Development News

The initial draft version of Philadelphia2035, the prodigious, 216-page guide to the next 25 years of the city's physical development, was first made available to the public (as a downloadable PDF) back in mid-February. But for four hours throughout the afternoon of March 23, members of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission hosted an informal gathering at the Center for Architecture, where physical copies of the draft were presented to the public. More than 100 Philadelphians stopped by during the course of the day.

The purpose of the open house, according to the PCPC's Alan Urek, who acted as one of the event's hosts, was to put the draft recommendations of the plan's citywide component on exhibit for literally anyone who was interested in reviewing it, or leaving comments of their own. Five different stations, each displaying a blown-up portion of the plan, were arranged in a semi-circle in a small room behind the AIA Bookstore. And next to each station was a large flipchart, upon which visitors were encouraged to comment.

"Philadelphia is very friendly to senior citizens," read one such comment. "We choose to live here because of the walkability and activity occurring in metro-center."

"Survival of the fittest," read another note. "Deannex [the Northeast]."

"Did we reach all corners of Philadelphia (during the open house)?" Urek asks. "Probably not. But I was quite encouraged that of the people that came, virtually everyone I talked to had a positive perspective [of the plan]."

Urek also emphasized that for approximately one more week, even those when didn't attend are welcome to post comments and suggestions online. All of those comments, Urek says, will be seriously considered before the revised draft is presented to the City Planning commission in about three weeks. The plan's citywide version will then be finalized in May, and a release party will be held in early June.

Source: Alan Urek, Philadelphia City Planning Commission
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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When the Tasty Baking Company finally closed its historic Hunting Park facility in June 2010, and completed the transition of its headquarters into a LEED-certified building at the Navy Yard, the Nicetown and Hunting Park communities had one less area landmark to be proud of. But this past Friday, March 25, the Metro Development Company broke ground on a new project at the site, which is now being referred to as Bakers Square.

Metro is developing the site into a 220,000-square-foot shopping center that will soon be packed with retail stores and restaurants. And while the majority of the spaces have yet to be rented, Metro's leasing agent, US Realty Associates, has already inked a deal with Brown's ShopRite, which is building a 71,000-square-foot supermarket that will act as the shopping center's anchor tenant. "We're one of the only grocery-anchored shopping centers that's currently under construction in the metro Philadelphia market," says US Realty's Greg Bianchi. "And that's pretty compelling in today's economic environment."

Indeed. And perhaps equally compelling is the fact that the original six-story Tasty Baking plant won't be demolished to make way for new construction. Instead, says Bianchi, the building will be retained and retrofitted; US Realty hopes to see it used as office, institutional, or retail space.

Job creation, however, may very well become the biggest story surrounding Bakers Square, which is scheduled for completion in the fall of 2012. After all, 250 new jobs will be created for the ShopRite alone, says Bianchi. "We're also going to have 500 construction jobs," he adds. "And when we're done leasing the center, there will probably be upwards of 600 or 700 (permanent) jobs. And that's what things are about today. It's all about job creation."

Source: Greg Bianchi, US Realty Associates, Inc.
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Nearly six months have passed since we last reported on 1200 Bank, the decidedly swish billiards club being designed by DAS Architects, and which local developer Paul Giegerich plans to construct inside the once-grand Beneficial Bank building at 1200 Chestnut Street, the exterior of which has "become kind of a prime attraction for homeless people," as architect David Schultz puts it.

In the interim, residents of a condominium building located across the street objected to the club's plans to add a rooftop bar, citing the potential for excess noise. But last week, the project went before the City Council's Rules Committee and passed; it was also unanimously approved by the Historical Commission and the Planning Commission. That may have had something to do with the fact that the construction of the 1200 Bank project, according to Schultz, won't require any serious alterations to the historic building, which was designed by the noted Philadelphia architect Horace Trumbauer. "We're not going to alter the space," Schultz explains. "We're going to embellish the space."

Of course, 1200 Bank will involve some modern-day concessions, including an elevator, a minimalist staircase, and the aforementioned rooftop bar, which will be glass-enclosed and sporting a retractable roof. "If you can imagine what a turn-of-the-century billiards club might look like," says Schultz, "that's what we'd like to achieve. The branding and imagery of the project is high-end, old world luxury."

Currently, 1200 Bank's price tag is somewhere around the $6 million mark. And assuming the project passes its final City Council vote, Schultz estimates that the club's doors could open in as little as 12 to 16 months after that.

"This is not the concept that some people have of a pool hall," Schultz adds. "Nothing like this exists in Philadelphia now, and I don't even know if there's anything in the country that's quite like this."

