A 9-story, 130-unit apartment building with ground-floor retail is proposed to be built on the parking lot at 4900 Spruce Street (see rendering above), and this will be the focus of a Garden Court Community Association (GCCA) meeting on Wednesday, Aug. 10.
“Information has been spotty at best so this is intended as a cross RCO community meeting,” writes GCCA Vice President and Zoning Chair Lauren Hansen-Flaschen. GCCA has been designated as an official RCO (Registered Community Organization) for the project, and developers are expected to be present at the meeting.
The building’s proposed height of nine stories and other features will require zoning variances. The developers of the nearby 8-story Croydon Hall Apartments, a once notorious squatters’ haven, are proposing the project. They own the parking lot at 49th and Spruce and lease spots there to Croydon residents. But the lot has remained mostly empty.
The meeting will take place at The Enterprise Center, 4548 Market Street, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
August 8th, 2016 at 7:54 pm
I just wanted to note that, while I don’t really care if this building is built or not, the developers have been dishonest in the past.
Before developing Croydon, the developers promised local residents that they would buy this lot to prevent parking problems. They did not tell the residents that they would be charging people $50 a month to park in the lot. It’s now relatively difficult to park in the area, because so many of the new residents don’t want to pay a high fee for parking. Parking, which had once been free and easy in the area, is now either difficult or costly (and a chance for the developers to make more money).
If the new building is built, it will be very difficult to park in this area.
In the fake “community meeting” that developers held at Croydon, they described the lot as “vacant” (it is not), and suggested that there was no parking issues caused by Croydon, and thus no parking issues would result for local and long-term residents if a new 9-story residential building is constructed on the parking lot. They made this deceptive sales pitch by giving an inaccurate number about the number of people who park in the lot and the number of people at Croydon who drive cars.
The developers claim that there will be new parking spots created at this building, but they fail to note that they are asking area residents to trade in what had been free and easy (parking) into something that is difficult–with the only solution being to give the developers money. “If you don’t like the parking problems that we have caused, you can always pay us money to park in our parking lot”
August 9th, 2016 at 8:18 am
Parking will always be a problem in Philadelphia. $50 a month extra in rent for a secure parking space is not expensive. Most Apartment buildings charge a lot more.
To say this developer is dishonest I can not agree. I watched the croyden go from drug filled squat with bullets flying by the children’s park to a nice apartment with many families living there.
I looked into this developer before, as he was building right next to me. I can attest to a few things.
1. He hired local people ALL from the area.
2. He got all the licenses and inspections necessary.
3 All his other places are maintained by a local company
4 He pays fair market value for his land.
5 I can not find any pay to play activity He seems genuinely honest.
As you know by my past posts I am usually up the crawl of a developer. I can’t find reason to fight this development.
If we want to get up in arms about something LOOK INTO THE SHADY DEALS ON 46th AND SANSOM.
They honestly poured cement foundation around the telephone pole. Encroached onto the public easement. Stole the property on south farragut from kids as they promised not to develope there if we supported the build. The land was gotten with a shady deal through the Enterprise center YOU KNOW FATTAH!!! So if I were to be against anything it would be the developer called Vaughn Buckley Futures and Bashire Sansom street development (BTW is the third business name change in three years). This is where Id focus my attention cause they have shade written all over them. IN MY OPINION!
August 9th, 2016 at 10:49 am
“Parking will always be a problem in Philadelphia”
-That’s simply not true in West Philly, particularly in this area.
This is a big difference between a four-story apartment building and a nine-story one– that difference is why the developer is currently not allowed to build a nine-storey building.
“$50 a month extra in rent for a secure parking space is not expensive. Most Apartment buildings charge a lot more”
I’m actually curious about how many apartment buildings in West Philly are even large enough/affect parking enough to have parking lots/garages. This simply isn’t a thing in West Philly, other than one or two exceptions (exceptions that prove my point).
I’m mostly interested, however, in the effects for long-term residents of that neighborhood, who have never had to pay a developer for their parking. It may not seem like a lot to you, but that’s a lot of money for a lot of people around here.
