Sustainability : Development News

Philadelphia's vacant land has been one of the most debated public policy issues of recent years. And for good reason -- the city is losing millions every year in maintenance costs, delinquint taxes and decreased adjacent property values. The problem is so big that the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference is in town through September 11, shedding some light on the conundrum and examining innovative solutions.  
 
Put together by the Center for Community Progress, the conference is drawing upwards of 800 public and private sector experts in land banking, tax foreclosure, code enforcement and urban planning from around the country.
 
"Over the past two years, Philadelphia has taken several strategic and significant steps toward addressing its long-standing vacant property issues," explained John Carpenter, Deputy Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and co-chair of the conference local planning committee in a press release. "The Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference is our opportunity to share our successes with other cities while also learning from their achievements."
 
One of the most important steps for Philadelphia is creating a city-wide land bank. It will allow the city to clear liens and other claims, and acquire group parcels in a strategic manner in an effort to facilitate development opportunities.

"Mayor Nutter and Council are committed to adding a land bank to the tools for addressing our vacant property system," said Rick Sauer, executive director of the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations, in a press release. "The many Philadelphia advocates who support a land bank are excited to exchange ideas and strategies with their colleagues from across the country to make that goal a reality."
 
The conference will feature 50 sessions on topics such as land banking, tax foreclosure, brownfields, code enforcement, market-smart revitalization, data and technology innovations, green infrastructure and green reuse strategies.
 
Source:  John Carpenter, Deputy Executive Director of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority; Rick Sauer, Executive Director of the Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Philadelphia, already one of the country's most bike-crazy cities, is going to have to learn to share.

The City of Philadelphia recently completed the Philadelphia Bike Share Strategic Business Plan; they have now opened up the floor to station location suggestions and potential hosts. This is another huge step on the road towards Philadelphia joining New York City, Washington, D.C. and countless other cities around the world in the bike share game.

The proposed plan calls for 150 to 200 bike sharing stations (housing 1,500 to 2,000 bikes) serving the urban core, from the Delaware River into West Philadelphia, from the Navy Yard through Center City to North Philadelphia. 

The estimated cost is between $10 and 15 million. Those funds will come from state and federal transportation grants, and private sponsors. If all goes according to plan, the system should generate enough income to operate without continued public investment. Planners anticipate nearly two million trips per year by residents, commuters, students and visitors.

Locals are encouraged to visit phila.gov/bikeshare. Not only will you see pictures of Mayor Michael Nutter in a bike helmet, you can also suggest station locations or join some of the city's biggest employers and offer to host one.

LEE STABERT is managing editor of Flying Kite; follow her on Twitter @stabert.

Earlier this month, the Zoning Board of Adjustments (ZBA) gave the mixed-use Ridge Flats in East Falls the official go-ahead. Slated for the former Rivage site, a prominent local intersection, the project will be the largest "passive" development in the country.
 
Passive projects -- structures built to an exacting zero-net energy-efficiency standard -- aren’t a new concept in Philly; neighborhoods such as Bella Vista and Northern Liberties have seen new construction homes built under the guidelines throughout the past year. The scale of Ridge Flats is what sets it apart. Once complete, the five-story structure will contain 146 apartments, 1000 feet of commercial space and 120 above-grade parking spaces. The building will also feature green roofs and a rain garden.
 
"It's a model project for the country," says Gina Snyder, president of the East Falls Development Corporation (EFDC). "It will bring more people, retail and add more excitement to the neighborhood. It's the project we've been looking for on Ridge Avenue."
 
The site has been under the control of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority since the late '90s -- it wasn't until a year-and-a-half ago that EFDC found what they were looking for; local green developer Onion Flats made the winning pitch.
 
Since then, EFDC has been working with Onion Flats to make sure the project will be a win-win. They have fully supported the developer during the ZBA variance process.
 
Now that the ZBA has officially signed off, construction should begin this winter.

