Comments by
Michael Greenblatt, Partner
Canus Corporation

Canus Corporation was a general partner in the development of Lehigh Park Center. [In December 2001, the partnership interest was sold to a community development corporation, Hispanic Association of Contractors and Enterprises (HACE)]. Our participation began in 1989, when we responded to a "request for proposal" from St. Christopher's Hospital for Children. The hospital was in the process of moving to a new location, because of concerns about crime in the surrounding neighborhood, a need for closer staff parking, and the desire to remain competitive by building a more modern facility. Community members and representatives of the hospital worked together to make sure that ideas for redeveloping the site were in sync with the interests of the neighborhood.

We took title in 1990 and immediately sold some of the parcels to community groups for their use, including 17 rowhouses that were rehabilitated by HACE. The vacant hospital complex was leased back to St. Christopher's for a two-year period, during which time the hospital maintained all the carrying costs. We made development plans in three phases, which caused some difficulty in finding investors, who typically prefer to see the full picture. Finding new uses for the six largest buildings was challenging: each one was different from the other and none had a layout that could easily be converted to residential use. Initially, one of the buildings was scheduled to be a nursing home, but when state requirements proved too stringent, we switched to creating 29 low-income apartments.

When we first started to build, we used 24-hour-a-day guards to protect the site, and even then, there were still problems with crime. Today, the stabilization provided by the redeveloped complex has been monumental. The community has benefited from the residential units and the early-learning center. Spin-offs from the main project include the creation of an art center and the rebirth of a local park [Fairhill Square].

Lehigh Park Center stands right in the heart of a vibrant Latino community, with a functioning retail district. Had we not become involved in this project, or not been able to reach completion, I fear the neighborhood might not have been turned around. Instead of becoming a huge vacant nightmare, the old St. Christopher's site became a success story and a model for future development.