On September 12th, Councilmember Cherelle Parker, along with co-sponsors Council President Darrell Clarke and Councilmembers Johnson, Domb, and Green, introduced an ordinance that would transfer $10 million in Philadelphia City General Funds for a new program to expand cleaning and blight removal on commercial corridors in every corner of Philadelphia.  Called “PHL-TCB” or PHL Taking Care of Business, the program would increase corridor cleaning support by five-fold across the entire city.

Philadelphia’s neighborhood commercial corridors are the economic arteries of our city.  The opportunities for entrepreneurs and jobs for local residents, provide goods and services for neighborhood residents, and are critical to creating livable, walkable neighborhoods with great quality of life.

If passed, the ordinance that creates the PHL-TCB program would provide 30 part-time jobs in every Council District–that’s 300 city-wide–at a living wage of $15/hour.  CDCs, Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) or other organizations would respond to Request for Proposals to manage the programs on corridors that currently don’t get cleaning or management support.

You can read more about the proposed PHL-TCB program in this program booklet from Councilmember Parker, as well as this press release and the ordinance that was introduced here.

And check out PACDC’s Commercial Corridor Policy Agenda released in 2017, where we proposed bigger investments in our neighborhood corridors.