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(04/06/99 9:00am)
Officials are optimistic that the cinema and market will help revitalize the area. With the beginning of construction on the Sundance Cinema complex, a fresh foods market and a parking garage just weeks away, University officials released yesterday the designs of the project they expect to revitalize the 40th Street corridor. The Robert Redford-backed cinema complex will be built on the southwest corner of 40th and Walnut streets and the 800-car parking garage with a market on the ground floor will be located on the northwest corner. Officials said they believe the theater will be a "catalyst" for the area, attracting large crowds that will create more of a street presence in the 40th Street area and encourage further redevelopment of the western side of campus. "The whole notion is getting people back on the streets at all hours of the day," Executive Vice President John Fry said. The plans for the theater complex are hardly ordinary -- besides eight movie screens, there will also be an independently operated restaurant, a tapas bar, an outdoor cafe, an espresso bar, gardens, a town-hall component, a lecture hall and a reflecting pool. "This complex turns a traditional theater design on its head," said Tom Lussenhop, the University's top real estate official. On the Walnut Street side of the complex will be a landscaped outdoor seating area larger than the outdoor area on the 36th Street side of Sansom Common. "The big idea is you come, you see the film and you have the opportunity to hang out afterwards," Fry said, noting that Redford's vision for his theaters includes a place where film lovers can stay to discuss the movie. The gardens will extend around the structure and follow through to Locust Street, in between the complex and the neighboring Rotunda -- a Penn-owned former church that officials said will likely see further development once Sundance opens next spring. Inside the cinema there will likely be a video store that will carry a "focused" selection of independent films and some retail on the upper level that will sell Sundance merchandise, Lussenhop said. The restaurant and coffee bars in the Sundance complex will be operated by renowned Philadelphia restaurateur Stephen Starr, who is also in discussions to open a restaurant in Sansom Common. Starr said that the restaurant in Sundance will be "very much like the Continental," his restaurant and martini bar located at 2nd and Market streets, but declined to comment further because the plans are still in preliminary stages. Starr has been tapped by Redford to operate restaurants in all of Sundance's locations, Fry said. The Fresh Grocer.com, the fresh foods supermarket that will be on the first level of the garage located next to the offices of The Daily Pennsylvanian, will have "everything a regular supermarket has but with an emphasis on fresh foods," said Pat Burns, who will operate the market. Burns owns and operates two other major supermarkets in the suburban Philadelphia area -- Drexeline Supervalu in Drexel Hill and Barclay Square Supervalu in Upper Darby. The market will include an indoor and outdoor cafe -- which will serve beer and wine -- a sushi bar, juice bar and fresh meats, foods, salads and flowers. The outdoor cafe will be located on the Walnut Street side of the market. Burns said that there will also be a World Wide Web site for the market where people can order prepared foods on-line. Two firms, Hugh A. Boyd Architects and Cold Technology, a supermarket planning firm, are working together on the design of the market's interior, Burns said. Boyd has worked on projects including the Market at 30th Street in Philadelphia, the Ardmore Farmers Market and the South Street Seaport in New York City. "We really liked his work and he's in tune with what we want to do," Burns said. The transparent garage above the market will hold 800 cars -- which officials said will go a long way towards alleviating the University's parking crunch. Space will probably be even tighter once the theater and a new dental center opens nearby. The structure of the building will "celebrate what's exciting about a garage," Lussenhop said. Both Sundance and the parking garage/grocery store were designed by Carlos Zapata, a renowned Boston-based architect, and The Moderns, an interior design and graphics firm. Zapata said that the theater's mix of activities -- including a video library and lecture hall -- will help create a learning environment. The library will house books about independent films, filmmaking and script writing, among other subjects related to cinema. And a large lecture hall located in front of the building will be used for directors to come and discuss their films. The building itself is contemporary and not modeled on any other particular style. The mix of materials -- including wood, glass, stone and concrete -- help make it "a much warmer type of building," Zapata said. The project has gained the widespread support of community leaders, who feel that it will spur further revitalization of the 40th Street corridor. Area residents met with the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee in January to discuss the project's impact on the surrounding neighborhood and identified several key concerns that they felt needed to be addressed by the University and architects. Spruce Hill -- the area bordered by 40th and 46th streets from Woodland Avenue to Market Street -- will be directly affected by the project. Barry Grossbach, chairperson of the committee, said that the University and architects were able to meet Spruce Hill Zoning Commission's requests on all but one issue and that the "response was overwhelmingly positive to the concept." "I think that it's clear that the commercial revitalization of 40th Street and the Sundance project, which will help that, is overall a plus for the community," Grossbach said. The plans will be reviewed on Thursday at a city zoning board meeting and officials anticipate they will be approved. Fry and Lussenhop said Sundance will spur a dramatic facelift of the entire western end of campus. While emphasizing that "the University is not going to be the redeveloper of 40th Street," Fry said they expect other businesses will want to open nearby to take advantage of the extra people in the area. Fry speculated that the market would attract 400,000 more pedestrians to 40th and Walnut, while the cinema will attract another 200,000 -- which, coupled with Sansom Common, could make University City a destination spot for Philadelphians, a longtime goal of Fry and University President Judith Rodin. Lussenhop said the retail mix of the area will likely change as leases expire over the next few years. The Hamilton Village strip mall has already seen the departures of Burger King, Bucks County Coffee, University City Nautilus and Cool Peppers. Other tenants include Won's, Smokey Joe's, Unimart, a post office and Fingers, Wings and Other Things.
