Development News

It’s a well-known fact that many low-income neighborhoods in Philadelphia are food deserts, meaning there is no grocery store or other source of fresh foods nearby. The city of Chester in Delaware County must be the Gobi Desert of food deserts, as the entire city is currently without a supermarket. This is despite the recent construction of both a soccer stadium and a casino. However, this is about to change as Philabundance, with the help of the Delaware Valley Regional Economic Development Fund, recently acquired a building to open up a non-profit grocery store.

The grocery store will be called Fare and Square, and will be located on Ninth St., a few blocks south of Highland Ave. Lindsay Bues, a spokeswoman for Philabundance, reports that Fare and Square will sell both deeply-discounted and free food, and will accept and teach the community about Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. “This model promotes food equality by offering a full range of food products at one convenient location on a regular basis while allowing people to maximize their purchasing power,” reports Bues.

Chester’s first grocery store is made possible through a $1 million grant through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This grant will comprise a good chunk of the $4.5 million price tag behind offering fresh food. According to Bues, the store will take up 13,000 sq. ft. and provide 30 new jobs, many of which will go to local residents. The store will likely open its doors in about a year.

Local and federal lawmakers are still trying to get a bigger supermarket to open in Chester, and it sounds like they might be close. Two chains that might be interested in opening are Shop Rite and Fresh Grocer, although nothing is firm at this moment. There’s no word on what will happen to Fare and Square when a larger grocery store does set up shop. 

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Lindsay Bues

The Master Plan for the Central Delaware is one of 27 projects to be honored with the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Honor Award. The award recognizes excellence in architecture and urban design and is the profession's highest honor.

A news release cites the City of Philadelphia's plan for striking a "strong balance between urban design and economic reality, proposing both public and private development to transform and regenerate six miles of waterfront,"

Priority sites along Spring Garden Street, Penn's Landing and Washington are seeing work first. Phasing and funding of new parks, trails, transit and connections to existing neighborhoods were praised as a "practical implementation strategy."

Cooper Roberts & Partners led an impressive team in developing the plan, including KieranTimberlake, OLIN and H&R&A. The plan takes into account goals and objectives developed through extensive civic engagement led by PennPraxis, and the plan was adopted by the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation last June.

Source: Laurie Heinerichs, DRWC
Writer: Joe Petrucci

The Broad St. corridor between Spring Garden and Ridge has seen some of the trendiest redevelopment in the city in the past few years, with residential development at Lofts 640 and culinary development at Osteria. It looks like this redevelopment is about to rub off on surrounding blocks. The Regis Group has obtained necessary zoning approvals to convert the erstwhile Paul Green School of Rock into the Brandywine Lofts apartments. Construction is expected to begin shortly at 15th and Brandywine, and the apartments should be up in four to five months.

The design firm JKR Partners, which is also working on a number of other projects across the city including North 28 in Brewerytown and 777 S. Broad, is handling the design elements for the Brandywine Lofts. Glenn Felgoise, the director of marketing at JKR, says the lofts will include 10 apartments on the second and third floors of the old music school. Five of these apartments will be on the second floor, three will be on the third floor, and two will be on both floors.

Felgoise says the first floor will be marked by a parking garage, game room, kitchenette, and garden space for residents. He confirms that each apartment will have its own parking space, and there will also be storage for at least 18 bicycles. The units will be sized from 813 to 1,043 sq. ft., and will include one or two bedrooms and one or two baths. Eight of the apartments will be fitted with decks. No word on price points yet.   

One reason why JKR was chosen to work on Brandywine Lofts is because of its expertise in adaptive re-use. Indeed, the design firm will strive to preserve some of the historical elements of the structure, especially on the second floor. “Units at [the] rear of second floor have exposed heavy timber trusses in space,” he reports. JKR is looking to preserve these trusses.

Given the recent development proposals on North Broad, Brandywine Lofts is in a great location. According to Felgoise, the best perks of the location are access to the Broad Street subway line, the Community College of Philadelphia (CCP), and other new and proposed developments on Broad. The proposed Lofts are only one block from N. Broad and two blocks from the Spring Garden subway station. In addition, it will also be just a one-block bike ride to get to the conceptual Spring Garden St. Greenway.    

