Developing the Heart of the County

Beverly's City Council has voted in favor of plans to move forward with the redevelopment of its riverfront space. The project includes plans for 45 homes, a restaurant and a waterfront promenade. It will be developed by Strategic Redevelopment Partners LLC, a redevelopment firm run by Richard Bernardi. This is part of a larger redevelopment plan proposed for the city, which calls for the construction of hundreds of homes, the demolition of a low-income housing complex and major improvements along the waterfront.

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ

Research Facility Receives Funding for Improvements

The Camden County Improvement Authority has approved $6 million in tax-exempt financing for Camden's Coriell Institute for Medical Research. This funding is another major step towards developing the city's "health sciences campus", which also includes Cooper University Hospital. Coriell will use the financing to renovate its core laboratories "so that they are more functional, flexible, adaptable and efficient facility to support the scientists in their effort to stay at the forefront of evolving science, technology and automation.” The plans also include the creation of collaborative spaces to catalyze scientific teamwork and partnerships across disciplines.

GLOUCESTER COUNTY, NJ

Conference on Attracting High Tech Jobs to Greater Philadelphia

Want to learn more about how the community is working to attract more high-tech jobs to the Greater Philadelphia region? Then you should attend the South Jersey Pharmaceutical and Medical Technology Industry Alliance's Spring Conference. Sponsored in partnership with the South Jersey Technology Park at Rowan University, the conference will feature local leaders from the Greater Philadelphia region who will discuss current activities in their states to attract pharmaceutical, high-tech and bio-tech jobs to the region. For more information, please visit: http://www.sjpmtia.org/march20springconference.htm.

Grant Awarded to Fund Research at Rowan

Dr. Cathy Yang, chair and professor of Rowan University 's Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and three Rowan students have been awarded a $100,000 grant to create novel ways to produce pyridine-containing drug chemical compounds for pharmaceutical applications. The grant is funded by Combi-Blocks, Inc. a San Diego manufacturer and worldwide supplier of a series of combinatorial building blocks, organics and fine chemicals. The funded work is part of Rowan's College of Liberal Arts & Sciences' Science Clinic, an offering patterned after the medical education model in which students work six to 20 hours each semester of their undergraduate careers and learn firsthand about research and development under the guidance of experienced scientists.

A building block and flammable liquid, pyridine forms the nucleus of more than 7,000 drugs, including anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antidepressant and hypertension medications. Pyridine is used in many biological and chemical applications, such as the manufacture of chemicals, pharmaceuticals and paints. Under the Combi-Blocks grant, Dr. Yang plans to design and test new pyridine derivatives' effectiveness in inhibiting tumor growth and controlling diabetes.


MERCER COUNTY, NJ

Take a Walk...in Trenton!

Prevention magazine and the American Podiatric Medical Association have named Trenton as one of the country's top ten, best walking cities. The rankings were based on a total of 14 factors, including the opinions of podiatrists and transportation experts; the fewest cars per resident; and the amount of park land per square mile. Trenton's inclusion was based on its walkable downtown, the relatively low number of cars and the walking path along the Delaware & Raritan Canal.

SALEM COUNTY, NJ

Small Cities Grants Awarded to Three Towns and County

The New Jersey Department of Community Affairs (DCA) awarded three towns and the entire county with Small Cities Community Development Block Grants. The town recipients were Pittsgrove, Salem City and Woodstown Borough. The grants are to be used for economic development, community revitalization and public facilities projects and are designed to address local redevelopment strategies for which no other funding is available. Small Cities Grants are funded through DCA's Division of Community Resources. Senate Majority Leader Stephen M. Sweeney commented, "These funds will be used to revitalize facilities and housing in the communities that need them the most. Revitalization benefits our society in so many ways. It helps support community and economic development activities that will allow each of our neighborhoods to continue to flourish."

CHESTER COUNTY, PA

Local Companies Work Together to Solar Energy More Attainable

Based in Valley Forge, Certain Teed has formed a partnership with Philadelphia-based SRS Energy to create roofing products that generate solor energy. The companies will work together to create photovoltaic roof tiles that look like regular roof tiles. A subsidiary of the Paris materials giant Compagnie de Saint-Gobain, Certain Teed is a building products manufacturer, while SRS has been developing solar roofing systems that resemble and are as easy to install as ceramic roof tiles since 2005.

DELAWARE COUNTY, PA

The Ball is in Major League Soccer's Field

After much speculation, Major League Soccer (MLS) has announced that the Philadelphia region will be home to its newest team. The team is expected to start playing in a new, 20,000-seat stadium by 2010, which will be located near the Commodore Barry Bridge in Chester. The project will also include a 60-acre, $500 million mixed use development along the Chester watefront that would include retail, residential and and business sites. The MLS team will be owned by Keystone Sports and Entertainment LLC, which is led by Jay Sugarman, CEO of iStar Financial of New York. Other investors include: James Nevels, chairman of the Swarthmore Group investment firm, William Doran, a Philadelphia attorney, and David Pollin and Christopher and Robert Buccini of The Buccini/Pollin Group real estate development and management company.

According to MLS, Buccini/Pollin of Wilmington will lead the project's construction.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has commited to contributing $47 million in state funds to help revitalize Chester 's waterfront. $25 million of these funds will be put toward the construction of a $115 million stadium. State funding will also be used for other parts of the related development including a 200,000-square-foot exposition center, more than 22,000 square feet of retail space, two office buildings totaling about 335,000 square feet and a 1,350-space garage. Funding support is also being provided for 186 townhouses, 25 apartment units, a riverwalk and boat slips. In addition, Delaware County and the city of Chester have committed $30 million for the project and the Delaware River Port Authority has pledged $10 million.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, PA

PHILADELPHIA COUNTY, PA

Italian Helicopter Maker Expands Local Facility, Adds Jobs

Italian helicopter maker Agusta Westland announced the second major expansion of its Northeast Philadelphia facility, since opening a location in the United States twenty years ago. By the end of 2008, the facility will employ 500 people well over double the 200 people it employed in 2005. The expanded facility will assemble the midsize AW139, the fifth type of helicopter manufactured in the Greater Philadelphia region (joining Boeing Chinook, Boeing-Bell Osprey, Sikorsky S-76 and AgustaWestland Koala.) The AW139 is a twin-engine helicopter which can be configured for VIP transport, law enforcement patrols, and delivering personnel and supplies to ships and offshore oil platforms, as well as military and homeland-security missions. The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania provided a $200,000 “opportunity grant” and $200,000 in job creation tax credits, while Agusta spent $32 million to add a new helicopter assembly line.

For more information of each of the 11 counties in the Greater Philadelphia region. Go to: http://www.selectgreaterphila.com/data/county_data.cfm