(04/02/99 10:00am)
With students claiming that the administration's crackdown on alcohol consumption will only push drinking off campus, many area residents say that the action was warranted, even if it proves to be an inconvenience to them. Community members, who worry that living near a college may become even noisier than usual, say their major concern is the presence of additional off-campus parties. "It seems that [the policy is] probably a good step in general, but I don't know exactly how much follow-up there is on what's going on off-campus," said Tim Wood, president of the University City Historical Society and a School of Arts and Sciences graduate student. Wood, of the 4500 block of Larchwood Avenue, said that the policy may be effective "if Penn is prepared to follow up on complaints from neighbors on noisy parties? but I'm not convinced that that's something they're going to do." Like students, Wood said he wished Penn had consulted with those the policy affects. But while he said he wished there was "a little bit more warning that someone was thinking about these changes and [that] it might have an impact off campus," he recognized that Penn's primary responsibility is toward its students. Other area residents applauded Penn's effort to crack down on alcohol abuse, despite any inconveniences that may arise toward the surrounding neighborhood. Janet Givens, the School of Engineering and Applied Science's associate director of development and alumni relations and a resident of the 3600 block of Hamilton Avenue, said binge drinking is a huge problem at Penn and a response such as this was necessary, despite the possible inconvenience to area residents. "I'm not as terribly concerned as the rest of the community that parties are going to get worse, noisier, louder -- we deal with those problems as they come up," she said. "My main point? is that I would really love to understand why students that are very intelligent, obviously, choose to drink themselves into oblivion and think its fun." University City District Executive Director Paul Steinke said he hopes the new alcohol policy will facilitate a discussion about alcohol's place at the University. "The UCD welcomes constructive dialogue about how to improve this community's quality of life and if the temporary ban encourages this dialogue, then in the long run we all benefit," Steinke said. He added that by making alcohol abuse an issue, the new policy has succeeded in "heightening the downside of alcohol consumption." Barry Grossbach, a member of the Spruce Hill Community Association, also pointed out the positive message of the new policy and said he did not think the University's actions should negatively affect the surrounding community. "I think it's really important to point out that what the University is trying to do is protect students from killing themselves," Grossbach said. "I don't think it affects the community one way or another." "The University is acting after a particularly horrendous event, so maybe there wasn't a full consultation, but they have to work that out with the entities at the University."
(04/02/99 10:00am)
The gateway between campus and the city will remain closed for a year. In an effort to bring one of the gateways between Penn's campus and Center City up to modern standards, the City of Philadelphia's Department of Streets will begin reconstruction of the South Street Bridge in the spring of 2002, officials announced this week. The $40 million project, which will close the bridge for more than a year, aims to rebuild it while maintaining its compatibility with the historic areas surrounding it -- which include the Ramcat-Schuylkill historic district on the eastern bank of the Schuylkill River and the Penn campus on the western bank. According to Lane Fike, the Department of Streets' project manager for the construction, portions of the bridge are over 120 years old, dating back to its 1876 construction. "We want to bring [the bridge] back up to standards so it can carry modern loads [and] make it structurally sufficient," Fike said. The bridge will be closed because trying to keep it even partially open during construction would cause structural and timetable difficulties, according to Russell Kolmus, the project manager for Gannett Fleming, Inc., an international consulting firm working on the project with the city. During construction, all cross-river traffic will be detoured to Walnut and Chestnut streets and the South Street exit for Interstate 76 will also be closed and detoured to other nearby exits. The cost of the project will be primarily funded by the Federal Highway Administration, with additional funding at state and local levels, Fike said. While the project is still in its preliminary design stages, developers aim to reconstruct the old bridge structure and expand the width of the bridge in several areas to allow for additional traffic and bike lanes. The center section of the bridge will be expanded from 56 feet wide to 83 feet, with the addition of a second travel lane in each direction, a five-foot bike lane on each side of the roadway and an 11-foot painted median that will provide for a left-hand turn lane at the I-76 ramps which intersect the bridge. At the western end of the bridge, the platform will be expanded to 72 feet, and 61 feet at the eastern end. According to Susan Myerov, an environmental planner for Gannett Fleming, the firm has conducted environmental studies on the area around the bridge to ensure that the reconstruction would not harm the surrounding environment. The firm sent letters to federal, local and state organizations to coordinate with agencies that would be interested in the project -- including the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Department of the Interior, the Schuylkill River Development Commission and the Philadelphia Historical Commission. Gannett Fleming also conducted a vegetative analysis of the riverbank and a historic analysis of the surrounding area that would determine whether the construction would affect the surrounding environment. The new bridge will have several new features that will give it "architectural flair," including two outlook points with gazebos and new traffic and pedestrian lightposts, Kolmus said. While the SEPTA regional rail system's University City Station will not be accessible from South Street during the construction, it should be accessible from 33rd Street. The construction will also restrict access from South Street to Penn's Hollenbach Center at 30th and South streets but the center will still be accessible from ground-level, Kolmus said.
(03/30/99 10:00am)
While the student body focuses its attention on the temporary ban on alcohol at most undergraduate parties, owners of local bars and restaurants are concerned about the potential effects of Penn's crackdown on student drinking in their establishments and the Penn community in general. One provision of the policy released this past Friday by University President Judith Rodin and Provost Robert Barchi states that the notice of the University's alcohol policy be given to area bars, restaurants and alcohol suppliers, and that they cooperate in enforcing alcohol policy. Many area business owners questioned the steps the University is taking to combat alcohol abuse, saying Penn should be implementing more proactive measures, like increasing alcohol education. Still, they said they have been doing more in recent days and weeks to prevent those under 21 from being served at their establishments. The manager of one bar near campus said recent pressure from the University and the Pennsylvania State Police's Liquor Control Enforcement bureau is creating paranoia among local establishments. "You hear so many rumors now that everybody's freaking out," he said. "We've been so hyper-paranoid about serving underage, we're probably turning away people who are 21." Noting that LCE agents have inspected the bar at least four times since spring break, the bar manager said he feared that such identification checks are "creating an atmosphere that's almost unfriendly" -- and bad for business. Richard Harman, co-owner of the Palladium at 36th Street and Locust Walk, said the University should be stressing education and responsibility rather than banning alcohol use. "I really think that the University could promote a positive change and they're missing an opportunity," he said. Harman added that bars promote alcohol responsibility by refusing to serve people who are clearly intoxicated. "I just think it's a bit presumptuous of the University and maybe a bit condescending to inform local restaurants and bars of [its] policies," Harman said. "They could learn a lot from local bars as far as alcohol is concerned." Paul Ryan, the owner of Smokey Joe's on 40th Street between Locust and Walnut streets, said that the new policy will mean a "tremendous boost in business for the cab companies" because more students will travel to Center City instead of visiting area bars. He also stressed that the University's dry policy falls short of the educational measures necessary to combat binge drinking. "In the short run [the policy is] a good idea; in the long run education is the key," Ryan said. "It's the only way to stop alcohol abuse." He added that the lack of parties and the subsequent social migration to Center City will leave fewer people on the streets at night and "people will perceive the campus as less safe" -- which goes against the University's goals of increasing foot traffic on and around campus to make the area safer. "The campus has worked hard over the last few years to keep bodies on the street," Ryan said. "If there's lots of people on [Locust] Walk, you feel safe." Despite a large number of concerns, some area businesspeople felt the University was moving in the right direction. An owner of one local restaurant said the temporary alcohol ban is "unfair to the person who is 21" but added that "it's a mixed kind of question.? I think controlling it or watching it more, that would be a good thing to do."
