Since inception of the organization, the dire need for affordable housing was identified and prioritized by the Nicetown CDC. Strategic planning, securing adequate funding sources and acquiring property for site control are among the challenges faced in order to establish affordable housing. Beginning with a partnership with Youthbuild, the organization began producing affordable housing for homeownership. Youthbuild teaches the construction trades to high school students under the guidance of experienced teachers and counselors. This was the start of our focus on preservation of existing housing stock.

The Wingohocking Street Project illustrates best how the Nicetown CDC partners with Youthbuild to redevelop vacant and blighted properties for homeownership. Properties that were an eyesore and had been deteriorating for almost two decades were redeveloped for first time homeowners. The project was certified LEED Platinum with the highest level of energy efficiency. The Nicetown CDC has grown over the years and increased their capacity to complete small and larger scale scattered site redevelopments for homeownership. (Wingohocking Project photos) The organization has redeveloped vacant, blighted properties from gut rehabs as well as ground up new construction. The Nicetown CDC has secured and invested more than $40 million for affordable housing in Nicetown and currently has an affordable homeownership project in the pipeline in West Philadelphia.

The Nicetown CDC began its revitalization efforts with a focus on Nicetown’s commercial corridor that runs along Germantown Avenue. A succession of four plans target Nicetown’s corridor from the 4100 block at Germantown and Hunting Park, to the 4500 block of Germantown Avenue at the Wayne Junction train station. The plans are a road map of strategies for cleaning, greening and maintenance, mixed use development, and attracting new small businesses.

In 2019, the Nicetown CDC was selected by Rebuild to be a Project User (Developer) for the Barrett Playground Rebuild Project.  More than a year of community engagement along with pre-development activities, resulted in the conceptual plan that will take the current playground from a one-room dilapidated building and underused fields, to what will now be the Barrett Recreation Center.  It will be the hub of revitalization with recreation, resources and programming in Logan.  The project is scheduled to go to groundbreaking and construction on October 2nd 2024.