40th Street "Inn" : Huge Change demands public meetings and open discourse
FACTS: According to the Zoning map, the property in question is zoned R5A. Other information from the city records includes: Owner : Oap Inc / 3451Walnut St / Phila, PA 19104-6205 Settled Date : 3/25/2003 Sale Price : $1,685,000 Annual RE Tax : $17,628 Assessment $213,312 (Presumed Market Value $666,600) Ward : 88 Zoning Map shows R5A Prop Class: Commercial (CF0) Boarding Home / Shelter Frontage 116 x Depth 190 = Square Footage of 22,040 (.51 acres) The Building is listed as 17,280 Sq Ft and as 1 story Transaction History Owner Names:Lavin, Robert E ; Lavin, Rosalind S Date 2/18/1987 SaleAmt $550,000 REALITY: 10 (or 11) stories will overshadow the other R5A buildings on Pine, Baltimore and 40th. Parking will be an issue. Some people will not trust their car to valet parking, others will make efforts to avoid paying for parking. Construction will create traffic hassles and other problems OPINION: I have not formed my opinion about the project. But, I have formed some opinions about the pronouncements (and /or lack thereof) of the folks in SHCA and UCHS. IMO: 1. Any organization that wants to control my "mullions" (measured in fractions of inches) should be very openly and publicly concerned about height extensions of about 100 feet. 2. Any organization that wants to call itself a "Community Organization" should be a lot more transparent and community inclusive. 3. The First Thursday meetings do not meet my test for Community inclusion. Most affected parties are not available at 8 AM on weekdays. 4. Since Zoning is R5A and the Zoning variance has been out of play for more than 2 years, I'd expect the Community Association to be supporting ONLY residential uses. 5. It is the apparent hypocrisy, the blatant attacks on anyone not in the clique, the misdirections and outright falsehoods, that will drive me to stand against a project that might have merit. 6. I'd like the responsible parties to act in an open and transparent manner or to step aside. Sincerely, Liz