(03/23/99 10:00am)
A little bit of paint can go a long way toward improving the beauty and value of a house and its surrounding neighborhood, according to D-L Wormley, Penn's managing director of community housing. In the University's latest effort to raise the quality and value of the neighborhood surrounding Penn's campus, a new University-sponsored program called UC Paint held its first information session this past Thursday at the Cavalry Church at 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue. UC Paint aims to help University City residents restore their homes to the original color schemes by holding periodic information sessions and providing a paint analyst to determine a house's original colors and paint types. About 20 people attended the workshop, in which the project's coordinators told attending residents about the aesthetic and monetary benefits of preserving the antiquity of University City homes. Nineteenth-century Victorian-style homes adorn the West Philadelphia area, making it an official historic neighborhood. Historic homes already "tend to hold, maintain and improve value" more than homes in non-historic areas, Wormley said. Making them appear more historic may further increase the property value. Don Meginley, president of the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia -- a private, non-profit organization based in Center City -- told the assembled community members that historic neighborhoods exemplify many positive trends missing from other neighborhoods. Meginley cited a November 1998 study conducted by the Preservation Alliance which found that Philadelphia's historic neighborhoods are more racially diverse, have lost less population than the rest of Philadelphia over the last 10 years and attract a significant number of people moving from Philadelphia suburbs and other areas. Meginley explained that West Philadelphia homeowners tend to paint their homes non-traditional colors that diminish the beauty of a block and devalue the home itself. "I've never seen people take perfectly wonderful brick buildings with excellent context and detail and architectural features and paint it all over with a pastel color [outside of West Philadelphia]," Meginley said. As a follow-up to the workshop, a UC Paint analyst and preservationist visited about 20 homes on Saturday and used paint scraping techniques to find the homes' original colors so that residents can match the colors with modern paints and then repaint their homes. UC Paint is the first of a series of programs that will stem from a Penn home improvement initiative called PRIMER -- which stands for Preservation, Repair, Improvement, Maintenance and Educational Resources. Future programs may include a help desk for people with questions about home improvement and maintenance and a World Wide Web site to provide information about home improvement, Wormley said. The attendants applauded the efforts of the UC Paint initiative. Patricia Gillespie, a resident of the 500 block of South 45th Street, said she was happy to get help from UC Paint. "We don't want to diminish any of the integrity of the district," Gillespie said.
(03/22/99 10:00am)
About 30 underage drinkers at parties thrown by Chi Omega and Pi Beta Phi were cited by agents. A female freshman was hospitalized early Sunday morning due to an alcohol-related illness, according to a source close to the situation. The freshman was released from the hospital a few hours later. Friends of the victim -- a Ware College House resident -- called the police while the woman was lying semi-conscious in her bed, the source said. An ambulance arrived at the Quadrangle at about 3 a.m. and the student walked with the paramedics to the waiting vehicle, which took her to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. The victim was admitted to the emergency room at about 3:30 a.m. and discharged at about 7:30 a.m., a HUP nursing administrator said. She was rehydrated using an intravenous line and sustained no serious injuries. There have now been at least six students hospitalized for alcohol-related illness this school year. Last October, a Penn freshman and one other student were hospitalized during the same weekend. And in September, three freshmen -- all Quadrangle residents -- were taken to HUP for alcohol-related illnesses. University officials said last fall that they believed the reason for the hospitalizations was that students have become more aware of the risks involved in alcohol consumption and are quicker to get help for their friends. The University also released a report last fall outlining strategies for combatting binge drinking, defined as five or more drinks for men and four or more for women. Suggestions included having more Friday classes to discourage drinking on Thursday nights, offering more non-alcoholic weekend programming and notifying parents after any binge drinking incident.
(03/17/99 10:00am)
Most students said that they looked forward to the concert headlined by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones. This year's Spring Fling concert sounds like it'll actually be worth attending -- or at least that's the impression most students got yesterday upon hearing that ska-core veterans the Mighty Mighty Bosstones will headline the annual show. Hip-hop artists Run DMC and punk bands D-Generation and Clowns for Progress will join the Bosstones for the April 16 show, scheduled to take place on Hill Field, the Social Planning and Events Committee announced Monday. While student reaction to the announcement was mixed, most students said that the Bosstones would make a good Fling headliner. "I thought it was really awesome," College freshman Lisa Zigarmi said. And Wharton freshman Stephanie Dresner said that the Bosstones and Run DMC would make a good combination. "They're perfect Fling bands," she said. College freshman Mike Grossman agreed. "I think it's a good line up. I will definitely go." Many students said that the Bosstones would make a better headliner than last year's main performer, acid-jazz saxophonist Maceo Parker. Students complained last year that Parker, while a renowned musician, didn't appeal to a large enough audience. The event sold 1,500 out of 4,000 tickets. "I think it's a better choice than last year," College junior Marc Lener said. College sophomore Blake Martin added, "This is a concert I'll definitely make a point to go see, whereas last year it was like, maybe I'll go, maybe I won't." Other students were disappointed that the Bosstones were headlining the concert. "They're not my favorite band," Wharton senior Brian Cohen said. "There are a lot of other people I would rather see." And several students said that they were more excited to see Run DMC on the lineup, which was designed to reflect diverse tastes, than the Bosstones. "I bet they will be a better show than the Bosstones," Wharton freshman John Feldman said. "I can't wait to see Run DMC," College freshman Andy Smith said. "I think it'll be a fun show." While most students were satisfied with the bands selected, few hesitated to suggest other bands for next year's fling. "I like their ska music but I don't like their hardcore stuff," College freshman Melanie Meyer said. "I would prefer to see a more jam-oriented band like the Allman Brothers." College freshman Sonia Tain said that she didn't think it mattered what bands played Fling. "Everyone will probably be so smashed they won't even know what's going on," she said.
