[UC] FOCP defies members, announcements (R2)
Neighbors, I need to respond to the post from President Chance and Vice President Siano from FOCP. Sorry for the inconvenience. I know it's silliness but my responses to the silliness need to be publicly recorded. Maybe you'll get some laughs: Moyer says in What Would Honest People Do...I would then consider the effect on our neighbors from the years of refusing to give proper public notices of meetings and agendas. I would apologize to the community in the UC Review and I would promise to carry out the orders of the membership in the future. I would also apologize for a long established pattern of exclusion and secrecy, and I would promise to make the association inclusive and transparent. Chance responds: But would you help to distribute such notices? Would you do anything to aid the organization? FoCP does not need to apologize. We have done the best we can to work for the benefit of Clark Park and all its users. Glenn Moyer needs to apologize for wasting the valuable time of the organization and the community. _ Mr Chance, as you know, the minutes of the FOCP Board are secret. I've explained, repeatedly, that the FOCP members ORDERED the FOCP leaders to publish meetings and agendas in the UC Review since April 29, 2003. (You were present at that meeting) The members understood that FOCP leaders had been engaged in back room deals with UCD to redesign Clark Park, starting in 2001. Redesigning the park is a matter that affects the whole community, and not just the hard working volunteers of FOCP! Your fallacious argument questioning my volunteerism does not justify your defiance of the FOCP members! It is extremely simple to post announcements in the paper, and it is the will of the members that you defy, not mine! Asking if I will do this required duty for you is a pathetic attempt at a distraction, after years of defying the members. (Have I not publicly begged for the time, dates, and locations often enough! Your questions are ridiculous.) I've already given you documents 1-3 which show how my volunteerism was answered, as if that were the important issue. Following again, is the portion which shows that the FOCP President understood the ORDERS OF THE MEMBERSHIP in 2003. Your secret minutes have the texts of the three motions unless the shredder is working overtime. How convenient that your minutes are top secrets? Read: President of FOCP, 5/6/2003 I'm sorry if there's been a misunderstanding but I haven't decided yet on who would chair this group or who will be charged with notifying UC Review of our upcoming meetings and agendas.
Re: [UC] FOCP: Re: What would honest people do? (R3)
FOCP ignorance of legitimate polling: Here is Moyer's response: Moyer says: Then, I would do a poll of the membership seeking feedback! Polls to attempt to manufacture invalid data to deny other park users their rights should never be done by civic associations. However, a poll to members to receive feedback on OUR PERFORMANCE, as leaders of a civic association, would be highly appropriate. President Chance responds: Interesting that you are now calling for us to do another dishonest survey of our members. Oh and BTW you are not a member. Members have been informed of all meetings; if they chose to think that a Phillies playoff game was more important than an FoCP election, that is their choice. President Chance, Of course, I didn't call for a dishonest survey It's truly disturbing that you don't see the difference between asking for feedback, and your polls recommending action against park users. If you ask any sample population, how you can improve FOCP; it allows feedback of YOUR PERFORMANCE. If you target outsiders and recommend policies against them, completely different standards apply. To be an honest researcher, the methods and reporting standards you must observe are obligatory! Honestly Mr Chance, most college freshmen and high school seniors understand the difference. I'm sorry for any embarrassment, but you obviously don't have the skills and knowledge necessary to represent this community in back room deals to redesign a public park. Your last survey caused hard working volunteers to obtain 1200 signatures to support their park activity. (Did you think that was funny to waste their time?) I witnessed the group confront you for deciding to recommend taking most of their permits away. Only then you announced your survey, and FOCP was caught and exposed in a front page news report! Clearly, the park group understood you would be making recommendations in your secret meetings. Here is the proof of the dirty intentions of your surveys, before you claim these are for internal use only. (This rule was an attempt to destroy the children's festival and limit future organizations like the Best Fest since 2003) From the FOCP web site: Amplified sound will be /limited to six hours/ in duration per event. Permit holder will select a six-hour time slot within the window of 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Time slot will be noted on the permit. Note: The Clark Park Music Arts Festival is an exception to this, and has been grandfathered. Its events will continue to have amplified sound from 11AM-8PM for the June event and 11AM-7PM for the September event. On 4/15/2010 10:32 AM, Brian Siano wrote: The following is FOCP President Frank Chance's response to Glenn Moyer's recent messages. -- Forwarded message -- From: *Frank L. Chance* chanc...