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Glenn Felgoise, JKR Partners

2011 was the year for public space and parks in Philadelphia, with the opening of Penn Park, The Porch at 30th St. Station, and the Race St. Pier. Mt. Airy USA (MAUSA) is looking to bring that trend northwest for 2012. MAUSA, in conjunction with community groups and other stakeholders, has been studying what to do with the open space next to the Lovett Library for months. They have formulated a "conceptual plan" for an open, child-friendly performance space that will complement their efforts to transform Germantown Ave. into a more livable and walkable corridor.

The community made it clear during three public meetings that any outdoor area at Lovett should preserve the open space and support performances, according to Anuj Gupta, the Executive Director at MAUSA. Locals were also quite passionate about maintaining "the green orientation of this space," says Gupta. He says more trees will be planted, but the space as planned will function as an open amphitheater. MAUSA has reached out to the Curtis Institute of Music to see if they'd be interested in allowing their students to perform outside Lovett. 

Gupta says the proposed park will be tyke-friendly and sustainable, accommodating a story-time circle and nature play for young children. MAUSA may partner with a local arboretum on the nature play. Gupta hopes to better control the stormwater that flows off Lovett's roof through use of a rain garden. Along with the rain garden, native plant species will be used.

This public space proposal comes on the heels of a successful summer movie series on the grounds of the Lovett. Gupta brags that 130 to 150 people coalesced at the library during the course of the eight-week movie series. Trolley Car Diner provided concessions, and all movies were family-friendly. Gupta foresees the upcoming public space making this a tradition. 

A number of community and city groups have been involved in the planning for Mt. Airy's newest public space. The Community Design Collaborative (CDC) provided complimentary design services. The Free Library of Philadelphia has provided its support and assistance. East and West Mt. Airy Neighbors (EMAN and WMAN) have both been intimately involved in the community engagement process. Even the local religious community hasn't been left out, as Gupta lauds the Neighborhood Interfaith Movement for being a partner.

MAUSA hopes that this public space jibes with corridor improvements along Germantown Ave. People should "have an incentive to walk from Cresheim Valley [Drive] to Washington Lane," says Gupta with hopeful inflection. He says there is currently little activity on the stretch of the Avenue around the library. Gupta also states that there is no designed park in Northwest Philadelphia, although he says Chestnut Hill's Pastorius Park comes close. He says Lovett can hold the area's first designed park. 

Anuj Gupta estimates that MAUSA's "final conceptual plan" will be ready for public consumption in May. He hopes to hold a ceremony replete with performances at Lovett's grounds to present the plan. While the community has been split on what to do with the space, it looks like MAUSA worked hard to run with the local consensus views. It might just be a few months until Mt. Airy proves that 2012 is the year of the public space in the Northwest.   

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Anuj Gupta, Mt. Airy USA

I-95 is one of the country’s most prolific highways, running between Maine and Florida. For the most part the highway runs uninterrupted, except for a small gap in the Trenton, NJ-area. With this in mind, a movement to remove the highway from the Delaware River waterfront landscape between the Ben Franklin and Walt Whitman Bridges is gaining steam. The idea of reclaiming the city’s waterfront by removing the highway, or merely burying it, was discussed at the Re-Imagining Urban Highways forum last week at the Academy of Natural Sciences.

Speakers at Re-Imagining Urban Highways came from across the country, and represented the municipal, academic, and journalistic spheres. They include Aaron Naparstek of the transportation planning website StreetsBlog, Peter Park of Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, Thomas Deller of Providence, RI’s Department of Planning and Development, and Ashwan Balakrishnan with the South Bronx River Watershed Alliance. They discussed successful and current efforts to remove urban highways around the world, and the realized and potential benefits of removal.  

The final two speakers were Diana Lind, the editor in chief of Next American City, and Andrew Stober, the Chief of Staff for Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, both of whom gave a local perspective. Lind was the chief proponent of creating a dialogue about removing or burying I-95, as she cited other highways and arterials that motorists could detour on to avoid the highway. Unfortunately, some of these highways are as far away as South Jersey and the western suburbs. Lind revealed that she’ll be circulating a petition to PennDOT in favor of altering I-95 this week.  

