New plaza a tough sell

The area’s newest shopping center is quickly taking shape at 23rd Street and Oregon Avenue. So, it seems, are residents’ opinions.

Civic leaders who met with New York developer Forest City Ratner before construction on the Quartermaster Plaza began last October are reiterating their initial concerns about the center’s tenants.

"The retailers that will be doing business there are the same old stores," said Broad Street West Civic Association president John Furey.

"I think that Forest City underestimated the demographics of the surrounding area," he added, referring to nearby housing construction and elevated property values.

Jody Della Barba, president of Girard Estate Area Residents, is concerned that the out-of-town developers might not understand the needs of local shoppers.

"The people taking the [demographic] numbers might be from Kansas and not know how South Philly people operate," she said. "This area is unique from other parts of the country."

The Home Depot, Staples, Petsmart, BJ’s Wholesale Club, Walgreens, Fleet Bank and apparel retailer A.J. Wright will open for business in late September or early October, said Forest City spokesperson Joyce Baumgarten.

Quartermaster Plaza, which so far has cost $60 million to develop, will eventually employ more than 1,000 people, Baumgarten said.

The shopping center marks a rebirth for the site, which has remained vacant for five years.

For more than 80 years, the site housed the Army Quartermaster Depot, also known as the Defense Supply Center Philadelphia. The U.S. Army manufactured military uniforms at the facility.

Under the Base Realignment and Closure Program, the Army ended its operations there in 1999, then transferred air rights to the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. in October 2001.

The PIDC soon accepted a $20.5-million offer from Forest City to develop the site.

In the meantime, Army engineers continued to clean a petroleum plume lurking at least 16 feet below the property. The cleanup of the 2-million-gallon plume began in 1996. As of June 25, about 880,920 gallons have been removed from the site, according to government records.

Because of the massive and continuous cleanup effort, the Quartermaster Plaza’s buildings can have foundations no lower than 10 to 12 feet. The federal government will retain ownership of the ground below that point until the cleanup is complete.

Though civic leaders still hope to see some more unique stores occupying the Quartermaster Plaza, the majority of the space is spoken for.

"Presently, 460,000 square feet out of 500,000 square feet available have been leased," said Baumgarten. "Forest City is trying to get other retailers to commit to space, but they cannot force them."

Since many of the stores in the Quartermaster Plaza already are doing business at other South Philly locations, Furey does not think the new shopping center will stop people from taking their business elsewhere.

"What we really wanted was some higher-class stores that would keep people from going over to New Jersey to shop," he said. "The people of South Philly will not be so accommodating and supportive of zoning changes anymore."

Della Barba, however, has found some positives about the center.

"I was not originally happy with Walgreens moving in, but when the Drug Emporium closed, it was understandable to have another drugstore available," she said, referring to the pharmacy that closed in the 24th and Oregon shopping center. "Staples, The Home Depot and especially BJ’s — who is very involved in the community — are great assets to the area."

Last October, Forest City’s CEO and president, Bruce C. Ratner, promised to "continue to work with the community and do what we can to be helpful."

But Della Barba said the city was not inclusive enough in the process.

"Council President Anna Verna bent over backwards for this project," she said. "But the city and the PIDC lied when they said the community would be completely involved in the building process. I don’t blame Forest City because I believe that they were lured here."

Baumgarten could not verify whether Forest City was working with the community on specific development issues.

As the center’s opening draws near, Della Barba has her eye on that remaining 40,000 square feet of retail space. She’s hoping it will house a bookstore or department store.

"The people in South Philly, especially women and girls, need a decent store to shop for clothes and other high-end items," she said.