Listen up Philadelphia, this post is for you. One of our members received this notice from the Society Hill Civic Association. And Philadelphia? How do you like having our former eminent domain loving commish Joe Manko as a Zoning Board addition? This oughta be interesting, huh? So, can it be said this project is even MORE reason to support PA H.B. 904 ?

Greetings,

I’d like to encourage you to attend the Wednesday, February 20, 2008 meeting of the Society Hill Civic Association at which the Board will decide whether to support or object to a 185-foot tall building (about 17 stories) at the NewMarket property. It is important that you attend and voice your opinion.

The proposed project involves a high-end hotel and condominiums on top of the hotel. There are some who believe that the value of a high-end hotel at this location outweighs what others believe is an out-of-scale project. As Board members consider the situation, it would be helpful for you to voice your opinion.

For this parcel, the Philadelphia Zoning Code restricts structures to 35-feet tall (about the size of a townhouse) or with appropriate setbacks, a maximum height of 60-feet tall. Because the proposed project would be 185-feet tall, it would therefore require that the City’s Zoning Board of Adjustment issue a significant variance; or that City Council and the Mayor enact legislation to rezone this parcel.

The proposed project would be 185-feet tall, plus mechanicals. By way of comparison, please note that the W-Hotel project was to have been 112-feet high, plus mechanicals. The W-Hotel was not objected to by the Civic Association and it was granted a variance by the City’s Zoning Board of Adjustment. The project never came to pass because of September 11, 2001.

I encourage you to attend and voice your opinion. If you think the project is out of scale, please attend and say so. If you think the project warrants the Civic Association’s support, please attend and say so. It doesn’t matter what your opinion is – all that matters is that you express it. Every voice counts.

The meeting is on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, at 6:30pm, and will take place at Old Pine Church at 412 Pine Street.