In the late 1980's, after years of rumors, Philadelphia finally got word that the Navy base located in South Philadelphia was definitely going to close. The Navy Base employed thousands and housed hundreds more in carriage houses at the intersection of 20th Street and Pattison Avenue. The closing of the Base was a blow to Philadelphia and even harsher for South Philly.

Barbara Capozzi, a young Philadelphia realtor at the time, and he father kept a careful eye on the situation. The Capozzis lived and worked in the Packer Park neighborhood directly across the street from the Navy homes. Mr. Capozzi and his daughter wanted to protect it.

The Federal government proposed making the Navy homes available to the homeless. Local politicians considered building a housing project on the site, but the neighbors wanted something better and the Capozzis listened.

Fourteen years later, after two bids, enough political wrangling to inspire Machiavelli to write a sequel to The Price and countless late nights of work, Barbara Capozzi is proud to introduce The Reserve at Packer Park. The Reserve is a premier development of luxury townhomes that compliment the already beautiful Packer Park homes that are just across the street.

And because of the compromise worked out by the Capozzis and the City of Phialdelphia, almost $5 million was given to homeless shelters of Philadelphia as a result of the sale of the Navy homes to a developer.

To many, the razing of the old Navy homes and construction of The Reserve seems like an overnight happening. Barbara Capozzi, the exclusive broker for the development, would be quick to point out how wring that is, but she doesn't want to focus on the battles and ugliness that stood in the way of The Reserve. To her, "the buyer's happiness is all the comfort that I need."

And if there is one thing The Reserve has, it's happy buyers. The homes are twice the width of a typical Philadelphia row home, they offer large bedrooms and closets and great space for entertaining. The homes embody a beautiful fusion of suburban and urban architecture. The Reserve offers something fresh and unique to the Philadelphia market.

Although The Reserve is not yet complete, buyers have already begun moving in and making the development into a neighborhood. When it is complete, The Reserve will offer children's playgrounds and passive-use sitting parks for adults.

Following the completion of The Reserve, another two hundred condominiums will be built, catering to homebuyers looking for a more streamlined lifestyle that includes all the benefits of The Reserve without personal gardens and yards to maintain.

One of the most exciting and unique features of The Reserve is how Italian it is. With street names like Prima Court, Capri Court, and Sienna Court, the Italian flare of the community is unmistakable. The nearby Packer Park Shopping Center has also stepped up its "Italianness" with the addition of a pastry shop and fresh pasta store, in addition to Pete Ciarricchi's Chickie & Pete's Bar and Grill.

To find the reason for The Reserve's Italian flare, look no further than Barbara Capozzi, the Italian American driving force behind the project. Barbara's heritage has influenced The Reserve from inception through its construction. To Barbara, being Italian mean being passionate and determined, but it also means loving beautiful dreams. Anyone who has taken a tour of The Reserve can certainly attest to the fact that the project is a beautiful dream come true.

Being Italian means something else to Barbara. It means a desire for a "warm haven, like your grandmom's house on Sunday afternoon." She has woven that idea into every aspect of the fabric that makes up The Reserve and residents have already transformed the houses into their homes.

Many eyes are watching Barbara Capozzi these days, waiting to see what her next move will be. The kind of person who could dream of The Reserve and also fight to make it a reality is certainly someone with a tremendous future. Mayor Street recognizes that. And that is the reason why he appointed Barbara to be on his special Economic Summit to help outline the future of Philadelphia.

If Barbara can infuse just a little of her "Italianness" into the future of Philadelphia, you can be sure that we are looking forward to exciting and progressive years in Philadelphia.