The community west of 52nd Street is composed of four densely-populated rowhouse neighborhoods -- Overbrook, Carroll Park, Haddington, and Cobbs Creek. Collectively, the population of these four neighborhoods is 96,301, nearly half of West Philadelphia's total population. Eighty-nine percent of the people living west of 52nd Street are African-American, and homeownership among black households is notably high, attaining a rate of 80% in Cobbs Creek and Overbrook. The elderly are also a large component of the community's homeowners. Thirty-seven percent of the owner-occupied houses located west of 52nd Street have at least one occupant who is 65 years of age or older.
West of 52nd Street has shared in both the citywide trend of population decline and a recent regional dip in housing values and sales activity. West of 52nd Street lost 7% of its population between 1980 and 1990, which is on a par with the rate of population loss for Philadelphia as a whole; 7,402 fewer people now live west of 52nd Street than in 1980.
Housing prices rose significantly between 1981 and 1987 throughout this area. Since 1987, prices declined in Haddington, Carroll Park and Overbrook, while prices increased slightly in Cobbs Creek and Overbrook west of 63rd Street. In 1991, median single-family sales prices ranged from $10,250 to $48,000 in the census tracts comprising the five neighborhoods in this area.
Most of the housing located west of 52nd Street is in good condition and housing vacancy is low. However, housing quality falters at the margins of the commercial districts, and occasionally, where corner stores have been vacated.
Strengths:
The high quality of the housing is a primary strength of the community west of 52nd Street. The two-story rowhouse is the predominant housing type here. Two story rowhouses sell at more affordable prices and are easier to maintain than the larger rowhouses and semi-detached homes found elsewhere in West Philadelphia. Consequently, housing is well-maintained and the percentage of owner-occupied homes ranges from 60% to 80% in the four neighborhoods west of 52nd Street. In addition, two-story rowhouses are far less likely to be converted into multi-family housing, a factor which contributes to neighborhood stability.
Strong community participation in neighborhood improvement programs is another strength of the neighborhoods west of 52nd Street. Overbrook east of 63rd Street is currently participating in a targeted neighborhood improvement program sponsored by the Philadelphia Neighborhood Housing Services (PNHS). Block organizations have been resourceful in using neighborhood improvement programs such as Philadelphia Green, Philadelphia More Beautiful and Town Watch. Just as importantly, residents have been able to sustain the improvements they achieved through the various neighborhood improvement programs. Refurbished homes, clean sidewalks and streets, lawn lamps, sidewalk planters, and street trees remain the hallmark of blocks with active block associations.
During the 1980's, more and more volunteers have become involved in town watch programs in the area west of 52nd Street. Lansdowne Town Watch, Millick Street Town Watch, Border Patrol Against Drugs, Walton Neighbors Against Drugs and Walking Against Drugs are among the organizations that work with the police to keep these neighborhoods safe. In addition to the block groups and the town watch organizations, the following community groups are active in the area:
The area west of 52nd Street has major streets, institutions, and meeting places which serve as focal points for the community. Sixty-third Street is lined with architecturally distinguished churches, semi-detached homes, and apartment buildings. The Fifty-second Street, Sixtieth Street and Lansdowne Avenue commercial districts draw shoppers from the immediate neighborhoods and the entire West Philadelphia area. The center of the Haddington neighborhood has been the focus for new residential and commercial development. Finally, Misericordia Hospital, located at 54th Street & Cedar Avenue, serves the community west of 52nd Street and has recently invested in expanding its facilities.
Methodology
As is obvious from the preceding discussion, the Neighborhoods West of 52nd Street do not exhibit the serious vacancy and blight that is found in some of the neighborhoods examined earlier in this chapter. Also, these four neighborhoods are remarkably similar in terms of housing types, street layout, the pattern of vacancy and neighborhood conditions in general. Accordingly, the analysis of the neighborhoods west of 52nd Street is handled differently than that of the three other groupings of neighborhoods in West Philadelphia.
A sample area was chosen in each of the four neighborhoods: one in Cobbs Creek, one in Haddington, one in Carroll Park and another in Overbrook. The sample areas were chosen so that they are evenly distributed geographically and are representative of the larger area in terms of land use and physical form. They are not the best or worst sections of these neighborhoods, nor are they singled out as target areas or areas for special treatment.
Each sample area contains roughly 16 residential blocks. The four areas cover less than 10% of the total land area in this grouping of neighborhoods. The four representative areas are:
Homeownership rates are high in all four sample areas; ranging from a low of 63% Haddington sample area) to a high of 83% (Cobbs Creek sample area). These rates compare favorably with the citywide homeownership rate of 61%.
