Fifteen projects in 10 counties make-up this year’s finalists for 10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania’s annual Commonwealth Design Awards.

The awards showcase the best examples of smart growth design from across Pennsylvania. PNC Bank is title sponsor for the awards program.

“The Design Awards jury members had a difficult task to select from a record number of entries from all corners of the state,” said Janet Milkman, 10,000 Friends’ president and CEO. “The diverse nature of the projects – meeting residential, commercial, educational, governmental and human services needs – demonstrates that smart growth isn’t just a good idea but an everyday fact of life in Pennsylvania.

“In fact, smart growth has become so important to Pennsylvania that we’re seeing disparate groups such as the Pennsylvania Builders Association and the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors supporting the Design Awards and actively encouraging their members to participate.”

The finalist are:

Bausman Street Independent Living, Allegheny County: Five years in the making and completed in January, the Bausman Street Independent Living project comprises four apartments in three buildings that provide affordable housing for low-income, disabled adults. BSIL represents the first new construction in decades in Pittsburgh’s Knoxville neighborhood.

The units, which replaced a vacant lot and an adjoining storage building, were designed not to look as though they were for a particular population but rather to integrate into an existing neighborhood. The area is two blocks from a main street district (post office, bank, drug store, restaurants) and across the street from a bus stop, allowing the BSIL residents to live closer to their daily needs. BSIL represents a unique partnership among two Pittsburgh-based nonprofits, three social service providers and Pittsburgh’s U.S. Housing and Urban Development office.

Mental Health Consumer Center, Beaver County: In 2002, the Mental Health Association in Beaver County was given the opportunity to tap grant funding and private financial support to construct a building and consolidate its programs and services under one roof.

Construction of the 7,500-square-foot, three-floor Mental Health Consumer Center was completed in 2005, on what had been a vacant lot. It was the first new construction in Rochester, which is the hub of Beaver County, in more than 50 years. By virtue of being in the central business district, the center provides pedestrian access to public transportation, services and residential neighborhoods, and encourages community integration for the center’s consumers.

International Place, Dauphin County: A 30,000-square-foot mixed-use project, International Place opened in 2005. Blackberry LLC, an affiliate of Harristown Development Corp., renovated five buildings and reused two vacant lots at Third and Chestnut streets in the historic part of downtown Harrisburg.

Four of the buildings and the lots had been vacant for more than 10 years. International Place comprises a 20,000-square-foot expansion of International House, bringing capacity to 54 residents; Bricco, a 160-seat culinary arts school and restaurant; Ciao!, a bakery that offers outdoor seating and takeout; and Olewine’s Meat and Cheese House. The project created more than 50 jobs and will contribute at least $3 million per year to the local economy.

Synygy World Headquarters, Delaware County: In Chester, an Industrial Age power station gave way to a new world headquarters for a 21st century technology company. Software company Synygy Inc. is the anchor tenant for the former Chester Waterside Station, a coal-fired electric power plant along the Delaware River.

The project transformed a decaying building that was purchased for $1 into a million-dollar investment. Turbine Hall, with its 100-foot vaulted ceiling, now houses two free-standing structures that incorporate a data center, cafeteria and conference center. Offices replaced a boiler room. An employee fitness center and a residence for visiting executives can be found where coal once was hoisted from barges and dropped into the tops of sifters and boilers.

Tom Ridge Environmental Center at Presque Isle State Park, Erie County: The former site of a drive-in movie theater has found a second act in the form of the Tom Ridge Environmental Center, which will serve as a gateway to Presque Isle State Park. The 12-acre site in Millcreek Township was chosen to reinforce the park’s connection to Erie, lengthen visitor stays by offering interpretive programs, and develop collaborative relationships with regional research and educational organizations.

The center, comprising 63,000 square feet on two floors, will boast exhibition areas, a 75-foot observation tower affording views of Lake Erie, an orientation theater, gift shop, café and regional offices for the state Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and laboratories.

Barn at Fallingwater, Fayette County: Consistent with its mission statement – “Saving the places we care about by connecting people to the natural world.” – the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy converted a 12,000-square-foot bank barn into conference and event space on the 5,000-acre Bear Run Nature Reserve.

Completed in 2005, The Barn at Fallingwater is on Route 381 in Steward Township, adjacent to Frank Lloyd Wright’s renowned Fallingwater in southwestern Pennsylvania’s Laurel Highlands region. The upper level of the original barn, which dates to the 19th century, is used for exhibits, lectures and other social functions. The one-story 20th-century addition provides space for exhibits, conferences and distance-learning.

Buckwalter Building, Lancaster County: Located in the northwest quadrant of Lancaster city, the 45,000-square-foot Buckwalter Building was built in 1905 as the A.K. Mann tobacco warehouse. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989 but was vacant for several years. Prince Street Associates, a subsidiary of the Drogaris Cos., bought the building in 1998. It turned over a new leaf as a mixed-use redevelopment project, which was completed in 2005.

The first floor is home to the Brickyard Restaurant and Sports Pub; technology companies occupy the second and third floors; and eight luxury apartments complete the fourth floor. The project is just two blocks from the new Clipper Magazine Stadium and is served by Red Rose Transit.