As one of the most influential people in Philadelphia’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, Stober had one of the evening's more interesting points of view. While willing to discuss the merits of burying or removing I-95, he concentrated on other improvements that could be made to the city and region’s transportation network. Stober’s main focus was on mass transit, which he called “an incredible endowment from previous generations.” He showcased the city’s proposals for Columbus Blvd., which include a light-rail line running down the median.

Stober preferred to concentrate on transit access because it “gives us more bang for the buck than dealing with the highway.” The chief of staff also lamented the unwillingness of some state and federal lawmakers to fund transportation and infrastructure, given that it’s not a glamorous topic for many voters. He cited the multitude of constituent feedback to puppy mill legislation, and compared it to the relative silence from voters on transportation legislation. Apparently, bridges and trains will never be as cute as pug and Labrador puppies.   

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Andrew Stober, Philadelphia Office of Transportation and Utilities

Old theaters, churches, bridgs historic sites and cemeteries were among those earning 2012 Preservation Achievement Awards from the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia.

The Preservation Alliance will present its Grand Jury Awards to 17 regional restoration and revitalization projects at its 19th annual Preservation Achievement Awards luncheon on May 8 at the Crystal Tea Room in the Wanamaker Building.

Danilo Vicencio of Vicencio Architects had two projects earn awards, including a property at 1824 Diamond Street and another North Philly project with Power House Development, Inc., at 431 N. 39th Street.

Also, the James Biddle Award, one of the Special Recognition Awards recognizing lifetime achievement in historic preservation, will go to West Chester University Professor Emeritus of History and American Studies Richard J. Webster. The distinguished teacher and author's books inlucde Philadelphia Preserved: The Catalog of the Historic American Buildings Survey.

"The range of award winners this year demonstrates the important role that historic preservation has in the economy of the Philadelphia region and the revitalization of neighborhoods," says Preservation Alliance Executive Director John Andrew Gallery in a news release.

Here's a full list of award winners:

GRAND JURY AWARDS
(project, address, owner, architect)

1824 Diamond Street
1824 Diamond Street, Philadelphia
Power House Development, Incorporated
Danilo Vicencio
 
2307 St. Albans Place
2307 St. Albans Place, Philadelphia
F. Scott Donahue
David S. Traub & Associates

431 N. 39th Street Triplex
431 N. 39th Street, Philadelphia
Power House Development, Incorporated
Danilo Vicencio

Arch Street United Methodist Church Window
55 North Broad Street, Philadelphia
Arch Street United Methodist Church
Atkin Olshin Schade Architects

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul
18th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia
Archdiocese of Philadelphia
VITETTA

Curtis Institute of Music Lenfest Hall
1616 Locust Street, Philadelphia
Curtis Institute of Music
Venturi, Scott Brown and Associates, Inc.

George A. Weiss Pavilion at Franklin Field
233 S. 33rd Street, Philadelphia
University of Pennsylvania
Crawford Architects

Independence Hall Tower
Independence Square, Philadelphia
City of Philadelphia
Bargmann Hendrie + Archetype, Inc.

Mariposa Food Co-op - Belmont Trust Company Building
4824 Baltimore Avenue, Philadelphia
Mariposa Food Co-op
Re:Vision Architecture

Medallion Garden
3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia
Laurel Hill Cemetery
KSK Architects Planners Historians, Inc.

PennDOT District 6-0 Bridge Rehabilitations
Cope's Bridge Strasburg Road (SR 0162) over Branch of Brandywine Creek
Hares Hill Bridge Hares Hill Road (SR 1045) over French Creek
Henry Avenue Bridge Henry Avenue (SR 4001) over Wissahickon Creek Lincoln Dr.
Rapps Dam Covered Bridge Rapps Dam Road (SR 1049) over French Creek

Saint Francis de Sales Church
4625 Springfield Avenue, Philadelphia
Saint Francis de Sales Parish
Historic Building Architects, LLC

Shane Candies
110 Market Street, Philadelphia
Franklin Fountain LLC
Owners Re

Smithville Park Houses
8 & 9 Park Avenue and 34 Maple Avenue, Eastampton, NJ
Burlington County, Department of Resource
Conservation, Division of Parks
Wu & Associates, Inc.

Termini Brothers Bakery
1523 S. 8th Street, Philadelphia
Termini Brothers Bakery
Materials Conservation Collaborative, LLC

West Chester University Recitation Hall
35 West Rosedale Avenue, West Chester
West Chester University of Pennsylvania of the State System of Higher Education, Facilities
Design and Construction Department
Klein and Hoffman, Inc.