These are rowhouse areas that are not deteriorated and are structurally intact. Vacant housing is not a significant problem in any of the four areas, but the beginnings of a problem can be seen. The Carroll Park sample area has more vacancy (19 vacant structures on 25 residential blocks) than the other sample areas. In the other three areas, approximately one vacant rowhouse occurs in every two residential blocks. Other neighborhoods in West Philadelphia have vacancy problems of far greater magnitude. For example, Mantua has nearly 10 vacant lots or buildings for every two residential blocks.
Area-Wide Recommendations
The major component of the recommendations for the area west of 52nd Street is a Neighborhood Conservation Strategy. Conservation efforts seek to preserve housing and residential blocks that are basically healthy. Conservation is recommended because the neighborhoods of Cobbs Creek, Haddington, Carroll Park and Overbrook have reached a crucial stage in their history. The housing, which was built 60 to 90 years ago, is at a point where conditions could remain strong because of careful and supportive action, or conditions could begin to deteriorate rapidly because of the age of the housing or the spread of blight caused by lack of maintenance. At this crucial juncture, the decisions and actions of homeowners, investors, communities and City government will determine which course is taken.
The conservation strategy includes two major types of public intervention: (1) a housing rehabilitation proposal that focuses on the vacant housing stock and responds to the unique characteristics of this area; and (2) intensified marketing of housing rehabilitation programs to the owner occupants of the occupied housing stock. Additionally, the conservation strategy calls for "site improvements" such as street resurfacing, new curbs and sidewalks, and installation of street trees and lighting, and the rehabilitation of rental housing in the area west of 52nd Street. The strategy requires public subsidies to address the most deteriorated of the vacant housing units, publicly assisted programs to provide assistance to the owners of occupied properties, and publicly supported site improvements. With the strategic use of this type of public intervention, the most serious problems will be addressed, the spread of blight should be arrested, and the confidence of individual owners, buyers, realtors, lenders, and developers should be sufficiently restored to stimulate the participation of all of these private market forces in the revitalization of the area.
In addition to the conservation strategy, a second set of recommendations is presented to address the site-specific issues in each neighborhood. These recommendations pertain to multi-family rehabilitation projects, development guidelines for vacant land sites, and zoning recommendations.
Neighborhood Conservation Strategy
Rehabilitation of vacant single family houses is an essential aspect of conservation and is designed to work in tandem with the private market, which will be relied upon to rehabilitate most of the vacant homes in this area. The City should rehabilitate only the most deteriorated vacant houses-houses that private investors are likely to pass over. Production of "sales" housing (as opposed to rental housing) will be the top priority for publicly-financed rehabilitation because it will contribute to the long-term stability of the area.
Maximizing the use of existing housing programs for the rehabilitation of the occupied housing stock is the other major part of the strategy. The effective marketing of existing City housing programs is especially important to the future well-being of the neighborhoods west of 52nd Street. Homeownership is the underlying strength of these neighborhoods, and the City has an array of programs designed to reduce the cost of repairs and improvements to owner-occupied housing. It is recommended that City agencies and community groups join in a concerted marketing effort to increase participation in the various programs. The City's housing preservation programs have the potential to stimulate investment by large numbers of homeowners in the area West of 52nd Street, and this kind of investment should accompany the rehabilitation of vacant housing in the area.
Vacant House Rehabilitation
This is an area of the city where the private market is operating. In the neighborhoods West of 52nd Street, working families invest in the homes that they live in and own. The majority of homeowners obtain conventional bank loans to fix porches, replace roofs, remodel kitchens, etc. The housing is maintained and the neighborhoods remain attractive. Most of the homes are in move-in condition. Some of the homes are vacant or poorly maintained, but the reduced cost of these homes allows buyers to improve them before moving in.
A small percentage of the housing is vacant and too deteriorated to be sold through conventional means, and this is where the City's help is needed -- where the cost of rehabilitation greatly exceeds the market value of the finished house. Without intervention by the City, these vacant houses would continually depress the value of surrounding properties. Other property owners may then decide to defer maintenance, resulting in neighborhood disinvestment on a wider scale.
Using public monies to rehabilitate these problem properties will meet an important neighborhood need that is not being met by the private market. It will increase the confidence of existing homeowners as well as developers and lenders, and is recommended as the key element of a public intervention strategy for the stable residential areas west of 52nd Street.
Some of the vacant "problem properties" should be demolished because of severe structural damage, but demolition should be the exception rather than the rule. Most of the residential blocks west of 52nd Street are structurally intact, and preservation of the housing is recommended. Preservation is an essential part of the Housing Conservation Strategy.
