In the April 4 issue of the Local, we issued a 60th Anniversary section detailing the founding of the Chestnut Hill Local and its early history. A big part of the founding of this paper and of its parent organization, the Chestnut Hill Community Association, was tied to the development of the land that’s now Chestnut Hill Village and the Market Square shopping center.

That land had been given to Temple University so that it might relocate from its current home in North Philadelphia. The CHCA mobilized to organize against that move and worked to influence development in that corner of Chestnut Hill.

And then, last week, we learned that a much smaller but still substantial tract of land, Blossom Philadelphia, will be sold to the Goldenberg Group, a Blue Bell-based developer with a record of large-scale retail and residential development.

The development of Blossom will not be nearly as impactful as that of Chestnut Hill Village and Market square, but at more than four acres, it represents what is sure to be the largest property development in Chestnut Hill in a generation.

Currently zoned RSA-3, the property allows for attached and semi-detached residential homes of no more than 38 feet high on a minimum lot of 2,250 square feet. With almost 180,000 square feet of available space, a lot of homes could be built on that property.

A residential development could be a positive development for the neighborhood. There will certainly be concerns over additional traffic and the character of that stretch of Mermaid Lane, the other side of which is home to quite a few stately, older homes.

In coming weeks, we’ll work to learn as much as we can about what the Goldenberg Group has planned for that piece of Chestnut Hill.

8th District disappointment

It was disappointing to learn last week that the petition of 8th District Democratic candidate Tonya Bah to stay on the ballot was denied and that, seeing no avenue for relief, the Bah campaign declined to appeal.

The immediate result is that current councilperson Cindy Bass has no Democratic opponent in the May 21 primary election. And, because she has no Republican opponent, she has already effectively won reelection to her seat.

This is not to say that I have any problem with Cindy Bass or her work for the 8th District. Many people clearly feel the same way and support her to continue to work as the elected representative of the 8th.

But there is really something wrong with not even having the choice. Without viable opponents, there’s little to hold any elected representative accountable. There’s no mechanism by which those voters who are not satisfied with Bass can vote for an alternative.

It’s a disappointment for both the district and democracy.

Pete Mazzaccaro