40th and Market to undergo $150,000 renewal

The area around 40th and Market streets is slated to undergo a major facelift this summer, thanks to a joint effort by the University, the city's Commerce Department, and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. Beginning this July 1, the Commerce Department will inject $25,000 into the area, followed by an additional $125,000 next year, PCPC Executive Director Barbara Kaplan said. The money is designed to help refurbish the area, which is suffering from years of urban decay. Kaplan added that although the Commerce Department is funding the effort, it will allow area merchants to choose where the money is spent. And she said that the area around 40th and Market streets is ripe for revitalization because it is home to popular ethnic restaurants. University Project Coordinator Nathaniel Popkin said the University has also been involved with merchants in the area for the last several months, helping to decide how the money should be spent. He added that the Elwin Institution and the Presbyterian Hospital are involved in the project. Popkin said he hopes a rejuvenated 40th and Market streets corridor will not only increase student and faculty traffic in the area, but bring visitors from outside the region. He said he wants the neighborhood to be a cultural and entertainment district. Some of the proposed improvements include better street lighting, increased security, improved marketing and street cleaning, Popkin said, adding that SEPTA has displayed an interest in renovating the 40th Street subway station. Popkin said the key to a revitalized region, however, is building a strong business association. He stressed that urban redevelopment in West Philadelphia is a "collaborative" effort between the University, local businesses, and the city. And he added that the 40th and Market streets concept is only in its "infancy" and is a part of a larger effort to enhance the Spruce Hill neighborhood. "The University will continue to be involved in a variety of ways through participation in projects such as this and as well as academic service and beyond," Popkin said. "It's part of the University's priority to make West Philadelphia a better place to live." And Popkin said that people passing through the commercial district around 40th and Market streets will see a dramatic change for the better within five years. In addition, students from the Graduate School of Fine Arts are taking an active role in the urban renewal effort by looking into landscape and architectural ideas. Robert Hanna, professor of land architecture and regional planning, is leading the design project. He said the plan is in its initial "analysis" phase because he and his students have only been working on it for three weeks. "We thought it would be a very good student problem," Hanna said. "We don't know what were going to come up with. It may be utopian or practical, but it's too early to tell." The local business community is also a rallying around the idea of a revitalized West Philadelphia. Glenn Ellis, a University alumnus and owner of University Herbs on 40th Street, said he is very enthusiastic about the proposed renovations because he said they will bring new life to the area. He added that this effort will build a "bridgeway" between the University and the surrounding community. But added that initially merchants were "shocked" when they heard news of the plan because they saw the relationship with the University as "non-existent." But Ellis said he believes the University is acting in good faith. "There's a willingness to see this kind of thing happen," Ellis said. "It's a good intention on the part of the University to be part of a community. It's a very integral part for that ultimate growth."