Four community development corporations,
Bloomfield-Garfield Corporation (BGC),
East Liberty Development Inc. (ELDI),
Friendship Development Associates (FDA) and the
Lawrenceville Corporation, have received $100,000 from New York-based
Surdna Foundation to create a Penn Avenue master plan for a seventeen-block corridor stretching from Lawrenceville to East Liberty.
On Dec. 4 and 5, residents, business owners, community leaders and developers are invited to discuss the future development and design of a area that spans five neighborhoods and has attracted $700 million in new investment.
“The four CDCs have decided to work together rather than compete for resources," says Courtney Ehrlichman with FDA.
Meetings will be held on Dec. 4 at 6:30 p.m. at the Garfield Community Activity Center at 113 N. Pacific and Dec. 5 at 6:30 p.m. at the Medical Office Building at 4221 Penn.
The meetings fall on the heels of City Council's Nov. 28 approval of
a $2 million
engineering study of Penn Avenue that will lead to a $15 million reconstruction
project. According to Councilman Peduto, over the next several years, $4
million will be spent in capital dollars, matched by federal dollars,
to begin the avenue's redevelopment process.
Co-facilitated by CDC staff and local architects, sessions will culminate in a master plan created by East Liberty-based architect
Andrew Moss, who has expertise in community planning. The plan will outline design guidelines for storefronts, facades and displays, identify design districts and establish a review process.
“We’re hoping to present design guidelines to City Council and that city planning will adopt them,” says Ehrlichman, who encourages people who use Penn as a destination to attend. Participants will also have an opportunity to review the area’s Main Streets program application.
Writer: Jennifer Baron
Source: Courtney Ehrlichman, FDA
Photograph copyright © Jonathan Greene