Pottstown Town Center, Montgomery County: The parcel at High and Hanover streets in downtown Pottstown had sat vacant since 1973. Adjacent to it, the 19th-century Security Trust Building had been empty for 20 years; the Reading Train Station had been converted to another use. But the borough demonstrated its faith in the community in 2000 by locating its new three-story, 28,000-square-foot municipal building here. Borough Hall is credited with sparking economic development, including renovation of the Security Trust Building.

The Town Center was completed in 2002 with the opening of Smith Family Plaza, which created a place for socializing, festivals and performances. The plaza accommodates current transit use and anticipates the train station’s rebirth as a stop on the proposed Schuylkill Valley Metro.

Blau-Thompson residence, Philadelphia: Completed in 2003, this project involved the renovation of a 19th-century row home in the Italian Market area of Philadelphia. The owners converted a former luncheonette with two apartments above it into a single-family home. They operate a small architectural firm from the property, and their son uses the numerous public playgrounds and parks nearby.

The owners use PhillyCarShare, public transportation (the site is on a SEPTA bus route), bicycles and foot power for transportation. The project introduced high-efficiency renovations, such as hot water solar collectors, to reduce the amount of energy required by a contemporary family.

Martin Luther King Plaza, Philadelphia: The winner of a 2006 award for regional and urban design from the American Institute of Architects, Martin Luther King Plaza has brought affordable housing and families into what had been a blighted, crime-ridden 15-block area near Broad Street, Philadelphia. As of March, 136 units had been completed with another 90 under construction and expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The site design incorporated off-street parking, back yards and a streetscape. The Philadelphia Housing Authority installed high-efficiency mechanical equipment in the buildings, reducing energy consumption, promoting cost savings and a cleaner environment.

School District of Philadelphia Headquarters: Built in 1928 as the Philadelphia Inquirer’s printing plant, the five-story building tells a different story today. The 865,000-square-foot concrete structure at 440 N. Broad St. required massive interior and exterior renovations for its rebirth as the school district’s headquarters.

Designers added an interior “light well,” or atrium, in the middle of the building, creating a large common area off the first-floor lobby that accommodates gatherings, exhibits, presentations and community events. By consolidating four administrative and storage sites into this building, the school district realizes a yearly saving of $1.2 million in operating expenses – and has enough leftover space to lease some of it.

Spring Arts Point, Philadelphia: The three acres at North 10th and Green streets, in what is known as the West Poplar neighborhood in Philadelphia, had been vacant since a failed urban renewal effort in the 1960s. This spring, construction began for Spring Arts Point, which will result in 53 townhouses and 20 condominiums that are expected to attract a range of income groups and family sizes. All units will have dedicated off-street parking; public subway, bus and trolley are within a 10-minute walk. Privately funded, the project will include seven units that will be available as affordable housing.

Historic Fairmount Neighborhood, York County: The Fairmount neighborhood had been neglected for years when, in 1997, the city of York sponsored a reinvestment effort. Nearly a decade later, Historic Fairmount can point to the rehabilitation of 15 formerly single-family Victorian-era homes into 38 apartment homes serving low- and moderate-income residents.

The homes encompass 37,724 square feet on two blocks of North Beaver Street. Completed in December, the development also includes a community room for a neighborhood association and a laundry facility for the tenants’ use. Residents are proximate to parks, public transportation and the central business district.

Martin Memorial Library, York County: October 2005 marked a new chapter in the history of Martin Memorial Library and the culmination of a 2½-year expansion and renovation project. Funded privately, the project encompassed a renovation of the original library (built in 1935) at Market and Queen streets in downtown York, expansion into a next-door brownstone home built in 1866, and “infill” between the two buildings.

The library now boasts a gourmet coffee shop, a Victorian ballroom (restored in the brownstone) that is available for public use, and a new Children’s Library complete with an outdoor courtyard. Since the project’s completion, library visits have increased by 6,000 per month, circulation has increased 25 percent, and the issuing of new-member cards has increased 33 percent.

The Greenway Tech Centre, York County: The 60,000-square-foot building at 540 S. George St., York, used to be home to Eisenlohr & Bros. Cigar Factory, but another crop is more symbolic of the five-story structure’s reincarnation. Construction crews used corn blasting to remove white paint from the building’s interior rather than harsh chemicals that could have harmed hardwood and future workers in what is now The Greenway Tech Centre.

Standing as a southern gateway to the city, the project is part of the nonprofit Crispus Attucks Association’s 10-year Boundary Avenue project to revitalize the neighborhood. The center will accommodate as many as eight loft-style offices equipped with fiber-optic cable and wireless Internet.

This year’s winners will be announced at a public event June 13 at The State Museum of Pennsylvania in Harrisburg. Tickets are $100 and may be purchased by calling 10,000 Friends at 215-985-3201.

10,000 Friends of Pennsylvania is an alliance of organizations and individuals from across the state committed to land-use policies and actions that will enable Pennsylvania to strengthen its diverse urban, suburban and rural communities and reduce sprawl. 10,000 Friends has offices in Philadelphia, Harrisburg and Pittsburgh.

5/26/2006