@gmail.com mailto:chanc...@gmail.com Date: Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 10:02 AM Subject: [focp-board] Re: What would honest people do? To: Glenn glen...@earthlink.net mailto:glen...@earthlink.net Cc: Board of FOCP focp-bo...@yahoogroups.com mailto:focp-bo...@yahoogroups.com Responses interspersed below. On Sun, Apr 11, 2010 at 1:09 PM, Glenn glen...@earthlink.net mailto:glen...@earthlink.net wrote: Dear neighbors, If you or I were in charge of a civic association, or even on the Board; what would we do if we failed to motivate our members sufficient to reach a quorum at the annual election? There was a quorum present at the October meeting. First, I would follow the legal rules and reschedule a new meeting date. I would not try to cheat the members with a quick unanimous consent vote in a crowded room or lie about membership numbers. (Would FOCP ever call for unanimous consent on other occasions, when the room is filled with frightened non-members?) 1) I didn't see anyone frightened in the room. Please elaborate on your fears, which you did not show or express. 2) Yes, we have called for unanimous consent on other occasions. I would then consider the effect on our neighbors from the years of refusing to give proper public notices of meetings and agendas. I would apologize to the community in the UC Review and I would promise to carry out the orders of the membership in the future. I would also apologize for a long established pattern of exclusion and secrecy, and I would promise to make the association inclusive and transparent. But would you help to distribute such notices? Would you do anything to aid the organization? FoCP does not need to apologize. We have done the best we can to work for the benefit of Clark Park and all its users. Glenn Moyer needs to apologize for wasting the valuable time of the organization and the community. Then, I would do a poll of the membership seeking feedback! Polls to attempt to manufacture invalid data to deny other park users their rights should never be done by
[UC] Found: grey+white kitty - 42nd+Pine
forwarded from craigslist (from late last night): -L FOUND GRAY AND WHITE CAT (42nd Pine ) Date: 2010-04-18, 1:30AM EDT Reply to: comm-fdm6k-1697623...@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?] I JUST found a very friendly house cat with no collar walking around the street on the corner of 42nd Pine in West Philly / University City. He/she (didn't check) looked like they had JUST escaped from a nearby house, but no one was around on the street or seemed to be chasing after the feisty fella, who would have definitely run much further and/or been flattened by a passing vehicle if I hadn't intervened by scooping her/him up. The cat is predominantly dark and light gray striped-ish with white on the underbelly/legs. I really didn't examine her/him too quickly before putting them in my basement with some food and water for the night. I do remember that its nose is dark gray, and it is VERY FRIENDLY SWEET! Although my house has a huge mouse problem that could definitely be remedied by said feline addition, this cat absolutely CANNOT stay with me beyond tomorrow, so if you have lost a cat (or if you'd prefer to hold onto it until the real owner can be found), please contact me! If the owner doesn't come forward, I will take some photos and post them tomorrow. Location: 42nd Pine it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests PostingID: 1697623359
Re: [UC] FOCP: Re: What would honest people do?
Brian Siano wrote: The following is FOCP President Frank Chance's response to Glenn Moyer's recent messages. -- Forwarded message -- From: *Frank L. Chance* chanc...@gmail.com mailto:chanc...@gmail.com Date: Thu, Apr 15, 2010 at 10:02 AM Subject: [focp-board] Re: What would honest people do? To: Glenn glen...@earthlink.net mailto:glen...@earthlink.net Cc: Board of FOCP focp-bo...@yahoogroups.com mailto:focp-bo...@yahoogroups.com Responses interspersed below. this is hilarious. FRANK CHANCE: glenn, why aren't you a member of focp! GLENN MOYER: frank, why aren't you subscribed to uclist! FRANK CHANCE: uclist is dysfunctional! has been for years! GLENN MOYER: focp is dysfunctional! has been for years! FRANK CHANCE: focp is NOT dysfunctional! we work WITH ucd! GLENN MOYER: focp is ucd's PAWN! the park plans are ucd's! FRANK CHANCE: no way! for example, ucd never ONCE posted park plans on that dysfunctional uclist! GLENN MOYER: yet ucd's so COSY with that dysfunctional focp! FRANK CHANCE: well uclist is dysfunctional! because of YOU! GLENN MOYER: and yet, for example, YOU'RE replying here! FRANK CHANCE: glenn, you really should join focp! GLENN MOYER: frank, you really should join uclist! .. UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
[UC] Another example of PENN helping UC? Wharton Housing Guide, NOT!
