City housing official claims W. Philadelphia has hope for future

West Philadelphia may be in a state of economic decline, but the author of a recent report on Philadelphia's neighborhoods said the area's many existing strengths offer much hope for the future. In an interview last week, John Kromer -- director of the city's Housing and Community Development Office and author of the report -- explained his study's implications for West Philadelphia. He said the last two decades have been "unique and devastating" for West Philadelphia -- as well as for other city neighborhoods -- because of the social problems that have accompanied a loss of jobs, people and businesses within the area. Kromer pointed to the large-scale job loss that accompanied the decline of Philadelphia's manufacturing industry as "the biggest single factor" behind the problems, but added that West Philadelphia now has an opportunity to rebuild the neighborhood after its recent years of decline. "The good news is that West Philadelphia has a lot of strengths we can build on," he said. The area's greatest strengths include its existing housing, retail potential and the concentration of institutions offering employment opportunities, according to Kromer. He added that the University plays a large role in all three factors. Penn -- the city's largest private employer -- is one of several large institutions in West Philadelphia that generates jobs for neighborhood residents. And Kromer added that Penn is "pursuing a positive direction" in its efforts to draw retail to the area, and that University and city officials have similar conceptions of University City retail. But the University's role on the area's housing market can have both negative and positive effects on the surrounding area. The neighborhood's large Victorian-style houses are one of its biggest strengths, and Kromer stressed the importance of rehabilitating the houses to promote the area's real estate. "That kind of house has huge appeal to people," he said, adding that such residences have the potential to draw people to West Philadelphia. Kromer noted that the University has accomplished a lot in its efforts to encourage employees to live in University City through such initiatives as a mortgage plan for employees choosing to live in West Philadelphia. The plan offers a mortgage guarantee of 105 percent on a West Philadelphia house and allows employees to secure a mortgage without making a down payment. He also noted that top University officials -- such as President Judith Rodin -- living in the neighborhood improves the area's image in the minds of employees contemplating a move to West Philadelphia. But Kromer stressed that some aspects of the University's presence in the area have had negative effects on the neighborhood -- especially the many undergraduate students living off campus who change the structure of the area's housing market. His report noted that West Philadelphia's reinvestment strategy should focus on rehabilitating larger, single-family houses and "initiating code-enforcement actions against investor-owned apartment buildings." Most of the area's largest off-campus landlords work for such investors. The large numbers of students living off-campus contribute to the need for multi-unit apartment buildings, which minimizes the the demand for the larger single-family houses already existing in University City. Carol Scheman, vice president for government, community and public affairs, said the University is one of the area's biggest strengths, but added that "we're also a negative and we bring in a lot of problems." Scheman explained that students living off campus can cause many problems for the neighborhood. "Undergraduates living off campus divide up single family houses," she said. "They drive up rent and cause instability in the neighborhood." Scheman said undergraduates usually do not put the same amount of effort into maintaining residences as longer-term residents might. But Kromer said students living in the community can improve neighborhood security by bringing activity to the streets. He explained that West Philadelphia's residents must focus on the area's strengths and rebuild its economic base through "small scale, moderately priced efforts over a number of years."