The Progress Plaza

Progress Plaza was constructed in 1968 by Progress Investment Association (PIA) under the direction of the late Rev. Leon Sullivan. The 65,000 square feet center is the nation’s oldest African-American-owned and developed shopping center.
Progress Plaza is an example of progress merely by its existence. It is the first African-American owned plaza of its kind. The current state of it, then, does not speak well for the viability of a supermarket in an inner-city area.

Progress Plaza is currently undergoing a 16-million dollar renovation. It will remain a centerpiece of pride in North Philadelphia. The plaza is soon to be anchored by a 42-thousand square feet Fresh Grocer.
Construction of the supermarket is part of a 16 million dollar project for the historic plaza; the nation’s first African-American owned shopping center.
There currently stand 9 stores and 2 banks at the progress plaza location. There are exciting times ahead as the renovation continues.
Progress on Progress Plaza’s development has been halted and delayed so often.
Despite several middle-class enclaves in the surrounding area, not to mention the purchasing power of Temple’s thousands of Main Campus students, construction continues to be delayed. The projected finish date of spring 2009 has been pushed back. Before that, another completion date was missed. Plans to bring the Fresh Grocer to fill the supermarket centerpiece space are in the works but have not come to fruition yet.

Major construction projects take time and, without incredibly efficient management, often face hiccups and delays.
The construction of the Fresh Grocer at Progress Plaza, located at 1501 N. Broad St., has been plagued by multiple delays.
We hope the planners of Progress Plaza’s overhaul will bear this in mind as they struggle to complete the project.
North Philadelphia can, and probably will, reward the planners’ efforts with steady profits. First, Progress Plaza needs its mangers to maintain persistence and push for completion.
For nearly a year, a poster with computer-graphic renderings of a redeveloped Progress Plaza has been on display, promoting the arrival of the Fresh Grocer, a 24-hour supermarket.
The Fresh Grocer will be built on the lot along Oxford Street, where there is currently one business still open.
The revitalization of Progress Plaza is sponsored by a three-way partnership that puts urban concerns first.
The Fresh Food Financing Initiative, which helps fund the development of grocery stores in deprived urban areas, will commit resources to the development of the Fresh Grocer in North Philadelphia. The supermarket has six locations in the surrounding areas.
The Fresh Grocer chain is not foreign to Philadelphia but will be new to this part of the city. The closest location at 40th and Walnut streets is accessible by subway routes.
After joining with the Food Trust, a private group working to reform eating habits in urban areas, and the Reinvestment Fund, plans were made to restructure the plaza.
There are also other businesses new to the plaza that may eventually move in but are still negotiating contracts with the shopping center’s management.
Delay in construction at Progress Plaza is noticeable.