Temple Town to Get a Supermarket: Another Positive Development for North Philadelphia

The Fresh Grocer - a Drexel Hill-based supermarket chain with three stores in University City and West Philadelphia - has signed a lease to operate a 24-hour supermarket in Progress Plaza Shopping Center, right next to Temple University on North Broad Street (see story). Fresh Grocer's occupancy will begin after Progress Plaza is renovated and supermarket space is constructed. It is expected that having a strong anchor tenant like Fresh Grocer sign on will encourage private lenders and the Commonwealth to finance the estimated $7-$10 million project. The North Philadelphia renaissance continues.

Center City Parking Lots: Enough Already

A recent, comprehensive Philadelphia Planning Commission study has determined "there is a major gap between the perceived availability of parking and the actual number of spaces that are available at any one time." (see story). Philadelphia parking policy has been driven by developers and anecdotes; let’s hope that the findings in this report signal the beginning of a more informed parking policy that is less auto-centric and guided by an informed and enlightened vision for Center City.

Philadelphia Sustainable Business Network Annual Conference

The 2005 SBN Annual Conference (May 20-21, 2005 at the University of Pennsylvania’s Law School) will bring together entrepreneurs, non-profit leaders, government representatives and citizens who care about building a sustainable economy in the Philadelphia region. Entrepreneurs will learn how to strengthen their business and their communities. Speakers will include Randy Hayes, founder and Board President of the Rainforest Action Network and current Director of Sustainability for the City of Oakland (CA) and Amy Goodman, host and executive producer of Democracy Now! For more information, go to www.sbnphiladelphia.org.

Proposed Quantitative Performance Measurement to Gauge School/Community Connectivity

Currently, no metric gauges connectivity between a Philadelphia public neighborhood school and its catchment area, the community in which it sits and ostensibly serves. School/community connectivity is important for a variety of reasons, including a school’s potential to be an educational, social, and recreational community center. Further, connectivity is important in that taxpayers with children are essentially customers (potential or actual) of their local school; these taxpayers/customers are justified in their expectation that the local school will actively seek out their “business” (e.g., sending their children to the school) and work to keep it over the long-term.

One measure of school/community connectivity is to track the percentage of eligible students attending a catchment area’s school. Initial measurements could serve as a baseline against which to gauge future progress/regress. Percentage metrics could be developed for the entire catchment area as well as sub-catchment areas. A more refined sub-catchment measurement would reveal how well a school’s student attraction/retention efforts are working in smaller subsets of a community/catchment area. If the percentage of eligible students from the catchment or sub-catchment area decreases over a period of time, strategies should be developed and implemented to reverse the trend. Relatedly, if sub-catchment areas are lower to being with, strategies to address particular attraction/retention issues could be developed. Creating this metric would be possible using GIS mapping and demographic data.

Philadelphia to Host 2020 Olympics?

An advisory committee has been formed to determine whether the Philadelphia region (including the suburban counties, NJ and DE) has the resources to compete for the games and if so, whether we should pursue them. The committee is collaborating with the Philadelphia Sports Congress, a division of the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Pennsylvania Economy League. The William Penn Foundation is providing funding. Joe Torsella – who led the effort to build the City’s spectacular National Constitution Center – is heading up the advisory committee.

Encourage City Council to Pass Anti "Pay-to-Play" Legislation

In March, Philadelphia City Council could have modernized City government by passing two of Councilman Michael Nutter's bills that would have significantly changed the method by which professional service contracts are solicited and secured. The bills each needed 12 yes votes, but fell one vote short in each case. If you're disappointed, let the "status quo five" (the five Councilpeople who didn't support the bills) know that you are disappointed in them and want them to approve these bills - or similar pieces of legislation - when they come up in the future. Here's the website: http://www.stoppaytoplay.info

More Center City Condo News

A new, 43-story condominium complex has been proposed for the northwest corner of 21st and Market Streets. The project will also include approximately 10,000 sq. ft. of street-level retail. Solomon Cardwell Buenz - who designed the St. James project near Washington Square - is the architect.

Spanning the Globe

US Airways has announced plans for non-stop flights from Philadelphia International Airport to Venice and Barcelona starting next month. Additional flights to Bermuda, Denver and Los Angeles are also in the works.

Philadelphia Taxis to Improve

The Philadelphia Parking Authority (“PPA”) will assume authority over Philadelphia’s 1,600 taxicabs and limos on April 10th. The PPA has set tight new rules requiring drivers to take a five-day course that includes customer-service training and will also require GPS technology as well as newer, more presentable vehicles. The plan is to improve taxi service for residents and visitors alike.

The Cookie Crumbles?

