The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority is looking to sell three dozen properties that were involved in the infamous MOVE bombing that took place in 1985 and marred a neighborhood, the city, and its mayor.
It will be a particularly sensitive redevelopment project, given the tragic history of the neighborhood. Years of tension and violence between the city and members of MOVE, a local black liberation group, resulted in the infamous MOVE bombing of 1985. On May 13, the city dropped a satchel of explosives onto the rooftop bunker of MOVE’s headquarters at 6221 Osage Avenue, resulting in a widespread fire that destroyed more than 60 homes and left 11 dead.
The effort by the city agency looks to have those properties redeveloped and, though it won’t erase history, it has the potential to set that part of the community on a revitalizing new course.
The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority invites competitive proposals from developers to purchase and develop thirty six (36) properties located in the blocks of 6200 Osage Avenue and 6200 Pine Street in the Cobbs Creek Philadelphia. The site is bounded by Pine Street to the North, Addison Street to the South, 62nd Street to the East and Cobbs Creek Park to the West.
PRA strongly encourages developers to rehabilitate the properties, while not excluding the option of demolition and new construction if that approach proves to be the most viable solution. Because some of the PRA-owned properties abut owner-occupied units, developers should be prepared to make every effort to address safety issues and prevent work that would adversely affect private properties. Developer should also be respectful of the area’s challenged history and the trauma that adjacent residents may have experienced.
A pre-submission site visit will be held on November 28, 2016 at 10:00 AM at 6216 Osage Avenue. Interested parties are urged to attend this visit. This is the only time entry will be permitted for interested developers. No individual requests for entry will be permitted. Proposals will be reviewed to determine the most responsive proposal in accordance with the evaluation/selection criteria.
All proposals must be submitted no later than December 14, 2016 at 3:00 PM.
Image via Google Maps