Metro Philadelphia<\/p>\n
The Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) and its development partners broke ground Monday on the first phase of a sweeping redevelopment of Westpark Apartments, a 12-acre site that officials say will ultimately bring 1,000 new homes and expanded community amenities to West Philadelphia<\/a>.<\/p>\n Gov. Josh Shapiro<\/a>, Mayor Cherelle Parker and other local leaders joined PHA officials and development partners LMXD and MSquared to mark the start of construction on the project\u2019s first phase, which will deliver 327 housing units across three buildings by 2028.<\/p>\n Nearly 140 of those units will be reserved for returning Westpark residents, and 190 will be affordable to households earning between 20% and 80% of the area median income (AMI). The homes will count toward Parker\u2019s H.O.M.E. Initiative<\/a>, a citywide effort to preserve and expand affordable housing.<\/p>\n \u201cRevitalizing the Westpark community reflects our core mission to preserve and expand high-quality affordable housing opportunities across Philadelphia,\u201d said Kelvin Jeremiah, PHA’s President and CEO.\u00a0 He called the redevelopment a \u201cmajor transformation\u201d for North and West Philadelphia neighborhoods.<\/p>\n The first phase includes a newly constructed mid-rise building with 145 units and 1,300 square feet of retail space aimed at local businesses. It also includes the rehabilitation of an existing southern tower with 141 homes and the construction of 41 additional homes on the southern portion of the campus.<\/p>\n Plans call for more than one acre of open space during the initial phase, including an accessible pathway connecting the site to the SEPTA station at 46th and Market streets. A new pedestrian plaza will link residents directly to transit, and a planned ground-floor community center will provide on-site vocational, educational and health services.<\/p>\n The state awarded PHA $2.6 million through Pennsylvania\u2019s Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. The federal government is contributing $21.4 million in infrastructure funding through the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Highway Administration, and the city is investing $3 million through its Department of Housing and Community Development.<\/p>\n