U. to help restore run-down houses

Penn and local groups aim to revitalize the area by improving housing. The streets of University City were once lined with beautiful Victorian townhouses stretching as far as the eye could see. But although the structures are still here, many are now abandoned, worn down or covered with graffiti. Now the University, in conjunction with local community groups, is funding an initiative to restore those dilapidated homes to the architectural wonders they once were, according to new Managing Director of Community Housing Diane-Louise Wormley. Under the initiative, the University is acquiring run-down properties, rehabilitating them and turning them into single-family houses, which will then be sold, Wormley said. University officials are encouraging other "responsible" developers to follow suit, she added. Penn and other sources, which Wormley would not name, are funding the project. Also, civic groups such as the Spruce Hill Community Association are playing a major role in "outreach and marketing efforts," she said. The project is one of the programs Wormley is pursuing in her new position designed to increase home ownership among Penn faculty and staff members. She plans to announce several more initiatives next month, including improvements to the University's Guaranteed Mortgage Program, which has offered incentives to faculty and staff members to live in University City since the mid-1960s. The program has been in the works since last spring, Wormley said. She added that University officials and community members have been discussing the issue for a "long, long time." Currently, just 12 percent of properties in University City are privately owned -- most are rented to students, Wormley said. Consequently, there is a high turnover rate in the population of the neighborhood. "Increasing home ownership is central to the stability of the community," she added. The first two restored houses will be ready to go on the market this April, she added. Joe Ruane, president of the Spruce Hill Community Association, said his group is working to "identify houses that have been abandoned" in order to "get a database of houses that need to be worked on." He added that many of the houses were abandoned when the real estate market collapsed in the late 1980s. Today, the graffiti-covered homes are a hideaway for neighborhood children and "vagrants," who often start fires inside, Ruane said. According to Lindsay Johnston, owner of Common Ground Realtors, the prices of the homes will cater to a wide variety of income levels. Johnston said he is also helping the University identify sites that are in need of rehabilitation. "These are properties that the private market wasn't able to handle, so it's great that Penn stepped up to the plate," said Johnston. He added that it will be a "cosmetic and emotional boost to the community to see these dilapidated houses restored to their former splendor." Wormley added that the developers will "respect the architecture of the community." According to Wormley, the Delaware Valley Community Reinvestment Fund -- a Philadelphia organization that works with developers and provides technical assistance -- is one of the groups participating in the efforts. Representatives of the group could not be reached for comment yesterday.