New homes keep people in Camden

By Dwight Ott
Philadelphia Inquirer Staff Writer

Ralph Roberts, Camden's chief fire marshal, has rapidly moved up the city's income ladder. Like so many others, he and his wife seemed headed for the suburbs.

But yesterday, there was a groundbreaking for a project that will keep them in Camden: 28 homes priced from $189,000 to $240,000.

"We want to stay to be part of the renaissance. We were trying to avoid moving out to Cherry Hill," said Juanita Lyles, 58, Roberts' wife. She and her husband said they had bought one of the houses.

The two- and three-story rowhouses and twins are in the most revitalized neighborhood in Camden, Cooper Grant, a tiny downtown community near the waterfront, Campbell's Field and Rutgers-Camden.

The $10.2 million project was delayed for years by financing difficulties and design changes. It is funded with state money, sales, and money from the Camden Redevelopment Agency, which provided a last-minute loan. The homes are being built by Pennrose Properties.

"This is breaking the ice for people who are more affluent," Luis Quinones, a member of the Camden Redevelopment Agency, said at yesterday's ceremony. "Most of the housing, in the past, had been for low-income people."

Contact staff writer Dwight Ott at 856-779-3882 or dott@phillynews.com.