(03/04/99 10:00am)
Women, minority and locally owned firms had a key role in Sansom Common construction. The University has exceeded its projections for hiring minorities, women and local residents in the construction of the Sansom Common retail complex, according to a Penn official. The Sansom Common Economic Opportunity Program is part of the University's five-point West Philadelphia Initiative. It seeks to secure the employment of three main population segments -- minorities, women and local residents -- in the Sansom Common construction work force. "At all levels of the project we have exceeded our initial projections, which were aggressively set at the beginning of the project," said Jack Shannon, the University's top economic development official. The University and the project's general contractor, Turner Construction, have made deals throughout the project with sub-contractors to either hire a target number of minority, women and local workers or to purchase materials and services from local, minority-owned and women-owned businesses. And the recently compiled results are surprisingly impressive, Shannon said. As of the end of January, a total of $10.2 million in contracts with minority-owned firms and an additional $5.4 million with women-owned companies had been awarded either directly by the University or its sub-contractors working on the $120 million Sansom Common retail and hotel complex. That represents over 40 percent of the total amount of contracts awarded so far, Shannon said. And the number of minority and female workers as of mid-January who filled a construction trade position totaled 26.8 percent of the positions filled on the project. The employment program's governing committee -- composed of Penn and public officials and local community leaders -- also tracks where the workers live. Shannon said that 114 workers came from West and Southwest Philadelphia out of a total of 531 Philadelphia residents. While the employment program was originally intended only for the construction of Sansom Common, its success led the University to use similar strategies for other construction contracts in the complex. Shannon said the committee estimates that over 55 percent of the $5 million in additional contracts in the hotel will go to minority and women-owned enterprises. "While impressive in and of itself, that number becomes even more impressive because it dramatically exceeds the figures generated for the Convention Center and Marriott projects in Center City," Shannon noted. Once construction ends, Shannon said, he hopes that the Inn at Penn will continue to use the same firms as suppliers. He said officials are currently talking to DoubleTree Hotels, which is running the Inn, about such a plan. Shannon said the project will soon be expanded to other University initiatives, including the Sundance Cinema project on 40th Street and the Civic Center renovations. "Given the success that we're enjoying on this project? we intend to replicate and expand the program to other projects throughout the campus in the future," Shannon said. The University and Turner Construction have also worked with the Greater Philadelphia Urban Affairs Coalition over the past two years to train employees for admission into area unions where they can continue work in their trade. These support programs, like one in which five workers passed union exams and joined a sheet metal union, will continue to support the University's economic plan for West Philadelphia, said Herb Young, director of community affairs for Turner Construction. "This relationship between [the union] and the University will continue to have a positive effect for West and Southwest Philadelphia for those interested in becoming a part of trade unions in the future," Young said.
(03/02/99 10:00am)
UC Connect planners hope to link off-campus residents and others in the area to the Penn network. As early as this fall, students living off campus in University City may have access to direct high-speed Internet connections via the Penn network. The University initiative --Eknown as UC Connect, is aiming to bring state-of-the-art Internet access to University City, providing the same level of access that all on-campus residences now have. It would not include access to the ResNet cable television system. Organizers are currently reviewing different technology options and their providers to find a fast and affordable means for students living off campus, area residents and businesses to connect to the Internet. The project will make the neighborhood a more attractive place to live, said Esual Sanchez, the University's director of neighborhood initiatives. UC Connect is considering two main types of Internet access: a cable modem -- which connects to the network via a cable line -- and a Digital Subscriber Line, which allows subscribers to be on the phone and the Internet at the same time using one phone line. Both technologies have their benefits and limitations, according to Noam Arzt, a senior fellow in Information Systems and Computing. While cable modem access generally tends to be faster, the operating speed may be affected by the number of people in a particular building or block utilizing the technology. DSL technology, on the other hand, has a more stable performance speed but may operate slower than the cable modem overall, Arzt said. But a major benefit of both services is that they can likely be deployed using existing technologies in area homes and apartments with any further wiring or phone line installation. Another challenge the group faces is negotiating an affordable price for subscribers. While the monthly rates for cable and DSL services run between $40 and $60, Sanchez said that he hopes to bring that price down to about $25 for basic service. Telephone and cable companies have recently been offering similar services to individual households and small regions across the country. "We're concerned that sometimes these technologies are deployed only in very limited spaces," Sanchez said. "What we'd really like to do is have vendors come and deploy the service to everybody." The UC Connect team is also in the process of approaching other University City institutions and community organizations to build partnerships that will give the project more power to negotiate a service for University City as a whole.
(03/01/99 10:00am)
The construction project is aimed at improving the street's appearance. Since the University announced plans to build a new movie complex, fresh foods market and parking garage at 40th and Walnut streets last fall, interest in the economic growth of the 40th Street commercial corridor has skyrocketed. In a move aimed at further revitalizing what is often referred to as the "Main Street" of University City, the University City District is set to begin a major construction project today on the 40th Street area between Walnut and Chestnut streets. UCD officials say the work will improve the aesthetics of the commercial streetscape. A construction crew will repave sidewalks and curbs, build new bike racks, install new lampposts and plant trees along the block. "The University's overall commercial redevelopment strategy for 40th Street was what drove [our] desire to improve the public environment of 40th Street," UCD Executive Director Paul Steinke said. While the UCD developed and will manage the project, Penn is paying for the $220,000 construction, which will likely be completed by June 1. The project includes the area outside of establishments like Tandoor India, Fork and Chopstick, Steve's Fashions and Jay's Cleaners. The City of Philadelphia is planning a similar project -- still in the design stages -- that will renovate the 40th Street streetscape between Chestnut and Market streets. That phase of construction should be completed by this fall, Steinke said. "Before the end of the year, 40th Street will have an entirely new streetscape from Market all the way down to Spruce," Steinke said. The new design of both blocks will be consistent with the current appearance of 40th Street between Walnut and Locust streets. Calling the project a "strategic investment," Steinke said the most important part of the renovations will be the noticeably better lighting on the block, which "will improve the sense of safety on the street and overall make it a more attractive place to be." The UCD selected Lorezon Bros., a West Philadelphia-based contractor, to head the construction and employed University architects in the design phase of the project. In addition, the UCD worked closely with the University to "ensure that local residents are employed during the construction? and minority- and women-owned business are utilized during the project as well," said Jack Shannon, the University's top economic development official. While the project will have little impact on the flow of street traffic, pedestrian passage may be hampered by the construction, Steinke said. Another major part of the UCD's 40th Street revitalization initiative was the creation of a steering committee composed of Penn officials, community members and area businesspeople aimed to spur further retail development in the 40th Street corridor. The committee has conducted surveys -- through e-mail, the UCD's World Wide Web site and on-site interviews with 40th Street patrons -- to get an idea of what kind of retail should be introduced to the area. "We're gonna see a number of new, exciting businesses opening up along the corridor that will better serve the needs of the students and our neighbors," said Shannon, who serves on the steering committee. With the help of a consulting firm, the committee will soon create a plan to develop "a retail mix that would be more appealing to a broader range of people," said committee member Barry Grossbach, who chairs the zoning committee of the Spruce Hill Community Association. Another objective of the committee is to enhance the aesthetics of the commercial corridor through improving the appearance of the business storefronts, Grossbach said.
