http://www.upenn.edu/almanac/volumes...do_commit.html

From the Almanac:

Campus Development Planning Committee

In anticipation of the acquisition of the postal lands and properties in 2007, I have formed the Campus Development Planning Committee. The Committee will be chaired by Interim Provost Peter Conn and Executive Vice President Craig Carnaroli. Senior Vice President for Facilities and Real Estate Services Omar Blaik will serve as the Committee’s vice chair. The other members of the Committee will be Deans Gary Hack and Arthur Rubenstein, Senior Vice President and General Counsel Wendy White, Vice President for Finance and Treasurer Scott Douglass, Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations John Zeller, and Vice President and Chief of Staff Joann Mitchell. I will meet with the Committee as often as possible and as needed.

The Committee’s charge is to:

• Articulate a long-term vision for the development of the campus consonant with the Penn Compact;

• Recommend optimal uses for various sites on the acquired parcels, taking into consideration financial models and/or fundraising opportunities for each project that it recommends;

• Develop well-structured plans for the development of the campus that take account of the University’s highest priorities; and

• Outline a feasible timetable and process for overseeing the implementation of its recommendations that is integrated with the capital planning process.

To ensure that the planning process is broadly consultative, regular reports will be provided to the University Council and other existing deliberative bodies to solicit ideas and obtain feedback throughout the planning process. In addition, we will seek opportunities to consult with alumni as well as our neighbors and other important external constituents. An ad hoc advisory group of eight members of the Board of Trustees will advise me and the Committee during the planning process and I will provide regular updates to the Executive Committee and the full Board of Trustees.

The planning process will begin immediately and I have asked that the Committee transmit its final report to me by June 30, 2006. This is an extraordinary opportunity for the entire Penn community, working through the University Council and other deliberative bodies, to develop a shared vision for this great University. I hope you will plan to attend future University Council meetings and other gatherings that will be organized by the Committee to participate in the planning process.

—Amy Gutmann, President

Uh, yeah. See my .sig below for a great quote from Amy Gutmann related to campus planning.

__________________
Cheers,
Jayfar
--
“I am indeed well aware of the history of Conventional (sic) Hall, both globally and locally, and can assure you that we are carefully exploring avenues for its future.” -- Penn President Amy Gutmann 5 days before demolition began.

Thanks for posting this PaulG.

The way your post reads I have to confess I thought for a minute that the G stood for Guttman and your wife Amy was adressing us lowly Pbers from her partner's sign-on. That's not correct, is it?

They don't actually know what they're going to do with the land, do they?

In a word "no".

But they have said theat they want to do some "mixed use" development condos and retail and that they want a Loscust St. Pedestrian Bridge to connect it to Center City. The thrust of the development is about "building the endowment" not expanding the campus.

Chechk these plans
http://www.sasaki.com/what/portfolio.cgi?fid=148

and the thread I got it from
http://phillyblog.com/forum/ftopic1951.html+river+park

It says they want to build a Locust St. bridge... but where would it connect to? Doesn't Locust walk end before the river on the UC side..

Here's an interesting article in the Columbia Spectator about this:

Perspectives on Expansion: Part Two in a Five Part Series on Campus Planning
Penn Builds off Past Developments for Postal Lands Project
By Emily Schwarz
Spectator Senior Staff Writer

March 22, 2005

PHILADELPHIA-- After 30 years of discussion, the University of Pennsylvania acquired 24 acres of land to the east of their campus that was previously owned by the United States Postal Service. Unlike Columbia, Penn’s expansion plans into the “postal lands” do not require the university to relocate any residents or businesses.

Although this current expansion plan is limited to the development of a contiguous, vacant plot of land, in the past, Penn has devoted large amounts of energy and funding to developing the surrounding neighborhood, West Philadelphia.

While the university is proud of the connection they’ve made with the community as a result of the neighborhood development, some members of the community are less enthusiastic. In 2004, after years of development in West Philadelphia, the president of the University of Pennsylvania, Judith Rodin, promised that the university would never expand north or west into the University’s adjacent neighborhoods.

But as the university plans to use the Postal Lands to satisfy its future space needs, there are still some ongoing construction projects in the community immediately surrounding the school and to the West of campus.

