CENTER CITY RESIDENTST ASSOCIATION

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CENTER CITY RESIDENTST ASSOCIATION

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• Langue: Français
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center city reSiDentS’ ASSOciAtiOn

Table of Contents CCRA Annual Meeting ........................................1,2 New Officers & Board Members .....................2,5 President's Report .................................................3,4 Neighbor-to-Neighbor in Home Support .... 7 Center City Forum Honors Judith Eden ......7,8 Avi Eden Appointed to DE River Corp. ............ 8 The Hot and Heavy Chili Challenge ................. 8 Community Gardeners Annual Meeting ....... 9 Police Advisory Council .......................................11 The Garden at Fitler Square ........................ 11,12 My Road to the Garden at Fitler Square .......12 Greater Phila. Cultural Alliance .................. 13,14 Stacking the Deck in Districting ......................14 Serious Swank at the Drake ........................ 15,17 Culinary School at the Art Institute ................17 Rittenhouse Hardware .........................................19

The Welcome Center..............................................20 Greening at Greenfield School .................. 21,23 Creating the Region's First Green Transportation Corridor................................ 23,24 The Vidocq Society ................................................24 Moving Up to Bike Share ....................................25 Zoning Committee Report.................................27

center city reSiDentS’ ASSOciAtiOn

1616 Walnut Street, Suite 705 Philadelphia, PA 19103 [phone] [e-mail] www.centercityresidents.org

June 2009

CCRA Holds Annual Meeting By Fran Levi On Tuesday, May 5, 2009 the Center to economic City Residents’ Association (CCRA) held conditions. its annual meeting in the Philopatrian Society’s grand historic building at 1923 In recognition Walnut Street. The meeting, chaired by of her successful Samuel Weinberg, a past CCRA president, term as CCRA provided a venue for members to meet President, Jeffrey and renew friendships, elect new officersBraff, CCRA and board members, receive an update Vice President, on the organization’s activities and on behalf of Jurate Krokys (l) receiving accomplishments and hear a guest speaker the organization Historic Preservation Award discuss issues relevant to the neighborhood presented Vivian from Monika Burke (r). and the whole city. Seltzer with an engraved glass bowl.

Outgoing CCRA President Vivian Seltzer; Jeffrey Braff (c) and Samuel Weinberg presenting CCRA's gift to her. After welcoming the audience Weinberg introduced outgoing CCRA President Vivian Seltzer, who reviewed what had transpired during her term, 2007 – 2009. She noted such successes as the proposed changes to the soon to be rebuilt South Street Bridge, revised plans for the pedestrian bridge over the CSX tracks and the opening of Independence Charter School in the old Durham School. She informed the audience that several proposed major developments have either been put on hold or canceled due

Thomas J. Reilly, Jr., immediate Past President and Nominating Committee Chair, presented the slate of nominees for officers and directors. Their names and biographical information are on pages two and five of this newsletter. After each nominee was introduced, Stanley Krakower, Esq., Legal Counsel for CCRA, called for nominations from the floor. As there were none all nominees were elected. Monika Burke presented the Bobbye Burke Historic Preservation Award, named in memory of her mother, the first president of CCRA and an early advocate for preserving the historic nature of our neighborhood. The award was given to the Independence Charter School, located in the former Durham School at 16th and Lombard Streets. The school’s original 1909 building is connected to a modern, new addition. The award, a framed sketch of the school by Rachel Simmons Schade, AIA, was accepted by Jurate Krokys, Independence Charter School’s Chief Executive Officer. Ms. Krokys thanked CCRA for award. Continue on page 2

CCRA Holds Annual Meeting cont.

(Left to right) Kristin Nocco, Independence Charter Board Member and Parent, Stephanie Kindt and Robin Kohles, Independence Charter Parents, Monika Burke, Jurate Krokys, Vivian Seltzer and Cara Carroccia, Independence Charter Parent. She said that through the efforts of her staff and through parental support for the school’s programs, Independence Charter School has received national recognition as the 2008 Elementary School/Middle School Category winner of The Goldman Sachs Foundation Prize for Excellence in International Education.

