Richard Gross, head of the Center City Residents Association, has been putting his career as a lawyer and public servant to good use by negotiating with big developers who have plans to build in the neighborhood, writes Jake Blumgart for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

A resident of Philadelphia for 12 years, Gross is most likely the only community group leader who won a Tony Award — for producing a Broadway revival of Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?

In recent years, he became synonymous with CCRA. His first negotiation happened in 2012 when Pearl Properties wanted to build an equivalent of the Empire State Building at 19th and Chestnut streets.

“They wanted a zoning change, and I couldn’t understand why anybody should give them a break to overbuild,” said Gross. “ So [at a community meeting] I introduced myself to Pearl and said, ‘I’d like to talk to you about the right building. I don’t want to go to court, but I think there is a way to get this done.’”

After Pearl lost in court three times, they returned to talk to Gross. Together, they designed the Harper, which is “one of their best buildings,” said Gross.

Read more about Richard Gross and his impact with the Center City Residents Association in The Philadelphia Inquirer.

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Editor’s Note: This post first appeared on PHILADELPHIA Today in June 2024.