World Cafe Live at the Queen Theater
500 N. Market Street, Wilmington, DE
Buccini/Pollin Group
Homsey Architects

SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARDS
THE JAMES BIDDLE AWARD 
for lifetime achievement in historic preservation
Richard J. Webster, PhD

PUBLIC SERVICE AWARD
for preservation in the public interest
The Athenaeum of Philadelphia

RHODA AND PERMAR RICHARDS AWARD
for service to the Preservation Alliance
Architectural Walking Tour volunteer guides

BOARD OF DIRECTORS AWARD
for exceptional contributions to historic preservation
Ruth and Mansfield Bascom

COMMUNITY ACTION AWARDS
for achievement by community organizations
Friends of Mt. Moriah Cemetery  For efforts to maintain and improve Mt. Moriah Cemetery

Strawberry Mansion CDC and Strawberry Mansion NAC  For successful efforts to retain the historic character of the Strawberry Mansion trolley barn

SPECIAL 100th ANNIVERSARY RECOGNITION
Bucks County Historical Society  On the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of Henry Mercer’s home, Fonthill

AIA PHILADELPHIA AWARDS
2012 AIA Philadelphia Landmark Building Award
Vanna Venturi House, Venturi and Rauch, 1962

The Henry J. Magaziner EFAIA Award
To be announced

For years, the neighborhood around Kensington and Allegheny (K&A) has been pockmarked by drugs, vacant property, and homelessness. That has not deterred local filmmaker Jamie Moffett, who’s spearheading an effort to transform vacant properties into owner-occupied homes. Moffett is the pioneer behind Kensington Renewal, which is looking to raise enough money to begin its home ownership mission.

According to Moffett, Kensington Renewal has already identified its first property to resuscitate. "There's an 'abandominium' on Rand St we're ready to purchase & rehab," says Moffett with a glint of pride. This part of Rand St. is mere blocks away from Potter Street, where the producer spent seven years spent living and he currently owns an office across the street from. These blocks are the heart and soul of Kensington, just a short jaunt from the Allegheny El stop.

Kensington Renewal’s biggest priority is raising money to start its campaign of putting Kensington residents into houses. To do this, Moffett is actively seeking donations and selling t-shirts. Moffett calls this "crowdfunding" a house, and is actively using the Internet to raise money. He offers supporters the chance to donate using Helpers Unite and through PayPal on his own website. Also, the filmmaker has partnered with the arts non-profit Positive Space to generate money through film, photography, and gallery showings. 

Moffett is beyond passionate about the transformative effects home ownership could have on Kensington. "Home ownership correlates with crime statistics; the higher the home ownership, the lower the crime," he says, citing a University of Nebraska study. He explains that this is because homeowners are more financially and socially invested in maintaining their properties and neighborhoods.  

The filmmaker’s target market for home ownership is Kensington residents who’ve never previously owned a home. These are locals who Moffett believes have been victimized by slumlords, who let profit get in the way of maintaining rental properties. He’s also taking a stand against redlining, which has caused banks and mortgage companies to flee the area. Finally, he hopes to educate the Kensington citizenry about the responsibilities associated with home ownership. 

The mission to encourage home ownership in Kensington has received support from other community groups and government officials. Moffett commends the New Kensington CDC (NKCDC) and Impact Services for imparting information to the campaign. He also points out the district Councilwoman, Maria Quinones Sanchez, as well as the 24th District police and L&I have expressed support for Kensington Renewal.    

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Jamie Moffett, Kensington Renewal

Photo: Jamie Moffett

The Baltimore Avenue corridor in West Philly supports a distinct mix of long-time residents and culturally- and technologically-savvy newcomers like few other corridors in the city. This will be solidified if the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) approves the construction of Apple Lofts, a proposed apartment building at the forsaken Apple Storage complex at 52nd and Willows Ave. 

Andrew Eisenstein, a managing partner at Iron-Stone Strategic Capital Partners, is hoping to build 112 studio and one and two-bedroom apartments at the former storage facility. The development would be supported by 1,000 square feet of commercial space on the first floor, which Eisenstein says could offer food retail or a daycare center, among other possible uses. Parking for 94 vehicles would be included. Iron-Stone is still waiting for the ZBA to decide on whether or not to grant a variance for the development. 