The past few days were Wharton's big meet, greet and orientation for incoming MBA students. Widely distributed was the 58 page WHARTON HOUSING GUIDE. Starting with a cover photo that is an aerial view of Center City starting at the Ben Franklin Bridge, and moving through the text, there is a pattern of suggestion and omission that makes West Philadelphia look like the unsafe, not hip, under-served neighborhood. Specific instances include: 1. Every neighborhood description includes the presence (or absence) of access to the PENN Escort Service, EXCEPT UC, an area that has good coverage. 2. The only neighborhood for which safety is mentioned as a concern is UC. (The students I spoke to were surprised to hear of the rape murder of Wharton Student Shannon Scheiber, inside the area the booklet called Rittenhouse Square.) To the students with whom I worked this weekend, I suggested they rely on FBI statistics or other, less prejudicial crime reports, and to always be aware that big city living comes with proximity to both good and bad. 3. I tried to dispute the booklet's claim that 87% of students lived near Rittenhouse Square and that only 2.5% of Wharton Grad Students live in West Philly. (Between the Dorms and private housing, I know I can think of lots of Wharton students and many Professors and Staffers who live in UC.) GUIDE- Most Wharton MBA students live in Center City, the downtown neighborhood that surrounds Rittenhouse Square. Most students who live in Center City live west of Broad Street (14th 25th), though a small minority does live east of Broad. Other neighborhood options include University City/West Philadelphia (near campus), the Art Museum area (north of Center City), Antique Row/Old City (east of Center City), and the surrounding suburbs. Part of the problem may be that (survey results were based on only 604 respondents) The Guide's map on page 6 outlines the neighborhoods as: CENTER CITY - Broad - 25th and Lombard to Market. (I encountered 2 Students who rejected 26th and South as outside the safe area of CC.) What the Guide called ART MUSEUM was more Logan-Parkway than Art Museum. It was bounded by JFK Callowhill, 23rd to Broad. There was no map for UNIVERSITY CITY/WEST PHILADELPHIA and the map for the 'neighborhood' marked WHARTON/UPENN only covered an area between 30th and 40th. OLD CITY was defined as Pine to Race and 2nd to 5th. (This might confuse folks who think of most of that area as Society Hill. Here is the blurb for UC. I imagine that many of my neighbors will chuckle at the thought that the Left Bank might be the best UC has to offer. GUIDE- UNIVERSITY CITY/WEST PHILADELPHIA University City is the area between the Schuylkill River and the University of Pennsylvania. West Philadelphia is the area immediately west of the University of Pennsylvania. This area has become more popular in recent years as Penn has focused on developing the area around the University. A new movie theater and grocery store have both opened at 40th and Walnut, as well as several restaurants. Additionally, The Left Bank, a loft-style apartment building, opened a few years ago at 3131 Walnut. The Left Bank is the most popular housing option in University City. Some students have also bought houses in West Philadelphia, viewing it as a good investment. ... Disadvantages: few MBA students in such housing distance from social scene/team meetings in Center City quality and safety of housing varies from block to block Compare this to the post on CC. GUIDE- CENTER CITY For our purposes, Center City is defined as the area bordered by the Schuylkill River to the west, Broad Street (14th) to the east, South Street to the south, and JFK Boulevard to the north. This area includes one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Philadelphia and includes a number of Wharton haunts. In addition, Center City includes Rittenhouse Squares high-end shopping and restaurant district. The greatest density of Wharton students is clustered around Rittenhouse Square, which is marked by Walnut Street, 18th St., Rittenhouse West, and Rittenhouse South. There are a variety of both apartment building and brownstone options to choose from, and virtually any building that you choose will also house other Wharton students. The streets south of Walnut (Locust, Van Pelt, Spruce, Delancey, Pine) are more residential than the streets north of Walnut (Chestnut, Market, JFK). Center City locations are about a 25-40 minute walk or 10-15 minute public transportation or bike ride to campus. Most of the apartments and brownstones that will be available for viewing during the Open House session are located in Center City. Advantages: #61623; most Wharton MBA students live in Center City #61623; many team meetings are in Center City #61623; serviced by Penns night shuttle service #61623; proximity to shopping, social scene, and cultural activities Disadvantages: #61623; can be
[UC] Re: Another example of PENN helping UC? Wharton Housing Guide, NOT! a correction
I didn't edit my post well. There was no $600/month CC apartment shown. The apartment was $1,600 + $300 for parking (versus $1,000 and easy street parking in UC for a much better 'luxury' one bedroom). Best! Liz -- Original Message -- From: campio...@juno.com campio...@juno.com To: pf...@ccat.sas.upenn.edu, ucneighb...@hector.asc.upenn.edu, UnivCity@list.purple.com Subject: [UC] Another example of PENN helping UC? Wharton Housing Guide, NOT! Date: Sun, 18 Apr 2010 17:33:02 GMT The past few days were Wharton's big meet, greet and orientation for incoming MBA students. Widely distributed was the 58 page WHARTON HOUSING GUIDE. Starting with a cover photo that is an aerial view of Center City starting at the Ben Franklin Bridge, and moving through the text, there is a pattern of suggestion and omission that makes West Philadelphia look like the unsafe, not hip, under-served neighborhood. Specific instances include: 1. Every neighborhood description includes the presence (or absence) of access to the PENN Escort Service, EXCEPT UC, an area that has good coverage. 