DELAWARE RIVER WATERFRONT CORPORATION RELEASES YEAR ONE REPORT

Philadelphia, PA (January 29, 2010) – Today, the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) hosted its first Annual Meeting at the Independence Seaport Museum. At that meeting, the DRWC released a Year One Report, an accountability report for the first year of operation, highlighting accomplishments from Corporate reorganization with a new Board of Directors and President to establishment of Waterfront Planning and Development projects that involve extensive community input along with the continued commitment to Summer and Winter programming on the Central Delaware River Waterfront.

“When I took office I wanted a waterfront development process that was open, transparent, professional, and ambitious. With DRWC I got what I wanted,” said Mayor Michael A. Nutter. “In just one year not only has DRWC achieved a great amount, they have done it with an unprecedented level of public and community engagement and have set us on a clear path to a vibrant, accessible waterfront that can be enjoyed by all Philadelphians. Congratulations to Tom Corcoran, President, Donn Scott, Chairman, and all the rest of the Board of Directors and staff of DRWC. Here’s to another great, productive year.”

Delaware River Waterfront Corporation (DRWC) was formed, one year ago, on January 30, 2009 in an effort led by Mayor Michael A. Nutter to establish a new direction for planning and coordinating the development of the Central Delaware River Waterfront in Philadelphia. DRWC was reconstituted to be a new organization with expanded boundaries and responsibilities and a new Board of Directors intended to be small and efficient with relevant professional expertise. In an effort to be open and accountable with transparent corporate governance, the new Board of DRWC immediately adopted the Sunshine Act. A full listing of the Board of Directors and all Corporate Governance regulations, as well as all of the minutes of all of the board meetings are readily available to the public on the DRWC website, .

“DRWC is dedicated to the goal of transforming the Central Delaware River Waterfront into a vibrant destination location for the recreational, cultural and commercial benefit of Philadelphia’s residents and visitors,” said Tom Corcoran, President of DRWC. “The successes of this past year could not have been accomplished without the ongoing support of our very talented and dedicated Board of Directors, along with key partners including Mayor Michael Nutter and the City of Philadelphia, PennPraxis, the Central Delaware Advocacy Group, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society, GPTMC, the Pennsylvania Environmental Council and the William Penn Foundation.”

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation is proud to list these achievements over the course of the first year for this new organization:

• DRWC chartered and formed in January 2009 as an open and transparent organization
• Donn Scott named Chairman
• Tom Corcoran appointed new President
• Awarded 501(c)(3) status
• Funded, bid and awarded contract for new Master Plan for the Central Delaware River Waterfront
• Funded, bid and awarded design contract to create new pubic park on Pier 11, which will become the new Race Street Pier
• Funded and bid project to green a new, one acre public space at the end of Pier 53
• Funded and expanded 18 year regional New Year’s Eve fireworks Celebration, adding earlier fireworks show at 6:00 PM in addition to the traditional show at Midnight
• Funded and produced over 50 free summer events on the Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing
• Reopened Blue Cross RiverRink at Penn’s Landing for the 16th season

SUMMARY OF YEAR ONE ACHIEVEMENTS

Race Street Pier

In February 2009, Mayor Nutter together with DRWC announced funding was secured for design and construction of a one acre public park on the vacant pier at the base of Race Street, immediately south of the Ben Franklin Bridge. DRWC and the City of Philadelphia issued a Request for Proposals to provide design, construction documentation, and construction administration services for improvements to Pier 11 with the goal to develop Pier 11 into a publicly accessible riverfront amenity for residents and tourists. With public input and leadership the DRWC Planning Committee led by Marilyn Jordan Taylor, Dean, Penn Design, University of Pennsylvania and Alan Greenberger, Executive Director Philadelphia City Planning Commission, Acting Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development and Commerce Director, James Corner Field Operations was selected as the Race Street Project team and is now in the process of full design development. The new Race Street Pier is scheduled to open in late Spring of 2011. This project will serve as an early example of high quality open space along the Central Delaware Waterfront.

