Girard Coalition Names David L. Cohen Executive
Director and Opens Girard Avenue Office
(Philadelphia, PA) -- The Board of Directors of the Girard Coalition, Inc. (GCI) has announced the appointment of David L. Cohen, AICP as Executive Director for the incorporated non-profit organization composed of over 50 neighborhood groups, business associations, and major institutions along Girard Avenue from the Schuylkill River to the Delaware River.
Cohen joins GCI after six years serving as Executive Director of the City Avenue Special Services District. Cohen has experience working with property owners, business leaders, and elected officials in the creation of over one million square feet of new office, commercial, and institutional space and he has created three authorities focused on public-private cooperation in the rehabilitation of commercial areas.
Additionally, GCI has opened its first office at 704-06 West Girard Avenue, a building recently renovated by Friends Rehabilitation Program. The Coalition works to enhance the image of the Girard Avenue commercial corridor to create a destination for visitors and a place for neighborhood residents to shop, a district where shoppers can find unique items as well as address everyday needs, and a place where large-scale development complements and strengthens existing businesses.
Current improvement programs include:
- ‘Mural Panels’ which are now being hand painted by local artists and will be installed on poles up and down Girard Avenue this summer through a partnership with Philadelphia Mural Arts Program, LISC Philadelphia, and the William Penn Foundation;
- And the ‘cleaning and greening’ of vacant lots on the 1200, 1300, and 1600 blocks of Girard that being accomplished through a partnership with the North Central Empowerment Zone and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society.
- Also coming this summer: A sidewalk cleaning program, marketing technical assistance to Girard businesses, design guidelines and façade improvement incentives, and a website that will provide a calendar of Girard Avenue events (www.girardcoalition.org).
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The Coalition is committed to coordinating resources to support the revitalization of Girard Avenue, including identifying resources for infrastructure improvements to foster economic growth, enhancing the commercial environment to strengthen existing businesses and attract additional amenities, and improving the quality of life in the surrounding residential neighborhoods.