2. The only neighborhood for which safety is mentioned as a concern is UC. (The students I spoke to were surprised to hear of the rape murder of Wharton Student Shannon Scheiber, inside the area the booklet called Rittenhouse Square.) To the students with whom I worked this weekend, I suggested they rely on FBI statistics or other, less prejudicial crime reports, and to always be aware that big city living comes with proximity to both good and bad. 3. I tried to dispute the booklet's claim that 87% of students lived near Rittenhouse Square and that only 2.5% of Wharton Grad Students live in West Philly. (Between the Dorms and private housing, I know I can think of lots of Wharton students and many Professors and Staffers who live in UC.) GUIDE- Most Wharton MBA students live in Center City, the downtown neighborhood that surrounds Rittenhouse Square. Most students who live in Center City live west of Broad Street (14th 25th), though a small minority does live east of Broad. Other neighborhood options include University City/West Philadelphia (near campus), the Art Museum area (north of Center City), Antique Row/Old City (east of Center City), and the surrounding suburbs. Part of the problem may be that (survey results were based on only 604 respondents) The Guide's map on page 6 outlines the neighborhoods as: CENTER CITY - Broad - 25th and Lombard to Market. (I encountered 2 Students who rejected 26th and South as outside the safe area of CC.) What the Guide called ART MUSEUM was more Logan-Parkway than Art Museum. It was bounded by JFK Callowhill, 23rd to Broad. There was no map for UNIVERSITY CITY/WEST PHILADELPHIA and the map for the 'neighborhood' marked WHARTON/UPENN only covered an area between 30th and 40th. OLD CITY was defined as Pine to Race and 2nd to 5th. (This might confuse folks who think of most of that area as Society Hill. Here is the blurb for UC. I imagine that many of my neighbors will chuckle at the thought that the Left Bank might be the best UC has to offer. GUIDE- UNIVERSITY CITY/WEST PHILADELPHIA University City is the area between the Schuylkill River and the University of Pennsylvania. West Philadelphia is the area immediately west of the University of Pennsylvania. This area has become more popular in recent years as Penn has focused on developing the area around the University. A new movie theater and grocery store have both opened at 40th and Walnut, as well as several restaurants. Additionally, The Left Bank, a loft-style apartment building, opened a few years ago at 3131 Walnut. The Left Bank is the most popular housing option in University City. Some students have also bought houses in West Philadelphia, viewing it as a good investment. ... Disadvantages: few MBA students in such housing distance from social scene/team meetings in Center City quality and safety of housing varies from block to block Compare this to the post on CC. GUIDE- CENTER CITY For our purposes, Center City is defined as the area bordered by the Schuylkill River to the west, Broad Street (14th) to the east, South Street to the south, and JFK Boulevard to the north. This area includes one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Philadelphia and includes a number of Wharton haunts. In addition, Center City includes Rittenhouse Squares high-end shopping and restaurant district. The greatest density of Wharton students is clustered around Rittenhouse Square, which is marked by Walnut Street, 18th St., Rittenhouse West, and Rittenhouse South. There are a variety of both apartment building and brownstone options to choose from, and virtually any building that you choose will also house other Wharton students. The streets south of Walnut (Locust, Van Pelt, Spruce, Delancey, Pine) are more residential than the streets north of Walnut (Chestnut, Market, JFK).
[UC] correction: 43rd and Baltimore - James Campenella
Sorry, the name of the developer at 43rd and Baltimore is James, not Joe, Campenella. He pled guilty in Federal court for his bribery of a BRT tax assessor named James Lynch. In return for a $20,000 bribe, Mr. Lynch lowered the tax assessment on four properties Campenella was involved with. One of the buildings he re-assessed was the Western Union Building at 11th and Locust. He lowered its assessment from $4.6 to $1.6 million. Campenella's defense? He just wanted to spare himself the lawyer's fees necessary to challenge the city's assessment! I can't say for sure, but I assume that since he was appearing before a Federal judge, he said this with a straight face. Don't get me started on the property taxes on 43rd and Baltimore. When I checked the BRT site around the time of the demolition of the building there, I noticed that the new owner had not paid any property taxes for over a year. I contacted the BRT in February of last year (before the Inquirer series) and asked how come a $3 million property that had been owned by a for-profit developer for over a year was assessed at $0. He replied that it took time for the BRT to recognize such a change and to collect the taxes. He told me that my tax assessment, when they got around to it, would be about $80,000 annually. I quickly informed him that I was not the owner, merely a tax-paying neighbor. To my amazement, not too long after, the property's BRT record showed an assessment of around $80,000! The owners obviously got to work on that and had it reduced to around $8,000, as I recall. (Since, Mr. Lynch had been fired from the BRT, I wonder who they called.) I haven't looked at the BRT site since then. I am astonished however, that this multi-million dollar property is assessed at less than double the amount of my Pine Street twin. (How does this compare with what you pay in property tax?) I would guess that this is one of the reasons for the city's foot-dragging over the overhauling of the assessments of real estate in Philadelphia - how to limit the damage to all the well-connected who have benefitted for years from unjustifiably low assessments. This is a classic example of what I call the Philadelphia Dilemma: how can a politician respond to the taxpayer's demands for action, while protecting the special interests that he/she believe sustain him/her. Is this situation common outside our city, our era? Of course. But I believe that the long history and profoundly harmful effects of this conflict in Philadelphia have earned it naming rights. The Inquirer reports only confirmed probably the worst-kept secret in Philadelphia - that the BRT was run by a bunch of corrupt and incompetent patronage hacks. Mary P.S. So, all you lawyers, journalists, real estate agents, politicians and just plain neighbors who are more plugged in than I am: Do any of you know what is planned for 43rd and Baltimore? Does anyone have a suggestion for a good use for this large and nicely-situated property?