Master Plan for the Central Delaware Riverfront

In February 2009, Mayor Nutter together with the DRWC announced that a one million grant from the William Penn Foundation was secured to complete a comprehensive master plan for the Central Delaware River Waterfront. The Master Plan will be guided by the principles set forth in A Civic Vision for the Central Delaware, developed by Penn Praxis led by Harris Steinberg with extensive community input from over fifteen civic associations that span the Central Delaware River Waterfront in Philadelphia, now known as the Central Delaware Advocacy Group (CDAG). In December 2009, after an extensive interview process with key public input led again by the DRWC Planning Committee, the DRWC Board voted to authorize staff to finalize contract negotiations with the consultant team which includes Cooper Robertson & Partners, architects and urban planners, led by Alex Cooper; the OLIN Partnership, landscape architects, led by Lucinda Sanders; and Kieran Timberlake, architects, led by James Timberlake; as well as HR&A Advisors, who will be led by John Alschuler, Jr. to prepare the economic analysis of both public and private projects and who will be integrated into every phase of the master planning assignment. The contract and scope of services has been completed and Master Plan work has actively begun with anticipated completion by February of 2011. The awarding of this contract sets new standards for business development in Philadelphia. Unique to this award is that this contract achieved a landmark goal of 30% participation from MBE/WBE companies with the inclusion of strategic wealth building opportunities for MBE/WBE owned businesses, extensive public input at key junctures in planning, great emphasis on high quality public space and the commitment to green and sustainable development. In addition to the Race Street Pier Project and the Master Plan for the Central Delaware River Waterfront, the First Year Report outlines DRWC’s funding and bid of a project to create a one acre green public space at the end of Pier 53, as well as DRWC’s operational support for the Delaware River Trail.

Programming

DRWC remains steadfast in its commitment to free public programming on the waterfront at Penn’s Landing. This past summer Penn’s Landing continued to serve host marquee events such as the Taste of Philadelphia, a high profile waterfront concert with fireworks, an Ice Cream Festival and the introduction of a free kayaking program created in partnership with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council. All events produced by DRWC were free to the public. Due to the continued commitment of Independence Blue Cross, DRWC successfully reopened the Blue Cross RiverRink at Penn’s Landing for the 16th season this winter. This annual program continues to welcome thousands to the waterfront each winter. In November 2009, Mayor Nutter announced DRWC would produce not one but two fireworks shows on New Year’s Eve. In addition to the traditional waterfront fireworks show at Midnight, the earlier show at 6:00 PM promised twice the fireworks, twice the fun for residents, as well as economic impact for businesses and attractions in the Greater Philadelphia region.

Looking Ahead

The Board and Staff of DRWC look forward to an equally productive year in 2010 with the opening of the new Delaware River Trail, the greening of Pier 53, the start of construction for the new Race Street Pier, intensive work on the new Master Plan for the Central Delaware River Waterfront, the debut of the new waterfront performance stage on the Great Plaza, and continued work on cooperative programming efforts with the Cities of Philadelphia and Camden. DRWC will continue to work with Mayor Nutter and the City of Philadelphia as well as all of our civic partners to make the Central Delaware River Waterfront a great economic, cultural, and recreational asset for the City of Philadelphia and the Region.

MAYOR NUTTER TO ADDRESS FIRST ANNUAL DELAWARE RIVER WATERFRONT CORPORATION BOARD MEETING

WHEN: FRIDAY, JANUARY 29, 2010, 8:30 a.m
WHERE: Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19106
WHAT: The First Annual Meeting of the Board of Directors of the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation will feature:
Remarks from Mayor Nutter
The release of a Year One Report highlighting the achievements of the DRWC over the past year. The first presentation from the selected Consultant team to develop the new Master Plan for the Central Delaware River Waterfront Opportunity for public comment Other agenda items will include: Reappointment of Directors; Appointment of Officers and the Executive Committee; Confirmation of the meeting schedule for 2010; Reports from the various sub committees of the Board of Directors; Reports on other planning and development The Master Plan Working Group will then meet at the DRWC Corporate Offices following the Board of Directors Meeting. The agenda for this first meeting is to set goals and a meeting schedule, introduce the working group to the consultant team and outline the scope of services and schedule for the master planning process.