Iron-Stone is enthusiastic about the proposed addition of Apple Lofts. "It's a really innovative project near growing businesses," touts Eisenstein. He adds that it would be the only high-rise building in the neighborhood, and would unfurl wonderful views of the Center and University City skyline. Eisenstein also draws attention to the building's location, which is convenient to the Baltimore Ave. and 52nd St. business strips, and the Route 34 trolley. 

According to Eisenstein, Apple Lofts enjoys the support of Cedar Park Neighbors and Walnut Hill Community Association. To be fair, some neighbors have concerns that this redevelopment could drive taxes up, which is often an anxiety in up-and-coming sections of Philadelphia. If approved, the apartments will be competitively priced, with studios going for $800, one-bedroom units being offered for $1,100, and two-bedroom apartments renting for $1,400. 

The Apple Storage structure is unique for how it was built. Eisenstein says that the building was constructed entirely out of brick and concrete so it could withstand fire. Iron-Stone hopes to begin construction in three or four months, depending on how the ZBA rules. Hopefully Apple Lofts can continue the trend of bringing in new residents without displacing existing ones a little west on Baltimore Ave.  

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Andrew Eisenstein, Iron-Stone Strategic Capital Partners

If you’ve savored some French cuisine at Bibou, inhaled some hot chocolate at Rim Café, or purchased a wedge of cheese from DiBruno Brothers, you know that South Philly’s Italian Market is a delicious neighborhood.

How would you like to live next to the Italian Market? In fact, you might be able to find a sustainable townhouse in the Italian Market neighborhood later this year, as CITYSPACE Realty is selling four soon-to-be-built sustainable townhomes.

Rachel Reilly, a listing agent for CITYSPACE, anticipates construction to begin on the Olive Townhomes in four to six weeks. As has been the trend with some new residential construction in Philadelphia, the townhomes will be built using modular construction. “Since these homes are modular instead of stick-built, the first phase of construction begins in a controlled warehouse setting, and then the boxes are delivered and stacked on site,” explains Reilly. She says that the construction period will last for four months, with construction of the final three units hinging on how quickly they go off the market.

One of the most notable features of Olive Townhomes will be its minimal footprint on the environment. Reilly makes it clear that she expects the townhomes to be certified LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold, which is the second highest LEED certification possible. According to the agent, the development will be the first LEED Gold multi-unit complex in Bella Vista. The environmentally friendly features that are planned include Energy Star appliances, bamboo flooring, low VOC (volatile organic compound) paint, and roofs that can accommodate solar panels. 

Reilly adds that the location itself, on the 800-block of Carpenter St., is sustainable because of its walkability and access to mass transit. “It's steps to a slew of great restaurants (many of the BYOs), the Italian Market, great coffee shops, boutiques, and public transportation,” she exclaims. In addition it’s a manageable walk to and from Passyunk Avenue shops. Nearby mass transit options include the Routes 23, 47, and 47M buses, along with the Broad Street Subway. 

The three biggest townhomes will be 2,690 square feet apiece, each containing 3 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. Each townhome will include four stories, with an outdoor patio, large windows, and the option of adding a fireplace. The fourth townhome will be 2,540 sq. ft., with a basement, deck, and fireplace. The four townhomes will surround a lush outdoor courtyard. Single-car parking will be on-site for two of the residences, while the other two townhomes will have parking at a lot a block away. CITYSPACE’s Rachel Reilly is listing the property along with Sarah Robertson. 

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Rachel Reilly, CITYSPACE Realty

The Roots are officially coming home.

At a press conference last week, the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program announced The Roots Mural Project will live at 6th and South Streets in the Headhouse District where the band was founded.

The mural will tell the story of The Roots, especially Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson and Tariq Black Thought Trotter's founding of the group.

The artistic team was also announced. The Amber Design Collective team features Tatyana Fazlalizadeh, David Guinn, Ernel Martinez, Charles Barbin, Willis Humphrey and Keir Johnston. The Roots Mural will be across the street from the Mural Arts mural Mapping Courage: Honoring the Legacy of WEB Dubois and Engine 11, which was painted by Humphrey.

The design will be finalized in the spring, when mural painting will begin. The mural is expected to be dedicated in October, which is Mural Arts Month.

