May, 2016

Spring Garden Civic Association Newsletter www.SpringGardenCivic.com, [email protected]

Happy Spring Hey – it’s been a while since our last “content-rich” newsletter, but we have been busy and so let’s catch up! 2015 Summary This was a year with some significant developments on the edges of our community, including a lot of development along the Fairmount Avenue Commercial Corridor from 16th street to 21st street, 12 new single family houses on the 1700 blocks of North and Melon Streets, the Convent single-family home project (10 homes) on the 2300 blocks of Green Street and Pennsylvania Avenue, and the conversion of the historic church at 20th and Spring Garden Streets into 18 residential units, but without parking. (The developer was allowed to do this as of right under the New Zoning Code, which the City adopted in 2012. We have found that the New Code seems to foster density without regard to quality of life issues). See the full Zoning report, below. We have also seen a few businesses come and go, sadly losing Café L’Aube at 17th and Wallace Streets, Potito’s Bakery on 20th St. north of Spring Garden St., and the Blue Cat restaurant on the 1900 block of Fairmount Avenue. But we have welcomed the addition of Bar Hygge at 1720 Fairmount, I Pho Vietnamese noodle restaurant at the old Blue Cat site at 1921 Fairmount Ave., the new Tod Wentz restaurant A Mano at 23rd St. and Fairmount Ave. (2244 Fairmount), a new bakery Sweet Nectar Dessert Kitchen (“Sweet Nectar DK”) to replace Potito’s at 547 N. 20th St. , and a new coffee shop, Saige Cafe, which is going into the old Café L’Aube site at 1631 Wallace 1

St. (the NE corner of 17th and Wallace Streets). With the near completion (at last) of the redevelopment at 17th St. and Fairmount Ave., several other new businesses are also finally opening their doors: Valley Green Bank (May 2), a hot yoga studio (Yoga Habit) and a 24-hour fitness studio, Anytime Fitness (both opened the weekend of April 30). The owners of Ali’s Wagon are also opening a home goods branch there called Division IV. The large new developments to our South continue to be a source of some apprehension, as the Museum Towers Expansion (behind Tower One at 18th and Spring Garden Streets) promises to bring in hundreds of new renters, as does the Best Western replacement, Rodin Square at 22nd and Spring Garden Streets. This will house Whole Foods and other retail operations when it opens next year, and will also contain many new rental units. So, we must be prepared for significant increases in traffic and parking issues in our neighborhood, especially on and near Spring Garden Street. We joined forces with opponents of a new gun shop on the 500 block of N. Percy Street, just north of the former notorious Colosimo’s Gun Shop on the 900 block of Spring Garden (closed by “the Feds” on account of straw party gun sales, used in many violent crimes). We won the zoning case, but it is now on appeal, with no final decision expected for some time. We also met with the developers of the Divine Lorraine project, as well as the developers of the massive new development planned for the vacant land just to the East of the Divine Lorraine (developer Robert A. Levine, RAL Companies & Affiliates LLC; Spring Garden resident Ian Cope is the architect). We shared thoughts and advice on those projects, and feel that they will enhance the neighborhood to our Northeast by removing blight and bringing new residents and mixed-use developments into the area (including much-needed retail establishments). There has been some hope that there will be a new supermarket at the site. These projects are a bit different from the developments to our south, which were not replacing blight. We had the mixed blessing of the Pope’s visit, which thankfully went off without any terrorist activities. But, we did suffer considerable inconvenience, and museums’ and local businesses’ loss of revenue. Our biggest objection to the way it was handled, however, was with the almost total disregard for the Jewish holy days that occurred in the middle of the week when streets were being barricaded. After we notified the City of the problem, the Parking Authority made a wonderful effort to accommodate some of our local families, but for the most part, the City seemed unaware and unprepared for the very idea that another religion existed and might 2

