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Deborah McColloch, Acting Director: 1234 Market St., 17th Flr., Philadelphia, PA 19107 |
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News and Press Press Releases 2008 Monday, June 9, 2008 Dedication of Dewey Housing by AchieveAbility to feature Chire Harden WHO: New homeowner Chire Harden; Elvis Solivan, special assistant, U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development; Deborah McColloch, acting director, Office of Housing and Community Development; Loree D. Jones, president & CEO, and Joel Lawson III, board treasurer, both AchieveAbility Wednesday, May 21, 2008 STATE AND CITY OFFICIALS TO JOIN IN GROUNDBREAKING FOR NORRIS STREET TOWNHOUSES WHO: State Sen. Shirley Kitchen, State Rep. Jewell Williams, Councilman Darrell Clarke, representatives from Philadelphia Housing Development Corp., community leaders and residents DETAILS: City, state and community representatives will join officials of the Philadelphia Housing Development Corp. in groundbreaking ceremonies for the Norris Street Townhouses in North Philadelphia. Bounded by Broad and Diamond Streets and Cecil B. Moore Avenue, this development will consist of eight new homes. Each two-story house will feature three bedrooms, one and one-half baths, a backyard with a concrete patio and a driveway. The twin homes will restore formerly vacant land into a viable part of the neighborhood surrounding Temple University and will continue the developmental growth of North Philadelphia. In the past decade, PHDC has developed nearly 2,000 homes throughout the city. Call 215-448-3139 for sales information. Thursday, May 22, 2008 Mayor Nutter to address 275 developers and real estate professionals on opportunities to develop Philadelphia’s futureWHO Mayor Michael A. Nutter; Andrew Altman, Deputy Mayor, Planning & Economic Development DETAILS: Mayor Michael A. Nutter will address more than 275 members of the region’s development community during Philadelphia’s 8th Annual Developers Breakfast and Neighborhood Tour. This year’s theme, “Developing Philadelphia’s Future,” will focus on the City’s plans to continue advancing its economic growth. Three concurrent workshops will feature dialogues about planning for growth, developing clean and green city neighborhoods and supporting business and development. The guided bus tour will highlight current and potential development sites, including transit-oriented projects, in the neighborhoods of North and Northwest Philadelphia. This yearly event is sponsored by the Philadelphia Department of Commerce and the Office of Housing and Community Development. Other supporters are the Empowerment Zone/Renewal Community, Office of Business Services, Office of the City Representative, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, Philadelphia Commercial Development Corp., Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. and Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. Temple University Health System is the breakfast host for 2008.
Monday, February 25, 2008 MAYOR NUTTER JOINS APM IN GROUNDBREAKING FOR LUDLOW VILLAGE V/PRADERA III HOUSING DEVELOPMENT WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter; State Sen. Shirley Kitchen; Councilman Darrell Clarke; Deborah McColloch, acting director, Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD); Pedro J. Rivera, Esq., board chair, Asociación Puertorriqueños en Marcha Inc. (APM); and Nilda I. Ruiz, APM president and CEO; John G. Bravacos, regional director, US Department of Housing and Urban Development Region III; Robert Bobincheck, director, Strategic Planning & Policy, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA); banking and community representatives and honored guest, Marvin Louis, director, Ludlow Community Association. Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2008 5 Renovated Rowhouses in Brewerytown for Sale at $80,000 under PHDC’s Homestart Program WHO: Staff of Philadelphia Housing Development Corp. (PHDC), members of Greater Brewerytown Community Development Corp., prospective homebuyers Press Releases 2007 Wednesday, Dec. 12, 2007 OHCD First Deputy Deborah McColloch Joins Housing Advocates in Support of Amended Inclusionary Housing Bill Up for Final Vote WHO: First Deputy Deborah McColloch, members of the Philadelphia Campaign for Housing Justice Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007 WHO: Councilman Darrell Clarke; representatives of Mt. Tabor Community Education and Economic Development Corp. and its development partner, Seventh Street Senior Housing Inc.; members of Mt. Tabor African Methodist Episcopal Church; prospective tenants; community residents WHAT: Groundbreaking service for Mt. Tabor Cyber Village DETAILS: Councilman Darrell Clarke will join Bishop Richard Norris, Brother E. Larry Lang, Rev. Dr. Mary L. Moore and Rev. Martha A. Lang in a groundbreaking service for Mt. Tabor Cyber Village. The new-construction project will provide 56 units of affordable rental housing for senior citizens, including 12 accessible units for tenants with physical disabilities and three for those with vision or hearing impairments. To be located at 973 N. 7th St., the four-story building will feature a computer room, lounge, library, physical fitness center and community room. Development funding sources include $900,000 from the Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund through the Office of Housing and Community Development and $1.1 million in Low-Income Housing Tax Credits