Frankford homes
are coming down

By Diane Prokop
Times Staff Writer

Demolition is scheduled to begin in Frankford this week on 43 unsafe properties.
Constituents had called the office of City Councilman Dan Savage (D-7th dist.) regarding several of the properties, according to Savage’s chief of staff, Liz McCollum-Nazaria.
The councilman also toured the district looking at properties that might not be able to be rehabbed.
"We suggested many, many homes. If a property owner wants to fix their property up, they have the right to do that," McCollum-Nazaria said.
The first to go will be on Deal Street — the most hazardous of the bunch, according to McCollum-Nazaria.
"Many of the properties have previously been cleaned and sealed by the city, are abandoned and have structural damage," McCollum-Nazaria said.
This isn’t the first time properties in the lower Northeast community have seen the wrecking ball.
Frankford was part of Mayor John Street’s 2001 Neighborhood Transformation Initiative (NTI), which attempts to counter urban decline and revitalize Philadelphia’s neighborhoods.
As part of a $300,000 NTI investment in the neighborhood, 24 unsafe properties have been demolished in recent years.
This latest group of demolitions is budgeted at $826,325, according to NTI spokeswoman Vicki Riley. That includes 22 party walls to be treated as part of the demolition package. The average cost per property and party wall treatment is $22,000.
According to its Web site, NTI demolition decisions are targeted and data-driven, aimed at maximizing opportunities for future development of the resulting vacant land. The administration works closely with City Council on NTI demolition activities.
After the dust settles, Savage’s office will reach out to individual neighbors to see if they’d like to have the property for a community garden. There’s also a possibility lots will go up for sale.
"We’ll properly green and maintain them. You may be solving one problem, but sometimes empty lots aren’t the answer, either," McCollum-Nazaria said.
There will be an NTI project inspector and a safety representative on site during all demolition work.
If you experience any damage, call the city’s risk management unit at 215-683-1700. To report any other concerns, contact the city managing director’s office at 215-686-2140. ••
Reporter Diane Prokop can be reached at 215-354-3036 or dprokop@phillynews.com

Properties to be demolished

in Frankford are located on the:

4200 block of N. Orchard St.
4100, 4300 blocks of N. Paul St.
4600 block of Lesher St.
1600 block of E. Meadow
4600 block of N. Hawthorne St.
4600 block of Mulberry St.
1500 block of E. Foulkrod St.
4700 block of N. Griscom St.
4700 block of N. Penn St.
4300 block of N. Leiper St.
1400, 1500 blocks of E. Deal St.
1600 block of E. Kinsey St.
4500, 4600 blocks of N. Hedge St.
1700 block of E. Wakeling St.
4900 block of N. Cottage St.
200 block of E. Margaret St.
4300, 4500, 4600, 4800 blocks of E. Tackawanna
200 block of W. Stella St.
1900 block of E. Auth St.
1800 block of E. Church St.
1600 block of E. Orthodox St.
1600 block of E. Sellers St.
4300 block of Frankford Ave. ••