have its own needs during that week. Also, the number of cars towed and the way those in charge changed the parking rules with virtually no warning was vexing to many; but most people survived without too much agita, and the Pope was certainly a much-loved visitor. Other Parkway events during the year continue to intrude on the quality of life for those living near it, and we hope the new City administration will take some positive steps to ameliorate these problems. Crime in our neighborhood remains largely car break-ins, minor thefts, burglaries, and such, as we are thankfully (and for the most part) a low crime neighborhood. Occasionally, we do get some horrendous incidents (armed robberies and the like). We urge everyone to lock their cars, not to leave valuables inside, to call 911 if they see any suspicious activity, and to be cautious when walking the area especially late at night. Some good news is that the police were able to nab an arsonist with the help of our own block captain, Geoff Woolery. He spotted the man (based on security camera footage) and followed him at a safe distance to his destination, where he was arrested and confessed to setting recycle bin fires along his route to work every week for over a month. There remain a few privately owned blighted buildings in the eastern end of our neighborhood, plus the remaining un-rehabbed PHA properties. We hope to report progress on these matters in 2016. The old derelict laundry on 23rd street near Green is also a mess, and we are hopeful that something can be done about it in the near future. We can report that in the year 2000 there were over 150 blighted or abandoned buildings in the neighborhood, and to have that number reduced to a handful is a remarkable turn-around. Two issues remain our biggest challenges: 1) street trash 2) theft from auto To combat our street trash problem, we tried putting trash cans at strategic sites, and the CDC crew emptied them regularly; but we found that many people dumped household trash in them and that made the problem even worse. Since the City went from “twice a week” to “once a week” trash collection some years ago, many residents have a hard time storing all of the trash they generate, and it ends up in front of someone else’s property, on the street, or in an alley, where it creates odors, and attracts insects, rodents and stray cats. We believe that the only practical 3

solution to dramatic reductions in street trash is to work with every home owner on trash collection rules and containers, and with every landlord/condominium association to require them to provide better accommodations for renters/condo owners to deal with trash in tightly closed containers in yards, or indoors, and to more aggressively police and penalize trash violators. That would include redoing rental leases/condo rules to permit owners to keep tenants’ security deposits and allow eviction for repeated trash violations, and to provide for sanctions for condominium owners who violate City trash rules. It would also include having landlords/condo associations get their own maintenance crews to clean up trash that is put out on the wrong days or is not in proper containers, which often results in City sanitation either not collecting it, or causing the trash to spill all over the street when collected. We are also working with local businesses to get them to clean up outside their establishments daily, and be more careful about their own trash collection routines. As far as theft from auto, one strategy that seems to be working is to install more crime cameras, as well as improved street lighting to make it easier to spot criminals in the act, and deter and record their crimes. Cameras have already been added around the Roberto Clemente playground and in other locations; and, more recently, new lighting was installed on the Wallace St. side of the Community Garden. This has made that block far safer for residents walking the neighborhood and for those who park on that block, whose cars were often broken into on this formerly dark and sinister expanse. However, we also want to encourage homeowners/rental property owners to install extra lighting and security cameras in areas on their blocks where there are any dark corners, or in other locations where there have been frequent car break-ins. Other tidbits: We heard from Karen and Bob Sharrar that they have applied for (and received) certification for their backyard as a Certified Wildlife Habitat. This required a small fee and proof that their backyard has clean water, natural food sources, cover, and places for wildlife to raise their young. The National Wildlife Federation is encouraging everyone to support this kind of effort to restore critical habitat for pollinators. The Spring Gardens, our main Community Garden, is also a Certified Wildlife Habitat, and you can e-mail [email protected] if you are interested in crafting a habitat in your backyard – assuming you have a backyard! Speaking of Habitats, we just completed our 18th Tree Tenders tree planting event in the last 9 years (2 plantings a year, Spring and Fall), and have planted 365+ trees in our neighborhood over that time. Not all survived, but those that did not were replaced, and our tree canopy is now among the best in the City. Spring Garden was 4

