Philly tax credit a model | water woes | rowhouses for 6th and Fairmount | waterfront trail section delay | SEPTA baby

A corporate tax credit program in Philly that funds community development work is catching on in other states, reports Ryan Briggs for Next American City. Under the Commerce Department program, private companies agree for 10 years to turn $100,000 of their annual business taxes into funding for commercial or housing development projects by a community development organizations. The program has been so successful in the city that it has Pennsylvania has adopted a similar state level credit, and now Massachusetts is doing the same. This year the grants were reduced to $85,000 per year locally so more nonprofit community development groups could benefit, and the Commerce Department is strengthening its review and oversight of the program to improve its efficacy.

Despite three major water main breaks since July, the Water Department says the number of breaks isn’t on the rise, reports the Daily News in a review of our city’s aging water infrastructure woes (complete with a helpful diagram!). Water bills will go up 28.5% over the next four years, partly due to the cost of anticipated repairs. This year there have been five water main breaks on transmission lines larger than 16 inches.

The bunker-like commercial building along Fairmount between 5th and 6th could be razed to make way for new rowhouses, reports Naked Philly. A company affiliated with Tower Investments bought the building last year for $3.9 million. Northern Liberties Neighbors Association’s meeting on October 31 will discuss the project.

The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation’s plans to build a section of the waterfront trail on Delaware Avenue and Penn Street were tabled by the Planning Commission this week, reports PlanPhilly’s Kellie Patrick Gates. This trail segment would be the link between SugarHouse and Spring Garden Street, and the Planning Commission wants more information about the trail’s design and planned connections.

Somehow a 22-year old woman gave birth on the Broad Street Line on Tuesday. “It was like a miracle at Olney Station,” SEPTA Police Office Loyd Rodgers told the Daily News.

 

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