Congratulations to the Winners!

ULI Philadelphia announced eight project winners for its 2023 Awards for Excellence on Thursday, June 15, 2023, held at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, PA. Over 100 industry professionals and leaders celebrated the region’s development accomplishments. This was the first in-person Awards for Excellence program since 2019.  

The winners, announced live during the program, were presented by Anne Cummins, Chair of ULI Philadelphia as well as Co-Founder and Chief Operating Officer with Gattuso Development Partners, and incoming ULI Philadelphia District Council Chair, Jeremy Sunkett, Vice President, Real Estate Services with MRA Group. The winners are (alphabetically):  

• Allentown Transportation Center, Allentown Neighborhood Improvement Zone Development Authority (ANIZDA) (Allentown, PA)
• HarrowGate Dye Works Revival, Strong Hold Development and Construction LLC (Philadelphia, PA)
• NC Five, Jonathan Rose Companies (Philadelphia, PA)
• Southern Market Renovations, Willow Valley Development Corp (Lancaster, PA)
• St. Rita Place & Cascia Center, Catholic Housing & Community Services (Philadelphia, PA)
• The Block at SoNo, developed by Alliance HP, Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)
• The Chestnut at University City & The Penn/ Drexel Newman Center, EQT Exeter and Parish of St. Agatha and St. James (Philadelphia, PA)
• The Ralph J. Roberts Boys and Girls Club, Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia (Philadelphia, PA)

Modeled to complement the ULI Global Awards for Excellence, the Philadelphia Award winners represent the highest standards of achievement in the development industry and advance the ULI mission to shape the future of the built environment for positive impact in communities worldwide. The Awards recognized finalists under three categories: Small Scale, Large Scale, and Open Space. Winners were among an impressive list of 13 finalists and selected by a national jury of nine experts. 

“The Philadelphia Awards for Excellence celebrates all aspects of development and land use projects that embody the ULI mission. Projects are considered not just for one element, such as design, but for a range of characteristics including leadership in development, sustainability & building performance, market acceptance, and community impact,” said Anne Cummins. “While some projects were celebrated as winners, the truth is that all the finalists offer inspiration worth replicating and celebrating. We want to thank the jury of national, interdisciplinary ULI members for their time and thoughtful deliberation in selecting the finalists and winners.” 

In addition to recognizing the eight exceptional projects above, ULI Philadelphia also presented two inaugural Individual Leadership Awards. The Individual Leadership Award Winners were presented by Antonio Fiol-Silva, Founding Principal at SITIO urbanism + architecture, and Marilyn Jordan-Taylor, Professor of Architecture & Urban Design at Weitzman School of Design, University of Pennsylvania. 

The Visionary Leader award was presented to Jerry Sweeney, President & Chief Executive Officer and Trustee with Brandywine Realty Trust. The Emerging Leader award was presented to Lindsey Scannapieco, Partner with Scout.   

Following their recognition, Jerry and Lindsey spoke in depth about their work and contributions to the Philadelphia area community in a fireside chat moderated by Ariella Maron, Executive Director of Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission. 

“The Leadership Awards are designed specifically to recognize people who have demonstrated a significant and sustained leadership role in championing excellence in real estate development as well as making a positive contribution to community improvement within ULI Philadelphia’s regional footprint,” said Antonio Fiol-Silva. “We decided to introduce the honor this year to celebrate the vision and leadership of the people behind the amazing projects we have historically honored.”  

ULI Philadelphia solicited nominations of leaders in private, public, or nonprofit sectors under the categories of Visionary Leader and Emerging Leader. Nominees were expected to meet a significant number of award program criteria in the Leadership & Collaboration and Impact categories and work within ULI Philadelphia’s regional footprint which consists of Philadelphia Metro, Central PA, Lehigh Valley, Delaware, and Southern NJ. The winners were selected by a local jury of 12 experts.  

The celebration was made possible through the generous support of Pinnacle Sponsor Brandywine Realty Trust and Supporting Sponsors King of Prussia District, LRK, and Nuveen Green Capital.