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PARC's Big Vision
A little more background on this year's Big Vision: Food and Drink winner.
PARC’s Big Vision
When we wrote up our piece on the Passyunk Avenue Revitalization Corporation, this year’s winner in the Big Vision awards Food and Drink category, we had way more to say than space to say it in. So here we have a little more background and more input from Sam Sherman and Will chef/owner Christopher Kearse.
While PARC’s involvement in the big opening and relocation stories mentioned in our cover story was a big part of why they were chosen, it’s hardly the whole story. We were taken by their problem-solving efforts on several fronts.
PARC has made plenty of very visible changes—changes that have impacted all neighborhood businesses, but food-based ones in particular. We’re thinking of the addition of valet parking for restaurants, commercial façade renovations, and the revitalization of the Singing Fountain, to name a few. Sam Sherman told us that the latter project initially met with some fierce resistance—some neighbors were concerned it would just be a hangout for junkies—which seems hard to believe given the plaza’s current centerpiece status. Aside from being a nice place to take a breather while shopping, it’s home to a weekly farmer’s market and the heart of community events like seasonal pub crawls and the annual Christmas tree lighting that brought the industry out into the street with food and drinks that drew hundreds this year—and which Sherman says will be even bigger next year.
Will’s Chris Kearse told us in no uncertain terms that his deal with PARC was “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,” and that their approach to rehabbing and leasing resto spaces “makes [tenants] want to stay for a long time.” Kearse got a new kitchen designed to suit his modern take on food, without having to foot the tremendous cost that entails. And Sherman explained that PARC’s hope is that one day, their commercial tenants will be in a position to buy the buildings their businesses inhabit. That’s the kind of smart, long-view approach to neighborhood revitalization we wanted to highlight.
Sherman was also very clear on one thing: that the focus on a prosperous and varied dining scene has everything to do with driving foot traffic in the area that will support all the businesses in their neighborhood. It’s important to the board to maintain livability and practicality, and great restaurants, cafes, and bars can end up helping the local hardware shop and other necessities to thrive.
And when asked if Noord is their only restaurant project currently in the works now that Fond’s new space is complete, Sherman answered, intriguingly, “Well, it’s the only one that’s public.”
Finally, we’d like to point out that while we interviewed Sherman for the piece, the award goes to PARC’s entire board and membership. Specific shout-outs go to Jim Gallo, Jim Perlstein, Paul Levy, and Sara Doelger.
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