On Friday, McDonald Building Company joined city and state representatives for the official groundbreaking of New Market West, a 1.5 acre abandoned lot near the 60th and Market Street El stop in West Philadelphia that will soon transition into a hub for retail and community services in the Haddington and Cobbs Creek neighborhoods of West Philadelphia.
Governor Wolf announced the approval of $10.5 million in New Markets Tax Credits through the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) to support the project accompanying the state’s $5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) investment announced in December. “This project will turn a vacant lot into a centerpiece of this community – giving our families a place to gain access to critical services,” said Governor Wolf. “The strength of this project is the partnerships between groups that will bring much needed educational, workforce development, and other services to this building to assist people and families living in the area.”
State Senator Vincent Hughes, one of the several legislative speakers at the groundbreaking, characterized the ceremony as a “significant moment that will transform this struggling neighborhood”. As the city and crowd of attendees were still flying high on the E-A-G-L-E-S Super Bowl win, Hughes related the recent Eagles championship to the energy of this project and the collective partnerships between Mission First, Horizon House, and ACHIEVEability, the primary nonprofit partners in the project. Hughes added, “It takes teamwork to make the dream work.”
In collaboration with McDonald Building Company’s Joint Venture partner, CPM Housing Group, New Market West will include the construction of a five-story Class A commercial office & retail building with an 80-space underground parking garage. The project will bring high quality early childhood education, workforce development, educational and emergency support, community outreach services, and behavioral health services.
“We are honored to once again join forces with Alfredo de la Pena and the Mission First team on another landmark project in West Philadelphia. New Market West will be a beacon for the community creating much needed jobs during construction and for years to come,” says MBC President Paul McDonald.
This transit-accessible location is expected to create 120 temporary full-time construction jobs and once completed, the project anticipates the creation of nearly 100 full-time permanent jobs. The project is hosting a construction job fair for all trades this week on Thursday, February 22nd, 2018 3pm-8pm at Home Health Care Plus, 6011 Market Street. Visit http://www.mcdonaldbc.com/careers for more info on the job fair.
Kitchen & Associates of Collingswood, NJ is the Architect of Record and construction of New Market West’s first phase is expected to be complete by the fall of 2019.
For more project info and to view renderings, click here.
City and State leaders, including Gov. Tom Wolf
CPM/MBC Project Team including Kitchen & Associates Architects