BACKGROUND: DRWC is kicking off an exciting 12–14 month master planning project to plan the future of Philadelphia’s waterfront between Oregon and Allegheny Avenues. The new Master Plan for the Central Delaware River Waterfront will outline implementation steps and identify funding sources. The Working Group is composed of government, nonprofit, foundation, and civic stakeholders as well as elected officials. It is a forum for communication among the DRWC, our master planning consultants and numerous stakeholder groups who have interests in the master planning process. For more information on the Master Plan, visit www.delawareriverwaterfrontcorp.com

ABOUT DRWC: Delaware River Waterfront Corporation is a nonprofit corporation organized exclusively for the benefit of the City of Philadelphia and its citizens. DRWC acts as the steward of the Central Delaware River waterfront to provide a benefit to all of the citizens and visitors of the City.
DRWC is open, transparent and accountable in connection with its operations and activities with respect to the waterfront. Through the judicious use of financing, land acquisition and development capabilities, the Corporation will work cooperatively with city, state and federal agencies to ensure the realization of the City’s vision for the Central Delaware River.

MAYOR NUTTER NOMINATES NOLAN ATKINSON, SISTER MARY SCULLION TO ETHICS BOARD, RENOMINATES KENYA MANN FAULKNER

Philadelphia, January 28, 2010 – Today Mayor Michael Nutter submitted resolutions to City Council that would confirm the appointment of Sister Mary Scullion and Nolan N. Atkinson, Jr. and reconfirm the appointment of Kenya Mann Faulkner to the City’s Board of Ethics. S. Mary Scullion will fill the vacancy created by the resignation of Richard Negrin, who left the Board after changing outside employment. Mr. Atkinson will fill the seat held by Phoebe Haddon, whose term ended in November and is now employed in another state. The other members of the five person Board are Damone B. Jones Sr. and Richard Glazer.

“The work that the Ethics Board does is key to preserving Philadelphians’ faith in their government,” said Mayor Nutter. “While I am sad that the Board has lost Phoebe and Rich, I am certain that Sister Mary, Nolan, Kenya, and the other Board members will continue to ensure that ethics are the bedrock of every City function.”

The Board of Ethics is an independent board in charge of providing ethics training for all city employees, enforcing city campaign finance, financial disclosure, and conflict of interest laws, as well as rendering advice, investigating complaints and issuing fines.

“I am honored to have this opportunity to do the best job that I can for the citizens of Philadelphia,” said Mr. Atkinson.

“I am honored to be reappointed to the Board of Ethics and look forward to continuing to serve the citizens of Philadelphia,” said Ms. Faulkner.

“We share the Mayor’s desire to set a gold standard for accountability within the government and among its partners, and hope that the Ethics Board will send the message that resources are highly precious, and what we do with them matters greatly to every Philadelphian, including those most vulnerable,” said S. Mary Scullion.

The Board consists of five members, appointed by the mayor, who serve fixed and staggered terms of five years. A member may only be removed for cause and needs the support of a majority of City Council to be confirmed. There is no compensation for service on the Board of Ethics.