also one of the first neighborhoods in the City to establish an aggressive tree planting program, which was begun in the 1970s and supported by the proceeds from neighborhood House Tours; and many hundreds of trees were planted as part of that program in years past. You can see in old photos from the 1970s where many of our streets were totally barren of street trees, and what a huge difference our tree cover makes to the neighborhood’s ambiance. We also completed another major undertaking - - participation in the 9th Annual City-sponsored Spring Clean-Up event - - with 80+ volunteers filling over 200 bags of leaves, trash, garbage, and candy wrappers. (The SGCA has also been sponsoring spring and fall clean-ups since the 1970s). We will have our Fall Clean-up/Leaf Clean-up, and another tree planting, in the fall, so don’t think for a minute that your volunteer opportunities are done for 2016. Preservation Award for the Neighborhood Potters, 2034 Fairmount Ave. Congratulations to Neil Patterson and Sandi Pierantozzi (the Neighborhood Potters) on the nomination of their façade restoration work at 2034 Fairmount Ave. for a Preservation Alliance Achievement Award, to be presented on June 6, see “Dates,” below. The property was transformed from a cement bunker into a glorious, vibrant, showcase for Neil and Sandi’s artistic creations, bringing a wonderful dash of color and charm to Fairmount Avenue. The project was made possible by funding from the Spring Garden CDC’s façade restoration program, the owners’ contribution, a grant from The Merchants’ Fund, and a grant from the City’s Storefront Improvement Program (“SIP”). To see the “before and after” photos, and the wonderful things Neil and Sandi are doing, go to their website, sandiandneill.com Roberto Clemente Playground Roberto Clemente Playground has been thriving in recent years in no small part due to the efforts of Recreation Director, JJ Pospeich. The site won Holiday decoration awards, and other Playground awards under his leadership, but, alas, he has recently been promoted to a larger site with a swimming pool (in Francisville). We are confident that the new playground recreation director will keep up the positive momentum. His name is Elliot Hughes, and we hope you all will introduce yourself to him and make him feel welcome in the neighborhood. Block Captains It has long been the case that the best way to deal with our community’s problems and issues is on a block by block basis. We have a great network of block captains, but we still need block captains in some areas. If you wish to become a block captain 5

or wish to know who the block captain is on your block, please email, [email protected] Geoff Woolery, who lives on 17th Street near Fairmount Ave., is our Block Captain coordinator, and has done a terrific job this last year on anti-crime/quality of life issues. We were also successful in turning out a lot of block captains for both the Spring Clean-Up and the Fall Leaf Round-Up; and Block Captains have handled a large number of block-specific issues throughout the year. 2015 and Ongoing Zoning and Historical Issues - 1606 Fairmount Ave. This vacant lot was the site of a noisy illegal dumpster operation for a demo company. The SGCA/neighbors objected to the operator’s attempt to legalize the use, and he moved the operation off the lot, but inside a nearby building. - 1720 Fairmount Ave. Local resident Dan Greenburg developed a mixed use property on the site of the old Phoenix construction storage lot, with rental units above and a new and very successful brew pub restaurant (Bar Hygge) on the ground floor. - 1700 blocks of North and Melon Streets. David Snyder developed 12 single family homes on the site of the old Phoenix Warehouse, 6 facing North Street and 6 facing Melon Street. Over half are already completed and occupied. - 1709 North Street was torn down by the City, and a new single family home is being constructed to replace the old building. - 2101 Brandywine Street. A Ju-Jitsu studio was opened in an old office space previously rented as offices to Project HOME. - 655 N. 15th St. The owner sought a variance to legalize an existing 5th apartment (on the 1st floor, in place of a defunct grocery). The use was approved, with an agreement that the owner historically restore the 3 facades of the building over a several year period.

