Development News

Those of us who live, work and shop in South Philly have driven past the iconic SS United States countless times over the years. It is currently berthed in the Delaware River, directly across Columbus Boulevard from IKEA. Very few of us, though, seem to truly understand the hugely important role the ships plays in our country's maritime history. For starters, it was the largest ocean liner ever built in the U.S. It was also the fastest to ever cross the Atlantic. And in its mid-century heyday, it was known for shuttling political dignitaries and Hollywood superstars alike.

Unfortunately, due to its exorbitant maintenance costs, it has also been widely assumed that the grand ship--which has been referred to by Mayor Nutter as a "national treasure"--would soon be headed for the scrap yard. That all changed on Feb. 1, however, when it was announced that the SS United States Conservancy, a nonprofit organization dedicated to revitalizing the ship, had managed to purchase it from its most recent owner, Norwegian Cruise Line. The $5.8 million price tag was covered by the local philanthropist H.F. "Gerry" Lenfest.

But now that the ship has been saved, and with the Conservancy planning to transform it into something of a floating entertainment complex--complete with a museum, a hotel, and retail--the big question has to do with whether or not the ship will actually remain in Philadelphia. "The simple answer," says Dan McSweeney, the Conservancy's Executive Director, "is there's a decent chance the ship could stay in Philadelphia as a redeveloped stationary attraction. There's also a decent chance the ship could go to New York or Miami for the same purpose."

The Conservancy says it now has 20 months to find a group of public and private partners interested in developing the SS United States.

Source: Dan McSweeny, SS United States Conservancy
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

The crime-ridden and poverty-stricken South Philadelphia neighborhood of Grays Ferry is one that doesn't often find itself mentioned in the local news media--unless that news is decidedly negative. But recently, the residents of both Grays Ferry and its next-door South Philly neighborhood, Point Breeze, found themselves the recipients of $1 million in community revitalization funds that will be distributed by Universal Companies, the nonprofit CDC founded by the legendary music producer Kenny Gamble.

Half of that money came from the U.S. Department of Education's Promise Neighborhoods Initiative, which aims to help community leaders put a definitive end to extreme poverty in inner-city neighborhoods by promoting what's known as a "cradle-to-career" educational plan. The grant's matching half came from the William Penn Foundation and other groups.

Universal was one of only 21 nonprofit and educational groups to receive the Promise Neighborhoods planning grant, which was inspired by the work of the Harlem Children's Zone organization. According to both Gamble and A. Rahim Islam, the president and CEO of Universal Companies, a good portion of the grant money will be used on various education reform initiatives.

Universal has until Sept. 30 to prepare a revitalization plan for the two neighborhoods, and in an effort to successfully achieve that goal, they've partnered with a wide range of other neighborhood associations.

"The children who are coming to school today are coming to school with a ton of issues, unlike we've ever seen, really, in modern times," says Islam, in a video about Universal and its work. "And so it's not enough to just think that these kids are going to overcome this dysfunction because you send them to school. So our goal is to reach out into the neighborhoods and try to fix some of the things that are ailing."

Source: Universal Companies
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

The Australian-based and internationally operating Servcorp organization certainly wasn't the first provider of so-called virtual office space to open for business in the Philadelphia market, but it is the most recent: In late 2010, the decades-old company--which currently does business with approximately 35,000 clients in nearly two-dozen different countries--moved into the 37th floor of BNY Mellon Center at 1735 Market Street in Center City.

If the industry happens to be one you're not familiar with, don't be surprised. "I've been in this industry for a lot of years," says Jennifer Goodwin, Servcorp's general manager and V.P. of U.S. operations. "And I think the executive suite industry is the best kept 50-year-old secret out there."

Also referred to in some parts of the world as the serviced office industry, a virtual office is essentially a solution for entrepreneurs, midsize businesses, and even Fortune 500 companies who need the support of a full office, but without the often exorbitant costs associated with financial district real estate.

On the lower end of Servcorp's suite of packages, for instance, is the Virtual Office Address, which allows small-time entrepreneurs to use the prestigious Servcorp addresses on their business cards and letterhead. More expensive options allow the use of Servcorp board rooms, offices, and even IT and secretarial staff at the company's various locations around the world--not a bad option for business travelers who might need to appear a bit more successful and internationally connected than they actually are.