Again, I’m not necessarily opposed to this building, or tightening parking. What I oppose is the dishonesty of the developer.
I can’t verify the claims you’ve made about the developer (and I actually don’t know how you could know or verify any of it unless you are the developer–in which case, another instance of being dishonest if this is you). That’s part of my point though. Almost all of the claims made by developers are almost impossible to fact-check, even after the fact. With the parking issue, since cars are so easy to count, it’s very easy to tell if the developer was honest in his past about his claims about parking, as well as the new claims he’s making. He’s just not being honest here. I think he owes it to the neighborhood to be honest, especially since he’s seeking a major zoning variance. High density mixed residential building isn’t a bad thing, but don’t lie about it. Just be honest about the effects on the neighborhood.
August 9th, 2016 at 12:33 pm
Real honesty: It is not hard to park in this neighborhood. I do not have a residential sticker and have parked freely on the street for the better part of 5 years now. If I had a sticker, it would be a cinch! Having to park 2 blocks from your house is not a hardship for someone without a mobility issue (and those individuals can apply for special permits).
I live on Spruce Street and I welcome a tasteful development that will accommodate the unmet need for 1 or 2 bedrooms apartments in our hood, that will offer me new retail options, and that will displace NOTHING but an ugly underused surface lot. I want more information about this project before I’d whole heartedly support it, but IMO looks promising.
August 9th, 2016 at 12:59 pm
I would be glad to see the lot developed but there should be some parking provided. If 130 apartments are being built that has the potential for a significant impact on the surrounding blocks. Parking is becoming more of an issue and more streets may push for permit parking.
August 9th, 2016 at 1:18 pm
I’ve been part of this community for the last 7 years. I do agree that developments like this are making our area nicer, safer, and gives more opportunity for young professionals like myself to live in the neighborhood with affordable rent. I do agree that the parking issue should be considered under any new development and I would love to hear from the builders what they are proposing on this matter. Other than that I think they did an amazing job on Croyden Hall.
August 10th, 2016 at 1:11 am
“gives more opportunity for young professionals like myself to live in the neighborhood with affordable rent.” Affordable for a professional and affordable for lower income workers, seniors, disabled and vets are 2 very different things. The building at 46th and Spruce was originally supposed to be a 21 unit building for these people until a neighbor vowed to fight zoning for it – had they not that building would have been finished (probably) and 21 persons needing truly affordable housing would have a clean, dry, safe, secure place to live. Now? The building was sold and will be more overpriced student housing. The new owners were even talking about a roof deck, there’s something the neighbors I’m sure would just love (not).
This new building at 49th could have been such a building. Affordable housing for low income seniors, disabled and vets – long time residents of the neighborhood who have a vested interest in it. Who shop locally, have family and friends and face a very real lack of housing. Wait lists of 3 to 5 years at least and “couch surfing”, etc. For these people $1,000+ rent and utilities is simply not “affordable” – it’s more than SS/SSI/SSDI/VA benefits. A section 202/811 building would be affordable. And the tenants would be good tenants having rules to follow and happy to follow them. And not having to face more wait lists an/or having to move to a different part of the city without their doctors, friends, helpers, family, convenience to public transic/paratransit/cabs in dire times – really no parking issues because most do not drive. We are a part of the neighborhood, we are good neighbors, good tenants and deserve an affordable place to live too. I for one am more than tired of seeing high end, luxury attached to advertising for apartments. That means there’s no way most of us could even dream of living in such a place; it’d be more than the monthly just enough to survive on check. And please don’t say section 8 – that’s for families, the wait list is only open every couple years for a week and for singles the wait if able to get on the list would be a minimum of 10 years. We deserve better, we’ve been here since before it was “hip” and there was still red-lining happening.
August 10th, 2016 at 12:04 pm
@Wen: That’s exactly the point. So many people commenting on this site oppose any development whatsoever (though they don’t say it exactly that way; instead they complain about parking or aesthetics). It would have been great if 46th and Spruce had been developed as planned, but someone opposed it so it didn’t happen.