Re: [UC] Another neighborhood screwed, Daily News- don't forget 43rd a nd Baltimore Avenue
Tony, For me, it was not so much a NIMBY issue.as it was an anti-'warehousing' of humans issue. Studies show that the optimal size for family shelters should not exceed 12-13 families or 39 people total. The proposed shelter was designed to put money in a developer's pockets but was almost guaranteed to take the children of dysfunctional parents, surround them with a neighborhood of damaged, homeless adults, thereby reducing their access to healthier paradigms or even the essentials of faith, hope and true charity. I believe it was that argument, along with community pressure, that had Jannie searching for and supporting the current use, for Seniors. All can read the front page article in today's Inquirer. Sister Mary Scullion's model includes faith, hope, incremental rewards and a clear identification of goals that include moving away from addictive substances and toward employment and home ownership. I never minded the use of the property as 42xx Baltimore as a shelter for women and their children. I am frustrated that the building has been torn down and the property is in the hands of someone who has figured out how to profit from providing interim housing for addicts and prisoners. Best! Liz Elizabeth Campion PRUDENTIAL, FOX ROACH REALTORS, LLC 210 W. Rittenhouse Square, Suite 406 Phila, PA 19103 215-790-5653 Desk Voicemail 215-880-2930 Cell Emergency 215-546-9781 Shared office Fax campio...@juno.com or home.in.ph...@juno.com for Rental questions Link to Photos of available Listings and public, 'social' photos: www.PicasaWeb.google.com/CampionEF To check out all PFR and Multiple Listed Properties and to review CONSUMER NOTICE, link to www.PruFoxRoach.com Your referral is a welcome compliment. All the best in 2010 and beyond! Please note: message attached From: Anthony West anthony_w...@earthlink.net To: UnivCity listserv univcity@list.purple.com Subject: Re: [UC] Another neighborhood screwed, Daily News- don't forget 43rd and Baltimore Avenue Date: Sat, 17 Apr 2010 19:39:01 -0400 Penny Stock Jumping 2000% Sign up to the #1 voted penny stock newsletter for free today! http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL3141/4bcb49c4609722f341cst04vuc---BeginMessage--- An interesting case and good questions, Mary. I don't know what the taxpayers got by turning over the abandoned private school to Women Against Abuse for $1. But there are some clues as to what the citizens got. Women Against Abuse has a website (http://womenagainstabuse.org/). Although one shouldn't believe everything one reads on the Web, it's a useful starting point. In 2009, Women Against Abuse served 10,768 individuals. They provided emergency shelter and long-term transitional housing for abused women and their children. This came with free legal counseling, economic-management and life-skills training, schooling, a nursery, and workshops for adults and teens on sexual violence. By the 1970s, it's unlikely the taxpayers could have sold this property for more than $1. Elderly institutional buildings in University City had no market appeal for any upscale use. Nursing homes, halfway houses, homeless shelters -- those were the chief participants in the institutional-property trade around here then. Instead, the citizens got 30 years of shelter for abused women and children. When the neighborhood turned around and the property suddenly became valuable, WAA was able to sell it to a commercial developer for a good piece. As a result, this nonprofit wound up with an endowment for the first time in its history! That's what gives a social-service agency a measure of buffering and independence from economic downturns and political indebtedness. My family also enjoyed a convenient community garden for many of those years. Its website presently features a photo of its executive director with Mayor Nutter. Was this a bad outcome for the neighborhood and for the city? Also: if homeless shelters should not be placed in this neighborhood -- in which neighborhood should they be placed? What rule calls for shelters to be there instead of here? Does any reader have practical suggestions on how to implement this? -- Tony West, MSW Glenn, I think there is indeed a relationship between the city's abrupt turnover of the property in Susquehanna and what is going on in our neighborhood. Even more apropos than Clark Park's immediate fate is, in my opinion, the disposition of the property at 43rd and Baltimore, once belonging to the city (i.e., to us, the taxpayers) and now in the hands of a private developer. This developer's first action was to tear down a house that, arguably, was qualified for historic certification and protection from demolition and that inarguably contributed to the unique character of our neighborhood's streetscape. The neighborhood remains in the dark about what his plans are for this important
Re: [UC] correction: 43rd and Baltimore - James Campenella