Source:  Gina Synder, East Falls Development Corporation
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Established in 2007 after years of inactivity (and formerly known as PhilaPride), Keep Philadelphia Beautiful (KPB) works to build and sustain vibrant communities through sustainable initiatives. Now, with a new director on board and a federal campaign helping channel funds, the organization is poised to tackle more complex programs.
 
KPB is the local affiliate of the federal non-profit Keep America Beautiful, a network of more than 1,200 organizations. The national office recently launched "I Want to Be Recycled," a campaign that encourages people to recycle. In Philly, that means continued funding for litter prevention, recycling education and waste reduction.
 
KPB has already helped collect thousands of pounds of trash, removed thousands of tires and generated thousands of pounds of recycling. Those are impressive feats, but new Executive Director Michelle Feldman (former Commercial Corridor Manager of the Frankford Community Development Corporation) wants to amp up KPB's local presence.  

"We're working on partnerships with various city agencies and offices, trying to launch new programs and make organizing community beautification efforts easier for residents," explains Feldman. "We want to encourage innovative ways to keep areas clean."
 
One example is an "art to trash" scholarship program.

"Registrants would submit a piece of artwork made from recycled materials, or materials that would have been thrown out," explains Feldman. "The winner would receive a scholarship for a class -- at an art school, perhaps, depending on who we end up partnering with."
 
The program, which is still in its infancy, would also create a temporary pop-up gallery. "We'd love to involve art in our future efforts, however we can," says Feldman. "We are working on an art and sustainability project coming soon to West Philly.”
 
"We want to keep doing what we have done," she adds. "Be a resource to those looking to spearhead community beautification projects, spearhead our own community beautification projects and be a partner to the City and the Streets Department however we can."

Source:  Michelle Feldman, Keep Philadelphia Beautiful
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

On July 20, folks from the New Kensington Community Development Corporation (NKCDC) will join the Philadelphia Water Department, the Department of Parks and Recreation, Mural Arts Program and the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society to celebrate a slew of new features now open on its "Big Green Block." Councilman Mark Squilla, State Representative Mike O’Brien and a representative from Councilwoman Maria D. Quiñones-Sánchez's office will also attend.

When Flying Kite last checked in with NKCDC and the others behind the "Big Green Block" initiative, they were prepping for a Volunteer Day to help complete some of the project's Phase Two features. With those now complete, the project's supporters are going to celebrate in style.

"We're having a celebration, ribbon-cutting and tours starting at 11 a.m.," explains Diana Jih with NKCDC. There will also be a resident-driven sustainability workshop on DIY rainbarrels.

Tours will showcase the site's new green features, including the newly opened Mural Arts Spray Park, basketball courts with an innovative stormwater drainage system and a grand re-opening of the Palmer Doggie Depot.

In addition, the Climate and Urban Systems Partnership (CUSP) will offer a presentation on the relationship between green infrastructure and climate change.

The "Big Green Block" initiative has been around for over two years; the area is defined by Front Street, Frankford Avenue, Palmer Street and Norris Street, and includes the Shissler Recreation Center (next door to the Kensington High School for Creative and Performing Arts). Within Sustainable 19125 -- an NKCDC initiative working to make the zipcode the greenest in the region -- the site has become a model location for green infrastructure and sustainable education.

Source:  Diana Jih, NKCDC
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

The Ralph Brooks Park at 20th and Tasker Streets will undergo an ambitious $275,000 renovation, transforming the basketball court into "Rucker Philly," modeled after the famed court in Harlem. But this isn’t just a project to fix up a basketball court -- if Jeffrey Tubbs and his nonprofit Urban Roots get their way, the project will be the first phase of a much larger neighborhood-wide revitalization effort.

The project's first phase is a head-to-toe makeover of the park, complete with the addition of a rain garden and a community garden, all thanks to donations totaling about $241,495 from the City, the Philadelphia Water Department, Urban Roots, the ACE Mentor Program, I.am.SP and Ritter & Plante Associates.