"Ultimately, we're in business to make our clients' businesses more profitable," says Goodwin. "But it's about more than the real estate," she adds. "It's about us taking things off of your plate, so your primary focus is the profitability of your company."

Along with Servcorp, other major players in the virtual office space with locations in Philadelphia include Regus, HQ, and American Executive Centers.

Source: Jennifer Goodwin, Servcorp
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

If you've ever experienced the huge burst of inspiration that often accompanies a work-related seminar, you've probably also suffered the inevitable psychological let-down that tends to occur as the daily grind gets in the way of your best-laid plans. It's something even the most dedicated among us have experienced, and that's exactly why the story of Kensington Farms and the upcoming Green Wall Project is so inspiring.

The story starts with a visit of community leaders to a training session held annually by NeighborWorks America, a government-funded community building organization. The conference aims to help residents "come up with one good idea for their neighborhood," explains Ade Fequa of the New Kensington CDC.

And yet the team organized by Fequa and his colleague, Tom Potts, took that challenge one step further, and settled on two good ideas. Potts is heading up the Green Wall Project, which will use low-flow planters and wire mesh to literally create green, flowering walls alongside three neighborhood structures this spring, including Johnny Brenda's and Eileen's Hair Salon. The project is being paid for with a $2,000 grant from NeighborWorks, although Potts says other business owners in the area will soon be able to sponsor similar green walls on their own buildings for roughly $600.

The goal of Fequa's Kensington Farms project, meanwhile, which is being covered by a separate $2,000 NeighborWorks grant, is to convert a vacant lot at the corner of Frankford and Cambria into a garden operated by local residents. And although no deal has yet been inked on that particular lot, Fequa says he'll look elsewhere in the immediate area if need be. "There's a great disparity of fresh food that's available in the area," Fequa says, "and there's lot of drug activity and bad things happening there. We want to focus as many resources there as possible, so we can try to turn that area around."

Source: Ade Fequa and Tom Potts, New Kensington CDC Neighborhood Advisory Committee
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

In an email message that Gabriel Mandujano recently sent around to friends and family, he was quick to admit that the opening of a new laundry business, of all things, was an odd career move for someone who studied urban revitalization at Penn and real estate at the Wharton School, and who formerly worked as director of The Enterprise Center's CDC.

But Wash Cycle Laundry, the sustainable business Mandujano launched last December in West Philly, is certainly not your average, everyday laundry enterprise. For starters, it's "a green, socially responsible business that aspires to radically reduce the water and energy consumed by the $20 billion commercial laundry industry," as Mandujano noted in his email. Every last bag of laundry is delivered by bicycle, for instance, and the all-natural Sun & Earth detergent, manufactured in King of Prussia, is the only detergent used.

What's more, Wash Cycle Laundry recently relocated into a green, coin-operated Laundromat at the corner of South and 16th streets, where the Wash Cycle staff will be hosting something of a grand opening party on Feb. 3 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Along with inspecting the new digs, you'll be able to check out the Energy Star-rated Electrolux soft mount washers that make the use of driers--which suck up massive amounts of energy--practically obsolete.

Aside from Mandujano's commitment to workforce development, what's next for the company? "It's still a baby, so it's hard to know who it's going to be when it grows up," Mandujano says. "But if the laundry pick-up and delivery works here in Philadelphia, there's no reason why it wouldn't work in Brooklyn or D.C. or wherever."

Currently, Wash Cycle Laundry picks up in West Philly and a huge swath of Center City. Individuals looking for pick-up and delivery service can click here for details; businesses click here.

Source: Gabriel Mandujano, Wash Cycle Laundry
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

If you should find yourself in a conversation about development with someone involved in the urban real estate industry, it's fairly safe to assume that the topic of agriculture won't carry much weight. But out in the rural expanse of Chester County, where farming is still an active way of life, the situation is actually quite complicated. "You often hear that buying a farm is really difficult," says Sue Milshaw, of the Chester County Economic Development Council. "And it is," she adds. "But it is possible."

Milshaw should certainly know, especially since it was her work, and that of her colleagues, that recently led to the Council being presented with an award from the state's Department of Agriculture. The award recognized the council's dedication to the agriculture industry, and especially its ability to secure loans for farmers interested in developing.

