Good Lands Trust (a community land trust)
The Good Lands Trust, a Pennsylvania nonprofit 501(c)(3), was formed by HACE to build healthy, economically diverse neighborhoods in Philadelphia. The community land trust will promote affordable homeownership for low and moderate-income households in neighborhoods that are quickly gentrifying in North Philadelphia.
The goal of the Good Lands Trust is to identify vacant properties for redevelopment and make them available for sale to low and moderate-income homebuyers. It is HACE’s practice to acquire properties from private owners, foreclosures, Sheriff Sales, the Philadelphia Land Bank, and Philadelphia Housing Authority at a price that makes redevelopment feasible and affordable.
With on-going support and relationship between homeowners and the Good Lands Trust, homeowners will gain access to free programs and loan products to maintain and preserve their homes.
Today, there are nearly 250 community land trusts across the United States. HACE adopted this model as a key tool in our strategy for preserving affordability and countering rapid market shifts and potential displacement. Overall, homes purchased under a community land trust model are ten times less likely to fall into foreclosure, 79% of residents are first-time homebuyers, and 82% of residents purchasing homes through a community land trust have incomes averaging less than 50% of the area median income.
HACE established the Good Lands Trust with support from the Philadelphia Foundation’s Key to Communities Initiative and the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development.
Rafael Porrata-Doria Place
HACE is developing Rafael Porrata-Doria Place, a new construction Mix‐Use building offering 30 efficiency affordable units and approximately 2,100 square feet of commercial space to be located at 2739‐47 N. 5th Street in North Philadelphia. With a prominent location on North 5th Street, HACE will redevelop a vacant site offering affordable rental housing to persons age 55+ and to persons with intellectual disabilities. The ground floor will offer retail space to increase business activity in the area and create new jobs. This development is named in honor of one of HACE’s founders, Rafael Porrata-Doria, Esq., Professor of Law at Temple University.
Rafael Porrata-Doria has taught at Temple Univeristy School of Law since 1983; he was a visiting professor at the University of Puerto Rico, Rutgers-Camden Law School, LUISS Guido Carli University (Rome) and at the Lauder Institute of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Before teaching, Professor Porrata-Doria practiced law in Philadelphia and Miami, Florida. He is fluent in Spanish, English, French and Italian. He has written on securities, and international law; consulted for World Bank, American Law Insititute and Senate of Pennsylvania. Professor Porrata-Doria has selflessly contributed over 35 years to HACE since its founding.
The design of this new midrise apartment building responds to the neighborhood context while meeting needs for accessibility, visibility, and contemporary living. The new building will be 4 stories in height, with materials and colors which correspond to those commonly found in the neighborhood. Window sizes will be proportional to the building, suiting the neighborhood scale. Upper story bays and the entry canopy will enliven the primary elevations while remaining in keeping with the local character. The building will have brick and stucco exterior, with projecting bays at upper stories articulating the facade such that the horizontal scale of the building approaches local townhouses.
Gurney Street Trail
The creation of a walking trail along the Conrail line was initially conceived through the Good Lands 2025 Neighborhood Planning process led by HACE. Since then, HACE has been strengthening partnerships and support with Conrail, the Managing Director’s Office, community organizations, and other City agencies to support the massive $5+ million cleaning effort that took place in summer 2017 and the eradication of the encampments in the Fairhill Neighborhood.
The Gurney Street Trail is a critical component to reclaiming the Fairhill neighborhood from the abandonment and criminal activity that has long plagued this community. The first phase of the Gurney Street Trail runs adjacent to the Conrail viaduct between B Street and A Street along Gurney Street. Additionally, the need for this trail is particularly heightened in the area, which lacks complete sidewalks/walking surfaces beyond the street in many areas.
HACE engaged Marta Sanchez, a nationally known artist inspired by traditional Mexican folk art expressions and its hybrid in contemporary culture. Her Sculptures seek to center the Conrail Train tracks as part of the memories that the current residents have of their neighborhood. The project combines the image of trains and other elements to honor the memories of the neighborhood’s residents who have been a part of this urban landscape. The sculptures also seek to honor the memory of those who have passed away from the opioid epidemic while honoring those who continue to live there.
Villas del Caribe Preservation Project
As new market-rate development continues to span across Eastern North Philadelphia neighborhoods, HACE affirms its commitment to the preservation of its affordable rental housing portfolio serving seniors and families. In support of HACE’s mission, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency (PHFA) awarded HACE 9% Low Income Housing Tax Credits for the Preservation of Villas del Caribe. In addition, the Philadelphia Housing Authority awarded this housing development a rental assistance contract under the Project Based Voucher Program.
Built in 1997 with support from PHFA’s Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program and the City of Philadelphia, Villas del Caribe has been offering 81 units of affordable rental housing for low-income families. This multifamily development offers two, three and four bedroom townhomes, with 37 units subsidized by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Section 8 Program. The Philadelphia Housing Authority Project Based Voucher Program will provide rental assistance for 44 units at Villas del Caribe.
“The city’s affordable housing crisis requires an absolute commitment from nonprofit and for profit developers who are in the business of creating affordable housing,” said HACE’s President and CEO Maria N. Gonzalez. “Our focus remains to preserve existing affordable housing and to continue to build new affordable housing units for renters and homebuyers. These efforts will help balance the increasing volume of market rate development that is spilling over into HACE’s focus neighborhoods and ensure that long term residents are not displaced from their community.”
HACE’s strategy intentionally pairs intensively directed resources around the community’s commercial corridors with broad-based economic development efforts across the entire service area, recognizing that each is dependent on the other for success. Since completion of the Good Lands Neighborhood Plan in 2016, HACE and its partners have leveraged $110,527,816 in new public and private investments for the continued revitalization of the St. Hugh and Fairhill neighborhoods. The preservation of Villas del Caribe is another way that HACE works with its partners to leverage their combined resources to address the community’s affordable housing needs and get projects across the finish line.