On May 29, Urban Roots launched a crowdfunding campaign on Lucky Ant to close the gap needed for the first phase's $275,000 figure as well as raise money for future plans.

The Park honors Ralph Brooks Jr., a seven-year-old boy who was tragically shot a block away in 1988.

With future phases, Brooks' legacy will be expanded beyond the basketball court. "If you don't play basketball it doesn't mean this project won't benefit you," says Jessie Fox with Here's My Chance, an organization assisting Urban Roots with their crowdfunding efforts.

Tubbs is looking to transform other city-owned parcels nearby to bring a variety of much-needed services to the neighborhood. These include an urban farm, a senior pavilion, new play equipment, public art, and sidewalk and street resurfacing.

If enough money is raised, plans for affordable housing, a sporting-goods store and a commercial kiosk that sells fresh produce to the neighborhood could come to fruition. Tubbs says the three additional park renovation phases will cost about $700,000.

"Everyone is really excited for the project and the benefits it will bring," says Fox. "The effort is bringing the community back together."

For more information on the project, or if you’d like to make a contribution, click here.

Source:  Jessie Fox, Here's My Chance
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Representatives from five Delaware Valley schools were in Washington, D.C. earlier this month to receive a 2013 Green Ribbon Schools award; one school district also received a District Sustainability Award.
 
Similar to the Blue Ribbon Awards for educational excellence, the U.S. Department of Education grants the Green Ribbon Awards to schools that work to reduce their environmental footprint; improve the health and wellness of students and faculty; and integrate sustainability education into the curriculum. The region's winners were among 78 schools and districts chosen nationwide.
 
Notably, all Delaware and Pennsylvania statewide nominees this year were from the Philadelphia region.

"It's clear that there is a lot of local energy and interest for promoting sustainability in our schools," says Lori Braunstein with the Delaware Valley Green Building Council, who helped administer the school's applications.

Each honoree was recognized for different reasons. From newer suburban schools with solar arrays to older city schools boasting unique partnerships with the City of Philadelphia, each worked hard to prove its worth as a leader on sustainablity initiatives. 
 
The winning local schools are Albert M. Greenfield Elementary School (Philadelphia School District); Broughal Middle School (Bethlehem Area School District, Northampton County); Nazareth Area Middle School (Nazareth Area School District, Northampton County); and Westtown School (Chester County).
 
Lower Merion School District (Montgomery County) was awarded the first-ever District Sustainability Award.
 
"It's possible the schools can leverage the award to get additional funding or get to the front of the line for other sustainability initiatives," says Braunstein. "This can just be the beginning."

Source:  Lori Braunstein, Delaware Valley Green Building Council
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

In May 2012, Flying Kite covered the Community Design Collaborative's Transforming Urban Schoolyards design charrette, an event that aimed to rethink Philly's most asphalt-ridden schoolyards. West Philly's Henry C. Lea Elementary was one of the lucky recipients of the charrette's ideas. Now, those visions have a chance to come to life -- Lea is one of 10 finalists for a national $75,000 Green School Makeover grant from Global Green USA.

Julie Scott with the West Philadelphia Coalition for Neighborhood Schools (WPCNS) says the Green School Makeover grant will go towards Lea's ambitious sustainability plans. "We would utilize the grant to get a comprehensive recycling program started for the school," she says. "We’d start with relocating the dumpster off the grounds, which is a huge undertaking."
 
The dumpster would be relocated to the school's north yard to create an area for recycling and compost. This initiative would join other in-progress greening efforts. Last November, through a grant from SCI-West, the elementary school (in partnership with WPCNS) built a 1,400-square-foot planting bed, an early-action project identified during the charrette. Additional walking paths and plantings were added in the spring.

Once complete, the space will reorient the schoolyard as the primary entrance, leading visitors through a garden that would double as an outdoor area for science classes. In addition to the recycling program, the school also hopes to add additional stormwater mitigation features and rooftop solar panels.