The Chester County Cheese Artisans, for instance, is a group that recently developed property with the help of the Council; they renovated a barn that's now used for cheese processing and aging, as well as goat-milking.

The Council also works to help finance people buying their first farm. And as Milshaw explains, some of the economic development programs that are now open to the farming industry--thanks to the CCEDC's work--are now being used by the area's Amish community as well.

"I think there was a mindset for a long time that agriculture was a business that could take care of itself," says Milshaw, when asked why so many financing programs have long been closed to would-be farmers. "And that's in spite of the fact that in a county like Chester or Lancaster or Berks, agriculture is a significant part of the economic picture there."

Source: Sue Milshaw, Chester County Economic Development Council
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

While it's certainly true that there is something inherently quaint and romantic about a major metropolitan subway system that still accepts tokens, as Philadelphia's SEPTA system does, it's also true that technology has a way of moving unstoppably forward. SEPTA's long-discussed plans to replace its own token with a smart card system were unexpectedly canceled when its fiscal year 2011 budget experienced a 25 percent funding reduction. But on Jan. 27, it was announced that the PIDC Regional Center had just as unexpectedly come to SEPTA's rescue: In a proposal recently approved by the SEPTA Board, it was agreed upon that the PIDC would loan the transit system up to $175 million for its smart card project, "as well as related improvements to infrastructure, communications and customer service," according to a press release written by SEPTA Press Officer Andrew Busch. The PIDC is offering the loan at a low interest rate--1.75 percent.

Interestingly enough, SEPTA is planning to implement a fare collection system known as an open system, "where a customer is not going to need a SEPTA fare instrument to ride the system," says Busch. In other words, while smart cards will eventually replace tokens and paper transfers, customers will also have the option of swiping a debit or credit card as they pass through the turnstile. According to Busch, SEPTA is hoping to award a contract to build the new fare system by May or June, and the system is expected to be in place by January 2014.

SEPTA also released a rather ambitious sustainability plan in January known as SEP-TAINABLE: The Route to Regional Sustainability. The plan involves a total of 12 economic, social and environmental goals and initiatives that SEPTA hopes to attain between now and 2015; stay tuned to Flying Kite for more details and information. 

Source: Andrew Busch, SEPTA
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

One of the most consistently exciting aspects of the Philadelphia's current dining scene is its propensity to never slow down or grow stale. Here's our regularly occurring rundown of restaurant opening buzz:

Native Philadelphia chef Joshua Lawler, along with his wife, Colleen Lawler, will be debuting what will certainly be one of the city's most talked about new farm-to-table restaurants, The Farm and Fisherman, at 1120 Pine Street. Most recently the chef de cuisine for Blue Hill at Stone Barns in New York State, Lawler's first solo venture will be sustainably sourced, as he plans to develop relationships with area farmers and New Jersey fisherman.

Other new area cafes and eateries worth investigating include Plenty, a Tim McGinnis-helmed prepared-foods deli that will feature cold cuts and both lunch and dinner options to-go. It's scheduled to open Feb. 1 on the ever-evolving East Passyunk strip.

Meanwhile, the recently opened Elixr Coffee, in Center City, is the newest entrant to Philly's community of coffee shops that take the sourcing and preparation of espresso beans incredibly seriously. Elixr's drop-dead gorgeous interior design makes a visit worthwhile all by itself, as does the PT's Coffee and Marathon Grill sandwiches currently on offer.

Source: Profile Public Relations
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

Back in November 2010, West Philadelphia's much-loved Mariposa Food Co-op announced that after decades of successfully selling healthy and sustainable food from its tiny storefront at 4726 Baltimore Ave., it would finally be moving to a much larger location that could better handle its quickly growing membership.

After eventually purchasing that larger location--the landmark Belmont Trust Company Building at 4824 Baltimore Ave.--and partnering with the sustainable Re:Vision Architecture company, the team at Mariposa is more prepared than ever to complete its upcoming relocation, which is currently expected to happen during the fall of 2011, according to Mariposa's Leah Pillsbury. "Our offices are now sitting in the new building, and construction is just starting," says Pillsbury. Along with financing from the PIDC, a Community Design Collaborative grant, and help from The Reinvestment Fund, low-interest loans from Mariposa customers have also been an important source of expansion funding.