Source: David Schultz, DAS Architects
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency launched its hugely popular Energy Star program back in 1992, but during its first few years, the main purpose was simply to promote consumer products that had high levels of energy efficiency, and low levels of greenhouse gas emissions. In fact, when the voluntary labeling program first began, computers were the only products that could earn the prestigious logo. And yet in 1999, the Energy Star label was made available to any commercial building that could meet its stringent environmental requirements. Indeed, only the top 25 percent of the nation's energy efficient structures receive the label.

The good news locally is that the Greater Philadelphia area seems to have embraced the program significantly. On March 15, the EPA announced that because the region added so many energy efficient buildings in 2010 - many of them schools - its national ranking has risen to 14th in the nation, up from its 2009 ranking of 24th.

Indeed, the list of Energy Star-certified buildings in the area stretches to 130, and many of the names are surprisingly familiar: There's the Aramark Tower, for instance, and the Wanamaker Building, and dozens of elementary schools. But perhaps one of the most impressive examples locally is the SEPTA building, where lighting sensors and window film were added in an effort to become certified.

According to the EPA's Emily Linn, this is a hugely significant achievement for the region, partly due to the fact that Energy Star-certified buildings typically use 35 percent less energy, and emit 35 percent less carbon dioxide, than non-certified buildings.

"The efforts of the Mayor's Office of Sustainability certainly helped a lot," she says, referring to the city's newly improved rating. Through the process of being certified, "I think (companies are) realizing they can save a lot of money," she adds. "Honestly, I think the program sells itself."

Source: Bonnie Smith and Emily Linn, EPA Mid-Atlantic Regional Office
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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In October 2007, 2 year-old Jacob Myles Nasto, who was born with a rare heart defect, passed away from complications following his fourth open-heart surgery. Jacob's mother "was so stricken with grief that she was walking in a fog," says Lynn Cummings, who is Jacob's grandmother.

Lynn Cummings is also one of the founders of a Camden County nonprofit, Build Jake's Place, which was created as a memorial to Jacob's life after a family friend made a financial donation in the child's name. Currently, the nonprofit is busy raising funds to develop Camden County's first-ever Boundless Playground, a fully-accessible and integrated play area where children and adults of any physical ability - disabled or abled - can play and learn together. "My daughter, that moment, woke up," says Cummings, referring to the decision to build the memorial playground.

Jake's Place, as the playground will be known, is being constructed at Challenge Grove Park in Cherry Hill, N.J. And because there are only about 130 Boundless Playgrounds in the entire nation, it's being expressly designed as a major destination park, with 100 on-site parking spaces. Naturally, the park will also be rich in special amenities; Jake's Place will include a wheelchair-accessible glider, specially-secured swings, and double-wide sliding boards. "This is a playground for everybody," says Cummings, "whether your body is in a wheelchair, or on crutches, or you're disabled and you want to follow your child around on the playground."

Boundless Playgrounds, of course, don't come cheap. According to Cummings, construction and equipment costs can run as high as $500,000, and Build Jake's Place still needs to raise another $100,000 before breaking ground this July, and then opening in October. The nonprofit has a number of upcoming fundraising efforts planned; click here to learn more.

Source: Lynn Cummings, Build Jake's Place
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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If you've ever spent time wandering through the stacks at the Free Library of Philadelphia's Central branch, you'll certainly be forgiven for wondering why on earth the library is currently in the midst of a $175 million expansion and renovation project. The Central branch, after all, is a stunning structure to the naked eye.

But talk to Siobhan Reardon, the library's president and director, and you'll learn that expansion plans for the 280,000 square-foot building go all the way back to the 1960s. That expansion never happened, of course. And when the library considered expansion again in the 1990s, those plans fell through as well. The building is now 80 years old, and as Reardon says, "It's suffering the effects of never having been upgraded or restored in any way, shape or form."

That's all about to change, however. Scaffolding recently went up at the Central branch, and over the next few years, the building will be undergoing tremendous change. The main goal of the renovation, Reardon says, is to make a greater portion of the library more accessible to the general public. Currently, a full two-thirds of the building is accessible only by staff members. 

During the renovation, which is tentatively scheduled for completion in 2015, stacks will be relocated and administrative offices will be moved. The building's top level will be transformed into what Reardon is calling an information commons - a creative space where technology training will take place. Meanwhile, an 80,000 square-foot addition to the Central branch will house a new auditorium, a new children's library, and a teen center.

"The goal now is to rearrange the collections in a way that makes more sense to the public," Reardon adds. "We need to deal with the fact that in this building, we have not been serving our public very well at all."