The school is still actively searching for other ways to fund its master plan. If you're interested in getting involved in any way, please complete this brief survey or email [email protected] for details. 

Source:  Julie Scott, West Philadelphia Coalition of Neighborhood Schools
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

When the Frankford Friends School decided to add seventh and eighth grade to their traditional Pre-K-through-sixth enrollment, they needed more space. They embarked on an ambitious expansion of their historic campus on Orthodox Street in Frankford. Following years of work and a $2 million capital fund campaign, that addition officially opened in 2012. One school year later, the building's unique design and modern aesthetic are a huge hit.
 
"When people walk into the light-filled multipurpose room, they’re amazed," says Amy O’Leary, director of development and alumni relations at the school. "The design of the space is exactly what we needed."

The building was designed by renowned local architecture firm DIGSAU. In addition to the large multipurpose room, the new 6,000-square-foot structure features a dedicated music room and three classrooms for grades seven and eight. The building also reduces energy use through a variety of innovative strategies and features teaching gardens on the southern side of the facility.

"Ultimately, we wanted to add something new and tie the existing buildings together," says James Unkefer with DIGSAU. "We wanted to reinforce the campus feel."

This was achieved by expressing the school's Quaker roots in modern ways -- they incorporated a generous amount of glass and steel, with an exposed wood skin.

Though striking, the new building isn't meant to stand out. "The design is simple and doesn’t compete with the neighboring Quaker meeting house," explains Unkefer. That traditional wood frame building is the centerpiece of the school's campus.

"The structure is also outward looking," adds Unkefer. "A lot of openness and natural light is utilized to make the space look and feel ‘social.'"

The school's 2012 enrollment of 142 students was the highest in its 179-year history. O’Leary says the new school has received so much buzz that enrollment is already up for next year. She is aware of a number of families that recently relocated to Frankford to be near the school.

Source:  James Unkefer, DIGSAU; Amy O'Leary, Frankford Friends School
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

The Lower Northeast District Plan was officially adopted by the Planning Commission last fall, and its designers are now turning their attention towards implementing its ideas. Working with the Mayor's Office of Grants, the Commission has developed a series of partnerships to secure funding -- they recently earned over $600,000 from federal agencies and private foundations.
 
"The Plan has been a guide for everything we do," explains Ian Litwin with the Planning Commission. "We are building on the strengths that Frankford already has which can catalyze future development."
 
The grants were awarded for three key initiatives: 

- A $75,000 grant from the William Penn Foundation and the Parks and Recreation Department will fund study of the options to return Frankford Creek to its natural state, connecting Frankford to the Delaware River and East Coast Greenway. A recommended trail alignment and suggested next steps will come from the study, which is already underway.

- A $200,000 EPA Brownfields Area-Wide Planning Grant will fund a planning study and develop reuse alternatives for three catalyst industrial sites in Frankford and Bridesburg along the Frankford Creek. The plan will lead to recommended site designs and create the possibilities for myriad implementation grants.

- A $335,150 grant from ArtPlace America will support Destination Frankford, an initiative to improve Frankford's commercial corridor through artfully designed signage and street furniture; a Globe DyeWorks storefront for local artists; and an arts-focused marketing campaign and website. The initiative will also create art installations in Womrath Park. Of 1,200 submissions across the country, Destination Frankford was one of 40 to receive grants. The initiative will kick-off on June 1.

"It’s an exciting time in Frankford," says Litwin, an urban planner by trade. "With so much implementation happening, I feel like my new title should be 'doer.'"

Source:  Ian Litwin, City Planning Commission
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Over the next ten months, approximately 120 Youthbuild Philadelphia students will transform two vacant homes in Nicetown into models of sustainable living. The homes, located at 2006 and 2008 West Wingohocking Street, are the latest projects in a neighborhood experiencing a swell of investment.
 