(02/26/99 10:00am)
A clothing store and a shoe store will also open to fill storefronts in the complex's second phase. A renowned restaurateur who runs two of Philadelphia's most successful restaurants may soon be working his culinary magic on Penn's campus. Stephen Starr, who owns the Continental Restaurant and Martini Bar and the-newly opened Buddakan in Old City, is in negotiations with the University to lease a space in Sansom Common that has been reserved for an upscale restaurant, according to Tom Lussenhop, Penn's top real estate official. "Stephen Starr takes an exciting and fresh approach to the design and operation of restaurants," Lussenhop said. "We have every belief that we can close the deal quickly," though there has still been no final agreement. Starr said yesterday that he believed the restaurant would be a hit. "With the University's commitment financially, I think it's a safe bet that a restaurant like ours will be a success," Starr said. The former concert promoter and nightclub operator said he has been kicking around a few ideas for the restaurant's food theme -- including "a family-style Italian restaurant" and a "giant conveyor-belt sushi bar" -- but hasn't reached a final decision. While Starr's two Old City restaurants are known for their upscale and expensive menus, Starr says the new restaurant would be more moderately-priced, with dinner and drinks costing about $30 a person. Starr called Penn's campus "underserved for restaurants," and said that the growing success of the $120 million Sansom Common complex -- which has already seen the openings of the new University Bookstore, Xando, Eastern Mountain Sports and Parfumerie Douglas -- and the upcoming Sundance Cinema project on 40th Street is making the University City area a more attractive commercial location. Starr began his career in entertainment when he opened his first nightclub in the late 1970s. Working as a music promoter in the 1980s, he made enough money to open both the Bank night club -- now called the District -- and in 1995, the Continental. Buddakan opened last August. Both are generally considered to be among Philadelphia's best restaurants. While the completed Sansom Common -- which officials said will include two more retail spaces set aside for shoe and apparel stores, the Inn at Penn and Grand's restaurant -- is set to debut this fall, Lussenhop said the new restaurant won't open until later in the year. "The design and development of a restaurant is far more costly an exercise than a typical retail space." Lussenhop said. "We don't expect a restaurant to open until late 1999." The new restaurant will complete the second phase of the Sansom Common project, which, besides the stores and restaurants, will include the DoubleTree Hotels-operated Inn at Penn. University officials released preliminary floor plans for the 256-room Inn earlier this week. In addition to being the new home of the Faculty Club, the Inn will feature four meeting rooms, a ballroom, a fitness center and a gift shop. Set to open in September, the Inn will likely begin taking individual reservations in April, according to Larry Moneta, associate vice president for campus services. While a definite price range for rooms has yet to be established, Moneta characterized the future hotel as "more upscale" and estimated that a typical room rate will range from $160 to $250 a night. The Inn will be a "major asset" for Penn faculty, visiting parents, participants at local conferences and others, Moneta said. The hotel space will also likely come in useful during next year's Republican Presidential convention, expected to bring thousands of people and millions of dollars to the city next summer. Officials said that the retailers already in place in Sansom Common as part of the completed first phase are all performing up to or above Penn's expectations. "In the case of Xando and Urban Outfitters, they are in excess of their projections," Lussenhop said. "It was definitely a good decision to move in," Douglas Marketing Coordinator Mandi Youngs said. "We've adapted pretty well." And Erik Williams, store manager of Eastern Mountain Sports, said he is thrilled with the store's location and success. The new restaurant and other University City inititiatives will likely contribute to continued profitability, he said. "This is such a cool location," Williams said. "We're in the same ballpark as the strongest locations in this area -- and it's only going to build." A newly-installed 23-foot high climbing wall is almost completed inside EMS and will open next Friday for customers with their own climbing equipment. A rental program for people without their own gear will open shortly after, Williams said.
(02/25/99 10:00am)
Since dealing with the city's homeless population is likely to become tougher over the next few weeks due to new federal welfare and local sidewalk-loitering legislation, the University City District spent this week training its safety ambassadors to better handle people living on the streets. The training sessions -- taught by a local homeless outreach organization -- instructed the yellow-jacketed ambassadors about the state of the homeless in the city and how to direct individuals on the streets to appropriate resources, such as soup kitchens, shelters, hospitals and other care facilities. "Our goal was to present a comprehensive overview of the issues and needs that affect the homeless," UCD Executive Director Paul Steinke said. The UCD is a privately-funded organization created by Penn, Drexel University and other local institutions and exists to enhance and promote the University City neighborhood. It employs more than 40 safety ambassadors, eight of whom attended this week's training. The idea for the program arose after the city's controversial "sidewalk behavior" ordinance became law last month, making it a citable offense to sit or lie on city sidewalks for more than a half-hour in any two-hour period. A second cause for concern is the approaching March 3 deadline when thousands of city families are cut from the welfare rolls due to President Clinton's controversial welfare legislation. "We became concerned that there might be an increase in the number of people who are homeless and on the street," Steinke said. The program was designed to "inform the outreach staff about effective outreach methods, resources that are available to them, places they can refer each client and an idea of exactly who possible homeless clients may be," said Jane Prusso, a director of the Gateway 10 outreach program, which led the sessions. Over the course of the three-day program, speakers from various service organizations addressed the group of ambassadors -- called the Homeless Action Team -- about the services they provide and how to work with the homeless to obtain these resources. "It's hard when you don't know what's out there, when you don't know where a person is going," Prusso said. "If [ambassadors] have knowledge about these places and can explain it to the client, the client feels much more comfortable." Members of the Homeless Action Team will continue their normal patrol duties as safety ambassadors but will also be on call to respond to special situations involving the homeless, Steinke said. The training the ambassadors received this week will prepare them to refer homeless people who want or agree to seek help to various city facilities that will address their needs. Safety ambassadors who encounter an individual on the streets with special needs will be able to refer the individual to the West Philadelphia-based Horizon House or call the Outreach Coordination Center, which responds to calls from merchants, police and concerned citizens regarding the presence of people on the streets. The OCC sends out "response teams" that assess the condition of people on the streets and make appropriate referrals to shelters, hospitals, mental health facilities, drug and alcohol centers and other care facilities. OCC Outreach Services Coordinator Genny O'Donnell, who led Monday afternoon's session, outlined the techniques involved in assessing an individual's situation. "The idea is to get services," O'Donnell said. "If you arrest someone that has a mental illness or a drug problem, you're really not accomplishing anything." Safety ambassador Dave Bryant applauded the program, saying the sessions were informative and helpful. "They gave us a wide variety of instruments to help the homeless," he said.