Probably the biggest change scheduled to take place when Mariposa moves into its new ecologically-sustainable location, which will be home to 2,500 square feet of retail space, is that non-members will be able to shop there. As Pillsbury explains, "If we're saying that part of this project is to create food access in the neighborhood, then we have to make it accessible."

What's more, a slew of workshops and other projects scheduled to take place in the new building are currently being planned. A larger community meeting space will exist at the store, which is also currently planning its own rooftop garden, a small beekeeping center, and a number of cooking and nutrition classes. It's quite possible, of course, that other community-based events will have been planned by the time the new store opens. After all, as Pillsbury herself says, "What used to be a real niche market is now a more mainstream market. Organic food sales are up all around."

Source: Leah Pillsburgh, Mariposa Food Co-op
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

Outside of the aviation sector, the hospitality business has long been one of the travel industry's worst offenders in terms of overall non-sustainability. The Hilton Hotels Corporation, however, is currently in the midst of a multi-million dollar attempt to permanently alter that perception with a sweeping round of sustainable renovations. What's more, travelers staying at Hilton's Inn at Penn property in West Philadelphia will soon have a chance to experience a number of the company's eco-friendly initiatives first-hand.

Probably the oddest and most attention-grabbing sustainable effort was a recent upgrade to the uniforms sported by the hotel's front-desk staff. Each uniform was manufactured from approximately 25 recycled plastic bottles, a process that reduces harmful air emissions. The housekeeping and food staff will be outfitted with the uniforms in the coming months.

Along with the hotel's staff, the 238 guestrooms and suites will also be undergoing sustainable improvements soon. An energy-saving system known as LightStay, for instance, will be installed; it calculates and analyzes heat and energy use in the hotel's guestrooms, thereby reducing carbon output, waste output and water use. According to Mark Ricci, a director of corporate communications for the hotel group, "All of this ties into Hilton Worldwide's commitment to environmental sustainability."

And although guestrooms and suites will also soon be fully renovated with everything from ergonomic chairs to luxury bathrooms with Euro-style showers, it's not unlikely that the new iPads--one for every room--will ultimately prove to be among the most popular of the hotel's upcoming enhancements. Hilton's Inn at Penn will be the first hotel in the city to offer the popular tablet computers, which will be used as remote controls, and as a way to access hotel services and information.

Source: Mark Ricci, Hilton Worldwide
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

It can often be difficult for responsible consumers to think of retail chains as anything other than evil, monolithic entities. But a new annual competition sponsored in part by the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) is proving that some chain retailers are in fact among the most responsible members of their respective communities. And although a wide range of chains throughout the country were nominated for the contest, known as Best Chain on Main, a number of Philadelphia-based companies ended up practically sweeping the awards.

The purpose of the competition was to recognize those chains whose very presence assists commercial revitalization. As LISC MetroEdge Director Jake Cowan points out, "If you want to bring new business into a neighborhood, that starts with the storefronts themselves looking good, and looking healthy." According to Larisa Ortiz, a commercial district planner who helped organize the contest, the winners were also partially chosen "based on their investment in underserved urban markets."

Indeed, the Philadelphia-based apparel company Villa, which took home this year's top prize, is probably best known among retail insiders for its incredibly strong commitment to the low- and moderate-income communities where its 26 stores are located. "One of the reasons (Villa) won, in fact, is that they partner with the local community development corporations," says Cowan. "They hire almost exclusively from the community, and they sponsor things like clean-up days."

Also representing Philadelphia was the contest's third place winner, The Fresh Grocer, and Mugshots Coffee House and Cafe, which received an honorable mention.

"Chains have a large presence on our corridors, and (companies with) more than one store can have a greater impact in terms of helping with commercial revitalization," explains Cowan, when asked why the contest focused exclusively on chains. "The goal was to lift up the chains that are doing good work."

Source: Jake Cowan, LISC MetroEdge
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, used and unwanted electronics are by far the fastest growing segment of solid waste in the United States. In fact, e-waste, as it's known, has become such a serious issue domestically that President Barack Obama recently created a task force that will be charged with combating the growing problem, which generally begins when electronics end up in landfills, or in developing nations that lack the capacity to dispose of them safely.