 

 

Courtesy of the Roots and the Mural Arts Program

It's simply amazing the juggernaut that Facebook has become, as you can now check into businesses, comment on Flying Kite articles, and reconnect with (or laugh at) long-lost family and friends. Yet, there's even more, especially for university students in Philadelphia. Campus Apartments, which holds properties in University City, now allows its student tenants to pay their rent through Facebook Connect. Campus Apartments unveiled this service in late January, and is excited with the response, albeit a little afraid of being poked.

Campus Apartments is able to utilize Facebook through a partnership between their existing online payment system, SmartClick, and the social network. Previously, the only way to access SmartClick was by inputting an e-mail address and password, says John Ailor, senior Director of Web and Wireless Technologies at Campus Apartments. Yet, in a sign of how ubiquitous Facebook has become, Campus Apartments decided it would be easier for many residents to simply remain on Facebook to pay their rent.  

Ailor outlines all that students can do via Facebook. They can "make payments, view (the) tenant ledger and submit service requests easily and more quickly than before,” he remarks. Ailor assures that it's far from a complicated process to sign up for the privilege of Facebook rent payment, as it should drag on no longer than a minute. 

While the Facebook perk came only went live just a couple of weeks ago, Ailor boasts that already a few hundred residents used it to pay their February rent. No word on how many of these social networkers live in Campus Apartments' Philadelphia properties. According to Ailor, these several hundred users are among 27,363 active SmartClickers across the country. SmartClick also allows students to pay rent through their app on Android phones. 

Campus Apartments has over a hundred apartments in University City that house pupils at Penn, Drexel, USciences, the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill, and the JNA Institute of the Culinary Arts. Nationwide, Campus Apartments offers student housing in 23 states, including California, Texas, and Michigan. 

The student housing provider reports no complaints about Facebook Connect among the few hundred who have used it so far. For the student Luddites among us, Campus Apartments still offers residents the chance to pay rent by check. Expect to see other student housing firms follow suit with a Facebook payment option. No dislike button needed for this. 

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: John Ailor, Campus Apartments

The national Rails-to-Trails Conservancy held a trails forum at Rutgers Camden this past Friday in conjunction with Cooper's Ferry Partnership and the William Penn Foundation. The forum, a local byproduct of Rails-to-Trails' Urban Pathways Initiative (UPI), concentrated on the need for bicycle and pedestrian trails in Camden. The forum comes in the throes of the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission's (DVRPC's) Regional Trails Program, which awarded money to Camden in mid-December.

While there's potential for a number of new trails in Camden, DVRPC awarded $150,000 towards the design phase of the Baldwin's Run Tributary Trail, says Chris Linn, manager in DVRPC's Office of Environmental Planning. Meishka Mitchell, the Vice President of Neighborhood Initiatives at Cooper's Ferry Partnership, hopes to "daylight" the Baldwin's Run tributary, which forms from the Delaware River and runs through the Cramer Hill neighborhood of Camden. By "daylighting," Mitchell means unearthing the tributary, which was filled with dirt in the 1960s, by creating a trail out of it.

The Baldwin's Run Tributary is now the site of Von Neida Park, which is Cramer Hill's most sizeable park. Usually a park connotes positive things for a neighborhood, but things aren't always as they seem in Cramer Hill. In fact, Cooper's Ferry complains that the park is prone to flooding, illegal activity, and a lack of upkeep. Flooding is the most dire woe, as nearby homeowners are left waterlogged after many storms. The flooding stems from the filling-in of the creek, which Mitchell's CDC hopes to rectify by removing the dirt and turning the body of water into a trail and drainage area.  
 
Mitchell is convinced of the plentiful benefits that trails can have for impoverished Cramer Hill. While it wasn't funded during the first phase of the Regional Trails Program, she is optimistic that a trail will be built along the Cooper River. She says a trail here could generate as much as $600 million for the city, expand its tax base, and help re-develop its brownfields, of which there are many. There is currently zero public access to the Cooper River in Cramer Hill. 

The vice president is happy with how the Urban Pathways forum went. "The event has helped to raise awareness on critical missing links, economic development, and neighborhood restoration," lauds Mitchell. The forum consisted of five sessions, which discussed how trails in Camden and its older brother across the Delaware River can connect, waterfront trail facilitation, how trails promote public health, teaching youth about trails, and funding trails.   