(02/23/99 10:00am)
It was a dirty job, but somebody had to do it. On Saturday, the Undergraduate Assembly helped sponsor a Habitat for Humanity work day, joining a group of Penn and high school students to clean and repair four houses in a West Philadelphia neighborhood. Seven UA members joined the volunteers -- composed of members of Civic House and Penn's chapter of Habitat, area residents and students from a local suburban high school -- in rehabilitating the houses on the 4900 block of West Stiles Street. A total of about 30 people pitched in to build fences, clear out abandoned lots and yards, build staircases and cement a basement floor. The idea for the UA to be involved in the activity came from College junior Megan Davidson, a member of the Civic House steering committee who works with the UA on West Philadelphia issues. Davidson approached the student government body about sponsoring the work day as a means of "trying to build a partnership" between the UA and Civic House and to foster awareness of community needs among UA members. "It was a chance for us to bond as a team," Davidson said. Nursing junior Sarah Nail, a member of the executive board of Penn's Habitat chapter, said that interest in the organization is "starting to pick up" and applauded the efforts of the UA volunteers. "It was neat having a different group of people come out," Nail said. The volunteers split into groups at the beginning of the six-hour day and each group began working on a different indoor or outdoor project. Most of the UA volunteers worked on mixing and laying cement in the basement of the current Habitat headquarters -- a Stiles Street house that will be sold when the block has been completed. "It was very tiring," said UA member Rohan Ramakrishna, a College freshman. "I've never been this sore. But that made it all the more gratifying." Most volunteers agreed with Ramakrishna, saying that despite the obvious physical strains, the day was not only fun but also productive. "I had a great time," said UA member Theo LeCompte, an Engineering sophomore. "I really felt like I was doing something to help." Other UA and Civic House members joined the community and high school volunteers in clearing out an abandoned lot and several backyards and building a fence behind one of the previously rehabilitated houses. UA member Dana Becker, a Wharton freshman, helped remove trash and weeds from two backyards, finding both a door and a refrigerator buried in the rubbish. Her group managed to clear out both yards by the end of the day. "It's nice to see that there is a tangible difference," Becker said. "[Habitat is] something I'm going to continue to do." West Stiles Street is the home of the West Philadelphia chapter of Habitat for Humanity, a community service organization founded in 1976 to eliminate sub-standard housing and provide affordable housing for families in need. Since then, the West Philadelphia Habitat has renovated 22 abandoned homes and sold them to needy families. The mortgage payments are then recycled back into a fund used for construction on future houses. The Penn chapter of Habitat -- established in 1995 -- currently works two Saturdays a month, usually bringing its own volunteers, but sometimes working with larger groups like Greek organizations.
(02/19/99 10:00am)
Rose's Florist will also relocate as part of the Gap's expansion. The Gap clothing store in the 3401 Walnut Street complex will soon triple in size, taking up the space currently occupied by Foot Locker and Rose's Florist, University officials announced yesterday. Longtime tenant Foot Locker will close its doors permanently on February 28, while Rose's Florist -- which recently moved from the former mall in the basement of Houston Hall -- will be relocated to another campus location within the next 45 days, according John Greenwood, a top official with Trammell Crow, the company that manages University real estate holdings. The University has been considering expanding the Gap into adjacent store spaces for about a year and announced last fall that it would not renew the Foot Locker lease this spring. "To accommodate Gap we did have to recapture some space," Greenwood said. Greenwood added that Rose's Florist will likely move into the storefront currently occupied by the 9 & Co. shoe store, which is set to shut down early next month. That move, though, would also probably be temporary, Greenwood said, because the University still plans to open an apparel store in that space. On March 1, Gap will take possession of the Foot Locker space and begin a two-part expansion that will include construction on both the newly acquired store spaces and its current site, Greenwood said. The trendy clothing store will stay open throughout the construction, according to store manager Wendy Forbes. During the first phase – which will take about 13 weeks -- Gap will renovate the two spaces while keeping the current store open for business. Then, Gap will close its current spot for remodeling and open the newly constructed store space. By August, the entire store will be open for business, Forbes said. Forbes said the change will be beneficial to Gap because its small size limits the amount of merchandise the store can sell. "We don't currently have the space to carry everything the company produces," Forbes said. The newly expanded Gap -- almost triple its current size -- will provide the floor space to enlarge its merchandise line, allowing it to include more intimate and dressy clothing and more body care products, Forbes said. The 3401 Walnut Street complex has seen many changes over the past year, as the University has looked to upgrade and expand campus retail options. With the temporary closing of Houston Hall during the Perelman Quadrangle construction and the impending destruction of the old Bookstore building to make room for a new $120 million Wharton School facility, three of Penn's retail tenants were recently relocated to the 3401 complex. There is still one vacancy -- the spot on the Walnut Street side that until recently housed the Smile gift shop. The complex's food court has also been the site of several recent changes. There are currently two vacancies in the Moravian Cafes, one of which will soon be filled by a deli, officials announced last week.