I wish I knew, but I will try to find out. I also hope, but doubt the community around the Tanner Duckery School at 12th Diamond Sts. will continue to agitate the SDP over their plan to give land behind the school worth $400,000 for $1 to a corporation represented by School Reform Commission President¹ law firm. Talk about conflict of interest and corrupt dealings. On 4/18/10 1:47 PM, mcget...@aol.com mcget...@aol.com wrote: Sorry, the name of the developer at 43rd and Baltimore is James, not Joe, Campenella. He pled guilty in Federal court for his bribery of a BRT tax assessor named James Lynch. In return for a $20,000 bribe, Mr. Lynch lowered the tax assessment on four properties Campenella was involved with. One of the buildings he re-assessed was the Western Union Building at 11th and Locust. He lowered its assessment from $4.6 to $1.6 million. Campenella's defense? He just wanted to spare himself the lawyer's fees necessary to challenge the city's assessment! I can't say for sure, but I assume that since he was appearing before a Federal judge, he said this with a straight face. Don't get me started on the property taxes on 43rd and Baltimore. When I checked the BRT site around the time of the demolition of the building there, I noticed that the new owner had not paid any property taxes for over a year. I contacted the BRT in February of last year (before the Inquirer series) and asked how come a $3 million property that had been owned by a for-profit developer for over a year was assessed at $0. He replied that it took time for the BRT to recognize such a change and to collect the taxes. He told me that my tax assessment, when they got around to it, would be about $80,000 annually. I quickly informed him that I was not the owner, merely a tax-paying neighbor. To my amazement, not too long after, the property's BRT record showed an assessment of around $80,000! The owners obviously got to work on that and had it reduced to around $8,000, as I recall. (Since, Mr. Lynch had been fired from the BRT, I wonder who they called.) I haven't looked at the BRT site since then. I am astonished however, that this multi-million dollar property is assessed at less than double the amount of my Pine Street twin. (How does this compare with what you pay in property tax?) I would guess that this is one of the reasons for the city's foot-dragging over the overhauling of the assessments of real estate in Philadelphia - how to limit the damage to all the well-connected who have benefitted for years from unjustifiably low assessments. This is a classic example of what I call the Philadelphia Dilemma: how can a politician respond to the taxpayer's demands for action, while protecting the special interests that he/she believe sustain him/her. Is this situation common outside our city, our era? Of course. But I believe that the long history and profoundly harmful effects of this conflict in Philadelphia have earned it naming rights. The Inquirer reports only confirmed probably the worst-kept secret in Philadelphia - that the BRT was run by a bunch of corrupt and incompetent patronage hacks. Mary P.S. So, all you lawyers, journalists, real estate agents, politicians and just plain neighbors who are more plugged in than I am: Do any of you know what is planned for 43rd and Baltimore? Does anyone have a suggestion for a good use for this large and nicely-situated property?
Re: [UC] Don't forget 43rd and Baltimore Avenue
To be precise, the main entity that has figured how to profit from providing interim housing in this case is Women Against Abuse. That is the owner that cashed in on a $3.x million capital gain from 4224-26 Baltimore Ave. It's a nonprofit social-service agency that profited. The property was rolled over by Campenella to a new owner on 1/11/08. Campenella probably turned a profit on the transaction. Most real-estate developers and brokers turn a profit even on transactions that involve nonprofit property owners. Isn't this how most real estate is transacted? There is no evidence at this time that the current owner has figured out how to make a profit off it. That is the simplest explanation for why nothing has happened on the site after it was cleared. Construction finance has still not recovered from the crash of Sep '08. Spruce Hill is a tough place to develop in politically. Philadelphia's rickety, obsolete zoning code poses another obstacle. If the owner can afford to sit a few years, it might think it shrewder to wait until the Zoning Reform Commission has done its work and find out what the new rules of the game will be, before it comes up with a plan. -- Tony West I never minded the use of the property as 42xx Baltimore as a shelter for women and their children. I am frustrated that the building has been torn down and the property is in the hands of someone who has figured out how to profit from providing interim housing for addicts and prisoners. Best! Liz You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named UnivCity. To unsubscribe or for archive information, see http://www.purple.com/list.html.
