Center City Philadelphia

Contact Information:
Linda Harris, Director of Communications & Publications
lharris@centercityphila.org
215.440.5546

Center City District receives $15 Million Grant for Dilworth Plaza Renovation

(October 19, 2010) – The Center City District is pleased to announce that its application for federal funding to redesign and renovate Dilworth Plaza, which was enthusiastically supported by the City of Philadelphia, has been awarded a $15 million federal Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant.

Dilworth Plaza, located on the west side of Philadelphia’s City Hall, sits atop the intersection of SEPTA’s Market-Frankford elevated line, Broad Street subway and Subway-Surface Trolley lines, and with easy connections to the regional rail lines, all of which bring over 300,000 transit riders downtown each day.

The redesign of Dilworth Plaza will transform an underutilized concrete plaza into a green, pedestrian-friendly public space with new plantings, lawns, programmable fountain, a cafe with outdoor seating and two iconic glass entrances to the underground concourse. The substantial increase in permeable surfaces not only will enhance the environment but also provide a more welcoming environment for commuters using public transportation and for events on the Plaza, which will include winter ice-skating and room for outdoor concerts and events that can accommodate up to 8,000 people.

The sustainable design helps achieve many of the objectives of Greenworks Philadelphia by reducing by 38 percent the existing impermeable paving, adding dozens of new trees and other landscaping, and reducing storm-water runoff through an irrigation system with water supplied by a rain-collecting cistern.

Underground, the concourse will be improved and a new entrance will be created to the 15th Street station on the Market Frankford line.
In addition, the construction project will create more than one thousand jobs and nearly $40 million in wages, with $122 million in total economic output for the state. The ongoing maintenance of the Plaza should generate $21,000 in annual tax revenue for the city. A café planned for the site will sustain 13 permanent jobs.

The project design team is led by Urban Engineers, with KieranTimberlake architects, OLIN landscape architects and CVM providing structural engineering.

In addition to the TIGER grant, the $50 million Dilworth Plaza project is supported by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, which will contribute $15.5 million through its Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program. The City of Philadelphia is considering $10 million in its capital budget, and SEPTA will contribute an estimated $5 million for work to be designed and constructed by the Center City District that will benefit its renovation of City Hall Station. Additional funds are being sought from private foundations. The CCD has also arranged additional project financing through PNC Bank. Funding to support design has come from the William Penn Foundation and the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, in addition to the Center City District and contributions from individuals and adjacent property owners.

The application for the grant was supported by U.S. Senators Arlen Specter and Robert Casey, Jr., and U.S. Representatives Chaka Fattah, Robert Brady, Allyson Schwartz and Joseph Sestak. It was also supported by Governor Edward Rendell.

The Dilworth Plaza project is expected to be put out for bid next spring and construction should begin by summer 2011. The renovated plaza should be complete by fall 2013.

The Department of Transportation authorized a total of $600 million in TIGER II Discretionary Grants as part of the FY 2010 Appropriations Act. As with the TIGER I grants previously awarded through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, these funds were awarded on a competitive basis for innovative projects that improve transportation facilities and systems and that promise significant economic and environmental benefits to an entire metropolitan area, a region or the nation.

The Center City District, a private-sector organization dedicated to making Center City Philadelphia clean, safe and attractive, is committed to maintaining Center City’s competitive edge as a regional employment center, a quality place to live, and a premier regional destination for dining, shopping and cultural attractions.

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