from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency. The Community Design Collaborative of AIA Philadelphia granted almost $40,000 for preliminary design services. Monday, Oct. 15, 2007 Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund Celebrates WHO: City administration officials, members of City Council, affordable housing advocates, representatives of community development corporations and community residents DETAILS: Pradera Homes, the first homeownership development to receive Philadelphia Housing Trust Fund support, will be the site of the Trust Fund’s second anniversary celebration. Community leaders and residents will explain the positive impact of the Housing Trust Fund on rental and homeownership projects throughout the city. Signed into city and state law by Mayor Street and Gov. Rendell in 2005, the Housing Trust Fund finances development of affordable new housing and the repair of existing housing. It also prevents homelessness through emergency housing assistance and short-term rental assistance. To date, the Housing Trust Fund has supported the construction of more than 1,100 new units and the repair of more than 600 occupied homes. Housing Trust Fund awards total $17 million so far. Administered by the Office of Housing and Community Development, the Fund was established with $1.5 million in Neighborhood Transformation Initiative bond funds. The City’s recording fees generate $14 million annually. Oct. 2, 2007 PHILADELPHIA –A sweltering summer has faded and the cold winds of winter are approaching! This fall, take the time to weatherize your home and prepare yourself for the icy weather ahead. Get the English or the Spanish version of the Philadelphia Housing Development Corporation (PHDC) Weatherization Manual now and you’ll find tips on how to reduce energy use, access energy-assistance programs and save money. PHDC developed the manual to help low-income and elderly Philadelphians beat rising fuel costs. It’s being distributed free to residents who apply for PHDC’s Weatherization Assistance Program as well as to the general public. (For a copy, call 215-686-9723.) “An energy-efficient home helps combat rising energy prices,” explains Anthony C. McIntosh, PHDC executive vice president. “In addition to installing energy-conservation features, we believe in-home education will result in even greater savings for homeowners.” PHDC has a unique perspective on the cost of energy use in city households. “For decades we’ve turned thousands of Philadelphia homes into safe, comfortable residences through our free home-repair programs,” McIntosh says. For example, since its inception in 1987, the Weatherization Assistance Program has weatherized 30,998 homes at a cost of nearly $76 million. A description of PHDC’s Weatherization Assistance Program is included in the manual’s four pages on local energy-assistance programs. Funded by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, the weatherization program provides free weatherization and energy-conservation services to eligible low-income renter and homeowner households. To apply, call 215-448-2160. For a free copy of the English or Spanish PHDC Weatherization Manual, call 215-686-9723. You may also access it at www.phila.gov/ohcd/homerepairprograms.htm. May 22, 2007 City’s Sustainable Development Policies; The Reinvestment Fund Updates Housing Market Value Analysis PHILADELPHIA – Addressing 250 members of the region’s development community, Mayor John F. Street today described Philadelphia’s sustainable development polices as “protecting our natural resources, building our economy and strengthening our community.” He lauded their role in shaping Philadelphia into one of the nation’s most sustainable cities. Based on its current update to the analysis that had been the original data framework for the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, The Reinvestment Fund’s Policy Director Ira Goldstein told the audience, “The data show there has been an extraordinary transformation of the residential downtown. The market strength that several years ago was more or less limited to Vine to South and river to river now extends from Fairmount to Washington Avenue. Other notable areas of strength include the expansion of Northern Liberties into the communities of Fishtown and Kensington; the growing market strength of East Oak Lane; continued increase in market strength in South Philadelphia, east of Broad Street; complete stabilization and strength of the communities up through Roxborough, Manayunk and Andorra.“ Mayor Street and Goldstein detailed these positive advances during Philadelphia’s Annual Developers Breakfast and Neighborhood Tour. This year’s theme of “Sustainable Neighborhoods – Locations of Choice” focused on the expanding opportunities for sustainable residential, commercial and recreational growth in city neighborhoods. The audience included national and local developers, realtors, business owners, financiers, planners and architects. “Philadelphia is committed to promoting environmentally friendly policies and programs,” Mayor Street said. “Our new Local Action Plan for Climate Change lays out sustainability strategies for buildings, transportation, industry, and open space. These include implementation of codes for building green and transit-oriented development.” He credited the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI), the Empowerment Zone and the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) with laying the Event participants also learned the Street administration has initiated the ReStore