Re: [UC] correction: 43rd and Baltimore - James Campenella
According to the BRT (http://brtweb.phila.gov/brt.apps/Search/SearchForm.aspx?url=search), 4224-26 Baltimore Ave. is assessed at $318,700 and its 2010 taxes are $8,427.96. I can't begin to imagine what it's like working at the BRT these days. Don't expect it to solve any complex, controversial questions with speed and grace, while it is fundamentally unclear whose hand is gripping the helm. -- Tony West On 4/18/2010 1:47 PM, mcget...@aol.com wrote: Don't get me started on the property taxes on 43rd and Baltimore. When I checked the BRT site around the time of the demolition of the building there, I noticed that the new owner had not paid any property taxes for over a year. I contacted the BRT in February of last year (before the Inquirer series) and asked how come a $3 million property that had been owned by a for-profit developer for over a year was assessed at $0. He replied that it took time for the BRT to recognize such a change and to collect the taxes. He told me that my tax assessment, when they got around to it, would be about $80,000 annually. I quickly informed him that I was not the owner, merely a tax-paying neighbor. To my amazement, not too long after, the property's BRT record showed an assessment of around $80,000! The owners obviously got to work on that and had it reduced to around $8,000, as I recall. (Since, Mr. Lynch had been fired from the BRT, I wonder who they called.) I haven't looked at the BRT site since then. I am astonished however, that this multi-million dollar property is assessed at less than double the amount of my Pine Street twin. (How does this compare with what /you /pay in property tax?) I would guess that this is one of the reasons for the city's foot-dragging over the overhauling of the assessments of real estate in Philadelphia - how to limit the damage to all the well-connected who have benefitted for years from unjustifiably low assessments. This is a classic example of what I call the Philadelphia Dilemma: how can a politician respond to the taxpayer's demands for action, while protecting the special interests that he/she believe sustain him/her. Is this situation common outside our city, our era? Of course. But I believe that the long history and profoundly harmful effects of this conflict in Philadelphia have earned it naming rights. The Inquirer reports only confirmed probably the worst-kept secret in Philadelphia - that the BRT was run by a bunch of corrupt and incompetent patronage hacks. Mary P.S. So, all you lawyers, journalists, real estate agents, politicians and just plain neighbors who are more plugged in than I am: Do any of you know what is planned for 43rd and Baltimore? Does anyone have a suggestion for a good use for this large and nicely-situated property?
[UC] Another example ...? Speedy feedback !!!
Without naming names... I've had several quick responses to the post, 3 of which suggested protesting the unfair characterization of our neighborhood to the heads of PENN and WHARTON and to UCD. So, if anyone has access, please feel free to forward my original comments. One of my favorite responses included: I heard a small group being taken around here and one young man, said 'wow, this is really nice! and right in the city, too!' his amazement was really both heartrending and hilarious, people do live in bubbles. Two replied with the equivalent of, I'm reminded that the crime rate in center city is very similar to that in UC. (Note: when I last checked the statistics, rape was more common near Rittenhouse Square than near my home in UC.) Best! Liz On Apr 18, 2010, at 5:33 PM, campio...@juno.com wrote: The past few days were Wharton's big meet, greet and orientation for incoming MBA students. Widely distributed was the 58 page WHARTON HOUSING GUIDE. Starting with a cover photo that is an aerial view of Center City starting at the Ben Franklin Bridge, and moving through the text, there is a pattern of suggestion and omission that makes West Philadelphia look like the unsafe, not hip, under-served neighborhood. Specific instances include: 1. Every neighborhood description includes the presence (or absence) of access to the PENN Escort Service, EXCEPT UC, an area that has good coverage. 2. The only neighborhood for which safety is mentioned as a concern is UC. (The students I spoke to were surprised to hear of the rape murder of Wharton Student Shannon Scheiber, inside the area the booklet called Rittenhouse Square.) To the students with whom I worked this weekend, I suggested they rely on FBI statistics or other, less prejudicial crime reports, and to always be aware that big city living comes with proximity to both good and bad. 3. I tried to dispute the booklet's claim that 87% of students lived near Rittenhouse Square and that only 2.5% of Wharton Grad Students live in West Philly. (Between the Dorms and private housing, I know I can think of lots of Wharton students and many Professors and Staffers who live in UC.) GUIDE- Most Wharton MBA students live in Center City, the downtown neighborhood that surrounds Rittenhouse Square. Most students who live in Center City live west of Broad Street (14th 25th), though a small minority does live east of Broad. Other neighborhood options include University City/West Philadelphia (near campus), the Art Museum area (north of Center City), Antique Row/Old City (east of Center City), and the surrounding suburbs. Part of the problem may be that (survey results were based on only 604 respondents) The Guide's