Source: Siobhan A. Reardon, Free Library of Philadelphia
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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In mid-September 2010, the suburban community of East Norriton, Montgomery County, became a significantly healthier area. That's when the Montgomery Health System broke ground on a 363,000-square-foot hospital in East Norriton that will also include a separate 75,000-square-foot administrative building. All told, it's a $350 million project.

A development project of that scale, of course, would be big news for nearly any community in the region, not to mention one that is home to less than 14,000 residents. And yet just last month, the area experienced another healthcare-related turn of events when it was announced that the East Norriton-based Mercy Suburban Hospital would be replacing its off-site cancer center with a new, state-of-the-art cancer facility that will be located right on its hospital grounds. According to Jeff Snyder, CEO of Mercy Suburban Hospital, the new facility will "consolidate all physician and cancer services for diagnostics, treatment and support care into one brand-new, convenient location on the main campus of the hospital."

Construction of the two-story, $8.5 million development is scheduled to begin this summer, and there's little doubt it will prove to be one of the Greater Philadelphia area's most critical cancer treatment centers. According to Snyder, the advanced radiation treatment offered at the facility will be conducted with cutting-edge technology, including Image-Guided Radiation Therapy (IGRT) and RapidArc technology. Plans are also in place to create a healing garden where patients can relax and reflect; there will also be a 50-seat conference center onsite where both educational programming and occasional health screenings will take place.

Source: Jeff Snyder, Mercy Suburban Hospital
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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When Penn Praxis and the City of Philadelphia launched the ambitious Green2015 plan back in December 2010, it was announced that one of the program's main goals would include the transforming of 500 city acres of underused land into green spaces accessible by any member of the public. This month, ground was finally broken at the new Hawthorne Park, the first park to be constructed since the announcement. Construction of the three-quarter acre green space, which is located at the corner of 12th and Catherine streets in South Philadelphia, will cost $2.2 million, with $1.1 million coming in the form of a grant from the state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources.

"We've got a 9,200-acre park in the city," says Mayor Nutter's Press Secretary, Mark McDonald, referring to Fairmount Park. "But we've also got a lot of neighborhoods that are quite a ways from any kind of a green space. And this Hawthorne Park is a wonderful reclamation of what had been a housing area, but now is going to be transformed into a really beautiful place where people in an urban environment can walk in, and just chill."

What's more, Hawthorne Park is being designed as a sustainable green space, and will be part of a two-year sustainable construction and landscape design program known as SITES. According to Parks and Recreation Commissioner Michael DiBerardinis, the majority of the park's sustainable aspects will revolve around stormwater runoff issues. The Philadelphia Water Department, he explains, is "trying to manage all stormwater naturally, so (Hawthorne Park) will capture stormwater from around the [park's] immediate area, and naturally manage it, and not run it into holding tanks."

According to the mayor's office, Hawthorne Park will also feature low-energy lighting. A variety of plants will also be introduced to the park, which is expected to be complete by spring 2012

Source: Michael DiBerardinis, Philadelphia Parks and Recreation
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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A coffee shop isn't widely used as a tactic in the battle against poverty.  The nonprofit People for People, an organization whose mission is "to break the generational cycle of poverty in the lives of (North Central Philadelphia) residents" is poised to do just that. The organization's project, a coffee shop known as PFP Cafe, is scheduled to open this September near the intersection of North Broad Street and Fairmount Avenue.

Frank Robinson, PFP's Director of Development, says: "We wanted to do something that would continue to promote economic development for our area. And we wanted something we could use to train people in our jobs programs. (The PFP Cafe) will be like a live training ground."

People for People was designated in 2006 as an EARN Center by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare; one of its major goals involves helping the unemployed and underemployed with hands-on job readiness training. The cafe, which will serve coffee and bakery items, will give PFP's welfare-to-work clients a chance to practice their work skills in a real-life environment. What's more, the cafe will provide two or three full-time jobs, as well as dozens of rotating part-time positions. The ultimate goal, says Robinson, is for those workers to eventually transition into full-time positions in the service, retail or hospitality industries.

"We're changing lives," Robinson adds. "(PFP Cafe) is just another way to make sure people get the training they need to get jobs, and to help the economy. That's what we're doing."

Source: Frank Robinson, People for People
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Those of you who've lived in Greater Philadelphia for more than six or seven years will almost certainly be able to remember when the Chester County suburb of Phoenixville, which sits about 30 miles northwest of Center City, was anything but hip. The collapse of the steel industry in the mid-1970s, of course, seemed to be the beginning of the end for Phoenixville. But sometime around 2005, the town's main drag, Bridge Street, began sprouting with the signs of economic growth, including a wealth of boutiques, cafes and restaurants and the revitalized Colonial Theater.

