PHILADELPHIA - Newly
moved-in residents helped the Philadelphia Housing Authority
celebrate its latest neighborhood-changing, mixed-income community
at a festive ribbon-cutting event in North Philadelphia.
Ludlow Homes includes 192 homes, almost evenly divided between
low-income rentals and moderate-income homes for sale.
"Ludlow Homes represents exactly the kind
of project the public has come to expect from PHA. We have replaced
a community of vacant lots and deteriorating housing with modern,
safe, energy efficient homes," said PHA Executive Director Carl
Greene.
Unlike traditional PHA sites where all the
housing is located on one large plot, Ludlow Homes is scattered
throughout a 22 square block area of the Ludlow neighborhood, just
south of Temple University.
"A lot of people in North Philadelphia
years ago were encouraged t leave this area, but they stayed, and
it was important that they stayed because now they have the
benefits of the new development that the housing authority is
bringing to the table," said City Councilman Darrell
Clarke.
Demand has been extremely high for both
rentals and homeownership. The rentals are all leased, with
families now moving in, and the homes for sale are almost all
sold.
A family can earn no more than $57,000 a
year to qualify to buy a home at Ludlow. Maximum income for a
rental home is $36,000, but most families earn far
less.
"This a great thing PHA is doing for the
community. I have a one-year old boy and this could not come at a
better time for me and my family," said Tia McCall, a mother of two
who had just moved into her new three-bedroom home at
Ludlow.
Ludlow Homes is the latest example of PHA
using a combination of public and private funds for community
construction. MMA Financial is the private investor in this case.
Approximately 50% of the funding comes from private investors
through the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program.
The new site also represents PHA's
commitment to the disabled community. More than 20% of the rental
homes are wheelchair accessible. The federal requirement is five
percent. These new homes add to PHA's accessible inventory and
complement an agreement between PHA and Liberty Resources to move
100 disabled adults from nursing homes into their own private homes
with the use of PHA housing choice vouchers.
Philadelphia Police statistics show that
crime plummets when PHA rebuilds a community, a sentiment reflected
in comments from Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham, "I
am here to celebrate this next crime-free neighborhood because
that's what it's all about.
Homeownership and real interest in the community makes crime go
way down."
Previous studies by Econsult and Applied
Real Estate Analysis also show that when PHA builds a new
community, values of the properties near the PHA site rise
significantly faster than city values overall. There are already
signs of that happening in Ludlow as private investors have begun
buying land and building market rate housing.
All of the Ludlow homes include an off
street parking pad or garage. All have a private rear yard. They
also feature central air and carpeting.
Ludlow Homes is bounded by Girard Avenue
on the south, Montgomery Avenue on the north, 6th Street on the
east, and 8th Street on the west.
Construction on the development started in
March 2007; the final homes for sale will be completed by the end
of the year.
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PHA Executive Director Carl Greene (center) leads officials in
ribbon cutting ceremonies at Ludlow Homes. Also pictured are Commr.
Nellie Reynolds (left), Chairman John Street, and City Council
Members Darrell Clarke and Maria Quinones-Sanchez. |
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"This a great thing PHA is doing for the community. I have a
one-year old boy and this could not come at a better time for me
and my family," said Tia McCall, a mother of two who had just moved
into her new three-bedroom home at Ludlow. |
 |
"Ludlow Homes represents exactly the kind of project the public
has come to expect from PHA. We have replaced a community of vacant
lots and deteriorating housing with modern, safe, energy efficient
homes," said PHA Executive Director Carl Greene. |
 |
These rental units located near 7th & Oxford are part of PHA's
scattered redevelopment of a 22-square block area in the Ludlow
neighborhood of North Philadelphia, which is already drawing
private investment to the area. |
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