Liddonfield may get more
than HOPE could offer

By William Kenny
Times Staff Writer

When the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development last fall denied the city funding under the HOPE VI program to rebuild the Liddonfield Homes, neighbors of the troubled public housing project also lost hope.
But local folks eager to see Liddonfield torn down and replaced with a cleaner, safer development got some good news last week.
The idea isn’t dead after all.
At last Thursday’s general meeting of the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association, a company vying to redevelop Liddonfield gave details of its plans for the 32-acre site at 8800 Jackson St.
Darnell Young, of the Michaels Development Co. in Marlton, N.J., said that his firm plans to submit a proposal in response to the Philadelphia Housing Authority’s current request for proposals regarding Liddonfield.
Last year, PHA applied for $20 million in federal HOPE VI funds in support of a $94 million demolition and reconstruction plan. But HUD chose to fund projects in four other cities instead.
Now, with federal support of the HOPE VI program waning, PHA is looking for development companies like Michaels that can put together their own funding packages, combining state, public and private sources.
The PHA request for proposals also requires would-be developers to work with the community in the planning process, Young told the residents. If selected, the developer would offer the civic group seats on a project committee, he said.
Michaels is the nation’s largest "affordable" or low-income housing developer, having built 40,000 housing units across the country, Young said. Currently, it manages 2,000 units in Philadelphia.
Even so, the company considers the Liddonfield project a major undertaking.
"It’s a very large project with 463 (current) units," Young said. "The concept is that the site will be demolished and rebuilt anew with affordable housing up through rental housing. There’s also a requirement in the RFP (request for proposals) for a commercial component."
Conceptually, the new homes would include a mix of dedicated senior housing, low-income rental, other rental and some units for individual purchase. Also, there would be a community center and management offices.
A "medical arts" campus on a portion of the Liddonfield ground would fulfill the commercial requirement.
Whereas the design and condition of the existing development distinguish it drastically from surrounding homes, the new mission is to blend the project into its surroundings.
"One of the things is to integrate that site back into the community so it’s not just a big lump of bricks in the middle of the community," Young said.
Talk about configuration will involve neighbors if Michaels is chosen for the project, Young assured the locals.
"There is nothing written in stone," he said. "It doesn’t help us to fight the community about what we’re going to put in there."
Some neighbors were most interested in when to expect demolition of the site. For many years, neighbors have complained about litter, drug activity, violent crime and other problems there.
Young said Michaels would knock it down "as soon as possible."
"If we get selected," he said, "we are prepared to move forward the very next day."
PHA has not announced a deadline to select a developer, but Michaels expects to find out within a few months, Young said.
Young asked the UHCA to deal exclusively with his firm, but leaders of the civic group said they had to remain open to contact from other prospective developers.
Yet, UHCA president Stan Cywinski noted, the civic group is encouraged by Michaels’ willingness to talk with the community.
In other UHCA business:
• Cywinski reported that the group’s recent community festival fund-raiser at Marian Hall was a success with more than $600 raised, despite a limited turnout in its inaugural year. The group plans to hold a similar event next year and hopes participation will grow.
Cywinski recognized numerous business and individual contributors to the event, which featured a buffet, disc jockey, family entertainment and plenty of socializing among neighbors.
o•UHCA board member Bob Hall reported that members of numerous Northeast civic groups met recently in an effort to form an informal umbrella committee. They hope to facilitate an informal exchange of information and ideas among the civic leaders.
The gathering included representatives from Upper Holmesburg, Holmesburg, Tacony, Mayfair, Northwood and Frankford, Hall said.
• Cywinski said that local residents should remain vigilant as community "eyes and ears" through the summer by calling 911 to report any criminal or suspicious activity that they see. Also, they should notify the civic group about any zoning notices posted in the neighborhood or other local issues that develop.
The UHCA can be reached at 215-335-6799; by e-mail at uhcainfo@yahoo.com; or by sending correspondence to P.O. Box 39263, Philadelphia, PA 19136.
• The next general meeting of the UHCA will be on Thursday, Sept. 6, at Marian Hall, 8512 Frankford Ave. ••
Reporter William Kenny can be reached at 215-354-3031 or bkenny@phillynews.com