(02/18/99 10:00am)
The location, to be called "The Foundation," would host community events by day and music acts by night. Calling all rat-packers, hip-hop kids and punk rockers. University City could soon see a new arts and culture venue that would host bands playing a diverse array of music -- including jazz, hip hop, experimental music, rock and punk rock -- currently underrepresented in area clubs. A group of five Penn undergraduate students are planning the non-profit arts house -- called "The Foundation" -- which will serve both the University and surrounding community by providing a space for the arts, musical acts and community programs. The students hope to open up the center by the end of the semester, though they still have not found a location. "We work from the belief that art is a catalyst for change and that arts events can lead to the formation of meaningful Penn-West Philadelphia relationships," said College junior Andrew Zitcer, one of the students planning the space. The Foundation's planners are currently talking with Penn officials to try to obtain a University-owned site for the center. Zitcer said that if they don't find a home soon, they'll open in a temporary location. Penn is currently looking into a "handful of well-suited spaces," and hopes to find a permanent location for the arts house, said Tom Lussenhop, the University's top real estate official. During the day, local community organizations will have access to the center at no cost to hold seminars and workshops and use as arts practice space, Zitcer said. At night the venue will host musical performances by local and greater Philadelphia area acts. In particular, The Foundation's planners hope to draw more jazz performances into West Philadelphia. "Philadelphia as a whole does have a rich jazz history," said College senior Noah Bilenker, another Foundation planner and former Undergraduate Assembly chairperson. The center will be alcohol-free, planners said, but will serve food and beverages. "[The Foundation] will be more of a community center than a nightclub," Zitcer said. The center will likely charge a small door fee for performances -- about $5 -- that will pay for the bands and necessary renovations, planners said. The idea for the space came to a head last spring as a group project for an Urban Studies seminar and has since been passed down to and modified by other students. While five students are currently planning the space, others played a key role in organizing the project, including College junior Lindsay Faber, a Daily Pennsylvanian news editor, and members of the UA and Civic House. The group is hoping to receive funding from various University offices and outside sources, although no final funding plans have been made. The Foundation will have an advisory board composed of community groups, student leaders and faculty members that will help manage the space and present "a whole slew of different perspectives," Bilenker said.
(02/15/99 10:00am)
A semester after its inception, the University's UC Green initiative has begun to make headway towards its ultimate goal of beautifying University City by planting trees, flowers and shrubbery in the area around Penn's campus. "We want University City to be a place you come because there's nowhere else you want to be," said Esaul Sanchez, Penn's director of neighborhood initiatives and head of UC Green. To accomplish this goal, UC Green has been bringing community members together on "greening" projects, working block by block in planting gardens, maintaining yards and sidewalks, tending trees and clearing out deserted lots. The initiative kicked off last fall as part of Penn's eighth annual Into the Streets community service day, leading a group of King's Court/English College House students in planting and tree-pruning on several neighborhood blocks, including the corner where Woodland and Baltimore avenues meet at 39th Street. Since then, UC Green has assisted in the planting of 2,500 donated tulip and daffodil bulbs on the 4000 blocks of Pine Street and Baltimore Avenue and is helping to coordinate several other similar projects. Replacing the popular but costly UC Brite initiative that improved lighting on University City streets, UC Green aims "to create a garden village in University City," Sanchez said. College senior and UC Green co-coordinator Hillary Aisenstein described the organization's efforts as bringing University City "back to nature in the middle of the city," and said the results are "easy and visible." Aside from the aesthetic benefits of the UC Green initiative, Sanchez said it has also served to help community members bond with one another. "There's something magical about [gardening]," Sanchez said. "It allows people to overcome the barriers and difficulties of working together as a community." Mike Hardy, one of the project coordinators for a local community group that is trying to beautify the Baltimore Avenue area, said UC Green "turned out the troops" for several of its landscaping projects. "[UC Green] is extremely valuable," Hardy said. "They're creating network partnerships." Some future UC Green initiatives involve setting up tree tending classes for area residents through the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, talking with some area landlords about landscaping their properties and working with a group of college house students toward adopting a University City street.
(02/12/99 10:00am)
However, there are still several vacancies in the Penn-owned retail strip. One of the two vacancies in the oft-abandoned Moravian Cafes at 3401 Walnut Streets will soon be filled by a new deli, according to University officials. There are now two vacancies out of the nine spots in the food court. One of them, which housed Bassett's Original Turkey until earlier this semester, will soon be occupied by a deli, according to John Greenwood, a top official for the company that manages the University's real estate properties. The new Buckhead Deli will be run by Cozco Management, which also operates Eat at Joe's, the Philly Steak & Gyro Co. and Salad Creations. Serving trendy foods like wraps and fresh roasted turkey as well as gourmet sandwiches, the deli will be "healthy as well as a good value," Cozco President and Chief Executive Officer Andrew Cosenza said. Bain's Deli left the food court last March when the University didn't renew its lease. "Both Bain's and Bassett's were suboperators," Greenwood said. "We're taking the opportunity to recognize that there's a vacancy, but it's a vacancy we'll gladly take back." While the future of the space previously occupied by Bain's Deli is still undetermined, Greenwood said real estate officials have some "very good ideas." "We're looking at a lot of concepts not provided in our food court," he explained. The University plans to lease the vacant spots out on a temporary basis so it may take the spaces back if necessary. The 3401 Walnut complex will see other changes as well. Around the corner from the Moravian Cafes in the complex, the shoe store 9 & Co. is preparing to leave its location early next month. Greenwood said that neither the University nor the store's parent company, Nine West, has been satisfied with the store's performance. He added that it would be replaced by an apparel store, but that officials haven't yet picked a tenant. And on the Walnut Street side of the complex, the retail space formerly operated by a gift shop remains empty. The 3401 Walnut complex has seen many changes over the past year as the University revamped campus retail options by opening Sansom Common and closing down the old University Bookstore building at 38th and Walnut streets. This past fall, several retail operations, including the Penn Book Center and University Jewelers, relocated to the 3401 complex from the old University Bookstore building to prepare it for demolition. The former Bookstore will be replaced by a new Wharton School building.
