|
Community Profile Location: In Camden, near Philadelphia Category: Adaptive reuse and infill Number of homes: 516 What $300K will buy: A lot! 4 BR, 1,800-square-foot homes cost less than $100,000 (income and deed restrictions apply). Closest latte: You can't get a latte, but try the coffee and Dominican food at Freddy's.
photography: Buff Strickland
|
Civic Pride The "before and after" is astounding. Everything changed—even the neighborhood's name. Formerly known as Westfield Acres, the gang-infested, physically deteriorating public housing project made daily life hell for its residents and spread blight to surrounding historic neighborhoods. Tacking city and state funding onto a $35 million federal HOPE VI grant, the Housing Authority of the City of Camden (HACC) demolished Westfield Acres and, with the help of private developer Pennrose Properties and a nonprofit organization called St. Joseph's Carpenter Society, redeveloped the land into a mixed-income community of rental units and attractive owner-occupied homes. Today, the peaceful, thriving neighborhood is called Baldwin's Run. "My parents wouldn't allow me to sit outside on the steps," remembers Nia Timmons, who was lucky enough to be transferred to another development. Today, she's back and raising two children in Baldwin's Run. "It's a pleasure to sit outside now. Everyone comes together as a community." Cottage Connection: Pennrose Properties; 267/386-8600 or pennrose.com | 
