Roxborough Development Corporation
Roxborough: A Place With Roots
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
As one of 13 business improvement districts in the City of Philadelphia, the Roxborough Development Corporation (RDC) has been working hard since 1992 to enhance the Roxborough neighborhood’s Ridge Avenue Commercial Corridor. Today, the Roxborough neighborhood boasts a number of superlatives as one of the safest, greenest and most conveniently located areas in Philadelphia. The neighborhood’s commercial center, Ridge Avenue, however, faces several challenges. Commercial vacancy, physical deterioration and a lack of visionary investment has left many Roxborough residents to venture outside of Philadelphia for basic products and services. Recent initiatives spearheaded by the RDC have sought out to address these issues and engage both longtime stakeholders and newcomers in Roxborough. The RDC’s Roxborough 2020 Initiative launched in June 2015, engaged over 700 neighborhood stakeholders to envision improvements to Ridge Avenue and the Roxborough neighborhood.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Asset Enhancement
Encourage a diverse business mix on Ridge Avenue. Stimulate expansion of existing business and recruit new business to locate here.
District Improvements
Ridge Avenue will be clean and safe thus adding to the neighborhood’s superb quality of life. Our district’s tree canopy and seasonal flower displays add visual interest and welcome shoppers year round. Encourage merchants and property owners to restore historic buildings, undertake quality façade renovation and to install handsome and appropriate signage.
Marketing & Advertising
Aggressively communicate good news about the Ridge Avenue commercial district as the heart and hub of the Roxborough neighborhood using traditional and social media. Develop a new website and maintain a year-long calendar of fun retail and special events to drive customers into stores. Work closely with our partners to add appropriate shopping components to their events.
Special Events
Develop and maintain a year-long calendar of fun retail and special events to drive customers into stores. Work closely with our partners to add appropriate shopping components to their events.
Where we work
External reviews
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
1. Aggressively communicate good news about the Ridge Avenue commercial district as the heart and hub of the Roxborough neighborhood using traditional and social media.
2. Encourage a diverse business mix on Ridge Avenue. Stimulate expansion of existing business and recruit new business to locate here.
3. Ridge Avenue will be clean and safe thus adding to the neighborhood’s superb quality of life. Our district’s tree canopy and seasonal flower displays add visual interest and welcome shoppers year round. Encourage merchants and property owners to restore historic buildings, undertake quality façade renovation and to install handsome and appropriate signage.
4. Maintain our year-long calendar of fun retail and special events to drive customers into stores. We work closely with our partners to add appropriate shopping components to their events.
5. By 2020 the RDC annual budget has grown to $500,000 primarily through private sector fundraising including: net profits from special events; Board gifts; increases in rental income from RDC-owned real estate including buildings and parking lots; a legislative increase in the CDC Tax Credit if passed, and by expanding the BID budget by 3%.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
By 2020 Ridge Avenue will be the heart and hub of the Roxborough neighborhood where residents find a thriving commercial district with exciting restaurants and a growing number of independent retailers and national chain stores.
The commercial corridor is effectively managed with the Roxborough Development Corporation (RDC) taking responsibility for all aspects of the customer experience, including event planning; way-finding signage; installing gateways, banners, and holiday decorations; maintaining planters and trees; parking management; and its traditional role in assuring that the corridor is safe and clean.
Throughout the week, customers visit Ridge Avenue’s fine compliment of retail shops and restaurants or have an appointment at the numerous small offices or professional service providers along Ridge Avenue. Workers at Roxborough Memorial Hospital and our other major neighborhood employers use our commercial corridor daily before and after work and at lunchtime. On weekends, Ridge Avenue will be crowded with Gen X couples running errands and with Baby Boomers trying out the newest restaurant or shopping in an independent shop that is new to the Avenue.
Ridge Avenue is alive with color year-round, through our seasonal flower displays and place making signage. Our extensive tree cover shades pedestrians in summer, and provides visual interest in spring and fall. The organization takes responsibility for maintaining and placing quality way-finding signage and festive holiday decorations. The well-regarded way-finding system and new kiosks show pedestrians where to find their favorite store or restaurant. The organization is responsible for landscaping and managing the two parking lots purchased or leased from the City, and for installing and programming the new pocket park. Ridge Avenue is always sparkling as a result of regular sweeping and cleaning. There is consistent and visible policing, thus assuring that our corridor is safe. The extensive stock of historic buildings along Ride Avenue continue to be well maintained and are celebrated through history related events and activities year round. In the last five years, we completed the final phase of our streetscape project which has been a total success.
The RDC is the “go to” place for businesses that wish to locate or expand on Ridge Avenue. When the rare storefront vacancy occurs, new and appropriate uses are found, as the RDC maintains a list of interested local and national retailers. The recent spate of award-winning new construction compliments the existing historic buildings, bringing vital new uses to the district. The RDC continues to manage the two multi-use properties it developed and has attracted tenants that are well loved community anchors.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
This Roxborough Development Corporation sets out a very ambitious improvement agenda for Roxborough over the next five (5) years. All of these activities are important and worthy, but the RDC Board must reach agreement about how it will staff these activities.
While there are already some volunteers involved with the organization, there are not enough to implement even a small portion of these activities. More volunteers are needed to add to the already hard working existing volunteer group.
The five Goals serve as the bridge to the new vision for the future of Ridge Avenue. All of the short and longer-term projects, individually and collectively, move the organization towards making this vision into a reality by allocating all of its financial and volunteer resources accordingly.
The activities and programs that Roxborough Development Corporation will implement in the future, through the combination of Board, staff, committees, partners, and individual task force volunteers, all must be aligned to achieve at least one (1) of the five (5) above Goals. If a project does not clearly meet any of the Goals, the project should neither be staffed nor funded, as the organization has a finite number of volunteers and financial resources.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since the launch of Roxborough 2020 in 2015 to the mark of our latest fiscal year this past June, Ridge Avenue and the Roxborough neighborhood have seen remarkable growth. During the past four years, over 500 residential units have been constructed or permitted within the Business Improvement District (BID). Our commercial vacancy rate of 14% in 2015 has been halved to 7% in 2019. The Roxborough neighborhood now represents Northwest Philadelphia’s largest economy with $642M spent by our residents each year.
As we near the close of the Roxborough 2020 strategic plan lifecycle we sought out feedback this past April on our work from some of the BID’s most invested stakeholders. The Roxborough 2020 Next Steps Workshop set out to reevaluate our organization’s accomplishments and current initiatives. Among the feedback we solicited was a desire to encourage and influence a diverse retail mix on Ridge Avenue. To enhance messaging around neighborhood schools, natural assets and successful neighborhood businesses. To advance the physical streetscape environment with a stronger district management plan. It is through these efforts we can continue to reposition Ridge Avenue as a destination corridor while holding true to our roots as a strong service oriented district.
In 2020 we look for fresh ideas from all stakeholders as we reflect and begin to plan ahead for the next five years. We remain committed to advancing long-term value for all those connected to the heart and hub of the Roxborough community, Ridge Avenue.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Roxborough Development Corporation
Board of directorsas of 08/14/2023
Jo Ann Desper
Brian Corcodilos
Designblendz
Matthew Belz
Di Bruno Brothers
Jack Wheeler
Jack Wheeler's Hair Company
David Plante
Ruggiero Plante Land Design
Brian Paule
The Galman Group
Jo Ann Desper
Burt Piper
Roxborough Memorial Hospital
Franco Siciliano
Cafe Roma
Josh Cohen
Chief of Staff, Councilmember Curtis Jones Jr
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data