August 10, 2006 Issue                                       

©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

WMAN rejects New Covenant’s daycare expansion and elevator
The recently-formed WMAN zoning committee reviewed projects for New Covenant and controversial town homes on W. Mt. Pleasant Avenue.
by KRISTIN PAZULSKI

Van Strother, staff architect for New Covenant Church of Philadelphia, holds a rendering of a five-story elevator on the exterior of Founders Hall. The shaft could be constructed on the inside, pending a discussion with the city’s Historical Commission. (Photo by Kristin Pazulski)

West Mount Airy Neighbors’ new zoning committee voted August 2 to oppose two plans presented by New Covenant Church: one for the addition of a five-story elevator shaft to the outside of Founders Hall and the other for an expansion of its daycare program from 42 to 104 children.

New Covenant’s architect, Van Strother, had been asked to return to the WMAN zoning committee’s August meeting after presenting plans on both of the projects on July 5.

The July presentation left the community and committee with many unanswered questions. WMAN asked specifically for Strother to bring the following with him to last week’s meeting: details regarding the present day care’s operations, the day care’s role in the potential homeless shelter on the property, and the church’s master plan.

Strother responded to the requests in a letter dated July 11. He offered to bring the daycare operator, Nina Lockett, to the zoning meeting to answer operation questions, which he did. He also reiterated that the day care has nothing to do with the homeless shelter, but is addressing the 30-child waitlist for the day care services. It was previously reported that 50 children were on the waiting list, but Lockett said at the zoning meeting that some parents had found other facilities.

Despite Strother’s insistence, neighbors were still skeptical of the daycare’s relationship to the potential homeless shelter, and annoyance was expressed that Strother did not have the numbers of cars and daily activity on the campus.

Ever since plans for a proposed homeless shelter were revealed in February, near neighbors of New Covenant have openly scrutinized the church’s relationship with its community, based on negative experiences they have had with the church.

As for a master plan, Strother told the committee the church didn’t have one, which alarmed some of the neighbors.

“That is troubling in itself,” said a neighbor, saying that an institution of the church’s size, with the amount of programs it has occurring daily, should have at least, have a two- or three-year plan.

Richard Gilbertie, chairman of WMAN’s zoning committee, said the church “didn’t provide nearly enough detail” regarding the campus’ daily use and how the daycare expansion would affect it, so the committee voted in opposition to the expansion. Additionally, an informal vote of the neighbors regarding the daycare resulted in majority opposition.

As for the elevator, plans are likely to change after a second review by the Philadelphia Historical Commission, which would like to see the elevator shaft put on the inside of the historic Founders Hall.

“If this is likely to change, is this [decision] premature?” asked Ralph Pinkus a committee member. Another informal vote of the neighbors resulted in opposition to the exterior elevator shaft.

At the same meeting, many community members who came to hear a presentation by the developer of row homes at 329 W. Mt. Pleasant Ave. voiced support for the continuation of the project, which was halted in June. The Department of Licenses and Inspections stopped construction on the homes when WMAN alerted them to the fact that the row homes, zoned commercial, were going to be used solely as residential. In C-2 zoning, according to the city’s code, residential-only attached dwellings require a variance.

Some of the neighbors at Wednesday’s WMAN zoning meeting had attended the zoning board of adjustment hearing earlier that afternoon. At a July meeting with near neighbors discussing issues surrounding the intersection of Lincoln Drive and W. Mt. Pleasant Avenue, community members had asked WMAN to discuss support of the property’s development before the ZBA hearing.

But committee chair Gilbertie said he was concerned that not enough committee members would be able to attend a last-minute meeting. Instead, WMAN contacted the ZBA, asking it to hear the case, but hold the final decision until after the WMAN zoning meeting.

Although most of the community was in support of the row homes, some expressed suspicion that the property’s owner, Angelo Minetti, was “pulling a fast one.” But Minetti has said he had no idea the property was unable to be used as attached, residential-only housing, claiming L & I made the mistake in issuing the permits. Committee member Stephen Anderson pointed out that the initial permit application listed a commercial use and the blue prints had marked the living room areas as commercial.

Many of the neighbors supported for Minetti, saying his character suggests that he would never deceive the city and his neighbors.

“I don’t believe there was purposeful perception — miscommunication perhaps,” said Maria Pajil Battle, a next-door neighbor to the construction,. “I just feel that I want to get [the homes] done.”

Despite committee suspicions of deception, WMAN narrowly voted not to oppose the building of the town homes. “There was lots of concern over the process,” said Gilbertie, “but many felt that because [most of] the neighbors weren’t opposed, we’d be hard pressed to vote in opposition.”

Also at the meeting, WMAN’s zoning committee voted to support the temporary legalization of an acupuncture business that has been operating without a use permit at 400 W. Hortter St. for four or five years. The owner, Cara Franks, is using a residentially-zoned condominium for her business, which she said was “not hidden” and had been approved by the condo’s board.

Her business, she said, will be located on Hortter Street only another year or so, as she is in the process of purchasing a new site in Chestnut Hill. She said she needs the year to finalize the purchase and renovate the new space.

The zoning committee indicated that it was wary of Franks’ ability to get a temporary use variance, but said it would support a temporary one if obtained, although it would oppose a permanent use variance.

The Lutheran Theological Seminary of Philadelphia presented plans for its property at 7318 Germantown Ave., recently used a temporary home to (Northwest Philadelphia’s Interfaith Hospitality Network) summer homeless program previously held on New Covenant’s campus. The house on that property will be renovated and used a guesthouse for visiting professors, speakers and other guests of the seminary.

WMAN supported the proposed use as long as the seminary signed an agreement that would revert the building’s permitted use back to normal residential zoning if they sold the property.

The WMAN zoning committee meeting started off with committee member Pinkus explaining the committee’s role to the more than 30 residents who attended.

Only four-months old, the committee was created to serve as a community support resource and watchdog for Philadelphia zoning code issues in West Mt. Airy. The committee has already heard a few cases, offering letters of support or opposition to the city’s zoning board of adjustment and giving advice to projects not yet ready for presentation to the city’s board. Numerous times at Wednesday’s meeting, one of the board members instructed a citizen on what the ZBA would be looking for at a hearing.

Community members at the meeting who are not used to the process were impatient with the meeting’s public proceedings, which saw four presentations in about two-and-a-half hours.