Vivian Seltzer, current CCRA President, presented to John Gallery, Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance, CCRA’s Community Service Award. Gallery, who holds both his undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture from Harvard University, moved to Philadelphia

in the mid-1960’s to work at the City Planning Commission for four years with the venerable city planner Edmund Bacon. In 2002 Gallery became the Executive Director of the Preservation Alliance. In thanking CCRA for the award he stated that he was especially appreciative of the fact that the meeting was held in a building with historic significance, that the organization presenting the award had improved the quality of its neighborhood and that the staff of the Preservation Alliance has worked hard to accomplish much of what it had set out to do. Alan Greenberger, Executive Director of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, was the evening’s guest speaker. A native of New York City and a graduate of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute School of Architecture, Greenberger moved to Philadelphia in 1974. Mayor Michael Nutter appointed Greenberger to the nine-member Philadelphia City Planning Commission in early 2008. Later that year he was appointed Executive Director of the Commission’s 49-member staff, and as the

Executive Director he also serves as the chair of the Philadelphia Zoning Code Commission. Greenberger’s topic was Planning for the Future of Center City. He called attention to the vibrant Center City area which has grown to over 90,000 residents, with nearby neighborhoods now “self identifying” with it. In addition to being the city with the third largest downtown residential area, Philadelphia suffers from the third highest poverty rate of all American cities. In order to encourage development in Center City and in all of Philadelphia, Greenberger believes that it is important to reduce the cost of development while increasing the financial return for development. He emphasized that it is important to balance preservation with growth. Following a brief question and answer period, Weinberg called for the meeting’s adjournment and invited the audience to meet, mix, mingle and enjoy refreshments provided courtesy of Marathon Grill Catering.

CCRA Elects New Officers and Board Members At the Center City Residents' Association Gutman, Vice PresidentDeWitt Brown, Vice President Neil Annual Meeting on May 5th the members Brown, an attorney, lives with his wife, Gutman and his wife, Vivian Golden, have elected the following directors and officers:Allison, near Fitler Square. A CCRA board Center City residents for more than been member for two years, he has successfully 20 years. Recently he has been actively Adam Schneider, Esq., President involvedserved as the "Chili Chairman" of CCRA's with CCRA. Before retiring he Schneider is Senior Vice President for Land annual community supper and last year was Director of Career Development at Services USA, Inc. Previously, Schneider restarted CCRA's annual Halloween Temple University. was an associate with Blank Rome LLP. Treat Trail. Brown is active in the South He served as Chairman of the Zoning Square Town Watch and is chairman ofMarjorie Tether Arendt, Secretary Committee for CCRA. Schneider received the Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter Arendt, a licensed architect practicing with his J.D. from Temple University School of of Americans for Democratic Action, for Richard Conway Meyer Architect in Center Law, an M.S. in Historic Preservation from which he organized two recent forums, a City, has lived and worked in Philadelphia the University of Pennsylvania and a B.S. debate among the candidates for District for 12 years. She has taught for Archi- from Carnegie Mellon University. Attorney and a forum on the issue of tecture in Education and volunteered her legislative redistricting. design services for both the Charter High Charles Robin, Executive Vice PresidentSchool for Architecture and Design and the Robin is a third generation Center CityKate Federico, Vice PresidentCommunity Design Collaborative. Arendt realtor whose family real estate company As a resident of Rittenhouse Square for has served as a guest critic and has been located at 20th & Chestnut Streets over thirty years, Federico has established juror at many of the area architecture since 1937. Previously he served as the a successful career in residential real estate. schools, including Drexel, Lehigh, Secretary and the Treasurer of CCRA She is a longtime CCRA board member and Philadelphia and Temple Universities. and on numerous committees including serves as co-chair of CCRA's Fall House the Zoning Committee, task forces and as Tour Committee. She participates regularlyVirginia K. Nalencz, Assistant Secretary the Ninth Police District and Homeless in several other neighborhood organizations Nalencz, CCRA Newsletter copy editor and Liaison. Robin is married and has and activities such as Rit/Fit Town Watch proofreader, is a journalist and teacher, two children. and the Annual Rittenhouse Flower Market. Continue on page 5

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June 2009