Philadelphia Corridors program (ReStore) which weaves NTI’s principles with economic development strategies. ReStore is supported by $65 million from a $150-million bond issue for cultural and commercial corridors, approved by City Council last October. “ReStore will revitalize neighborhood commercial corridors and re-establish their historic roles as central places to shop, work and socialize,” Mayor Street said. Corridors throughout the city will receive services that will increase their ability to bring quality goods and services to residents. For example, a Small Business Loan Guarantee Pool will improve the access of small businesses to mainstream lenders. A second sustainable goal is to reduce the environmental impact of development. One breakfast workshop focused on redeveloping industrial areas and explained the city and state programs that help developers access, safely clean and sustainably reuse environmentally contaminated industrial and residential properties. “Building Green in Philadelphia” featured LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and Energy Star. These new technologies incorporate environmental design into residential and commercial developments, thereby decreasing contaminants and curbing energy consumption. Led by the Philadelphia Water Department, a workshop on storm-water management explained the agency’s $50-million investment in immediate capital improvements to the city’s sewer system which will reduce pollutants entering rivers and streams when storm sewers overflow. Attendees also learned about the new storm-water regulations specifically for developers. The neighborhood tour visited current and potential development sites in North and Northwest Philadelphia. This year’s event was held in the Pearl Theatre at Avenue North, 1600 N. Broad St., in the Avenue of the Arts North district. Built by Tower Investments with its development partner Beech Interplex on vacant land owned by the city, Avenue North is the largest private development in North Philadelphia history and has revitalized the area. The $75-million complex encompasses seven movie theaters, two levels of retail shops and rental housing for 800 Temple University students. The city’s annual breakfast and tour is sponsored by NTI and OHCD. Other supporters are the Empowerment Zone/Renewal Community, Mayor’s Business Action Team, Philadelphia Department of Commerce, Philadelphia City Planning Commission, Philadelphia Commercial Development Corp. and Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. Wednesday, May 9, 2007 PHILADELPHIA – Mayor John F. Street announced the awarding of nearly $11.7 million in FY08 Housing Trust Fund monies to 21 nonprofit housing developments. The 13 rental and eight homeownership projects will produce 696 units of affordable housing throughout Philadelphia. Developments include special-needs housing, senior housing, rehabilitation of existing housing and new-construction homeownership. Awards range from $80,000 to $1 million per project. Recipients were selected by the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) which issued a Request for Proposals in December. OHCD administers the fund. “These projects will produce much needed affordable and accessible housing for Philadelphians,” Mayor Street said. “Earlier this week, I signed an Executive Order to create an Inclusionary Housing Working Group to develop a plan to further increase housing for those who need it most. These projects will help, but the supply of housing is still not enough to meet the demand for safe, decent and affordable housing for moderate-income families and those needing affordable housing.” Secretary of Housing Kevin R. Hanna called the Trust Fund a “lifesaver” because it picks up the slack created by the recent federal funding cuts. “Without the Housing Trust Fund, many projects would either not happen or would be put on hold for several years,” he said. Total development costs of the 21 projects exceed $142 million, representing a leveraging ratio of 11-to-1 for Trust Fund resources. Hanna noted the Trust Fund received nearly $19.4 million in proposals, almost three times the amount originally budgeted. “In response to this need, OHCD decided to step forward and commit additional money to projects already underway or in the pipeline,” he explained. Hanna said the advantage of the Housing Trust Fund is that it can respond in flexible and innovative ways to meet the city’s housing needs and opportunities. For example, the Trust Fund awards will allow several developments to proceed to construction. Other projects, such as Nicetown Court, were awarded funds in support of their current applications to the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency for Low-Income Housing Tax Credits or for Homeownership Choice funds. Homeownership developers, funding amounts and project locations are: Allegheny West Foundation, $730,000 for various sites; Friends Rehabilitation Program, $700,000 for 1900 and 2000 blocks North 31st Street; Impact Services Community Development Corp. and OKKS, $1 million for Castor Avenue and Wingohocking Street; Peoples Emergency Center Community Development Corp., $250,000 for 515 N. 40th St.; Pradera Corp., $800,000 for 1801-69 N. Sheridan St.; The Partnership Community Development Corp., $80,000 for 4500 block Sansom Street; Tioga United Inc., $400,000 for various sites; and University Commons Development Corp., $500,000 for 16th and Tioga Streets. Rental developers, funding amounts and project locations are: Allegheny West Foundation, $300,000 