Vital Neighborhoods Initiative

Revitalizing Philadelphia Neighborhoods One Block at a Time
The Vital Neighborhoods Initiative intends to strengthen “middle-market” neighborhoods one block at time.  These are neighborhoods that have strengths but could benefit from additional targeted reinvestment to maintain continued positive growth and promote their unique history.  The focus of the Initiative is to build on the existing strengths of the neighborhood and promote a unique sense of place.

The program intends to achieve these objectives through investments in the public environment and support for activities to highlight neighborhoods for potential home buyers.

Program goals include:

• Encouraging home improvements and exterior upgrading by current residents.
• Attracting new buyers and promoting home ownership in the neighborhood.
• Marketing changes to current and potential home owners to stimulate further positive investment in the neighborhood.
• Expanding neighborhood pride and neighborliness through involvement of residents in neighborhood projects and events.

Grant Opportunities
The Vital Neighborhoods Initiative will offer three grant opportunities to eligible neighborhoods:

Small Grants (up to $5,000)  Intended to carry out a project that will enhance the public environment or the marketability of residential properties in a neighborhood.  Projects can make a visible improvement to the public environment of a residential block, or have a marketing focus, which can include such activities as a neighborhood website, a neighborhood brochure or an historic preservation project or survey.

Large Grants (up to $30,000) Intended to carry out a project that will improve the public environment of a residential block in a target area of the neighborhood.  Work should concentrate on one block in a target area that is related to the strongest section of the neighborhood.  This may include façade improvements, street-scaping or improvements on private property that contribute to the public environment.

Service Grants ($15,000-$20,000 in technical services provided by The Community Design Collaborative)  The Alliance has partnered with the Community Design Collaborative to offer early design assistance to meet the specific needs of the nonprofit organization and result in tangible, visual documents that can be presented to stakeholders and funders. Services are donated by teams of volunteer design professionals that may include architects, landscape architects, preservationists, interior designers, urban planners, engineers or cost estimators.  These projects should also focus on a specific block or target area of a neighborhood or on single historic structure.

Click here to download the 2012 Request for Proposals which contains all grant guidelines and criteria.


2011-12 Eligible Vital Neighborhoods
Belmont Village, West Philadelphia
Cedar Park, West Philadelphia
Fairmount, North Philadelphia
Fishtown, North Philadelphia
Holmesburg, Northeast Philadelphia
Penn Knox, Germantown
Pomona Cherokee, Germantown
Powelton Village, West Philadelphia
Roxborough, Northwest Philadelphia
Saunders Park, West Philadelphia
Tacony, Northeast Philadelphia
Tulpehocken, Germantown
Walnut Hill, West Philadelphia
West Powelton, West Philadelphia
Wynnefield, West Philadelphia
Yorktown, North Philadelphia



Criteria for Neighborhood Selection
The Alliance used three criteria to determine eligible neighborhoods for funding: 1) Baseline information provided by The Reinvestment Fund that mapped median residential sales prices, median income and percentages of vacancy; 2) Neighborhoods that are listed on The National Register of Historic Places or that are eligible for listing; and 3) Neighborhoods that are Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) eligible.

If you are interested in the Vital Neighborhoods Initiative and  feel that your neighborhood meets at least two of the above criteria, please contact Amy McCollum at amy@preservationalliance.com or 215-546-1146 x8.


2011 VITAL NEIGHBORHOODS INITIATIVE PROJECTS

$5,000 Grants awarded in 2010-11

Belmont Village: The Belmont Village Community Association created a neighborhood website which features the history and current activities of the neighborhood.

Cedar Park: The Cedar Park Neighbors recorded eight oral history stories during the Cedar Park Centennial. 

Holmesburg: The Holmesburg Civic Association installed 20 community banners that say “Holmesburg: Alive with History” along Rhawn Street and Welsh Road, two of the most highly traveled streets in the neighborhood. 

Powelton Village & Saunders Park: The Peoples Emergency Center conducted architectural walking tours and neighborhood marketing in conjunction with the Fifth Annual Lancaster Ave Jazz and Arts Community Festival.

Powelton Village: The Powelton Village Civic Association created a brochure that promotes the virtues of homeownership in Powelton Village and hosted a House Tour to showcase the neighborhood.
 
Tacony: The Historical Society of Tacony installed house plaques displaying the date the home was built, the builder or first occupant and that it is located within the Historic Disston Estate.

Walnut Hill: The Walnut Hill Community Association installed community-designed neighborhood identity banners at prominent street corners and historical sites. 

Also in Walnut Hill, Rebuild Together Philadelphia leveraged funding towards the Walnut Hill Block Build to rehabilitated front porches and façades within the neighborhood.

Wynnefield: The Wynnefield Residents Association installed light pole banners to promote community and civic pride to residents and visitors and established an oral history project to preserve community history of long time residents.  


$30,000 Grants awarded in 2010-11

Fairmount: The Fairmount CDC  implemented residential block-scape improvement on the 900 block of N. 26th Street in the Poplar Girard section of Fairmount.  Improvements concentrated on the existing built infrastructure, including steps and retaining walls, and exterior improvements such as street trees, solar powered light posts, house numbers and landscaping improvements.

Walnut Hill: The Walnut Hill Community Association  improved public spaces through the development of two community gardens on vacant lots between 49th and 50th on Chancellor Street.

Yorktown: The Yorktown CDC  upgraded the largest of their public courtyards located within the neighborhood.  Improvements included, tree pruning, concrete removal, greening, landscaping and the installation of benches.  The "Yorktown Rock" that previously contained a historical marker identifying the community will be replaced. 



Service Grants with the Community Design Collaborative

Fairmount: The Bache Martin Home and School Association created a conceptual design for improvements to the school’s exterior spaces, including entrances, sidewalks, crossings, and
play areas. The project will focused on integrating the school’s exterior with the surrounding neighborhood.

In Progress

Powelton Village and Saunders Park: The Peoples Emergency Center is making improvements on the 300, 400 & 500 blocks of N. 40th Street.  Improvements include planting trees and an art installation by a local artist.

Powelton Village: The Powelton Village Civic Association & Friends and Alumni of Powel Home and School are developing a conceptual design for the greening of the Powel Elementary School schoolyard which serves as a resource for the entire community.

Belmont Village: The Belmont Village Community Association is creating a neighborhood gateway design with signage along the 4500 block of Conshohocken Avenue, a key entry point to the neighborhood.

About the Vital Neighborhood Initiative
The Vital Neighborhoods Initiative is modeled after the very successful Healthy Neighborhoods Program in Baltimore, MD.  In March of 2010, the Office of Housing and Community Development (OHCD) and NeighborhoodsNow selected the Preservation Alliance to continue the Vital Neighborhoods Initiative begun by NeighborhoodsNow with support from OHCD. The Alliance is grateful to the board of directors of NeighborhoodsNow for establishing this program and for bringing the Healthy Neighborhoods concept to Philadelphia.

Click here to download the NeighborhoodsNow report Protecting Philadelphia’s Backbone: A Strategy for Vital Neighborhoods, by Paul Brophy and Thomas Burns (1.4 MB).

For more information: amy@preservationalliance.com.

Return to Top | Return Home