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Sources: Meishka Mitchell, Cooper's Ferry Partnership and Chris Linn, DVRPC

For the past few decades, a mammoth building has sat decomposing on South Broad St., in a neighborhood that has otherwise been a beacon for redevelopment. This building is the former Third Regiment Armory at Broad and Wharton, which was last used by the National Guard in the 1980s. Since that time, the building has lay relatively dormant, embroiled in a dispute between the state Department of General Services and the local Tolentine Community Center and Development Corporation. Yet, state Senator Larry Farnese is hoping to change this, and spur redevelopment of the building.

Farnese recently authored Senate Bill 1368, which calls on the state to give Tolentine more control over the Armory by removing onerous restrictions. Tony Mannino, chief of staff for Sen. Farnese, says that the state Department of General Services mandated that the Armory could only be used for community services and could not be sold. Thus, the state senator wants to see these restrictions removed.

According to Mannino, one of the main problems with the Armory is that Tolentine doesn't have the money to adequately fix it up. "The condition of the building is so bad," admits Mannino. This includes the floors on the Broad St.-side of the building, which have partially collapsed. Ostensibly, the state didn't even grasp how poor the condition of the building was. "The building is in a more deteriorated condition than the Department of General Services had previously understood it to be," Mannino adds. 

Still, Farnese's office says the building is structurally sound to the best of their knowledge. Tolentine Community Center has been working with the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections in recent years, and made substantial repairs to the Armory's roof in early 2011. 

While Farnese wants to clear a path to re-development for the Third Regiment Armory, there has yet to be a solid plan as to what the rebirth should look like. "We want a re-development consistent with good use for the community," says Mannino. Mannino offers a revelation when he says the parcel seems to be zoned R-10A, which means residential. So, parties will likely have to pursue a variance for anything else. 

Apparently, Farnese's office has only had preliminary meetings with the Passyunk Square Civic Association and South Broad Street Neighbors about the Armory so far. They're currently concentrating on getting SB 1368 passed in the state Senate and House, so thoughts of how specifically to redevelop the space will have to come later. The bottom line is, Farnese is "trying to balance the interests of the community, state, and Tolentine," says Mannino. Hopefully, this balance will lead to further re-development on S. Broad sooner rather than later. 

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Tony Mannino, Sen. Farnese's Office

Since 1889, the intersection of Grays Ferry Ave. and Fitzwater St has been graced by a church. For decades, the St. Anthony of Padua Roman Catholic Church occupied the crossroads, until the Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church moved in soon after the start of this century. Yet, Greater St. Matthew recently had to sell the building, which might mark its conclusion as a place of worship. In fact, Center City developer Ben Weinraub is looking to convert the church into luxury apartments.

Weinraub, the owner of Vintage Residential Management, is keen on "adaptively re-using" the church to create one- and a few two-bedroom apartments. This means "saving the interior and exterior [of the holy place] as much as possible," he points out. One way in which Weinraub hopes to do this is by carving a patio out of the roof and parapits. He also seeks to utilize the former church's tower as an overlook space, although that would depend on the fire code. 

The building is comprised of two facilities, which are the erstwhile sanctuary and rectory of the church. The developer is proposing 29 apartments to be built where the sanctuary used to stand and eight apartments where the rectory was housed. Weinraub is currently hoping to get a variance from the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) for converting the sanctuary into apartments. 

The developer is passionate about maintaining the character of the holy place. He endeavors to use a great deal of stone in constructing the apartments, and hopes to create wrought iron balconies. Weinraub is also skeptical about creating off-street parking for the units. Some neighbors have suggested he include basement parking, although that would mean he would have to significantly alter the interior of the building, thus hindering the efforts to preserve the church's character. 

In lieu of parking, Vintage Management hopes to encourage residents to bike, carshare, and walk. Weinraub hopes to invite PhillyCarShare and Zipcar to turn two of the old church's anointed parking spaces into pods. He also hopes to provide ample bike storage. In addition, the developer anticipates that many residents will be graduate students or workers in University City, meaning a relatively short pedestrian commute over the South St. Bridge.       

Writer: Andy Sharpe
Source: Ben Weinraub, Vintage Property Management