City Of Philadelphia Asking For Proposals To Renovate Long-Shuttered Germantown YWCA
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The long-shuttered Germantown YWCA could see a new lease on life. The city is asking for proposals on renovating the building, with retail, condos and rentals as possibilities.
The Germantown YWCA in Northwest Philadelphia was closed nearly ten years ago and the city has struggled to find a new use for the massive, but decaying building.
Eighth District Councilwoman Cindy Bass says $4 million, most of which are unused funds from the old Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, will now be used to remake the Y and they're accepting proposals from developers.
"I'd like to see something that's market rate housing in terms of apartments. Also some recreational use is important to me. And also because it is a commercial corridor, some retail space. It's going to be good for the building and it's going to be good for Germantown Avenue."
The Germantown Y was one of the first racially integrated Ys in the nation and for decades it was a meeting place for that community.
The Redevelopment Authority, which controls the building now, originally wanted the building to be used now for low-income housing, but Bass objected to that plan.