Beyond the Bell Connecting Our City’s Arts & Cultural Institutions through Tourism Infrastructure and Partnerships Contact: George Matysik [email protected] The hospitality and tourism industry is one of our city’s strongest economic sectors, providing 90,000 full-time jobs in the Philadelphia region. In 2013, 39 million visitors made their way to our city, representing a $10 billion economic impact on our economy. And while this does translate into a $422 per person tax savings, tangible benefits have largely been confined to Center City. I believe this economic growth needs to extend to neighborhoods and the small businesses that anchor them in order to truly move our city toward a vision of shared prosperity. Beyond the Bell is my plan for achieving that. A Citywide Reach For the last few years, there has been a conversation around having large, city-based, non-profits pay PILOTs (payments in lieu of taxes). As Mayor, I would also entertain the idea of SILOTs (services in lieu of taxes) to help bring more programming from larger, Center City-based institutions into our neighborhoods. When it comes to arts and culture in Philadelphia, there’s no institution more vital than the Free Library of Philadelphia. With 61 locations, spanning every neighborhood in the city, our library system has the ability to bring rich cultural programming to every resident in Philadelphia. As Mayor, I will push to increase funding to our library system, ensuring they are fully staffed and have the necessary resources to grow their rich programming through PILOTs and SILOTs. Continue the City’s Contribution While the Mayor has called for a 40% decrease in capital for the Philadelphia Cultural Fund, I believe this is a necessary resource for our City’s residents. That said, I would consider restrictions on funding to only be available to institutions and programs which serve a population at least 25% economically disadvantaged audience. To add to this pot, I would implement a tourism district “round it up” program at our local businesses. This means that anytime you shop at a grocery store, buy clothing, or make any other purchases (from non-tipped staff), businesses would be asked to offer customers to designate the leftover change to go to the City’s Cultural Fund to boost our arts and cultural scene. Philadelphia 2026 In 1876, our city capitalized on the Centennial Exposition—the celebration of our nation’s 100th birthday—to bring in outside investment to our city, essentially making West Fairmount Park what it is today. While it may be the farthest thing from our mind right now, in 2026 Philadelphia will begin the celebration of our nation’s 250th Birthday—and the eyes of the country and world will be turned to us. An opportunity like this takes years of planning, and as Mayor, I will work to bring outside private and federal investment into our city to properly prepare for this celebration. Beyond 2026, as Mayor, and lead cheerleader, I will work diligently to bring in major events, competitions, conventions, festivals and exhibitions to help bolster tourism and bring in revenue. Tourism Infrastructure and Training ‘Infrastructure’ and ‘jobs’ have become synonymous in political policy papers lately, but there is a real opportunity for our city to invest in lasting infrastructure growth by spurring our “tourism infrastructure,” making a real and lasting impact on many of our City’s arts and cultural institutions. As Mayor, I will invest in the following agenda to spur our arts, culture and tourism economy: Expand “Tourism, travel, and hospitality” curriculum within the School District —While most of the School District’s limited career and technical education programs focus on hard trades, service industry jobs have been on a rapid rise in recent years. Even through the recession, tourism continued to add jobs to our region—many of which are well-paying opportunities. A recent report by the U.S. Travel Association showed that workers without a college degree constituted 80% of employees in the travel industry, higher than the 70% of workers in other sectors. In addition, it is estimated that 1/3 of college students working part-time are working in the leisure and hospitality sector, giving them greater pathways to educational attainment. Invest in capping of I-95 at Penn’s Landing, 676 on the Parkway, and the 30th Street rail yard— These three man-made canyons within our City, have held back Center City from creating a cohesive, river-to-river cultural experience. To me, these projects are among the most vital capital infrastructure projects our city can take on, as they will lead to long-term economic growth. Capping I-95 at Penn’s Landing, in particular, would allow our city to begin to recreate the vision that Thomas Holme first considered when planning our city. Extend Broad Street line to the Navy Yard —At full build-out, it is estimated that the Navy Yard will support $13.5 million in development and 30,000 people. As some businesses look to locate in more suburban-style campuses with urban amenities, the Navy Yard is uniquely positioned for substantial growth. In addition, previous failed attempts at sustaining a South Philadelphia cruise port (necessary due to the low height of the Walt Whitman Bridge) can be partially attributed to the difficulty in moving thousands of passengers to Center City via charter bus. By potentially creating an express line, similar to the “Sports Express” used for athletic events at AT&T Station, Philadelphia could lure more cruise lines to visit our city. Create weekend “Crosstown Greenway”, closing vehicular traffic on an East-to-West street to connect the Delaware to Schuylkill River Trail —For pedestrian and biking residents and tourists alike, making the East-to-West cross through Center City can be a harrowing experience. As Mayor, I would explore a weekend closure of an East-to-West artery from the Delaware River to the Schuylkill River Trail. If successful, I would consider year-round closure to vehicular traffic, to provide a safe and desirable artery through our cultural districts. Increase targeted investment in thriving multicultural “Main Streets” —Modeled after our successful Chinatown and Italian Market, I would place greater investment in the culturally diverse neighborhoods which give our city much of its identity. A recent report by the Fiscal Policy Institute showed that roughly 28% of “Main Street” businesses in Philadelphia were immigrant owned. With cultural “Main Streets” like Baltimore Avenue’s African community, Castor Avenue’s Brazilian community, and Allegheny Avenue’s Latino and Eastern European communities, our city has an ability to tap into emerging entrepreneurs while creating distinct cultural corridors. Additionally, as Mayor, I would work with Harrisburg to help restore funding to the Department of Community and Economic Development, to fund main street revitalization projects in historically African-American and Latino owned-business corridors. Our city government has struggled to become a bilingual city (English and Spanish) but there are dozens of other languages we must integrate into our city services to make it easier to navigate the labyrinth of this bureaucracy. We could have the best small business development programs in the world, but if our immigrant population does not know what is available to them, it is of little value. In addition, I believe there is great opportunity to increase tours to these neighborhoods, as well as other significant cultural neighborhoods, such as Historic Germantown. Expand pay-per-use public restrooms, bike shares, and charging stations -- These are basic amenities, and potential revenue sources that could and should be added to our city’s infrastructure. I am incredibly excited for the City’s new Indigo Bike Share, and I know the demand will rise considerably in the coming months. Tourism District “Round it Up” program -- As Mayor, I would implement a tourism district “round it up” program at our local businesses. Anytime you shop at a grocery store, buy clothing, or make any other purchases (from non-tipped staff), businesses would be asked to offer customers to designate the leftover change to go to the City’s Cultural Fund to boost our arts and cultural scene. Connecting Our Neighborhoods to Major Institutions While our city’s core has seen rapid economic development in recent years, we have seen lagging progress in some of our outlying neighborhoods. With major investment in some of our anchor institutions in the neighborhoods, I would look to establish similar “Business Improvement Districts” to the Center City District and University City District. Neighborhoods like Southwest Philadelphia, with institutions like the Philadelphia International Airport, energy hub businesses, and major logistics organizations have the opportunity to spur economic development and create jobs for residents in their community. By creating these partnerships, our city can ensure that the growth of our city’s economy can impact the lives of all its residents. Friends of Doug Oliver 200 S. Broad Street Suite 410, Philadelphia Pa 19102 215.985.4900 | C [email protected] © Doug Oliver for Mayor 2015
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