for 1900 block West Lehigh Avenue; Covenant House, $400,000 for 2600 block Kensington Avenue; Gaudenzia Foundation, $500,000 for 2100 Venango St.; Mt. Tabor Community Education and Economic Development, $900,000 for 973 N. 7th St.; Mt. Zion Community Development Corp., $1 million for 1413 S. 50th St.; New Courtland Elder Services, $700,000 for 319 W. Johnson St.; Nicetown Community Development Corp., $858,000 for 4340-4350 Germantown Ave.; Peoples Emergency Center Community Development Corp., $100,000 for 3803-09 Brandywine St. and 520 N. 39th St.; Pilgrim Gardens, $300,000 for 7023 Rising Sun Ave.; Project H.O.M.E., $240,000 for 1850 N. Croskey St.; Salvation Army, $600,000 for 5520 Arch St.; Spring Garden Development Associates LP, $1 million for scattered sites; and St. Ignatius Nursing Home, $300,000 for 4400 Fairmount Ave. In addition, OHCD awarded $1 million in Housing Trust Fund monies to Tenant Union Representative Network as administrator for the new Homeless Prevention Program. This rental assistance program will help homeless families living in transitional housing make the move to permanent rental housing. OHCD is presently reviewing proposals to administer the Targeted Housing Preservation Program (THPP) which funds home repair and façade improvements for existing owner-occupied homes located around newer housing developments. Once the administrator has been selected, community-based nonprofit organizations will be able to apply for home repair funds on a rolling basis. THPP will be funded during its first year with $1.5 million in Trust Fund monies. Wednesday, May 2, 2007 Dedication of Susquehanna Village in North Philadelphia WHAT: Dedication of Susquehanna Village, a complex of 53 rental homes and apartments Wednesday, March 21, 2007 PHILADELPHIA – State Sen. Shirley Kitchen; Councilman Darrell Clarke; Pedro J. Rivera, Esq., board chair, Asociacion Puertorriquenos en Marcha Inc. (APM); and Nilda I. Ruiz, APM president and CEO, dedicatdc Pradera II: The Meadows. Also participating were Elvis Solivan, special assistant to the regional director, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD); Robert Bobincheck, director, Strategic Planning & Policy, Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA); and banking and community representatives. A new buyer shared the thrill of finally having a home to call her own. Located in Eastern North Philadelphia, Pradera II consists of 53 newly constructed homes for low- and moderate-income first-time buyers. It is the second of a three-phase homeownership initiative that will provide a total of 126 single, twin and fully accessible units. Among APM’s development partners are the City of Philadelphia, PHFA and HUD. APM’s Pradera Homeownership Initiative encompasses the area between North 8 th, West Berks, North Franklin and West Norris Streets. It is targeted to both current and prospective residents. “The completion of Phase II of these Pradera homes is another step in our transformation of this community: one household and one family at a time,” said Nilda Ruiz, APM's president and CEO. “Our work with our partners is delivering more than a new look; it brings pride and hope to our eastern North Philadelphia community. I am especially grateful to city and state funders and the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative leadership which have been great catalysts in upgrading our neighborhood and improving our quality of life. A special thanks to Rose Gray, our vice president of community and economic development, and her tireless team for their continued hard work.” PHFA selected the Pradera Initiative to receive funding through its Homeownership Choice Program which promotes construction of new single-family homes in Pennsylvania’s neglected older communities. “APM’s ability to turn bold vision into glorious reality is a testament to its leadership and drive. The Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency is proud to be part of this Philadelphia success story,” said Robert F. Bobincheck, PHFA’s director of strategic planning and policy, during the Pradera dedication ceremony. Funding for the $12-million Pradera Phase II project included federal money through OHCD ($2.7 million HOME), the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative ($1 million), PHFA ($2.7 million), the Federal Home Loan Bank through PNC Bank ($600,000), and Bank of America ($60,000). In addition, t he Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority assembled more than 100 vacant parcels of land for the project with the Philadelphia Housing Authority gathering an additional 50 parcels. "Pradera II is making the dream of homeownership a reality for city residents," said Elvis Solivan, special assistant to HUD’s regional director. "The collaboration with state and local partners to build these homes delivers on HUD's commitment to provide safe, decent, affordable housing and to improve and strengthen neighborhoods." Pradera I was completed in 2003. Construction on Pradera II began in November 2005 and all its houses have been sold. Eligible buyers received up to a $10,000 grant under HUD’s American Dream Downpayment Initiative which is administered in Philadelphia by OHCD. For information on Pradera Phase III, contact APM at 215-235-6070. APM is one of Philadelphia’s oldest and most prominent health, human services and community development organizations. Celebrating 38 years of service, APM works aggressively to enhance life for all Philadelphians
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