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Nolan N. Atkinson, Jr. is a member of the Trial practice group in the Philadelphia office of Duane Morris LLP and the firm’s first Chief Diversity Officer. Mr. Atkinson is also the chairman of the Diversity Committee at Duane Morris. He has also served in a variety of administrative capacities, including membership on the Partners’ Board, Hiring Committee and as Administrative Partner of the Trial Department. Mr. Atkinson is the former chair of the Philadelphia Diversity Law Group, Inc., a consortium of law firms and corporations committed to increasing ethnic and racial diversity in Philadelphia’s larger law firms. An active litigator, he has taught trial advocacy at the University of Pennsylvania Law School and Temple University School of Law. Mr. Atkinson previously served the City as the NAACP’s appointee to the Mayor’s Advisory Task Force on Ethics and Campaign Finance Reform.

Kenya Mann Faulkner is currently a partner in the Litigation Department of Ballard Spahr LLP and a member of the firm’s Corporate and Government Investigations and White Collar Defense Group and the Government Relations and Regulatory Affairs Group. Before joining the firm, Ms. Faulkner was an Assistant U.S. Attorney, Criminal Division, in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Among her notable achievements were the successful prosecutions of a Philadelphia city councilman accused of bribery and corruption and a New Jersey millionaire convicted in one of the largest-ever international sex-tourism cases. She has served on the Board of Ethics since 2008.

Sister Mary Scullion is currently the Executive Director and President of Project H.O.M.E. She has been involved in service work and advocacy for homeless and mentally ill persons since 1978. In 1985 she co-founded Woman of Hope, which provides permanent residences and support services for homeless mentally ill women. In 1988 she helped to found the Outreach Coordination Center, an innovative program coordinating private and public agencies doing outreach to chronically homeless persons in Center City Philadelphia. In 1989, Sister Mary Scullion and Joan Dawson McConnon co-founded Project H.O.M.E., a nationally recognized organization that provides supportive housing, employment, education and health care to enable chronically homeless and low-income persons to break the cycle of homelessness and poverty. Under their leadership, Project H.O.M.E has grown from an emergency winter shelter to 447 units of housing and three businesses that provide employment to formerly homeless persons. To date, Project H.O.M.E. has leveraged over $50,000,000 in equity towards housing and economic development.

MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES $27 MILLION IN NEW LOANS, GRANTS FOR SMALL BUSINESSES

Programs Will Help Small Businesses Keep Development Projects On Track, Save Energy, Renovate or Expand Facilities

Philadelphia, January 27, 2010 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter today extended his commitment to assist small businesses in accessing much-needed capital, announcing $27 million in new loan and grant financing opportunities.

Over the last year, the administration has provided almost $30 million in capital to small businesses, leveraging over $130 million in private economic activity and helping to create or retain almost 4,000 jobs.

“One of my most important jobs is supporting Philadelphia’s small businesses,” said Mayor Nutter. “They are the engines of our economy, and capital is the fuel they need to create jobs and get our economy growing again. The global credit crunch is making it tougher than ever to get a loan, so we’re working hard to step into the gap for the businesses that need help the most.”

The funds, which are from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA), will be distributed through four separate programs customized to help businesses of various sizes and types achieve critical goals:

Gap Financing:
Amount: $ 4.5 million
Source: Community Development Block Grants (ARRA Allocation)
Use: “Last In” capital for shovel ready development projects

Greenworks Loans:
Amount: $9 million ($4.5 million City, $4.5 million TRF)
Source: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants, TRF Funds
Use: Energy efficiency improvements to buildings and equipment, available in loans from approximately $100,000 to $1 million or more.

Greenworks Rebates:
Amount: $500,000
Source: Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grants
Use: Energy efficiency improvements to buildings and equipment, available as rebates up to $10,000.

Recovery Zone Facility Bonds:
Amount: $13 million
Source: Recovery Zone Facility Bond Allocation
Use: Capital projects – new construction, rehabilitation, and expansion of existing facilities.

“Providing innovative financial tools to small businesses is core to our approach to economic recovery,” said Acting Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development Alan Greenberger. “As a former business owner myself, I know how important capital is. I’m dedicated to making sure that Philadelphia businesses have access to financing even during this global credit crunch.”