Production Target: At a minimum, thirty vacant houses should be rehabilitated and sold each year, over a sustained time period, in the neighborhoods West of 52nd Street.
Locational Guidelines: The vacant housing that is chosen for rehabilitation should be the most deteriorated units in the neighborhood and should be clustered wherever possible, in order to maximize the visibility and impact of the investment. The blocks that are selected should not be blighted by vacant lots, unless the vacant lots are also to be treated under a complementary program. Community groups should participate in the selection of houses and blocks for this vacant house rehabilitation program.
Programmatic Recommendations: The Homestart Program or a similar rehab-for-sale program should be utilized. City costs for acquisition and construction are approximately $70,000 per house under this program. The net cost to the City is roughly 25% less, however, because the proceeds from the sale of the house to owner occupants repays a portion of this development cost.
Other vacant house rehabilitation programs that are designed for owner-occupants should also be utilized. City-supported "Homeowner Equity Programs" provide grants and low-interest financing to owners who make a significant financial or sweat-equity contribution to the rehabilitation of a house. These projects are usually less costly to the City than Homestart projects. Existing Homeowner Equity Programs include OHCD Homeowner Repairs, and the Philadelphia Rehabilitation Plan, and Philadelphia Neighborhood Enterprise.
In this section of West Philadelphia, the production of sales housing should be encouraged through all means available to the City. City housing funds earmarked for "Neighborhood-Based Homeownership"should be made available to qualified Community Development Corporations that are operating west of 52nd Street. Community-based developers are also encouraged to work with the City to develop proposals to HUD for funding under the Nehemiah program. This federal program, which also requires financial support from the City, is currently being used in North Philadelphia. The Nehemiah program produces homeownership opportunities for low and moderate income households, and can be used for rehabilitation as well as new construction.
Housing Preservation
Aggressive marketing of housing programs for the existing occupied housing stock is recommended in order to increase housing maintenance and prevent deterioration. The following programs, which are described in the City's annual Community Development Plan, would be involved in this effort.
Programs for Preservation of Existing Owner-Occupied Housing
Action Loans are especially needed in the neighborhoods West of 52nd Street. This program uses conventional banks, with administrative support from the City, to issue home improvement loans at below-market rates to make major repairs affordable to more families. This is a relatively low-cost program for the City because it represents a partnership with the private sector. Homeowner participation in the program should be maximized throughout the neighborhoods of Cobbs Creek, Haddington, Carroll Park and Overbrook. The Overbrook neighborhood currently participates in a similar loan program through Philadelphia Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc., a non-profit organization that is active in selected neighborhoods that have high rates of homeownership. PNHS receives some of its funding from the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD).
The SHARP program and other programs aimed at the elderly are also critically needed in the area west of 52nd Street. The aggressive marketing effort should promote City-administered programs as well as private and non-profit services aimed at elderly homeowners, because 37% of all households in owner-occupied homes west of 52nd Street contain at least one person who is 65 years of age or older. The programs that are available include SHARP, the Property Tax/Rent Rebate Program, In-Home Care, and the Reverse Annuity Program. Another program, Adaptive Modifications, provides grants for major modifications needed by homeowners who are physically disabled. These various programs are now publicized through local senior centers, and the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging publishes an excellent guide describing programs for senior citizens in Philadelphia. However, a grass-roots network is needed to reach the elderly population west of 52nd Street. The community should build upon its network of block captains to create a referral network to link the elderly and social services. It is recommended that community leaders should develop a series of workshops with the help of the Philadelphia Corporation for Aging. The workshops would introduce block captains to the range of services available for the elderly in Philadelphia and address the special problems of the frail and disabled elderly.
Site Improvements
"Site improvements" is a program that uses City capital funds to reconstruct curbs and sidewalks and resurface streets. New street trees and lighting are also installed in some cases. Site improvements beautify the public streetscape and are an important ingredient in neighborhood revitalization. In the neighborhoods West of 52nd Street, site improvements are recommended in areas where housing is being improved or rehabilitated in a concentrated manner.
Improvements to Rental Housing
Although homeownership is emphasized in this Housing Conservation Strategy, improvements to the existing rental housing stock will also contribute to the strengthening of this grouping of neighborhoods. At the present time, significant private investment is being directed towards the rehabilitation of rental property in these neighborhoods. Most of this rental rehabilitation activity uses federal Low Income Tax Credits as a key incentive, but several other rental housing programs are available through the Office of Housing and Community Development.