Neighborhood Development

Unlike Columbia, Penn began its development in West Philadelphia in response to major problems in the community. Rodin said in a speech given on March 4, 2004, that “crime had increased dramatically from 1983 through 1993. One in five residents lived below the poverty level. Shops and businesses were closing, and pedestrian traffic was vanishing. Middle-class families were leaving, and more houses were falling prey to abandonment and decay.”

“Only one entity had the capacity, the resources, and the political clout to intervene to stabilize the neighborhood quickly and revitalize it within a relatively short time period. And that was Penn,” Rodin said.

According to Anthony Sorrentino, Director of External Relations for Facilities and Real Estate Services, Penn is the largest employer in Philadelphia and has a $3 billion budget, the same as the city. The university plays an important role in the city and was one of the few entities that could take on this development project, he said.

Omar Blaik, the Senior Vice-President of Facilities and Real Estate Services, explained that although many people fled the neighborhood, there was a small group who remained during the late 1980s and early 1990s and worked to develop programs to improve the community. This group asked for “safe streets, clean streets, more people from Penn living in the neighborhood, additional services, and better public education,” said Blaik.

Blaik said he thinks that once Judy Rodin, who grew up in West Philadelphia, became president in 1994, the university began to work with the community to address these concerns.

“The change that happened was that the administration actually listened to the neighborhood. This was an earth-shifting move. The homework had already been done by these community members who toughed it out and knew first hand what the neighborhood needed,” Blaik said.

Responding to residents requests, Penn gave $24 million to build a public elementary school, called the Penn Alexander School, which serves 700 students. The school receives curriculum guidance from the Graduate School of Education, but is under the jurisdiction of the city of Philadelphia. Penn Alexander won the inaugural William T. Grant Foundation Youth Development Prize in March 2003.

Penn increased the number of street lights and hired more university police officers to increase safety. The university also added trees and signage along the sidewalk and streets.

“Having large crowds on the streets has made the neighborhood safer and much more exciting. It’s been a shot in the arm for the local economy. And it’s made University City very attractive to outside private developers,” said Rodin in her speech in March 2004.

In an attempt to bring stability to the community, Penn created a program called the Neighborhood Housing Preservation Fund, in conjunction with Fannie Mae, in which Penn-affiliates receive $15,000 towards the down payment on their mortgage or renovations if they buy a home in West Philadelphia. This program was initiated not only to reduce the high number of rentals in the neighborhood, but also because homeowners are more likely to invest in the community and create a more stable neighborhood.

In order to increase economic development in the community, Penn created several retail strips. They built a large supermarket that is used by residents and university affiliates, along with a movie theater, restaurants and stores, an inn, and parking. The university even bought and transformed a former church into an arts center for the community called “The Rotunda.” Penn also sparked economic development by initiating a “Buy West Philadelphia” program, which according to Sorrentino, has generated millions of dollars in revenue for the area. In this program, the university purchases all of its goods, such as catering services, from local stores.

Penn’s development of West Philadelphia not only aims to serve the neighbors, but also the faculty and community.

“Penn was suffering because we were seen as being in a neighborhood that’s undesirable. We can’t attract the best students and faculty,” said Blaik.

Community Relations

But the picture is not completely rosy.

Reverend Larry Falcon, a member of Neighbors Against McPenntrification, said that Penn “assumes that it can determine the future of 40th Street,” a major site of commercial development. Falcon alleged that the school only brings in big chain stores because they “make the suburban students feel more comfortable.” He said that these chains block local stores and create homogeneity in the community.

Falcon stated that he is not against development per se, but that he is “opposed to the way it’s happening and the fact that people are being displaced. Property values have tripled within the catchment area for the public school, and many low income people will not be included.”

Neighbors Against McPenntrification emerged when Penn was trying to relocate a McDonald’s at 40th and Walnut Streets. Falcon argued that Penn wanted to move the McDonald’s further west because “it welcomed unwelcome people into the Penn community.” He said that Penn planned to move the McDonald’s into a poor neighborhood before pressure from his group and others forced them to change their plains.

Sharrieff Ali, the head of the Spruce Hill Neighborhood Alliance, took a less harsh view of Penn’s expansion than Reverend Falcon. He described Penn’s development as “enlightened self-interest.” It is important to remember that Penn’s “business is education, not community development. And, Penn’s has broader community development than most universities,” he added.

Ali explained that while there are always people who lose out under development plans, he thinks that Penn has clearly thought out its development plans and provided benefits for the community.

