Gore promises Phila. economic revival

Vice President Al Gore visited Philadelphia yesterday, promising residents of a North Philadelphia empowerment zone that an "economic revitalization and renewal" is underway in their area. Gore made the remarks during a visit to the West Poplar Nehemiah Complex, a new low-income housing development of single family townhouses. "This area is a stunning example of what we can accomplish when we work together according to the right blueprint," Gore said. "You are bringing the spirit back to this community." Ironically, less than 12 hours before the vice presidential visit, one man was killed and another critically wounded in a shoot-out behind a McDonald's two blocks away from the site of Gore's speech. But the incident did not dampen the spirit of hundreds of local residents who turned out to greet the vice president. Gore began his visit by walking through the development and speaking to local residents. In response to their questions, he promised that a new supermarket would be built in the near future and that the area's schools would be the first in the country to be completely wired to the Internet. Area resident Kevin Brooks was one of the first people Gore spoke to during the visit. "I told him that living in the complex has been uplifting to both me and my family," Brooks said. He added that the mortgage on his new home in the empowerment zone is less than the rent he had paid for a three-room apartment at 49th and Walnut streets. Carlos Acosta, the empowerment zone's executive director, said homes in the complex sell for approximately $45,000, less than 40 percent of their actual cost. The difference is paid through a combination of federal and city grants, while local banks provide mortgages. He added that Philadelphia, along with five other cities, was designated as a federal empowerment zone in December 1994. As a result, in addition to funds earmarked for housing, the city has received targeted tax incentives and flexible grant assistance from the federal government to assist businesses wishing to invest in the zone. Gore, who chairs the presidential committee overseeing the empowerment zones, said that simply building new homes in low-income areas is not enough. "Even if you build new homes, there's no place to shop, no place to work, no place to build dreams for the future," Gore said. "We have to encourage and develop businesses right here." During his remarks, Gore announced that Global Technology Solutions, a York, Pa.-based water purification equipment company, is building a new factory in the West Philadelphia industrial zone between 46th and 52nd streets behind the railroad tracks. The company will initially hire 15 area residents to work at the factory and plans to add approximately 90 more within the next two years, Gore added. Gore noted that he was preparing for the "second round" of the empowerment zones, with plans to expand the number of zones nationwide and to develop a new initiative to provide tax incentives to firms willing to clean up vacant urban lots.