The homes sit directly across the street from Wayne Junction Station, where SEPTA is investing $18 million in intermodal improvements. Down the street is Nicetown Court I, a mixed-use mixed-income project completed in 2011; Nicetown Court II, a 50-unit mixed-use development, is currently under construction.

Youthbuild Philadelphia, an offshoot of YouthBuild USA, is a charter school that gives students the opportunity to earn high school diplomas or GEDs while exposing them to real world trades such as construction.
 
For these homes, Youthbuild has partnered with the Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation, an arm of the world’s largest building materials company (their North American operations are based in Valley Forge), to ensure the structures are built with a sustainable, energy-efficient ethos.
 
"This project gives us the chance to pair young adults side-by-side with top-notch building scientists and experts," says Carmen Ferrigno, Saint-Gobain's vice president of communications. "It is a great opportunity for the kids to see people with careers in this field and see what it is like to have this type of job."
 
The Nicetown project will be the second completed by YouthBuild and Saint-Gobain as part of a three-year partnership. Accoding to Ferrigno, the first project -- located on Greene Street in Germantown -- "really surprised" his company with the impact it had on the young adults.
 
"We saw it was a very important experience for them to learn a new trade," says Ferrigno. "One student latched on to welding and has now earned an apprenticeship with a local union."
 
And ultimately, those stories are what the partnership is all about.

"These students go through a transformation," adds Ferrigno. "Using top-of-the-line building materials, we're pairing kids with experts to learn not just a new trade but the latest innovations in our industry."

Source:  Carmen Ferrigno, VP of communications, Saint-Gobain Corporation Foundation
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

Last September, a Delaware County-based grocery chain signed a letter of intent to open a new supermarket in Camden's Haddon Avenue Transit Village, signaling progress on the long-delayed project. Unfortunately, they've since backed out of the deal. Undeterred -- and with a potential $50 million in state tax credits in their pocket -- civic leaders and project boosters are moving forward.

The Transit Village is a passion project for its advocates, Grapevine Development, Cooper's Ferry Partnership, the City of Camden, Camden County, Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center and the Delaware River Port Authority (DRPA). The development's first phase calls for 30-to-40,000 square feet of office space (mostly for Our Lady of Lourdes),100 housing units, a 50,000-square-foot grocery and a parking garage.

"Once we get a grocery store committed -- and the retail plan largely complete -- we can move forward," says David Foster, president of the Cooper's Ferry Partnership. "We envision breaking ground later this year or early next year."

The site's 15 acres are in a prime location right between Our Lady of Lourdes Medical Center and the Ferry Avenue PATCO rail station, which connects directly to Center City. The plans include streetscape and pedestrian improvements to Haddon Avenue.

According to Foster, the roadway improvements will eventually tie into the area's trail system, including the Camden Greenway, making the Transit Village a focal point in the regional trails network.

Source:  David Foster; President, Cooper's Ferry Partnership
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

On May 22 from 4 to 6 p.m., the Philadelphia skating community will converge on brand new Paine's Park for a ribbon-cutting ceremony. The park, which incorporates sustainable design elements while accommodating both pedestrians and skaters, is already garnering national attention as the first -- and largest -- open space in the country designed specifically for skateboarders.

Franklin’s Paine Skatepark Fund Executive Director Claire Laver says the ceremony is particularly significant considering the project's long history.

"It's a momentous occasion," she says. "After nearly a decade of planning and fundraising, we’re finally opening the park."
 
The park cost $4.5 million to build; the money was raised through a variety of funding sources. To help with the finishing touches, the Fund launched a Kickstarter campaign earlier this year, earning over $10,000.

The design also accommodates pedestrians and other uses; it features pedestrian seating areas, a 360-degree observation deck, an amphitheater for outdoor events, and connections to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Schuylkill Banks. In a nod to other public spaces popular among skateboarders, the design incorporated reclaimed granite slabs from LOVE Park and eight benches from Dilworth Plaza.