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- 2031-33 Wallace. The new owners applied to install rear garages with decks over them in the existing back yards, to be accessed from North St. The SGCA and nearby neighbors met and approved this. - 1541 Spring Garden St. The proposal was to install an eat-in and (mostly) take out restaurant at the site of the old U.S. Copy. The proprietors are two young men (chefs) with excellent training (White Dog Café, etc.). A community meeting was held and the use was approved with provisos and a zoning agreement. - 2311 Pa. Ave. The Applicant, architect Yao Huang, was granted an over the counter permit to tear down the existing 2 story Pa. Ave. building and build a new 4 story 15’ wide home. The new building has created many problems for the abutting neighbors. The Applicant also applied to build another 4 story building in the “Ell” portion of the 2311 lot that faces 23rd street. All efforts at a reasonable compromise failed and the ZBA denied the application for the 23rd St. variance. - The Convent. (2300 blocks of Green Street and Pennsylvania Avenue) Developer Gary Jonas obtained zoning for 10 single-family homes, and work has been progressing after the demolition of the old Convent. One lot was sold to a private individual to build his family’s home. Occupancy of the entire site in 2016 seems assured as most homes are already sold. He had originally proposed 48 rental units. - Potts Ice Cream, 2001-21 North St. Zoning (and Historical) were approved and a zoning agreement negotiated for 7 new 4-story homes with garage fronts, plus a residential rehab of the existing historic building at the corner. Work has begun. (There was already no on-street parking on that entire block, so the garage fronts were not an issue). - 2001 Spring Garden, a former historic church. The owner got an over the counter permit for 18 apartment units, with no parking, based on the New Zoning Code. - 563 N. 20th St., 1st floor, doggy day care. The proprietors got an over the counter permit for this use, and it seems to be working out fine, despite 7

neighbors’ fears that it would be a disaster. This replaced the Moyomo Yogurt Shop. - 523 N 20th St., 1st Floor, Potito’s Bakery closed up shop and another pastry shop called Sweet Nectar Dessert Kitchen (“Sweet Nectar DK”) has moved in. - 1427-35 Melon St. The Loonstyns got zoning for 23 units, 8 parking spaces but then flipped the property to a lawyer-developer. (The project is still subject to an SGCA zoning agreement). Demolition of Dick Newby’s old house has been completed. - 1704 Melon St., single family home. Zoning was approved and work is nearing completion. The project is subject to an SGCA zoning agreement. - Proposed New Gun Shop, at the Gun Range north of the now-closed Colosimo’s Gun Shop (and next to the existing gun range) at 542 N. Percy St. The ZBA denied zoning for the proposed gun shop and the proposed operator has appealed the decision. The plaintiff seems to be supported (and financed) by gun rights groups. - 1529 and 1531 North St. Unfortunately it looks like both of these vacant lots will become triplexes as of right. 1529 was sold to a developer and 1531 is owned by former Judge Willis Berry who considered putting in a single family home as requested, but, in the end, chose to do a triplex so that he could work on it slowly over a several year period and not be subject to the constraints of a zoning agreement. - 2244 Fairmount Ave., the old Garden Fresh. A Tod Wentz (owner of Townsend) BYOB Italian restaurant (A Mano) has opened at this location and received excellent reviews. - The Best Western Project and Whole Foods, below 22nd and Spring Garden Streets. Construction is progressing on 293 residential units, with 270 parking spaces, a 55,000 s. ft. Whole Foods grocery store, with a café and 170 parking spaces, and other retail. 8

- Museum Towers Expansion. Construction is progressing for 16 new rental townhomes and 270 residential units (in addition to the existing 300 units), in a new 16 story building, and a 439-space parking garage. -

Vacant Land behind the Divine Lorraine. Zoning was approved for two mid-rise residential towers with parking, a plaza, and first floor retail. There will be up to 486 rental units (300 units in the first phase, and an additional 186 in the 2nd phase), along with 83,000 sq. ft. of retail (hopefully a grocery store and a café), a 580 space parking garage, and a public plaza on Ridge Ave. Phase 3 will include for-sale single family homes on 13th St.

- 17th and Fairmount and the 1600 Block of Melon St. MM Partners is the developer doing a mixed-use residential and commercial rehab of these historic buildings. There will be rental units, 2 single family homes, and commercial tenants including a bank, a yoga studio, a retail home-goods shop, and a 24-hour fitness gym. - The old Café L’Aube, 1st floor, 1631 Wallace St. The café closed in the spring and the space has been empty since then. A new café/coffee shop called Saige Café will open soon at the site. The proprietor’s first step was to paint over the electric green Cafe L’Aube colors with white paint, and plant 3 new street trees. - 1516 Green St., a former PHA, now a vacant lot; proposal for a new 6 unit building: The Historical Commission staff previously approved the demo of the property and the subsequent rebuild of the property to match the original design, but with modifications to the rear Ell. The developer presented a different design. The Architectural Committee noted that the applicant claimed that because the building is 6 units it would have to have 2 accessible units. That would require completely altering the front yard, retaining wall and steps. The Committee asked for more information. The application was withdrawn and new information was submitted and approved by the Commission, which appears to include some sort of accessible lift in the front.

