In December 2011, Southwest Philadelphia gleefully celebrated the opening of Paschall Village, the
Philadelphia Housing Authority’s pilot project for high-performance sustainable development. Since then, the project has been heralded for its contemporary, contextually sensitive footprint and its ambitious green features, including central geothermal heating and cooling, solar domestic hot water, solar panels, rainwater harvesting/irrigation system, and more. And last week, Paschall was officially recognized for this cutting edge design excellence.
Paschall, which is bounded by 72nd Street, Paschall Avenue, Cobbs Creek Parkway, and Lloyd Street in Southwest Philadelphia, received
PAHRA’s Bellamy Award for Housing. The recognition honors the best in design and construction projects by affordable housing agencies across Pennsylvania. PHA's win was no small feat – in a state of 89 housing authorities Paschall came out on top.
“We are thrilled to receive this award from our fellow professionals,” said Kelvin Jeremiah, PHA’s Interim Executive Director. “It’s always our goal to make a lasting, positive impact on neighborhoods and become a catalyst for long-term, local economic growth. Receiving this type of recognition from your peers for a sustainable, environmentally friendly housing development is a great honor and PHA is committed to doing more of this work in the future.”
Judges were impressed with the Paschall Village bid for a number of reasons. For one, its efficiency standards stood above the rest - the development features impressive savings for PHA, standing at an estimated 30%-35% per month. Further, the use of open space, pervious pavements (over 92,000 square feet) and other green infrastructure reduces the development’s runoff footprint on the City’s stormwater systems.
Paschall also received high marks for the multiple sources of funding and partnerships PHA made to make the development a reality.
Paschall Village replaced Paschall Apartments, a poorly designed, mid-1960s-era public housing complex that unfortunately became the center of poverty, drugs and crime. Through smart urban design and sustainability features, Paschall Village seems to have improved the character and safety of the community. And now, with the Bellamy Award under its belt, it’s clear that Paschall Village has greatly improved community pride as well.
Source: Kelvin Jeremiah, PHA’s Interim Executive Director
Writer:
Greg Meckstroth