Blight By Developer

We have a lot of friends in Haverford. And a lot of SAC members. And the neighborhood that is a veritable island sandwiched between Lancaster and Montgomery Avenues continues to struggle.

And these people now look at a blighted, yes truly blighted neighborhood.

Half of the blight comes from what is supposed to be that development called "Allaire". Remember that? The reason R6A zoning got changed at all? One reason why people wanted a historic district?

Is "Allaire" happening? The development was supposed to have begun originally around February, right? Then it was what? Late Spring? Early summer? Late summer? Well kids, it's just about Halloween and it's no treat, but instead a neat trick that the houses sit and rot. Yes, even holes in the roof at 16 North Buck Lane.

The neighbors knew when Allaire passed it would be problematic, what they didn't expect was blight and can you blame them for being upset? So, how are those presells going? Now the neighbors are afraid of not only blight, but then the houses getting torn down, the development going nowhere, the neighborhood getting stuck with pits in the ground and people getting stuck with plummenting real estate values because of this. Is Blight "by right" too?

The other half of the blight comes courtesy of their institutional neighbor, The Haverford School. While Haverford is renovating and rebuilding that upper school or whatever, and the neighbors get construction brings dirt and lots and lot of noise, the neighbors want to know why Haverford School's construction workers have to park ALL over the neighborhood? Why do they have to take every bit of parking, including creating spaces where it is illegal? Why can't the school put their workers on their property? And if the Haverford School gets their club ties in a collective knot over these questions, they need to remember that people are allowed their opinions. No one is saying the school shouldn't modernize, they simply want to know why the heck they can't park construction workers any place else? Why especially would they break their word to the residents of Barrett Avenue?

Haverford School Construction Workers on Barrett

Don't the construction workers deserve more convenient ON SITE parking too?