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- 1627 Mt. Vernon St., vacant lot, proposed accessible duplex building, out-of-place modern design. The applicant sought to build an unattractive modern building completely out of place on the block. The Historical Commission took jurisdiction because of a shared baker’s alley, and then, to our shock and dismay, approved the design. However, no work has begun. - 526 N. 22nd St., extend rear of building at 3rd floor, taking up part of an existing 2nd floor rear deck, add small 3rd floor rear deck, no increase in height. The neighbors were concerned about air and light but we could find no historical issues that would make this modest extension objectionable and it was approved by the Commission. - 1733 Spring Garden St., Stetson Mansion, various proposals: The Commission approved new basement stairway access at the front with a new concrete retaining wall and metal fence, new garage doors, an elevator shaft in the Ell, and an at-grade entryway at the small non-historical addition. - 1701 Wallace St., proposal for a variance for a 17th St. curb cut and backyard parking for this historic building, with a plan to historically restore it as a single family home. A community meeting will be held. - 1509 Spring Garden St., contemporary fashion retail clothing shop on the first floor. A neighborhood agreement was negotiated requiring façade improvement work. The Zoning Board approved the variance on Wednesday May 11. - 1500 Spring Garden St., new fitness center on the 16th St. side. The original zoning for the building required SGCA approval of the use, which was provided after a community meeting. - 2000 Fairmount. Pursuant to a Neighborhood Agreement and Conditional Liquor License, Fairmount Pizza is now allowed to sell beer in-house, for take-out, and for delivery with food.

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- 614 N. 16th St., two triplexes. The developer could have gotten approval for this sort of density over the counter, but chose a design that required a variance. After much work, an agreement was hammered out with the developer to provide various protections for the community, and the variance was granted. - 2333-47 Fairmount Ave., the Loonstyns propose to tear down the existing structure and building a mixed use residential and commercial property at the site, with parking. - 1600 Fairmount Ave. the defunct New Deal Deli, could soon be the site of a new BYOB bistro. What’s New, or on the Drawing Boards We have finally launched our new and improved website. We’ve tried to get it in shape for quite a long time, and as it’s been all a volunteer effort its roll-out has suffered from other pressing issues. The best part about it for many will be that you will be able to renew membership and pay dues on-line with Pay Pal or a credit card. To use a credit card you have to click on “donate” and we’ll credit your contribution as dues. You can find this website at www.SGCAPhilly.com and we have a new e-mail address as well: [email protected] Calendar of Events 1) Tuesday, May 24th, SGCA Garden spring social in The Spring Gardens, 1800 block of North Street, 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM, bring friends/neighbors/kids, a donation for Philabundance and, if you like food and/or drink to share 2) Monday June 6, 2016, 5:00 to 6:00 PM, Preservation Achievement Awards, Union League, 140 S. Broad St., cocktail party 6:00 to 8:00 PM, go to preservationalliance.com for more information. The Neighborhood Potters will receive an Award at this event! 3) Thursday June 9, 2016, 8:00 PM to 11:00 PM, Fundraiser for the Rail Park, at Brick and Mortar, 315 N. 12th St., for more information about the event or The Rail Park, go to www.therailpark.org 4) June Membership meeting with elections for Officers and Board, date TBA 11

5) Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site’s summer season has begun. A groundbreaking new exhibit “Prisons Today: Questions in the Age of Mass Incarceration” opened on May 6.

--------------------------------------------------Membership/Renewal Application Spring Garden Civic Association, 601 N 17th Street, 19130 www.SGCAPhilly.com; [email protected]

Name(s) ______________________________________________ Address ______________________________________________ E-mail ________________________Tel._________________________ Areas of Interest __________________Dues Enclosed $ _________ Dues are $25 per member $40 per Household, $15 for senior, fixed/low income.

But, please consider making a donation of an additional amount to help us cover our many activities and improvement projects. Mail or deliver your check and completed application to the above address, or try our new website to make a donation using Pay Pal or a credit card.

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