars in their pocket, which they can then in turn spend in the neighborhood," says Hahn. "More than just a stable building, we want to create a stable neighborhood. So when people go spend that money at the laundromat or the pizzeria, they are adding to that stability."

Source: Dave Hahn, Columbus Property Management
Writer: John Steele

When it comes to trees, the folks at Center City District don't mess around. The group maintains about 750 street trees and, with their redesign of Dilworth Plaza set to get rolling after the first of the year, that number is about to get a whole lot bigger. But that hasn't slowed them down one bit. This week, the group announced the first event in the Plant! Philadelphia series, a planting initiative designed to increase green space and involve Philadelphians in creating it.

On Thursday, Dec. 2, a group of students from Abraham Lincoln Academy's Environmental Academy program met with CCD officials to help plant two new trees. The first set down in front of Thomas Jefferson's famous Graff House, where he wrote the Declaration of Independence. The other went on a treeless block at 6th and Chestnut. Along the way, the students learned some history of the area as well as the value of tree planting.

"There can never be enough trees because they do so much for our urban environment," says CCD VP of Planning Nancy Goldenberg. "But beyond what private developers do, this program is specifically for street trees. Those are something that every tourist, every visitor, every resident, every employee benefits from."

The program came through a donation from the Dow Chemical Company, helping CCD buy, plant and maintain the two young Hackberry trees. Goldenberg hopes other businesses follow suit to help improve on CCD's current planting schedule and get the city to more healthy green levels.

"We plant about 60 new trees each year because of drought or they get hit by trucks or whatever," says CCD VP of Planning Nancy Goldenberg. "Plant! Philadelphia is an effort to involve Philadelphia people and businesses in that effort and help the city reach its goal of planting 300,000 trees by 2015."

Source: Nancy Goldenberg, Center City District
Writer: John Steele

While the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) remains hard at work on the Philadelphia 2035 plan--a strategic, long-term document focused on creating a stronger future for Philadelphia's transit and development--another group of planners have gotten in on the act. What these planners lack in knowledge, they more than make up for in experience living in Philadelphia and observing the functionality of city design and services.

These concerned community members are part of a pilot program called the Citizen's Planning Institute (CPI), an educational program working to empower citizens to make their voices heard in the planning process. Funded by the William Penn Foundation, CPI offers basic lessons in everything from land use to zoning issues, placing extra emphasis on under-represented communities around Philadelphia, in the hopes of creating more dynamic, city-wide development.

"We targeted specifically neighborhoods not as experienced with the process to be more active and effective with a focus on a "planning 101 approach," says CPI Director Donna Carney. "So they could see that they have the power to change their neighborhoods through this process."

The pilot program attracted 100 applicants, of which 30 were chosen to represent their neighborhoods. The resulting panel contained over 850 years of Philadelphia residency and helped shape a planned expansion to the program in 2011. The current students "graduate" when the courses conclude on Dec. 6 but plans are already in the works to add elective topics such as urban design, historic preservation, marketing and finance.

"As we expand on the program going forward, a whole variety of outreach activities could be handled by the Citizen's Planning Institute in the future," says PCPC Director of Planning and Policy Alan Urek.  "We would look to it to help inform some of the recommendations on the comprehensive plan."

Source: Donna Carney, Citizen's Planning Institute
Writer: John Steele

Every Sunday, the Philadelphia Eagles bring green power to Lincoln Financial Field with a crushing defense and a youthful, high-powered offense. But a new proposal is set to bring green power off the field and spread it to the rest of the Linc. On Nov. 18, the Philadelphia Eagles announced plans to create a $30 million, on-site energy generation system complete with wind turbines and solar panels that will instantly transfer 15-20 percent of the Linc's output to renewable energy, while an on-site co-generation power plant will take care of the rest.Through a partnership with Orlando, Fla. firm Solar Blue, Lincoln Financial Field becomes the world's first major sports stadium to convert to self-generated renewable energy.

"Pennsylvania has been a regulated state with rate caps and those rate caps are expected to expire at the end of this year," says Lincoln Financial Field COO Don Smolenski. "The information we were getting was that electricity costs were going to go up 30-40 percent. With electricity being our biggest line item for the stadium, we started exploring our options."

The installation, with an expected completion date of September 2011, contains 80 spiral-shaped wind turbines along the roof of the structure, affixes 2,500 solar panels to the facade and brings an on-site, co-generation power plant to the parking lot. The plant, which will handle the majority of the energy load, runs on biodiesel or natural gas. SolarBlue will  own and operate the stadium's power system for the next 20 years, selling the power to the Eagles at a fixed rate. The proposal is expected to save the team an estimated $60 million in energy costs.

"The vertical-shaped turbines appealed to us aesthetically and are less noisy than traditional turbines," says Smolenski. "Not only is it good for our electricity rates, we feel these turbines really enhance the look of the stadium."

Source: Don Smolenski, Lincoln Financial Field
Writer: John Steele