“I am extremely proud to be part of this important new effort and pledge my whole-hearted support to its successful implementation so that small businesses and commercial corridors will once again be vibrant places for commerce and job creation and catalysts for neighborhood stabilization and community engagement,” said Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell.

“These four stimulus programs represent a fresh partnership between the City and the private sector to offer innovative incentives for sustainable, job-creating development,” according to Peter S. Longstreth, President of PIDC.

“The Greenworks Loan Fund merges the City’s Recovery Act resources and vision with TRF’s private capital and energy investing experience to spur clean energy development,” said Reinvestment Fund CEO Jeremy Nowak.” “Together, we will quickly deploy loans that integrate sustainable energy best practices in quality projects and put Philadelphians back to work.”

All funds will be available citywide on a competitive basis. Applications for Gap Financing, Greenworks Loans, Greenworks Rebates, and Recovery Zone Facility Bonds are available now through the City’s Business Services Portal at www.phila.gov and at PIDC’s website at

http://www.pidc-pa.org/DevelopmentOpportunities.asp.

An information session for businesses interested in applying for Gap Financing will be held Friday, February 5th at 1:00 PM at PIDC, located on the 26th floor of 1500 Market Street (Centre Square West).

An information session for businesses interested in applying for a Greenworks Loan will be held Friday, February 5th at 2:00 PM at PIDC, located on the 26th floor of 1500 Market Street (Centre Square West)

An information session for businesses interested in applying for a Greenworks Rebate will be held at February 9th at 2:00PM in Mayor’s Reception Room at City Hal

MAYOR NUTTER ANNOUNCES MORATORIUM ON ROUTINE BOARD OF REVISION OF TAXES ASSESSMENTS

BRT Restructured to Improve Accountability, Accuracy

Philadelphia, January 26, 2010 – Today Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Board of Revision of Taxes (BRT) Executive Director Richard Negrin announced a moratorium on all routine property assessments. This moratorium gives the Board time to complete both a deliberate and thorough review of the agency and implement a more accurate, fair, and predictable property tax assessment system. The moratorium will continue until both of these goals have been accomplished, which is anticipated to take approximately two years.
If the work is completed as tentatively scheduled by the end of calendar year 2011, the BRT will have reassessments ready for the 2012 tax year.

“This moratorium is an important step to restoring accuracy and accountability to the property tax system,” said Mayor Nutter. “All Philadelphia property owners deserve a fair and accurate tax assessment and this moratorium gives us the time to ensure that this occurs. With Rich’s leadership, I believe that the tax assessment system on the path to improvement.”

There will be some exceptions to the assessment moratorium including newly constructed properties, improved properties and consolidated or subdivided properties. And during this time, taxpayers may continue to exercise their rights to appeal any perceived inequities in their assessments.

Mayor Nutter has signed the legislation placing the restructuring of the property tax assessment system on the May ballot. If approved by voters, the BRT will be abolished and replaced by two separate and independent agencies in charge of the assessment and appeal functions. In the interim, Executive Director Negrin has established a plan to comprehensively restructure the current BRT, which stresses both accuracy and accountability. All assessment increases involving exceptions will need to be signed off by assistant administrators, in addition to evaluators and supervisors, in order to confirm adherence to moratorium parameters. For the first time, there exists an independent Quality Control Unit within the BRT to provide a vital review on the work being done by the Assessment Unit. Also, there will be a new emphasis on training so that all assessors have the same skills to assess properties.

MAYOR NUTTER, DEPUTY MAYOR GREENBERGER TO ANNOUNCE $27 MILLION IN SMALL BUSINESS FUNDING

WHO: Mayor Michael A. Nutter
Acting Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger
Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell
Jeremy Nowak, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Reinvestment Fund
Peter S. Longstreth, President, Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation

WHAT: Mayor Nutter and Acting Deputy Mayor Greenberger will announce $27 million in new opportunities for small businesses. These stimulus dollars will be used to fund five new loan and grant programs that will help businesses access credit, expand operations, develop new products and, maybe most importantly, keep Philadelphians in their jobs for the next year, and hopefully for many years to come.