So far, five unions – the Fraternal Order of Police (“FOP”), District Council 47 (the “white collar” City workers’ union), District Council 33 (the "blue collar" City workers' union), Local 234 (the transit wokers' union), and Local 1199C (the hospital workers' union) have thrown their support behind Seth Williams' surging candidacy for District Attorney. Young Philly Politics has got the latest. Union support in Philadelphia isn't everything, nor should it be. However, it can be important. These recent endorsements certainly reveal that a diverse group of labor groups think the DA's office should head in another direction.

Hotel Occupancy Off to a Strong Start in 2005

Smith Travel Research reported a 60.1% occupancy in January/February for Center City hotels, compared to 55.7% for the same months a year prior. February 2005 was at 61.9% this year, compared to 59% in 2004.

More North Broad Street Rebound

Over the next five months, the Philadelphia School District will consolidate multiple administrative operations into one refurbished building at 440 N. Broad Street (see story). When fully occupied this Summer, 1,551 administrators will work there; approximately 500 visitors daily will visit on business. A few restaurants, a food store, and residential projects have commenced and more are planned. Census tracts in the area grew from by 100 residents from 1990 - 2000. Planned residential expansion could double that increase during the next few years.

Economic Development in North Philadelphia

A planned $75 million project at North Broad Street and Cecil B. Moore Avenue in North Philadelphia will contain a 7-screen movie house, 60,000 sq. ft. of retail, and housing for 800 students (see story). This project is adjacent to Temple University, North Philadelphia's economic powerhouse.

They'd Rather Fly From Philly

Philadelphia International Airport now attracts more domestic passengers than any of New York's three major airports. A significant number of New Yorkers are making the two-hour trip south in search of cheaper flights. A recent New York Times article attributes the attraction to plummeting airfares related to the Philadelphia debut of Southwest Airlines in May.

Philadelphia Airport Gets an "A"

Standard & Poor's has affirmed Philadelphia International Airport's "A" credit rating and offered a stable outlook (see story). Among reasons given for the strong rating: moderate cost/debt levels for an airport of its size and hub status; steady passenger growth with “enplaned” numbers growing an average 2.4% for fiscal years 2001-2004; a diverse local economy; and a strong origin/destination base of 66% of total enplaned passengers in fiscal year 2004. What does this all mean? Philadelphia International Airport is well-managed and the prognosis for its future is good.

Most Sportsmanlike: Philadelphia School District Athletes

The School District of Philadelphia has recently joined the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (“PIAA”). PIAA membership establishes connectivity between the Commonwealth’s broader student athlete community and the Philadelphia School District. One notable recent achievement: during the 2003-2004 school year, the PIAA reported that Philadelphia had the lowest number of players and coaches disqualified or penalized (see story). Relatedly, the District is in the midst of a $27 million spending program to upgrade programs and implement non-traditional urban school district programs such as golf and crew. Take a second, third, and fourth look at what Paul Vallas, his staff, and the School Reform Commission are doing; it's nothing short of revolutionary for Philadelphia's public schools.

Don't be Sad, the House of Blues Found a Home in Center City

Plans are moving forward to put a House of Blues in the bottom floors of the “The Grand”, the luxury apartment building at 15th and Chestnut Streets (see story). A letter of intent has been signed and the process is moving forward. The House of Blues – second-largest live music promoter in the world - has operations in eight other US cities.

Biomass Exporter Opens Philadelphia Port Facility

Green Energy Resources of Huntington (NY) has opened a port facility in Philadelphia that will annually export up to 1 million tons of biomass to other countries (see story). Biomass (plant matter used to fuel wood-burning power generation facilities) is the 4th largest energy fuel source in the world, after petroleum, natural gas and coal.

Planning Commission Executive Director to Step Down, Deputy Will Take Over

Richard Lombardo – a 35-year Planning Commission veteran and current Deputy Executive Director – will assume the post of Acting City Planning Commissioner when the incumbent (Maxine Griffith) steps down (see story).

No Retreat, No Surrender

One bill would have virtually banned smoking in public places. The other would have prohibited campaign contributors from getting no bid City contracts (see story). Both didn’t move forward last week in Council. The first didn’t go to a vote and was held and the other was narrowly defeated – by just one vote. Will these setbacks dissuade Councilman Michael Nutter, the bills’ legislative shepherd? Nope. Said the Councilman, "I'm tenacious. I don't just drop issues, and these issues won't go away." Councilman Nutter has faced the mountain before and climbed to the top. You can thank him for the Police Advisory and Tax Reform Commissions. Don’t think he and his allies on Council can do it? AHT does. AHT believes. AHT has higher expectations for this City and believes that our best days – and a government to complement them – are ahead of us. Do you want to do something about it? Send a fax to City Council - via Hallwatch - and let them know where you stand.