American Street Corridor To Become Philadelphia's Next Neighborhood?

American Street Corridor To Become Philadelphia's Next Neighborhood?

The American Street Corridor, an area in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, has been blighted and barren for decades. The area was once alight with industry, beginning in the late 1800s when the Reading and Philadelphia Railroads routed through the area, spurring a lively commercial strip filled with factories and repair shops, freight yards, and tens of thousands of busy workers. But all of that is gone and has been for quite some time. American Street has been the badlands for decades, a place you simply didn’t go.
 
Around 20 years ago, Philadelphia was awarded a grant through the Empowerment Zone program for $79 million. The money was split between blighted, post-industrial zones in West and North Philly and the American Street Corridor. The money has been budgeted annually to foster business growth in the area, slowly building the area back. The Amer­ic­an Street Em­power­ment Zone bound­ar­ies are Gir­ard Av­en­ue to the south, 6th Street to the west, over Dauph­in Street, and up 4th Street, to the north by Le­high Av­en­ue, and to the east by Kens­ing­ton Av­en­ue down to Front Street, along Nor­ris Street and down Frank­ford Av­en­ue.
 
Recently, this corridor, which lies adjacent to real estate hot spots Fishtown and Northern Liberties, has benefitted from the growth of its borders. Everyone from tech companies to coffee roasters is popping up in the area.
 
Recently, several residential developments seem to be in the works, which is an exciting development for the corridor. Could this mean the American Street Empowerment Zone could be poised to be the next great Philly neighborhood? Stay Tuned!
 
Further reading:
 
A brighter future for the American Street Corridor
 
Uncertainty and Ingenuity On Kensington’s Industrial American Street
 
Philadelphia Empowerment Zone (EZ)

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