It’s also the case the building more housing helps keep housing prices in check for everyone. If there is more demand than there is supply, housing prices will increase. Increasing supply will help to check prices in the neighborhood generally by keeping rental housing less scarce.
August 10th, 2016 at 12:53 pm
Hello! I am not opposed to development, truly I’m not.
It’s just all this development, like all developments here in UC/WP as well as CC with one exception that happened I believe 2 years ago (?) everything is “high end” or “luxury” and the building owners are getting lovely 10 year tax abatements – that the rest of us pay for one way or another and the prices certainly are not in any way, shape or form inclusive.
Invest in the neighborhood, great! But don’t gentrify it to the point that people can’t afford it. There’s not many places left for the rest of us to go.
August 10th, 2016 at 3:11 pm
I don’t know how many of you have been in the Croydon Apartments. The ones I’ve seen were small, clean and nice, but I wouldn’t call them luxury. The cabinets were melamine, the floors were laminate – not high end furnishings. However, compared to the dirty and run-down apartment complex across the street they may look like luxury apartments. It would be great if there were more clean and affordable options in the neighborhood for senior citizens and those on fixed incomes, but the question is why would a developer come in and build only to lose money. Where is the incentive?
August 10th, 2016 at 3:50 pm
Wen: I din’t mean you specifically are opposed to all development, more that many people on who comment on this site seem to be.
I understand your concern about new developments not including housing that is affordable to lower-income community members and think it would be a good thing to require (or incent) a certain amount of truly affordable housing in new developments like this.
I’m also not an expert on housing economics, but it seems to me that one way to help keep rental housing affordable in the community is to simply increase the supply of housing, regardless of whether or not it’s affordable. I could be wrong, but it seems to me that unaffordable rental prices are generally a function of demand outstripping supply, allowing landlords to push up rents. Increasing the supply of housing helps absorb demand and helps to keep prices more affordable in the aggregate.
Again, I could be wrong and welcome anyone who understands rental housing markets better than I do to correct me.
August 12th, 2016 at 10:14 am
@Joe I do not work for the developer nor am I developer. I can direct you to philadeliquency (dot) com Chris Swayer (he ran for sheriff last term) who has a HUGE database available on development in Philadelphia and it is available to the public.
As an investigative reporter I have access to data that may be harder for you to access. At one point in journalism we had to fact check and vett. I used these talents to find my info.
I appreciate your skepticism though. It is important to keep check for “plants” in media and public forums.
August 16th, 2016 at 1:18 pm
Just stunningly beautiful. UC could DEFINITELY use more NEW model po-mo style buildings to kick start the sleepy local economy and bring some $$$ to this hood.
August 16th, 2016 at 4:40 pm
“Sleepy local economy”? I guess you could make that case for the 47-49th on Spruce stretch, but generally-speaking, there is a lot going on in West Philadelphia right now. Not to mention that Garden Court Plaza was recently purchased by the Post Brothers who have already signed up Re-Animator Coffee just around the corner. Hopefully we’ll see some other interesting stuff go in there. Shoot down to 47th & Baltimore and soon we’ll have a new Loco Pez taco shop.
And “just stunningly beautiful”? It looks like pretty much every piece of large architecture built in Philadelphia over the last 10 years to me. What exactly makes it so special in your eyes? I’m genuinely curious and not trolling.
August 17th, 2016 at 12:47 pm
I marvel at how this space/time efficient design just calls out to the great post modern architectural feats seen around Chicago’s stunning river properties; a true homage to many and of course equal parts Walter Gropius and Piet Mondrian. And no less apropos of rebirth and renewal. I admit the Croydon has it’s bizarre place in West Philly’s century to century paradigm, however, it’s history must be respectfully remembered with optimism and a recollection of the pre WWII time when the dyer need for urban housing and development maybe played a larger role in more modest and efficient architecture. Maybe the lesson to be still learned is to slow the pace but not to a yield.