By Don Brennan, GNPCC Staff
Four high-ranking officials gave updates on the state of area economic development projects Jan. 27 at the Greater Northeast Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce’s Ask the Experts panel discussion at Wesley Enhanced Living Pennypack Park, 8401 Roosevelt Blvd.
Elaine Elbich, design portfolio manager for PennDOT and the local point person for Revive 95, the massive I-95 highway reconstruction project; Duane Bumb, senior deputy commerce director for business development for the City of Philadelphia; Sam Rhoads, executive vice president of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC); and Meg Sharp Walton, executive director of Glen Foerd on the Delaware each addressed the audience inside Wesley Hall.
GNPCC President Pam Henshall and Suzanne Lachman, executive director of Wesley Pennypack welcomed guests and attendees. Wesley sponsored the event and served a fabulous breakfast.
As just about everyone who lives, works, shops or travels in and around the Greater Northeast Philadelphia region knows, PennDOT is currently working on a long-term, multi-phase infrastructure initiative to improve and rebuild busy I-95 in Pennsylvania.
Currently, PennDOT is working on five projects that will reconstruct, widen and improve approximately eight miles of I-95 between I-676 in Center City and Cottman Avenue over the next decade.
Motorists breathed a long-awaited sigh of relief earlier this month when work between Bridge Street and Cottman Avenue was completed, and the sight of snarled traffic and construction barriers was replaced by clear-sailing lanes.
Ms. Elbich, who is a familiar face not only to the GNPCC but numerous community and business groups throughout the area, gave a detailed presentation on the state of the project.
“What a relief it was to be able to provide four lanes at Cottman,” she said.
Ms. Elbich stressed the reconstruction project is much more than just filling potholes and providing new paving. PennDOT planners have been tasked with better integrating the highway into the communities through which it runs. While it is one of the most heavily traveled and vital traffic arteries in the region, it’s no secret that parts of it have disrupted communities. Today’s effort seeks to remedy that.
PennDOT has worked with community and business groups, non-profit organizations and public agencies to involve them in the planning, and solicit their thoughts and ideas. PennDOT even created a Sustainable Action Committee (SAC) in 2010 and tasked it with identifying relevant, appropriate and affordable waterfront and community projects that can be incorporated into the plans for the reconstruction of I-95.
Ms. Elbich said a number of street-level improvements into the construction that began in 2011 at Girard Avenue such as pedestrian and bicycle improvements, new LED street lights and landscaping along Richmond Street, and sound walls and decorative underpass walls between Frankford and Columbia avenues are just a few examples of better planning with community input.
“Amenities like bike lanes and walking trails are now integral parts of every community,” she said. “And we respect that, and are working hard to make these connections into the communities.”
Duane Bumb, a veteran of the City of Philadelphia’s Commerce Department who has worked under four mayors, also gave a detailed presentation filled with data and encouraging signs of unprecedented growth in the city.
“The last 10 years have been among the most exciting time we have experienced here,” he said.
A Center City building boom, fueled largely by millennials with deep pockets and a love for urban living, has resulted in an 80,000 jump in population in the city over the last 10 years of residents aged 24 to 35. Mr. Bumb said a number of new residential developments are currently online hoping to capture more of this market.
Hospitality remains a large part of Philadelphia’s service economy, he said, with hotel occupancy rates at a very healthy 77 percent. The NFL Draft here in April will significantly impact this sector of the city’s economy, as did the Democratic National Convention last summer, Mr. Bumb said.
“Philadelphia International Airport remains a major driver for us,” he said. “Last year, we saw 31.4 million customers at the airport.”
And even though unemployment rates are falling in the city, Mr. Bumb cautioned, “We must be honest about what our challenges are.”
Philadelphia continues to have the highest deep poverty rate among the largest cities in the nation. To that end, Mr. Bumb said, the Commerce Department is asking businesses to seriously consider these goals: provide work experience for high school students, work with Community Development Corporations for tax credits, hire citizens returning to the workforce after incarceration, and make diversity a priority during the hiring process.
Meg Sharp Walton, executive director of Glen Foerd on the Delaware, 5001 Grant Ave., the only Delaware River estate located in Philadelphia open to the public, gave an interesting perspective of both recreation and business on the city’s waterfront.
She gave a detailed history of the historic manse and picturesque grounds. The Glen Foerd estate was established by businessman Charles Macalester Jr. In 1850, he purchased 1,000 acres in Northeast Philadelphia and later sold off large lots of his land. Holding onto one section for a summer residence, he built a three-story Italianate riverfront house and named it Glengarry, after his family’s Scottish ancestral home.
In 1895, the mansion was purchased by Robert and Caroline Foerderer.
They hired an architect to handle extensive renovations. The house was enlarged and enhanced with Classical Revival additions, including a porte cochere, formal dining room and art gallery. Other enhancements included a Haskell pipe organ, parquet floors, grand staircase, elaborate leaded glass skylights and a rathskellar. A carriage house and garden house were added and the gas house was converted for use as a boat house. As a final touch, they changed the name of the estate to Glen Foerd.
Around 1915, the Foerderers’ daughter Florence and her husband, William Tonner, moved to the mansion. Mrs. Tonner continued to add to the art collection started by her parents, eventually assembling one of the most extensive private collections of prints in the country.
She was a talented poet, painter and musician. She went to great lengths to encourage young artists, frequently purchasing and displaying their work. Mrs. Tonner remained active in the cultural and social affairs of Philadelphia up until her death in 1971 at age 89. The estate was left to the Lutheran Church, under which it deteriorated, until a court order awarded it in trust to the Fairmount Park Commission. In 1985, the Glen Foerd Conservation Corp. was founded to preserve and protect it.
“We have a great revenue stream thanks to use of the venue for catered events,” said Ms. Walton, who was hired in 2010. “But our greatest asset is our programming, and our passion to connect this wonderful place with the community.
Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation (PIDC) is a public-private economic development corporation that works to spur investment, support business growth and provide resources and expertise to help businesses develop. Sam Rhoads is part of a team at PIDC that works with a wide array of partners to tailor loan packages and other services design to both bolster existing businesses and attract new ones.
Even veteran insiders admit, sometimes the mission of PIDC can be confusing. The agency has worked extremely hard to better explain that mission, and their outreach over the past 10 years has been outstanding. For example, Marla S. Hamilton, PIDC’s vice president and market manager for commercial business, is a GNPCC board member and familiar face at numerous citywide events, where she passionately connects with people about the tools—and results—PIDC offers.
Over the past 58 years, PIDC and its affiliates have settled 6,700 transactions, including $14 billion in financing that has leveraged over $25 billion in total investment, and assisted in creating and retaining hundreds of thousands of jobs. Its direct loan and managed third-party portfolio at the start of 2016 exceeded $642 million, representing 520 loans, according to their website.
“I urge you to connect with PIDC for financing, real estate, and business development opportunities,” said Mr. Rhoads.
Mr. Rhoads cited a few locations in the Northeast that are part of PIDC’s portfolio: 5000 Summerdale Ave., near the former Sears facility; 5501 Tacony St., inside the Arsenal Business Center in Bridesburg; 9450 Ashton Road in Torresdale; and four properties in Byberry East in the Far Northeast.