To find out more about these opportunities, visit the City’s business services portal.
WHERE: Corner of 50th St and Baltimore Avenue

WHEN: Wednesday, January 27 12:30pm

Rollout of New Emergency Mobile Command Post – Tuesday, January 26, 11 a.m.

Who: Mayor Michael A. Nutter, Dr. Camille Cates Barnett, Deputy Managing Director for Emergency Management MaryAnn Tierney

What: Rollout of the New Emergency Mobile Command Post

When: Tuesday, January 26, 11:00 a.m.

Where: City Hall, John F. Kennedy Boulevard, between Broad and 15th Streets

Mayor Michael Nutter will rollout the Office of Emergency Management’s new emergency mobile Command Post, a state-of-the-art mobile command center that will be used for large-scale emergencies and special events. Members of the Mayor’s Executive Team and the media are invited to tour the Command Post immediately after the ceremony.

MAYOR NUTTER, DEPUTY MAYOR GREENBERGER ANNOUNCE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

Philadelphia, January 25, 2010 – Mayor Michael A. Nutter and Deputy Mayor Alan Greenberger today released the report Philadelphia’s Development Permit Review Process: Recommendations for Reform, aimed at making the City’s development process less confusing, time consuming and unpredictable for customers. Today’s report, made possible by a grant from the William Penn Foundation, is the first time that the development process has been clearly articulated, including every approval the City issues, when they are applicable, who reviews them, and what fees are associated. The City has already begun to implement the reports recommendations, taking steps to decrease processing time, increase inter-departmental cooperation, and improve customer service. The final stage of this process, which is also underway, is implementation of the recommendations including the creation of a permit wizard which would allow customers to interact with this process online.

“The City has already reduced the length of the development process by 20% or 30 days but during these economic times, we need to remove all barriers to investment possible. Customers, whether they are large developers or a homeowners looking to build a deck, should be able to navigate the system with minimal expenditure of time and resources,” said Mayor Nutter. “Today’s report is an important step in improving the development process.”

The report looked to build upon the strengths of the development process, namely the efficiency with which individual departments process applications, to improve weaknesses in several key areas.
The process is not laid out clearly at the start and often causes confusion both amongst City employees and customers.
Communication to customers and between departments is informal and frequently causes confusion and delays.
There is no clear point of entry into the system with permits and review applications being accepted and processed independently at all seven approval agencies.
The process relies too much on the customer. We put the burden of distribution and process on the customer instead of on the City agencies.

The report recommended three system wide improvements that would significantly improve the permitting process. It found that the City should:
Reduce the number of incomplete plans. Incomplete plans take up about 30% of review capacity and slow the process down for everyone.
Find a better way to communicate internally and externally. From the very start the process of what permits and approvals are needed. This process should be clear and predictable
Allow applications and payment to be received on-line.

For more information on the report, please visit the City Planning’s website.

Development Permit Guide and Recommendations for Reform

For the first time in City history, we have done a comprehensive review of the majority of the City’s permitting and approval process. This report documents the existing process, makes recommendations for reform and creates a comprehensive permit guide. The permit guide has a list of most of the City permits and approvals, when they are applicable, what information needs to be submitted and to whom. Now the customer can know what the process is and who to call with problems, for most situations. more »

Development Permit Guide and Recommendations for Reform

For the first time in City history, we have done a comprehensive review of the majority of the City’s permitting and approval process. This report documents the existing process, makes recommendations for reform and creates a comprehensive permit guide. The permit guide has a list of most of the City permits and approvals, when they are applicable, what information needs to be submitted and to whom. Now the customer can know what the process is and who to call with problems, for most situations.
Download the Development Permit Guide here