OHCD'S Rental Housing Programs
There are several vacant apartment buildings and vacant school buildings that are eyesores in the neighborhoods west of 52nd Street. If no way can be found to rehabilitate these buildings, they should be demolished. Although few in number, there are also vacant sites in these neighborhoods where new construction of rental housing would be beneficial. Specific opportunities for rental rehabilitation and new construction are described later in this chapter as part of the site-specific recommendations.
The Need for an Effective Partnership
As the City increases its commitment to the neighborhoods west of 52nd Street, it should take a leadership role in securing the participation of other investors and partners. For-profit developers, non-profit developers, realtors, lenders, community development corporations and community groups must join with City government in pursuit of a common goal: the goal of preventing deterioration in West Philadelphia's stable, middle class communities.
The program concept of Philadelphia Neighborhood Housing Services, Inc., which already has a presence in one neighborhood in this section of West Philadelphia, provides a model for the kind of partnership that is needed here on a wider basis. PNHS is a non-profit organization that brings together the resources of the banking community, the City, charitable foundations and the community to revitalize neighborhoods. At a policy level, PNHS represents a special commitment by organizations that fund community development activities. At the neighborhood level, PNHS is volunteers who call and visit their neighbors to promote participation in the various housing programs. Action at both levels is needed. The importance of community volunteers, who disseminate information to all homeowners, cannot be underestimated.
This model needs to be applied on a broader scale. Leadership is essential if the partnership is to be established on a continuing basis. The Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) should lead the effort on behalf of the City, and utilize its contacts and resources in the banking community to extend this kind of program to more neighborhoods.
Other Area-Wide Recommendations
The 5800 through 6200 blocks of the Market Street corridor should be redeveloped. This recommendation affects two neighborhoods: Cobbs Creek and Haddington. Many buildings are in advanced stages of deterioration and should be demolished. A variety of new land uses are possible. New parking lots would be used by the 60th Street shoppers and by "park-and-ride" commuters who use the El. On-site attendants are needed for parking lots. New retail stores with off-street parking will be appropriate on some blocks. Landscaped gardens or sitting areas can be developed on other blocks, but community organizations will have to maintain these facilities.
Another recommendation that pertains to several neighborhoods is the proposed zoning policy for 63rd Street. The Planning Commsion is concerned that too many of the large and attractive homes along 63rd Street have been allowed to change from residential use to office, social service and multi-family uses. This long-established trend is contributing to physical deterioration along the corridor. The Planning Commission will not support future use variances for existing buildings along 63rd Street. See "Corridors in Decline," page 125, for additional information about Market Street, 63rd Street and other corridors in West Philadelphia.
A pedestrian and bicycle path is recommended for Cobbs Creek Park to serve the residents of the neighborhoods that border on the park.
The Cobbs Creek neighborhood is a densely developed rowhouse neighborhood that also contains retail districts along 52nd Street and 60th Street. During the late 1970's, this neighborhood was the recipient of Community Development - funded programs as one of a number of "Conservation Areas". The conservation areas were stable residential districts that received funding for housing rehabilitation, loans and grants to homeowners and financial support for community and social service organizations.
Because most of Cobbs Creek's physical problems are concentrated along the major highway corridors, there are recommendations in Part Four: "Corridors in Decline" that pertain to this neighborhood. Other recommendations under "Shopping in West Philadelphia," page 86, affect the shopping districts that are located in the Cobbs Creek neighborhood.
Local residents, working closely with the Fairmount Park Commission, are actively involved in caring for Cobbs Creek Park. The community initiated a project that will convert an unused park building into an environmental education center, while another community-based organization is seeking funds to renew an existing running track. These kinds of initiatives will improve utilization and security in the park, as will the multi-use recreation trail that is recommended in this Plan.
A community group in Cobbs Creek has identified shopping as a critical neighborhood need. Community group members want to do more of their shopping locally. They want modern retail stores, preferably a large shopping center, to open within the neighborhood. The Planning Commission understands the need for attractive shopping facilities in Cobbs Creek, but sites for a full-sized shopping center are not available in this densely developed section of West Philadelphia, and creating an adequate site through redevelopment would be highly disruptive to existing property owners and residents. In response to the community's ideas, a series of smaller-scale retail improvements is recommended in this Plan. Taken together, these actions will significantly improve shopping opportunities in the neighborhood:
Haddington is bounded by Market Street, 52nd Street, Girard Avenue and 63rd Streets. The Haddington Leadership Organization is one of West Philadelphia's strongest community groups, partly because of its long-time involvement with the Haddington Urban Renewal Area. Many row homes were rehabilitated during the 1960's and the early 1970's as part of the renewal initiative, but the most striking impact of Haddington's urban renewal effort is the significant amount of new construction that has taken place in the center of the community near the crossroads of Vine, Vogdes, and 56th Streets. This impressive collection of modern housing and community facilities is referred to as the "Haddington Town Center" in this plan.