"In six years, (Phoenixville) has gone 180 (degrees)," says Barry Cassidy, a project manager for The DeMutis Group, which wants to build a seven-acre mixed use development on a portion of the former Phoenix Steel site. "It went from nobody being down there except the drug dealers and prostitutes, to everybody (being) here. Even the drug dealers and prostitutes!"

According to Cassidy, the project, which is tentatively scheduled for an August groundbreaking, will include a 30,000 square-foot standalone office building, as well as 80,000 square-feet of retail space. Sitting atop the retail, meanwhile, will be 275 apartments. Cassidy also hopes to build an onsite parking garage and a series of condos he's referring to as work-life units, where a glassblower or a painter, for instance, could work in a street-level studio while also living in the back. "We're going to market those to craftsmen and artists," he says.

As for the specific types of businesses that might be occupying the site, Cassidy claims his group has adopted something of an arts and entertainment economic development strategy, and will be actively recruiting galleries, artists and craftsmen. All of them, no doubt, the sorts of businesses that will only serve to improve Phoenixville's artsy, up-and-coming reputation.

"We're like the crown jewel of sustainability here," Cassidy says of his development partners. "We're a lot different than the others."

Source: Barry Cassidy, The DeMutis Group
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Located just east of Philadelphia's upscale Fairmount neighborhood, and just north of Spring Garden, the small North Philly district of Francisville is probably best known locally for its extreme economic diversity. And now, two of the organizations that have been most active in changing and improving the face of the neighborhood--a nonprofit developer known as Community Ventures, and the Francisville Neighborhood Development Corporation--have teamed up to create the 44-unit Francisville East, an affordable housing development with a stunning aesthetic sensibility that belies its status as a low-income development.

Outsiders who visit the neighborhood, in fact, often mistakenly assume that Francisville East is an example of the gentrification taking place there. "It's kind of interesting," says Community Venture's David LaFontaine, with a chuckle. "(One of the TV networks) did a news report on Francisville, and they kept taping our building. But they were referring to all the economic changes and the gentrification. It is a really nice building," he adds. "It's the most attractive thing being built. But it's not actually gentrification."

Not even close. Residents of Francisville East, in fact, earn somewhere between 20 and 60 percent of the area's median income. And the project's apartment building, which is home to 27 one-bedroom units, was built specifically with senior citizens and the handicapped in mind. Still, the decidedly modern development, which sits on the 1500 block of Poplar Street, and on a lot that was previously trash-strewn and filled the detritus of construction equipment, also features a small garden, permeable sidewalks, solar panels, and off-street parking.

"The neat part," LaFontaine adds, "is that we sort of tackled the worst block in the neighborhood. It was sort of the epicenter of blight in Francisville. And we got rid of it."

Source: David LaFontaine, Community Ventures
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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In Philadelphia, at least, there seems to be one in every neighborhood: The little old lady who sweeps the sidewalk every Saturday morning, for instance. Or maybe the family man next door, who surprises you on snowy days by shoveling your stoop before you've even gotten out of bed. At the offices of Keep Philadelphia Beautiful, a nonprofit whose mission involves "engag[ing] individuals to take greater responsibility for improving their community environments," those kindly neighbors are lovingly referred to as community leaders. And from now until March 21, KPB is asking anyone who happens to know such a neighbor to nominate them for its Token Appreciation Awards. The award winners will be presented with a medallion on April 1 during a recognition ceremony at which Miss America 2011, Teresa Scanlon, will appear as a special guest.

"I wanted to fill a void," says Phoebe Coles, the nonprofit's executive director, when asked how the awards came to be. "I realized there were so many people in the city doing good work. And they don't necessarily get recognized, even in their neighborhoods."

In 2008, when KPB first celebrated the city's community leaders, there was "a really nice cross-section of people that were nominated," says Coles, including the bicycle activist Russell Meddin. And yet unfortunately, there were no kids nominated in 2008; that's a situation Coles hopes to rectify this time around. "I'm particular about trying to find some people to highlight the youth in their community who are doing good work," she says. "Because I know there's a lot of them out there!"

To nominate a selfless someone in your part of Philadelphia, simply send a nomination note of 50 words or less to [email protected]. And let's put that whole "Filthadelphia" thing to rest, once and for all. (For complete nomination instructions, click here.)