“Look at the results,” Ali said. “They’ve been wonderful. The neighborhood is clean, property values have gone up, and safety has gone up. There has been no massive displacement or adverse gentrification. Even economic diversity still exists.”

He encouraged those opposed to this development to think about Penn’s position and “consider Penn’s circumstances and the fact that it is trying to provide for its needs.”

Two years ago, the Spruce Hill Neighborhood Alliance developed a comprehensive development plan, the Spruce Hill Renewal Plan, which won an award for excellent community planning. Ali said that he thinks this plan, which outlines how residents would like to see this area developed, has greatly helped relations with the university.

“The university knows exactly want the community wants and we can refer back to the plan when we negotiate or when they propose something different,” Ali explained.

According to Ali, the university’s relationship with community groups has grown stronger over the past decade. Penn officials seem proud of the school’s performance and the services it has provided to community members, students and staff.

“The feeling I get is that many think that Penn has become a much more welcome neighbor. We have worked hard to achieve this,” Carol Scheman, Vice President for Community and Government Affairs, told the Daily Pennsylvanian.

The Postal Service Lands

In March 2004, Penn finalized a $50.6 million deal that allows them to take control of the lands in 2007. Currently, there are parking lots, post office buildings, and a garage on the property.

The postal lands, a 24 acre site, lie between Penn’s campus and the Schuylkill River. Downtown Philadelphia is on the other side of the river, across a somewhat dangerous bridge; in the near future, Penn hopes to build a new pedestrian bridge to unite the university with the city center.

Sorrentino said that in the short term, the property will be used for athletic fields, “since there is not much open green space for students.” In the future, the land will be mixed-use, including retail, but will primarily house academic buildings, a biomedical complex, athletic fields, green spaces, and possibly some market-rate housing.

Olin Partnership, a firm headed by Laurin Olin, an architecture professor at the university, designed Penn’s Campus Development Plan, which was released to the Board of Trustees in February 2001. This plan includes guidelines for the postal service project, as well as other developments extending west to 43rd Street and the creation of a pedestrian path stretching to Drexel University. The Schuykill River Development Corporation, which has been working for years to connect West Philadelphia to Center City, is another partner working with a number of different public and private organizations—including Penn—to plan the future of the area.

Sorrentino said that the development’s planning involved input from both students and faculty. Penn has a committee of professors who not only give advice as to how the space should be allocated to each department, but also comment on the urban planning and design aspects of proposed projects.

The postal lands development, Sorrentino explained, will be financed by borrowing $200 million, as well as collecting alumni donations, and private commercial investment. Penn does not plan to tear down the current Postal Service building, but hopes instead to convert it into academic space. Until 2007, the University will lease 220,000 square feet of this office space back to USPS.

Blaik emphasized the importance of acquiring space for urban universities. “Elite universities are not growing by numbers, but in square feet.”

Blaik outlined three reasons why universities are focusing on acquiring more space: to compete for the best and the brightest by offering top-notch facilities; to increase science research by building more labs; and to create partnerships with private companies who want to be nearby and will occupy space.

Through the development plan, Penn hopes to “make the campus more cohesive” and prevent any noticeable disconnect between the current campus and the expanded area, Sorrentino added.

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http://www.columbiaspectator.com/vne.../423fd6bf5e618

Well there was some discussion of this on the other thread. One assumes they have to raise the ground level to be even with Walnut St. (parking underneath?) just so the bridge can go over I-76 and the train tracks. Besides some high-falutin sketchs the honest answer is they don't know what they want to do.
that article you posted josef was a nice summary of the whole University City improvement program but the stuff about the postal land was vague indeed.

It all sounds pretty vague*! Oh well, they should come up with something alright.. They've got this massive plan for everything, I'm sure that fits in with their 'eastern gateway' thing somewhere.

* agh, edit.

i think penn has a fairly good idea of what they want to do with the land. while there is no official "plan" for the postal lands, the people sitting on this committee all have an idea of what should be built here. the only problem is that the university doesn't aqcuire the land until 2007. By that time market conditions might not be favorable for development and they'll have to wait until 2010 or beyond before they can build.

I was under the impression that we would not notice any visible change until 2017. Besides a new facility having to be built in the Southwest (has anything been confirmed as far as its construction?), I thought I heard that 2017 would be the year that Penn officially takes over all of the buildings and land in that area.

If thats the case, they have plenty of time to figure out what they need and where they need it. I can't wait!

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