Scoop From the Stoop @ PACDC
 Letter from Our Executive Director

I am pleased to introduce you to PACDC’s brand new quarterly e-newsletter – Connecting the Blocks – our effort to link you to the inspiring work of the community development industry in Philly. We hope that Connecting the Blocks will, literally, put you in touch with the neighborhood “blocks” throughout the City where amazing urban revitalization is occurring.

In each issue, we will feature a local CDC leader through a Field Notes column. We will also highlight an important aspect of the local community development industry, like this issue’s look at how the Wachovia Regional Foundation supports innovative community development strategies throughout the City. Another regular feature will spotlight an aspect of our work.

A very special thanks to Wachovia for sponsoring Connecting the Blocks. Without their support, we would not be able to bring you this exciting new community development resource. We invite you to visit their web site to learn about the services they provide.

Starting in October, PACDC Members will also begin receiving a new and improved Members Only Update, a monthly dispatch that will provide timely information about funding opportunities and events, policy summaries and updates about our members’ projects and work. If you would like to receive this resource, we encourage you to join PACDC. In addition to this valuable knowledge, your membership will keep you well-informed about the latest news, policies and programs that affect your work, and will give you access to a network of community-based organizations and nonprofit and business leaders who are doing the remarkable work of rebuilding communities throughout Philadelphia.

We hope you enjoy the first issue. Before I sign off, I want to share some exciting news - my receipt of a 2006-2007 Eisenhower Fellowships in urban challenges. This fellowship will enable me to explore innovative solutions that are being pursued in other urban areas to address housing and community development needs. Early next year, I will travel to New Zealand and Australia to meet with leaders in government, academia, business and the non-profit sector in order to exchange ideas and bring back insights to share with PACDC and the greater Philadelphia region.

We welcome your feedback about the newsletter or any questions you may have about PACDC and our work. Sincerely,
Rick Sauer
Executive Director

Visit our web site for more updates... 

Putting Participation into Planning
 Wachovia Regional Foundation Grants Reshaping Neighborhoods

Can you imagine what would happen if a community came together with a united sense of purpose, a shared understanding of need, and the resources needed to create a comprehensive plan for improving the quality of life for its residents? Sound too good to be true? Well this is exactly what the Wachovia Regional Foundation has made happen in over a dozen neighborhoods throughout Philadelphia.

Founded in 1998, the Wachovia Regional Foundation awards grants to community-based organizations in 62 counties in Eastern Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Recognizing that there are many existing funding sources for the “bricks and mortar” projects needed to spur community revitalization, the Foundation’s leaders instead created programs that are “people-based.” Since 2003 the majority of the Foundation’s grantmaking dollars have funded the creation and implementation of resident-driven neighborhood plans – plans that create workable and sustainable strategies for revitalizing neighborhoods.

Denise McGregor Armbrister, Executive Director of the Wachovia Regional Foundation says, “The planning process is a beautiful vehicle for bringing all of the stakeholders in a community together to create a clear vision for revitalizing their neighborhood, to lay out a strategic approach to do so, and to prioritize implementation steps to turn the plan into reality.”

The Foundation's Neighborhood Planning Grants and Neighborhood Development Grants have been a significant resource for the community development industry in Philadelphia. Since 2003 the Foundation has awarded over $14 million to Philadelphia organizations for community development. Since CDCs are often the ideal candidates to lead the planning and implementation process in neighborhoods, over a dozen CDCs and other community-based organizations in Philadelphia have been awarded Wachovia Regional Foundation funds to do so. The list of PACDC Members that have received funding from the Foundation since 2003 includes: AchieveAbility, Allegheny West Foundation, Asociacion de Puertorriquenos en Marcha, Fairmount CDC, Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises, Impact Services Corporation, Mt. Airy USA, New Kensington CDC, Ogontz Avenue Revitalization Corporation, People’s Emergency Center CDC, Philadelphia Chinatown Development Corporation, and The Partnership CDC.

The Foundation also hosts free Neighborhood Planning Workshops several times a year and encourages organizations interested in applying for a Planning Grant to attend. But anyone interested in the nuts and bolts of resident-driven neighborhood planning is welcome. The dates for the 2007 workshops have not yet been determined, but will be posted on the Foundation’s web site as scheduled.

Find out more about the Wachovia Regional Foundation... 

Field Notes
 New Kensington CDC Talks About Riverfront Development

The Delaware Riverfront is one of Philadelphia’s greatest assets. In the past, this area has experienced extreme industrial and economic divestment as well as environmental distress. As a result, we are now in the unique situation where the waterfront is still largely underdeveloped and there is opportunity for planned, comprehensive growth.

The waterfront is currently facing extreme development pressure. Our community is being presented with high-rise development proposals on a regular basis, all without a uniform plan or consistency of design. Furthermore, the siting of three proposed casinos within this immediate vicinity only increases these pressures and advances this development timeline.

The challenge is in transforming what could be an urban design liability into an urban asset; to provide a suitable environment for the comprehensive development of hundreds of acres of Philadelphia waterfront and to incorporate the needs of the community. We have an extraordinary opportunity to move forward now so that, in the end, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Given the wake of current development pressure and environmental concerns, there is a strong need to develop a community-driven master plan for the waterfront as well as providing for strong greenway and gateway linkages to interior neighborhoods.

Future development must be sustainable, embraced by the community, include public access and provide for the social and recreational needs of the surrounding area. Planning must be community-driven, complementing the historical context of the adjacent neighborhoods. In addition, a plan must support the global context of the city as a whole, transforming one of the largest underdeveloped urban waterfronts into a Philadelphia civic legacy.

New Kensington CDC is working with the William Penn Foundation, City and State government and various other local and regional organizations towards building momentum and strengthening the demand for a comprehensive plan, while working to empower residents to voice their needs and concerns about development in their backyard. While local organizations including New Kensington CDC, Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association and Fishtown Neighbors Association have all called for a building moratorium until a plan is in place, the clock is ticking and we must act fast.

To become more involved in events related to the river, please contact info@nkcdc.org.

For more information about New Kensington CDC...