map on page 6 outlines the neighborhoods as: CENTER CITY - Broad - 25th and Lombard to Market. (I encountered 2 Students who rejected 26th and South as outside the safe area of CC.) What the Guide called ART MUSEUM was more Logan-Parkway than Art Museum. It was bounded by JFK Callowhill, 23rd to Broad. There was no map for UNIVERSITY CITY/WEST PHILADELPHIA and the map for the 'neighborhood' marked WHARTON/UPENN only covered an area between 30th and 40th. OLD CITY was defined as Pine to Race and 2nd to 5th. (This might confuse folks who think of most of that area as Society Hill. Here is the blurb for UC. I imagine that many of my neighbors will chuckle at the thought that the Left Bank might be the best UC has to offer. GUIDE- UNIVERSITY CITY/WEST PHILADELPHIA University City is the area between the Schuylkill River and the University of Pennsylvania. West Philadelphia is the area immediately west of the University of Pennsylvania. This area has become more popular in recent years as Penn has focused on developing the area around the University. A new movie theater and grocery store have both opened at 40th and Walnut, as well as several restaurants. Additionally, The Left Bank, a loft-style apartment building, opened a few years ago at 3131 Walnut. The Left Bank is the most popular housing option in University City. Some students have also bought houses in West Philadelphia, viewing it as a good investment. ... Disadvantages: few MBA students in such housing distance from social scene/team meetings in Center City quality and safety of housing varies from block to block Compare this to the post on CC. GUIDE- CENTER CITY For our purposes, Center City is defined as the area bordered by the Schuylkill River to the west, Broad Street (14th) to the east, South Street to the south, and JFK Boulevard to the north. This area includes one of the most upscale neighborhoods in Philadelphia and includes a number of Wharton haunts. In addition, Center City includes Rittenhouse Squares high-end shopping and restaurant district. The greatest density of Wharton students is clustered
Re: [UC] correction: 43rd and Baltimore - James Campenella
On 4/18/2010 1:47 PM, mcget...@aol.com wrote: Do any of you know what is planned for 43rd and Baltimore? Does anyone have a suggestion for a good use for this large and nicely-situated property? Mary, I'm really glad that you reminded us about the recent history on that property. The portion of Clark Park across the street is going to be turned into a sitting garden and grand plaza, much like the entrances to grand old estates of Europe. The grand plaza of gravel will have a high maintenance fountain and moveable tables so that it can be like an outdoor coffee shop. The part of the park by the HMS school will be turned into a high maintenance garden. In the DP, we recently learned that Clark Park trees will also be coming down because they are too close and too old. (The tree killing was only leaked in the DP and not the other papers) With the trees gone too, the park will be completely transformed because everything else (turf, sidewalks, etc) will be ripped out, changed and replaced. I suspect that highly profitable upscale luxury condominiums with tax abatements will be built on that parcel. The real estate marketing to suburban buyers is probably believed to go much better if Clark Park looks like a suburban office park. It seems like the aesthetic vision Penn Real Estate has for the park is like those large suburban housing developments where they take down all the trees and put in rows of trees with white and pink flowers. The new push for a redesign of this part of the park started about 3 years ago. They got tax payer money and cloaked it as grants and Nutter and Blackwell awarded them to this Clark Park Partnership as our Rec centers crumbled. We can't know exactly what goes on in dark back rooms. But we can be certain that it is no good, and we can be certain that common people lose out and pay in many ways. I think the fate of the two sides of 43rd St are connected by visions of dollar signs dancing in a few people's heads. I think it is critical to contemplate: If the public is not allowed to know anything about this unaccountable, closed, secret, Clark Park Partnership, what is the chance that people will have any right to know about anything else? If we had a right to be involved in any transformations in the community, it would be a right to participate in the decisions over public spaces. Glenn
[UC] beagle mix (?) found in Powelton
This was posted today. It is _not_ the same (brownblack, long haired) pooch that was seen running in our neighborhood a few nights ago, and again in Powelton yesterday, unfortunately. Nor is it either of the two other missing dogs (Pom and minPin). If you recognize her/him contact the email below. As far as I know they haven't had it checked for a microchip yet. -LLDOG FOUND/ Beagle Mix?Date: 2010-04-18, 1:29PM EDTReply to:comm-5wwrb-1697258...@craigslist.org[Errors when replying to ads?]We found a dog around Drexel's campus today/ West Philadelphia. Beagle like mix with some dark fur, floppy ears, pretty sure she's a girl. We don't have the heart to let the SPCA take her so she is staying with us. If this is your dog please email us asap. Please describe the collar for us so that we know this is your dog. We just want her to get home!it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interestsPostingID: 1697258862Copyright © 2010 craigslist, inc.terms of useprivacy policyfeedback forum
