We’re pleased to spotlight our Build track participant Kensington Corridor Trust! Read on to learn about KCT’s work and hopes for their time in the Study Circles program, written by Jasmin Velez, a Community Organizer at KCT.

We’re pleased to spotlight our Build track participant Kensington Corridor Trust! Read on to learn about KCT’s work and hopes for their time in the Study Circles program, written by Jasmin Velez, a Community Organizer at KCT.

The Kensington Corridor Trust, is a nonprofit organization based in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia, focused on the de-commodification of commercial real estate. This pioneering model of neighborhood ownership, governance and local economic development has the potential to keep control within the neighborhood and ensure long-term affordability. The KCT introduces neighborhood-based property control for long-term, equitable revitalization of a key commercial corridor. KCT focuses on restoring cleanliness and safety, attracting and accelerating businesses to provide goods and services that meet local needs, and increasing job opportunities. The ultimate goal is to see the neighborhood thriving but still accessible to current residents who are at risk of displacement due to the widespread gentrification and development in the neighborhood.

In 2021, KCT partnered with PACA for a learning exchange about cooperative models. Residents and KCT staff attended these meetings and discussed different types of cooperatives, read literature about the history of cooperatives, and brainstormed ideas about how this approach could begin in Kensington. In many conversations with residents, discussions landed on the lack of access to affordable food and groceries that are within walking distance from their homes. 

When we consider the history of Kensington, once called the Workshop of the World, and the bustling commercial corridor it once had, the want and wishes for a grocery store right on the corridor make a lot of sense. Kensington is walkable, and has access to public transportation, with the EL Line being the most recognizable, and still, people have to drive over a mile or more just to be able to purchase groceries. 

Throughout the Study Circles with PACA, residents of the neighborhood and the KCT began to brainstorm ideas that would not only help bring food to the neighborhood, but that would also expand on opportunities for employment and community wealth building. Thus the idea of a worker-owned grocery co-op began. 

In recent years, the neighborhood has seen some smaller grocers emerge but felt an overwhelming sense of disconnect between the items sold, their affordability, as well as at times feeling unwelcomed. The goal of this project is to bring affordable and culturally relevant food to the folks who live in the neighborhood. In addition, it is also important for it to be culturally relevant to the folks who live in the neighborhood, as well as be accessible; an internal mission of all the work that KCT does. 

As an organization, KCT would support the creation of the co-op, while also exploring leasing opportunities on the corridor with the assets in the trust. This is in order to ensure its location on Kensington Avenue; creating a full circle of community and neighborhood ownership and control.

 The Kensington Corridor Trust continues to expand on its initial learnings with PACA in the Build Track phase, truly delving into the process of creating a sustainable and accessible food cooperative for the Kensington neighborhood. Access to food on the commercial corridor of Kensington Avenue would be a game changer for the neighborhood. The hope is that it can be done in a way that will ensure longevity, accessibility, and community control for now and in the future.