(02/08/99 10:00am)
Ten Wharton freshmen are helping turn a vacant courtyard into a garden at the local Lea Elementary School. Kids like to get their hands dirty. So when several teachers from Lea Elementary School at 47th and Locust streets teamed up with various Penn faculty, staff and students to build a garden in a deserted and bleak courtyard in the middle of the school, the children were bursting with ways to beautify the space. "City children there have basically no greenery and no playgrounds," said Vivianne Nachmias, a professor emeritus of Cell and Developmental Biology, who has helped plan the project. Ten Wharton School freshmen are now helping Nachmias achieve her goal as part of their Management 100 project, which asks students to work in small groups to perform a community service project. Nachmias and Lea teachers came together last spring to begin brainstorming about how to turn a desolate patch of asphalt, unused for the past 25 years, into both a recreational and educational space for the schoolchildren. Although the Management students, who call themselves Tecaslammm -- an acronym of the first letters of all the group members' names -- originally took on the task of assisting the garden's creation as a course project, they decided to continue working with the teachers and students after the class ended. "The more we give to this project, the more we get back," Tecaslammm member Misha Sanwal said. Tecaslammm worked last semester to raise money and work with the elementary school students on design. This semester they said they hope to work more closely with the schoolchildren. "This project has everything we need to learn how to communicate with professors and kids, to organize and delegate," group member Matt Tanzer added. Behind the scenes, Penn's UC Green has been acting as "facilitators" to help get the right people talking, said College senior Hillary Aisenstein, who works on UC Green, an initiative to plant trees, flowers and shrubbery in areas around University City. Lea technology teacher Jeffrey Gaskins and art teacher Maria Pendolfe enlisted the help of the school's children in developing ideas for the design. The students discussed several aspects of the garden, including flower beds, a vegetable garden, benches and walkways, murals, sculptures, miniature trees, a water pond and a fountain. The garden will allow for varied learning experiences and experiments giving the children an "appreciation for horticulture," while the pond will allow for the study of bacteria and hydroponics, a way of growing plants without soil, Gaskins said. Art classes have also been working on murals that represent the four seasons to adorn the courtyard walls. "Inner city kids don't get to interact with nature a lot," Pendolfe said. "Doing something for the community, they see themselves as part of something else." While the students and teachers have been working hard to create a vision for the project, many other parties have been tackling the more business-like aspects of the effort. One major component of the project is fundraising. Removing the asphalt alone will cost about $2,500. Nachmias and some of the Wharton students and community members have been writing to various area merchants asking for support.
(02/05/99 10:00am)
For nearly 100 years, the monolithic iron structure of the Market-Frankford elevated train has towered over West Philadelphia, cluttering Market Street with its massive columns and blocking sunlight to the businesses below. But beginning this summer, SEPTA's reconstruction of the West Philadelphia end of the El will entail renovating the old tracks and stations to make the structure more aesthetically pleasing. According to SEPTA officials, the reconstruction -- which includes new tracks, stations and deckwork -- will take place from the 46th Street station to Millbourne station in the western suburbs and will be conducted only on weekends to minimize the passenger inconvenience. The construction will allow SEPTA to "modernize our system and enable us to operate our new El cars at full capacity," SEPTA spokesperson Coree Randolph said. "It will allow our passengers to have a more pleasing riding environment." The construction will continue for about six years, Randolph said. Shuttle buses will operate on weekends when construction interferes with the mass transit system's operation. The construction could cause short-term inconveniences, Randolph said. Possible effects of the construction include heavier traffic and closed-off streets. The design changes include replacing the current columns that support the track with new columns that will be fewer in number and more spaced-out. The finished structure will allow more light to pass through and will reduce traffic congestion in the area, according to SEPTA officials. Randolph added that SEPTA has been working actively with the West Philadelphia community in planning the renovations. "Our goal is to engage the community as much as possible," Randolph said. "This is their El." SEPTA officials have been meeting with community members to keep area residents and businesspeople informed on how the project will affect the neighborhood underneath the track. These measures include showing residents preliminary plans and getting feedback on the designs. Although most community residents are optimistic about the new El, some have raised concerns about SEPTA's continued commitment to the community. "I like the idea of the community being involved," said community activist Frances Walker-Ponnie, who has been involved in the consultation process. "But they need to work more closely with the community that is going to be impacted." And Margaret Shepherd, president of Dunlap Community Citizens Concerned, said that the plans are "great" but that she is worried about the construction "curtailing the businesses underneath." Penn Transportation Services Manager Ron Ward said the new El may motivate more employees to commute to work rather than drive. Ward also called the project a "rejuvenation for Market Street." "I think it'll definitely improve the neighborhood and may bring more business back to the area," he said.
(02/04/99 10:00am)
Hoping to engage in dialogue between different parts of the University and the surrounding community, about a dozen students and University officials met last night to discuss issues that relate to them all. The event -- co-sponsored by Civic House, the Office of Community and City Relations and the Undergraduate Assembly -- sought to provide a venue for informal communication between administrators, students and area residents to brainstorm ways those constituents can work together. Though organizers were hoping to have representatives from the community as well, there were few if any in attendance. The symposium addressed three major issues -- housing, safety and retail development -- and aimed to discover "how the University communicates with the community and how the students [can] play a role in bettering this," said College junior Mike Silver, co-chairperson of the UA's West Philadelphia Committee. The meeting's coordinators hoped to make last night's symposium the first in a series of meetings which would continue discussion and cooperation among University and community parties. Many participants stressed the need to improve students' perception of West Philadelphia. "I think the problem for a lot of students is that they just don't go out enough because they're afraid," said College senior Hillary Aisenstein, a non-UA member of the West Philadelphia Committee. "And because they don't go out, they don't see that things aren't that bad." The Penn Shuttle service, the community service project "Into the Streets" and campus maps that don't go past 43rd Street are all examples which contribute to students' perceptions of an unsafe and unclean area beyond Penn's campus, several attendees said. While the participants admitted the need for these projects and initiatives, they said that the projects still project the belief that the area outside Penn is a veritable "ghetto." As a way of remedying those negative stereotypes, officials suggested giving incoming students the chance to participate in more comprehensive tours of the area and stressing the community as a part of Penn during the admissions process. "If you had an opportunity to go out and see the riches of the neighborhood in the very beginning, I wonder if that would change people's perspectives," said Glenn Bryan, Penn's director of community relations. Another important concern addressed by the symposium is the state of student off-campus living and relations with University City landlords. Diane-Louise Wormley, Penn's managing director of community housing, explained that students who want to live close to campus usually don't care about the quality of the landlord -- or even the house. "If [landlords] know that they are going to have Penn students falling over themselves to pay $650 for a hole, I can't do a thing," Wormley said. Officials are currently working on a legal services project that will provide funding to have an attorney on retainer when students have a "landlord issue that can't be taken care of any other way," Wormley said. The participants also discussed safety issues and several stressed the need for students to take responsibility for their own safety, in addition to relying on the University's security measures. While University Police Lt. Tom Messner noted that "crime has taken a nose dive" recently, he added that many students are "repeat victims" who don't learn to take care of themselves after one criminal incident.
