PHILADELPHIA, August 11, 2006 - Standing in the shadow of
the Liddonfield Homes in Northeast Philadelphia, state Sen.
Michael J. Stack joined state Rep. Michael McGeehan, Gov. Edward
G. Rendell’s Southeast Regional Office Director Joe Certaine and
Philadelphia Housing Authority Executive Director Carl Greene
today to announce $3.5 million in state funding to revitalize
the aging low-income housing site.
Stack and McGeehan worked with Gov. Ed Rendell to secure $3.5
million from the Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program for
PHA’s Liddonfield Homes Revitalization Project.
“I am enthusiastic that this state funding will go toward making
Northeast Philadelphia better than ever,” said Stack
(D-Philadelphia).
“Senator Stack and I are committed to the ongoing revitalization
of Northeast Philadelphia,” added McGeehan (D-Philadelphia).
“Like Torresdale Avenue and the I-95 Princeton-Cottman Avenue
Interchange Projects currently underway, we are excited about
Liddonfield’s new beginning.”
The $92 million residential improvement project entails
demolishing the 463 housing units on the 32-acre property,
located at 8800 Jackson Drive in Philadelphia’s Upper Holmesburg
neighborhood, and replacing them with mixed use housing,
featuring 32 home ownership units and 225 rental units with a
handicap accessible senior building.
The revitalization plan will use 12 of Liddonfield’s 32 acres.
The remaining 20 acres along the Torresdale Avenue side will be
sold to developers for private market housing.
The project is expected to take four and a half years.
“It’s a great investment in Upper Holmesburg,” said Stack. “As
residential development continues to grow in our city, this
project is a great example of addressing the need for quality
affordable housing, while bringing brand-new development to the
community.
“Most importantly, it will bring homes that its future residents
– and the entire community – can be proud of,” he added.
“Upper Holmesburg welcomes the transition of Liddonfield into
the 21st Century,” said McGeehan. “It can only improve the
quality of life for the entire community at large.”
This initiative will have a positive economic impact here, Stack
added. It will trigger a $92 million increase in property values
and $1.8 million in annual property tax revenues. The project
will also create 3,448 jobs.
“We’re grateful to the state for investing in this community,”
Greene said. “Documented studies show that every dollar invested
in PHA redevelopment produces $2.50 in economic benefit. Our
clients benefit, homeowners who live near-by benefit through
increased property values, and the regional economy gets a
boost.”
Liddonfield Homes were originally built as World War II military
barracks in the 1940s, but have been used as low-income housing
for the past 50 years.
Today, the properties do not meet any of the current building
codes and standards, said Greene, the PHA executive director.
“This development is long past due for rebuilding,” he said. “In
its current outmoded style, Liddonfield doesn’t offer residents
adequate space, amenities or safety.”
A major benefit to this new development, Greene noted, is the
precipitous drop in crime that occurs.
“What we have found at our other redeveloped sites is that these
communities change from high crime areas to areas with lower
crime than their surrounding communities,” he said. “We call it
safety by design.”
PHA is also in the process of applying for a HOPE VI grant
through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
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