What are the goals of the SSCC?
- To stabilize the neighborhood around 45th and Sansom Street by encouraging property renovation and home ownership.
- To clean, improve and maintain the neighborhood streetscapes.
- To strengthen the neighborhood with community-building greening activities, the creation of safe play spaces and safe streets.
What is the Coalition?
The Sansom Street Community Coalition (SSCC) has been in existence since about 1995. The first Philadelphia Police Mini-Station in West Philadelphia was opened on 44th between Sansom and Walnut in the mid 1980s, sponsored by the West Philadelphia Partnership and The Spruce Hill Community association. It was an adjunct of the 18th District. After the Mini-station was closed by a Police Department reorganization in the mid 1990s, crime in the area sky-rocketed. This closure was what precipitated the formation of the Sansom Street Community Coalition. The area around 45th and Sansom Street had become over-run with drug activity, including repeated drug-related homicides, trash was piling up along the streets and in yards, squatters were taking over abandoned houses, and longtime residents were moving out. The University City District was established in 1997 to address many of these same concerns over the entire University City area.What has the Coalition done?
On the issue of 4508 Chestnut
Information on the matter of 4508 Chestnut Street.The 45th and Sansom Street playground
The group started with the renovation of the playground at 45th and Sansom Street, first constructed in 1985 through the efforts of the Spruce Hill Community Association, Councilwoman Blackwell's office, and the then existent Philadelphia Police Mini-Station located on 44th Street. The Playground had fallen into disrepair with the closure of the Mini-Station. It seemed that this playground was in the center of the neighborhood and could become a social center, bringing children and families together. Towards that goal, we cleaned up the playground, bringing in trash cans that are emptied regularly and planted new greenery. Working with Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell's office, we were able to get a new, safer play surface instead of the broken-glass filled sand surface, and a new modern playscape. PECO, an Exelon Company, donated strong lights that now illuminate the playground and the area, cutting crime in and around the playground. The playground is now opened and closed at regular times, cutting down on use at night for drinking and crime. Coordinating with the Recreation Department's Mural Arts Program (now part of the Managing Director's Office), the Coalition worked with neighbors to create a mural on the house behind the playground. The mural project included a summer art program for middle school-ages children. We raised the funds to pay for materials and the artist's work. The playground continues to be an important project, with new street trees and sidewalk, courtesy of Councilwoman Blackwell's office. We are currently working with the Recreation Department to have them take over maintenance of the fencing and play equipment.Bringing down crime in the neighborhood
The Coalition worked closely with the Philadelphia Police and the University City District to cut down on crime in the area. A number of drug raids have been carried out, arrests made, and buildings sealed up; with our encouragement, the 4400 block of Sansom Street became one of the first blocks targeted during Operation Safe Streets in the summer of 2001. As a result, crime has been greatly reduced. We have worked to help residents for new town watches to make crime reporting happen more quickly and efficiently.Street Improvements
The Coalition has worked with residents to organize community clean-ups on the 4400 and 4500 block of Sansom Street. This has included clean up of the playground, removal of weeds and trash from in front of abandoned houses, removal of abandoned cars and street sweeping. We had street trees along the 4400 block of Sansom Street trimmed by the Fairmount Park Commission to make the street lights shine brighter on the sidewalk for better visibility and safety. With the help of Coalition members of UC Green, A.I.C.P and F.A.I.T.H., street trees have been planted along 45th Street and 4400 Walnut Street and sidewalk gardens improved. Street Trees were planted along the south side of the 4400 block of Sansom Street in 2004. See the Pictorial Record of this community effort. (The north side of that block is too narrow for new trees.)Housing
The Coalition has worked diligently to get abandoned houses sold and renovated along the 4400 and 4500 blocks of Sansom Street. With the collapse of the Rigdon-Miller empire, this process took off with great vigor in 2003. Today virtually all of the abandoned properties along both the 4400 and 4500 blocks of Sansom have either been renovated or are under renovation by private developers, including the Partnership CDC, ChesSan, and the Sansom Street Development organizations. All have been market-rate housing. Additionally, several structurally un-sound properties in the 4600 Block of Sansom have been demolished through the designation of the 45th and Sansom Redevelopment Area in 2002 (expanded in 2003) [see: City Planning Commission Documents, below.] the Mayor's Neighborhood Transition Initiative (NTI) and Councilwoman Blackwell's office. Plans exist for the development of "affordable housing" in the 4500 and 4600 blocks of Sansom, including the construction of two new buildings in currently vacant lots by Habitat for Humanity. In the fall of 2001, the Penn-Alexander School at 42nd and Locust Streets opened its doors. The South side of Sansom Street from 40th to 46th street, the East side of 46th Street to Pine is within the catchment area for this school.
Originally, organizations and associations who worked in the neighborhood formed the Coalition. Today, local homeowners, landlords, tenants, institutional representatives, and developers are active participants. The Original members were:Membership in the Coalition has changed over time. As work of the Coalition expanded toward the 4600 block of Sansom Street, the Walnut Hill Community Association was added. (Walnut Hill and Spruce Hill Areas overlap in the blocks of Sansom, Walnut, Chestnut and Market Streets from 45th to 46th Street). When the Salvation Army closed the F.A.I.T.H. facility, they no longer participated. As the Partnership CDC began to focus more on the area around 44th, 45th and 46th and Sansom Streets, they came on board. Similarly, as entrepreneurs became involved in rehabilitating existing properties in the neighborhood they joined the Coalition. As these entrepreneurs completed their renovations, the individual homeowners and business operators have joined. Membership is open to all neighbors and persons interested in the future of the Sansom Street community.
- The Spruce Hill Community Association (whose area includes the blocks of Sansom Street from 40th to 46th Street).
- Individual members of the Spruce Hill Community Association who lived on Sansom Street and in the surrounding community on Chestnut and Walnut Streets.
- The Salvation Army's F.A.I.T.H. program that housed families on the 4400 block of Walnut Street.
- UC Green, a community-building and greening program active in University City.
- The Association of Islamic Charitable Projects (AICP), who operates the mosque and school at 45th and Walnut Streets.
- Traveler's Aid of Philadelphia that houses families on the 4400 blocks of Sansom Street and Chestnut Street.
- The University City District, the Special Services District which works to make University City clean and safe.
The Existing Zoning of 4500 Sansom area is shown in this Map (112 KB pdf)
from the City's on-line Maps "CityMaps" database: ( http://citymaps.phila.gov/citymaps/)
Chair:
Mrs. Tulia Falleti
email: info@sansomstreet.org
Revision: 17 September 2005
Last modified: 17 September 2005
