reNewbold Resident Alison K. shares her story
Alison was one of the first people to move into reNewbold. We asked her about the experience.
How did you first become aware of reNewbold and what attracted you to the property?
I have been going to the South Philadelphia Tap Room for about 10 years and became friendly with John Longacre. When I decided that I wanted to move out of my house, he was one of the first calls I made. I knew that reNewbold was in process and with how John had been talking about it, I knew it was something special.
Did you live in South Philly before coming to reNewbold?
Yes, I lived in EPX before coming to reNewbold.
In regards to local amenities, which do you most frequent and support?
I work at home, so most of my day is spent in South Philly. There have been some amazing restaurants on Passyunk Avenue and there seems to be a new amazing happy hour every day. I am a big fan of shopping locally so I also frequent the craft and gift stores.
What would you say to someone who was on the fence about moving into a reNewbold property?
I would say that when I bought my first house on the other side of Broad, I had terrible buyer’s remorse. I worried I made the wrong decision and that I spent a lot of money and didn’t know what I was getting. With reNewbold, I haven’t felt that way once. I trust John and the team and I know they will do everything they can to make sure this is the best house I could have possibly purchased.
reNewbold Proves You Can’t Have Too Much Of A Good Thing
Phase II of reNewbold, the cluster of LEED Platinum-certified townhomes on the former home of the Francis M. Drexel School, is now nearing completion. Aptly-named reNewbold II, the second phase of the wildly successful development in South Philadelphia added seven new row homes, two new condos, and one retail space at 16th and Moore.
LPMG Companies (who helped bring South Philly Taproom and Ultimo Coffee to fruition) helped get this project off the ground. The initial phase focused on the development of six units along Bancroft Street, each of which is now sold.
Phase II of the first LEED Platinum-certified development in South Philly broke ground in September 2014, after Phase I was completed and sold out. Row homes are three stories, each with three bedrooms, two baths, and finished basements. Condos are located above the retail space on the second and third floors. Priced from the mid $200s (Johnny McDonald of Onion Flats is serving as realtor to the project), reNewbold homes feature on-site parking, green roof decks with 360-degree city views, and private terraces off the master bedrooms. The homes are built with energy efficient appliances, lighting, HVAC, and water heater, low VOC materials, a rainwater harvesting system, and triple pane insulated windows to reduce utility costs by up to 60 percent. In fact, the monthly cost of utilities is expected to come in around $90.
Continue reading at Philly.Curbed.com
reNewbold Photo Update: Your Philadelphia Skyline View
Construction on reNewbold: Phase II continues. The skyline view of Philadelphia is fantastic!
reNewbold Phase 2
Phase 2 includes the construction of seven 3-story homes and a corner building with two condos and a retail space.
reNewbold Update: Getting Close!
Get a first look inside the homes at reNewbold. These 16 rowhomes and 2 condos make up the first affordable green development in South Philadelphia.
Newbold: reNewbold a ‘Game-Changer’ for Neighborhood
“From a socioeconomic perspective, this is the most significant project to happen west of Broad Street in 50 years.”
Despite a barrage of snowstorms and nearby gas leaks this winter, LPMG Companies’ reNewbold project at 16th and Moore streets still has Fall 2014 in the crosshairs as a completion date, with the nine-home-construction Phase 1 beginning to wrap up this spring.
The median-income-targeted housing development broke ground in October and is expected to be LEED Platinum certified – a four-tiered ranking system of environmental-friendliness by the U.S. Green Building Council, based on the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Platinum is the highest ranking possible, boasting 80 points or more on a 100-point meter.
The reNewbold homes, if granted the certification, would be the first to be LEED-certified south of Washington Street.
But designed as a money-maker or not, the reNewbold project continues to be touted as the largest private investment in Southwest Philadelphia in five decades – a fact John Longacre [LPMG Companies President] isn’t shy about making well-known.
“It’s an absolute game-changer,” Longacre said. “From a socioeconomic perspective, this is the most significant project to happen west of Broad Street in 50 years. LPMG believes in west of Broad Street — Newbold in particular. And the reason why this is a game-changer, is because … this isn’t looked at as a transitional neighborhood anymore. Award-winning businesses are here, and LEED-certified [homes] are here. Some people are coming from Center City and the suburbs. Ten years ago, we couldn’t attract Northern Liberties or the suburbs into here. With this, we can substantiate that this neighborhood is different and has new populations and isn’t just slumlords and traditional residents.”
Source: PhiladelphiaNeighborhoods.com
Progress on reNewbold Construction
reNewbold, at 16th & Moore Streets, is South Philadelphia’s first affordable green home development.
Follow the progress of construction through photos:
reNewbold Breaks Ground
On Wednesday October 16, principles of LPMG, Postgreen Homes, Valley Green Bank, Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, and community leaders gathered to officially break ground at the site of reNewbold. reNewbold, at S. 16th St. and Moore St., is the single largest private investment in the West Broad neighborhood of Newbold in more than 50 years. The development of sixteen rowhomes, two condos, and one retail space is the only South Philadelphia project currently seeking platinum LEED certification.
John Longacre, president of LPMG, opened the ceremony by noting the improvement in civic engagement and small business development in the neighborhood over the past decade. This new development of reNewbold will build on the success and significantly improve a site that once contained abandoned homes and an unused school building.
Councilman Kenyatta Johnson spoke the crowd of fifty community members praising the work of LPMG and other groups and their contributions to the neighborhood development. Johnson also noted the work of long time leaders like Claudia Sherrod, President of the Point Breeze Community Development Coalition, who attended the ceremony. The Philadelphia Inquirer quoted the councilman on the reNewbold project, “It represents smart development and improves the quality of life in that area.” (Greener homes for South Philadelphia, Alison Burdo, Oct. 16, 2013)
The ground breaking ceremony was followed by a community cook out where neighbors mingled to learn more about the development and the LEED certification.