And yet in the Greater Philadelphia region, at least, the e-waste situation is about to become a little less dire. That's because the Minnesota-based Materials Processing Company is currently in the midst of constructing an e-waste recycling center on approximately 110,000 square feet of land near the Northeast Airport.

Unfortunately, the facility won't be structured to regularly accept donations from individuals, although according to Alan Yousha, VP of Business Development and Marketing for MPC, residents certainly won't be turned away if they show up with old computer monitors or cell phones.

"It's not so much a residential drop-off site as it is a location that residential drop-off sites will bring material to," explains Yousha, who also claims that Mayor Nutter's Greenworks initiative was a major determining factor in MPC's decision to locate its facility in Philadelphia, as opposed to, say, South Jersey or Central Pennsylvania. "It's clear that they actually want to make this (Greenworks Initiative) happen," Yousha adds. "So that makes it a little easier to function."

MPC, which is an ISO certified company as well as a 100-percent zero landfill company, plans to have its local facility up and running by mid-February at the latest.

Source: Alan Yousha, Materials Processing Company
Writer: Dan Eldridge

Do you know of a new building going up, a business expanding or being renovated, a park in the works or even a cool new house being built in the neighborhood? Please send your Development News tips here.

You've got to give attorney David Orphanides a lot of credit. He's come up with an alternative to "artisanal," one of the more awkward-sounding terms in the English language. Jettisoning the word, but not the concept, Orphanides uses the more classic "crafted" when describing the four tenets that make up the philosophy of Fairmount's soon-to-open Fare restaurant, which also relies on local, organic and sustainable practices.

Orphanides eats organic and shops sustainably at home, so it makes total sense, he says, that Fare mirrors that lifestyle. "It's second nature for us. We couldn't see doing it any other way." Also on board are Savvas Navrosidis, who owns Fairmount Pizza, and attorney Andy Siegel.

Fare, which opens to the public in "early spring," eschews heavy creams and sauces for "food that's still very satisfying and filling." The projected 85-seat bar and restaurant located at 2028 Fairmount Avenue, across from Eastern State Penitentiary, is fit out with completely green, locally sourced furnishings. The black walnut bar comes from Pennsylvania trees. Wine, beer, and liquor served on that lovely expanse of local wood aims to be "biodynamic and organic, from local vineyards and distilleries," according to Orphanides.

Fare's menu evolved from an original concept of smaller snacks to include dishes for all appetites. Small plates and snacks range in price from $2-$8; salads are $6-$9, and main dishes range from $11-$18. Fare "started out more as a place for people to have a drink and socialize, more of a lounge" for Fairmount locals, but when chef Tim Bellew signed on, the menu expanded. Bellew's previous engagements include Fire in Cherry Hill, Black Eyed Susan in Long Beach Island, and MANNA catering in New York.

Source: David Orphanides, Fare Restaurant
Writer: Sue Spolan

As a former manufacturing hub so productive that it was once referred to as the "Workshop of the World," it shouldn't come as a surprise to learn that some areas of modern-day Philadelphia are unfortunately rich in brownfield sites, those former industrial areas that are oftentimes contaminated by hazardous wastes. In an effort to illuminate the issue, a temporary public art project--Soil Kitchen--will be installed atop a brownfield site in Northern Liberties during the first week of April, where it will remain for roughly one week. The installation is being scheduled to coincide with the EPA's National Brownfields Conference, which is being held at the Pennsylvania Convention Center from April 3-5.

Commissioned by the city's Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy, the Soil Kitchen installation, as its name suggests, will actually operate as a working kitchen, serving locally-sourced soup. What's more, soil samples from area neighborhoods will be the only accepted form of currency. The public will be invited to trade their soil for soup, according to the OACCE's Gary Steuer, after which the samples will be tested by soil contamination experts, and the results posted on a map of the city. "It's a really interesting, multi-layered project that involves an educational component," says Steuer.

There's no telling, of course, just how much soil contamination will actually be discovered during the project's brief run, although Steuer hopes that Soil Kitchen's efforts will continue to facilitate conversations about Philadelphia brownfields, even after it closes up shop. "The fact that our soil may be contaminated is something we really need to be thinking about," he says. "I also hope that (Soil Kitchen) will help people understand that art can be a vehicle through which we better understand these issues."

Source: Gary Steuer, Philadelphia Office of Arts, Culture and the Creative Economy
Writer: Dan Eldridge