As shown on the accompanying map, the Town Center includes a modern shopping center, a City recreation center, a branch of the Free Library, a modern elementary school, three modern mid-rise housing complexes, a day care and recreation center operated by the Salvation Army, and two public housing complexes. Approximately 600 new housing units have been built here since 1959, and more than half of these units have been constructed since 1980. The Town Center demonstrates how urban renewal can revitalize a neighborhood, and most of the recommendations for Haddington are aimed at solidifying the Town Center.
Summary of Recommendations: Haddington
The Carroll Park neighborhood, bordered by Girard, 52nd, Lansdowne and 63rd Streets, derives its name from City-owned parkland located at the northeast corner of 59th Street and Girard Avenue. The neighborhood's total population is approximately 13,000. It is a row house neighborhood where income and poverty statistics are very similar to those for the city as a whole. Two of the neighborhood's boundary streets, Lansdowne Avenue and 52nd Street, provide retail commercial services for the local population, while other sections of Lansdowne Avenue and 52nd Street are deteriorated. A large food store exists in the neighborhood, on 61st Street just south of Lansdowne Avenue. Carroll Park was another of Philadelphia's "Conservation Areas" during the late 1970's.
Summary of Recommendations: Carroll Park
The Overbrook neighborhood has two different sections that are separated by the major north-south street in the area (63rd Street). The section located to the east of 63rd Street houses a predominantly Black population, while the area to the west is predominantly Caucasian. Both sections are predominantly row house areas, but there are also blocks of twin homes in both sections.
Overbrook east of 63rd Street extends from Lancaster Avenue on the north to Lansdowne Avenue on the south. A section of Lansdowne Avenue is the primary shopping district for area residents. Overbrook High School and Tustin Playground are large public facilities located on Lancaster Avenue. The extreme eastern portion of the neighborhood, between 54th and 56th Streets, is the oldest and most deteriorated section of Overbrook. Household income levels are lower here than in the remainder of the neighborhood. Baker Playground and the Heston Elementary School are located near 54th Street.
A neighborhood improvement program sponsored by Philadelphia Neighborhood Housing Services (PNHS) is currently operating east of 63rd Street. PNHS is a private, non-profit corporation which has established a partnership with local lenders, the City, the William Penn Foundation and neighborhood residents. The objective of PHNS is to stimulate home improvement projects by providing low-interest loans, grants, materials, and technical assistance to homeowners. This includes specialized services for porch repair, the repair of steps and sidewalks, tree removal and tree planting. Rehabilitation of vacant housing and vacant lot treatment are other services that are offered by PNHS.
Overbrook west of 63rd Street is a neighborhood located south of Malvern Avenue and east of Morris Park (Morris Park is a part of the Fairmount Park system). The neighborhood's shopping area is part of a mixed-use district along Haverford Avenue. Two neighborhood landmarks are located adjacent to the park: the Francis X. Cabrini Retirement/Nursing Home and the St. Callistus Roman Catholic Church and School. In this section of Overbrook, the 1991 median sales price for single family homes was $43,575 and $48,000 for the two census tracts in the neighborhood. These property values are significantly higher than the values found in any other census tract in the neighborhoods West of 52nd Street.
The 1990 Census shows that this section of Overbrook has an unusually high percentage of elderly residents. The percentages are 28.75% and 23.33% for the two census tracts in Overbrook west of 63rd Street, while the corresponding figure for West Philadelphia as a whole is only 15.3%.
Summary of Recommendations: Overbrook
Map Legend --
Sites for Residential-Related Development:
(A) 5449-53 Lansdowne Avenue
(B) 5515-25 Lansdowne Avenue
(C) NE corner 55th & Hunter Streets
(D) 1600 block N. 54th Street: redevelopment of vacant lots and houses.
The immediate surroundings of Baker Playground at 5441 Lansdowne Avenue contain many vacant lots and vacant buildings, along with three community landmarks: the playground, the Resurrection Baptist Church, and the Heston School. Residential-related development, including open space that is maintained by the community, is recommended for the vacant parcels identified on the map below. One of the sites, parcel "C" at 55th & Hunter Streets, is seen by the neighborhood group as an ideal location for a community center. The Planning Commission agrees that a community center is an appropriate use, but City funding is not available at the present time for implementation.
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