A number of events are already lined up for the space. On Go Skateboarding Day (June 21), the Zumiez Couch Tour will swing through Paine’s Park as part of their nine-city tour; in October, the park will host the finale of the second annual Philly Cup Skateboard Series.

Source:  Claire Laver, Executive Director, Franklin’s Paine Skatepark Fund
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

On the heels of South Philadelphia High School's crowdsourced fundraising campaign for its Greening Master Plan and rooftop farm, Lauren Mandel, one of the project’s landscape designers, has released EAT UP.

The first full-length book about rooftop food production, EAT UP was published internationally by New Society Publishers, a carbon-neutral publishing house.

Mandel divides the book into three sections: one for small-scale rooftop gardeners, one for large-scale farmers, and one for urban planners and designers interested in implementing rooftop farming on a neighborhood scale.

The book is the culmination of three-and-a-half years of research for Mandel, who works as a project manager and rooftop agriculture specialist at the local green roof firm Roofmeadow. She started the book while still studying landscape architecture at Penn.

"EAT UP started as an academic exercise, asking 'Is rooftop agriculture viable?'" explains Mandel. "After quickly learning it was, I realized that what people need is an accessible, comprehensive resource on the matter."

In an increasingly urban America, more and more people are turning to their roofs as platforms for growing local, sustainable food. Places like New York, Portland and Chicago all have burgeoning rooftop agriculture communities. In Philly, the movement is just taking off.

"Small-scale home gardens are popular here," says Mandel. "For large-scale projects, we’re not quite there -- but we're on the cusp.”
  
EAT UP is available in print and ebook from New Society Publishers, Barnes and Noble, Amazon.com and local book stores.
 
Source:  Lauren Mandel, project manager and rooftop agriculture specialist, Roofmeadow
Writer: Greg Meckstroth

If you’re a Northwest Philly resident looking to be a bit more green in your daily life, you're in luck. On Wednesday, May 8, the Germantown United Community Development Corporation (GUCDC) is hosting a community forum -- entitled "It IS Easy Being Green" -- focused on how residents and businesses can have a positive environmental and economic impact on their community.

The event is the second annual community forum sponsored by GUCDC, a relatively new organization dedicated to the well-being of Germantown.

"We planned the first forum specifically to introduce GUCDC to the community," explains GUCDC's Garlen Capita. "We wanted to answer the question, 'What does a CDC do?'"
 
According to Capita, that event was so successful that they decided to use the same format this year while shifting the focus to sustainability. Like last year's forum, this gathering is all about educating and disseminating information to the community.

"We want everyone who lives and works in Germantown to know that they have the power and the tools to improve the quality of life in their community," says Capita. "Hence the title, ‘It IS Easy Being Green.'"

The forum will begin at 6 p.m. with a "trade show" of organizations involved in sustainability and community issues. Participants include Awbury Arboretum, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia, Friends of Vernon Park, Kelly Green, PhilaNOMA, Rebuilding Together Philadelphia, the Sustainable Business Network, Tookany/Tacony-Frankford Watershed, and Wyck Historic House and Garden.
 
At 7 p.m., a panel will foster a community discussion on the sustainability issues confronting Germantown. The moderator will be Robert Fleming, associate professor of sustainable design at Philadelphia University. Other panel members include Dwayne Wharton, director of external affairs at the Food Trust, representatives from the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society and Christine Knapp from the Philadelphia Water Department.

Also on the panel will be Aine and Emaleigh Doley, sisters and co-organizers of the West Rockland Street Project. They are working with neighbors to revitalize their block using nothing but dedication, plants and trees, and some serious elbow grease.

"We want people to know that if Aine and Emaleigh can do it, they too can turn their neighborhood around," says Capita.

The event is free and open to all. It will be held at the Flying Horse Center (312-316 W. Chelten Avenue). Please RSVP to [email protected].

Source:  Garlen Capita, GUCDC
Writer: Greg Meckstroth