by Brendan Sample

In the first full meeting for newly elected members, the Chestnut Hill Community Association Board of Directors met to discuss the ongoing conflict over the Chestnut Hill Hotel beer garden, the creation of a committee to address traffic safety concerns on East Evergreen Avenue and other zoning issues.

Neighbors of the Chestnut Hill Hotel’s Market on the Fareway decided to sue the hotel and market over the creation of a “beer garden” earlier this year. The market’s new outdoor seating area as well as the cooking of food on premises are chief among residents’ assertions that the market is violating a 30-year old agreement between prior owners and residents.

While litigation between the hotel owners and the neighbors opposed to the beer garden is still pending, the board did present a letter it plans to present to the presiding judge when one is decided. The neighbors had previously asked the board to write a letter for the case, but board members wanted to present a balanced take on the issue, not taking either side in the dispute.

Although previous discussions between the neighbors and hotel owners did not yield any concrete results, the board is still holding out hope that an amicable solution can be reached before further legal action is taken.

“We believe, generally speaking, that when given the chance to work through issues, people can come to reasonable and fair resolutions that provide positive outcomes for both sides of an issue,” the letter stated. “We would hope that all parties involved in this matter can work together to come to a mutually favorable outcome. In accordance with a core part of our mission, the Community Association is willing to act as mediator between the two parties if that would be acceptable to both sides.”

East Evergreen issues

The agenda item that received perhaps the most attention was a presentation given by four residents of East Evergreen. Having dealt with ongoing and increased traffic safety problems on their street, including a car that flipped on its side on July 27, the neighbors sought the advice of the board to increase safety on their street.

A number of potential fixes were discussed, including submitting an Annual Service Plan with SEPTA with the intent of switching bus routes away from the narrow street. Going forward, any solutions that do end up going into effect will likely go through a newly formed committee specifically dedicated to helping East Evergreen. The committee will consist mostly of residents of the street, with board members Richard Snowden and Jean Wedgwood also expressing their interest in joining.

8335 Germantown Ave.

Snowden also made a separate presentation of his own to the board. His company, Bowman Properties plans to renovate 8335 Germantown Ave. (the former location of O’Doddle’s Toy Store) and his need for a variance.

Bowman plans to perform a facade restoration of the property in advance of the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and Chestnut Hill Business District becoming new tenants. Current zoning codes require the property to provide four parking spaces and restrict the second floor to be apartments, not office space, two things Snowden said he couldn’t accommodate in order to provide space to his prospective tenants.

Due to Bowman having a hearing in front of the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment the day before the next board meeting, board members voted to let the Development Review Committee act in its stead and to support or not support the variance request. Whenever the CHCA votes to support a zoning variance, that support takes the form of a letter endorsing the use to the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustments. That presentation will be made at the next DRC meeting on September 18.

Other items

Vice President of the Physical Division Joyce Lenhardt also gave an update on the Upper Northwest District Plan, as the Physical Division, CHBD and Chestnut Hill Conservancy have narrowed down their recommendations to a list of their top five. These include supporting the up-zoning of properties fronting Germantown Avenue and Bethlehem Pike to CMX-2 status, creating a new zoning category that would impose a 20,000 square foot limit for property subdivisions and creating special thematic preservation zones in the region. Though there were additional proposals beyond the top five, the plan is for the CHCA to focus on those few when making its recommendations to the Philadelphia2035 initiative.

In addition to the recommendations, Executive Director Anne McNiff confirmed that the deadline for public comments on the plan has been extended to September 21. This comes after the three organizations had requested an extension, as they were concerned that certain residents would not have been able to make the previous September 4 deadline due to potentially being away for the summer. To submit comments on the Plan and to see the current draft, visit phila2035.org/upper-northwest

The next CHCA Board of Directors meeting is set for September 27 at 7 p.m. at Blossom Philadelphia.

Brendan Sample can be reached at brendan@chestnuthilllocal.com