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New Year Brings New Plans For North Broad Street


  First anniversaries are a time of great reflection and planning, and the first anniversary of the North Broad Renaissance (NBR), a revival effort for North Broad Street, was met with the expected reminiscing while also planning for the future.

   NBR released its report, “The State of North Broad 2016”, on December 15th at a presentation for approximately 200 of the organization’s supporters at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

   A celebration as much as it was a release party, all who entered the hall were greeted like celebrities, with cheers and applause from two dozen volunteers in orange North Broad Renaissance T-shirts.

   Shalimar Thomas, NBR’s executive director, said City Council President and Ninth District Councilman Darrell Clarke helped get the organization started out in order to facilitate development within the North Broad corridor and to make sure that the surrounding community were well aware of planned improvements and initiatives.Copy of IMG_8713

   According to NBR’s website, the organization is a Pennsylvania non-profit incorporated exclusively for the charitable and educational purposes. NBR’s focus is to revitalize real estate, create opportunities, and improve the economic power and overall quality of life along North Broad Street from City Hall to Germantown Avenue.

   Right now, Thomas said, NBR’s main efforts are marketing the ideas to those affected by the plan and gathering and responding to feedback with the communities affected by the project.

   The 27-page report, which will also serve as NBR’s five-year strategic plan for 2020, details current status and plans for the corridor in four areas of strategic focus: cleanliness and safety, maintenance and landscaping, marketing and communications and economic development. They paint a picture of the strip that holds promise and highlights current and proposed developments and initiatives that point to an even brighter future.

   Possible developments include adaptations of historic properties to modern uses with the double benefit of decreasing the number of abandoned buildings while conserving neighborhood resources.

   Notable examples are the recent renovations of the Divine Lorraine Hotel, located at the intersection of Fairmount and Ridge Avenues, and the Mumford Building, just south and across the street from the Divine Lorraine at the corner of Broad and Wallace Streets.

   Another development, a 17-story, 180-unit apartment building, has been proposed near the Freedom Theater, just south of Master Street. North of Erie Avenue, a proposed renovation of the Beury Building will include seven floors of senior housing and four floors of non-profit office space.Copy of NorthBroadCoverImage

   Kenneth Scott, Chairman of NBR’s board of directors, said the path  to North Broad Street’s rebirth will not only to bringing new development to the area, but will also preserve and highlight the good that is already there as well as bringing them together. While new commercial growth is vital, the old theaters and concert halls that once drew people to the corridor can also bring in new people.

   “North Broad is about business, but it is also about entertainment,” Scott said.

   Addressing the group, Councilman Clarke lamented that people talk about North Broad Street in negative terms.

   “They don’t know the real history of North Broad,” he said. “It was a happening place.” He pointed to bygone North Broad attractions such as the Blue Horizon boxing venue at Master Street and the Uptown Theater near Dauphin Street. “We’re gonna be strong, we’re gonna be vigilant and make sure Broad Street comes back.”

   “We have a long way to go,” he also cautioned. “We have challenges, we have work to do… North Broad will look like what it was back in the day.”

   Clarke said public monies would become available for NBR’s efforts. “The reality is the Avenue of the Arts [and new development in West Philadelphia] didn’t happen without a lot of support,” he explained. “It was organization that pulled it all together.”

   Clarke stated that the city would help with start-up money to make sure the project gets off the ground. “I look forward to working with you to take this to the next level,” Clarke said. “I am excited about…the level of commitment and participation I’m seeing here tonight.”

   But the evening was about more than reflection and planning. Donations were both accepted and pledged to help NBR reach their goal of raising $7.5 million by 2020. Doug Smith of Verizon presented a check from the company for $10,000.Verizon Check-NorthBroadRenaissance2016 (1)

   “We’re very thrilled to be a sponsor,” Smith said. “We look forward to partnering with you this year, next year and [beyond]. We can create a cleaner, safer North Broad Street.”

   Shalimar Thomas asked those in attendance to text a pledge amount on their cell phones to a number she provided. Their responses were received by a computer in the room and were nearly immediately projected on a screen. A graphic resembling fluid rising in a thermometer’s tube crept up steadily as pledges came in. At the end of the night, $1,450 had been pledged.

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