WHO: Clarence Armbrister, Chief of Staff for the City of Philadelphia
Councilman Darrell L. Clarke
State Rep. W. Curtis Thomas
State Rep. Dwight Evans
State Sen. Shirley M. Kitchen
Don Hinkle-Brown, President, The Reinvestment Fund
Patrick J. Burns, President, The Fresh Grocer
Wendell R. Whitlock, Chairman, Progress Investment
WHAT: Philadelphia’s historic Progress Plaza, the nation’s oldest African-American owned and developed shopping center has been undergoing a much-needed 16 million dollar renovation that includes the construction of a 46,000 square foot Fresh Grocer supermarket. The redevelopment of Progress Plaza, located on the East side of Broad Street between Oxford and Jefferson Streets near Temple University’s Main Campus, will help to revitalize a neighborhood that has been long underserved.
The last supermarket to operate in Progress Plaza closed suddenly in the late 1990’s. Since then, local residents have had much difficulty gaining access to fresh food. The opening of the highly anticipated Fresh Grocer at Progress Plaza was financed in part by federal, state and city funding, including Pennsylvania’s Fresh Food Financing Initiative, a community revitalization program championed by State Rep. Dwight Evans that increases the number of supermarkets in underserved communities across the state. The new Fresh Grocer, slated to open in December 2009, will bring the neighborhood easy access to fresh food and create over 250 local jobs.
WHERE: Sullivan Progress Plaza, 1501 N. Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122
WHEN: Tuesday, October 23, 2009 11:00 am