Source: Phoebe Coles, Keep Philadelphia Beautiful
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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It's nearly impossible these days to walk through downtown Philadelphia without passing by at least one outpost of the local Marathon restaurant group, which now has six separate eateries in the city. Marathon is currently in the process of constructing its seventh location, although this particular site, which is being built atop a vacant lot in Brewerytown, won't have four walls or a ceiling, or even a proper kitchen or a dining room. That's because Marathon's newest location will actually be an urban farm. The company is building it with the dual intentions of providing fresh food to the community and the various Marathon restaurants.

The idea for the farm was initially planted about nine months ago, when Marathon's owner, Cary Borish, was looking for new ways to make his restaurants more environmentally friendly. At the time, says Borish, "I didn't really understand what the spirit of urban farming was." But after Borish became reacquainted with a former employee, Patrick Dunn, who runs an urban farm in East Kensington, "I really bought into it, and a light went off," he says.

Dunn laid down the basic tenets of the urban farming philosophy--food security, nutrition, the fostering of community--and the two men realized they could use the restaurant not only as a vehicle to raise money for the project, but also to help build awareness of the urban farming movement in general. What's more, Borish says that while roughly half of the food grown will be served in his restaurants, the remaining half will be sold at reasonable rates at at an on-site food stand.

The 15,750 square-foot farm is scheduled to be up and running by March 21. A fundraising 'Hoedown' event will happen March 20 at Marathon's 929 Walnut Street location, while on March 26, a candlelit 'Farmraiser Dinner' will take place at the restaurant's 1339 Chestnut Street location.

Source: Cary Borish, Marathon
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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Unless you're a local history buff or an architecture enthusiast, you've probably never heard of the building now known as Presser Senior Apartments, an historic structure at 101 West Johnson Street in Mt. Airy. It was commissioned in 1914 by the sheet music publisher Theodore Presser, and interestingly enough, it was developed as a home for retired music teachers.

Constructed of brick, limestone and terra cotta, the structure was one of only two in the world built specifically for retired music teachers. The other was Milan's Casa di Riposo per Musicisti; following a trip to Italy, it inspired Presser to create something similar in Philadelphia.

In 2002, however, the 52,248 square-foot building became vacant, and although it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005, it nevertheless turned into something of a crumbling eyesore. Certainly, if not for its historic status, it would have been a perfect candidate for demolition. Instead, the building was acquired by the locally-based Nolen Properties in 2006. Working with the architecture firm JKR Partners, Nolen's resulting historic restoration was such a huge success that it won a 2011 Grand Jury Award from the Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia.

"The biggest challenge we had," said Rick Sudall, Nolen's director of operations, involved "converting 86 single rooms into 45 apartments." In the Presser Building's original form, its rooms contained only a closet and a sink; shared bathrooms were located down the hall. Following the year-long, multimillion dollar renovation, however, the new apartments now come complete with all mod cons.

Even better, historic preservation societies clearly aren't the only interested entities: As of this writing, Nolen has received some 300 applications for Presser's 45 units. And while new residents certainly don't have to be former music teachers, they do have to be median-income senior citizens. The lucky few will be moving in sometime over the next few months.

Source: Rick Sudall, Nolen Properties
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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It probably goes without saying that the average visitor to the Philadelphia International Flower Show, which kicked off this past Sunday and runs through March 13, doesn't likely expect to encounter anything even remotely political or societally challenging during their time at the Pennsylvania Convention Center, where the show is being held. But this year, along with the copious floral displays and the gardening exhibitions, the nonprofit New Kensington CDC will be hosting an exhibit that began as a vacant and littered inner-city lot, and which explores the significant effect that simple, do-it-yourself gardening can have on blighted urban neighborhoods.

"From Blight to Blossom" is the name of the exhibit, and its conception was the result of a partnership between the New Kensington CDC and Philadelphia's Office of Housing and Community Development. Its intention, according to a press release describing the project, is to "tell the story of an urban side-yard transformed from a vacant lot into a garden."

"It struck us as a really good opportunity to let the public know about the ways in which the city is working with local groups to improve the quality of life in the city's neighborhoods," says Paul Chrystie, of the OHCD. The exhibit itself is essentially a recreated lot that has been transformed by Kensington-area children. There are hand-painted flower pots and a garden path built of steppingstones, and as Chrystie explains, the project, which was paid for by the Philadelphia Flower Show, was completed for less than $1,000. The idea, says Chrystie, is to convince visitors to undertake something similar in their own neighborhoods.

"It really is an economic development strategy as well as an aesthetic and an environmental one," Chrystie says of the greening of vacant city lots, which has been proven to increase property values. "And that's one of the reasons we've been funding them for so long."

Source: Paul Chrystie, Philadelphia Office of Housing and Community Development  
Writer: Dan Eldridge

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