Ongoing renovations to the Arrott Transportation Center (Margaret-Orthodox) continue this week with the demolition beginning on the Eastbound platform. Get ready for lots of noise.
SEPTA Community Update
Category: Business
Two Sites in Frankford Considered for Historic Designation
The Bromley-Garsed Mansion on Leiper Street which formerly housed the New Frankford Community Y and the home of the Holiday Thriftway at Frankford Avenue and Pratt Street which was originally built as the Penn Fruit store, the Philadelphia Historical Commission’s committee on designation recommended last week that 19…
Source: From ‘Main Street Modernism’ to common fabric: 19 sites considered for historic designation
Letter to the Editor From a Frankford Resident
Solar Industry Offers a Bright Future
The rapid increase in solar energy infrastructure over the last several years suggests a bright future for the industry. In 2016, solar energy production in the U.S. expected to grow another 116%, breaking the 2015 record for solar implementation of 7.3 gigawatts. This development provides many opportunities from which individual citizens and businesses can benefit.
Home and business owners looking to make financially and environmentally sound investments should consider the many options to get solar panels installed on their property. The 30% federal investment tax credit for residential and commercial property helps reduce the cost of panel installation and many Pennsylvanians’ utility costs are reduced after they go solar.
Investors seeking the next profitable purchase would be wise to look into a range of energy companies that are shifting their resources to solar energy.
Recent high school and college graduates searching for promising employment and increasingly valuable skills should know that solar energy jobs opportunities are rising as well.
Pennsylvania is one of the nation’s largest solar jobs employers with 493 businesses employing 2,500 workers in the field. The expansion of solar energy provides numerous proven environmental and economic benefits and solutions and now is prime time for both businesses and individuals to seize these opportunities.
For more information contact Patrick Houston phousto1@swarthmore.edu or follow this link.
Patrick Houston
Frankford Resident
All readers are welcome to submit letters to the editor. Email me at gil@frankfordgazette.com
Momentous Northwood Civic Meeting
The community can take pride in the Northwood Civic meeting held on June 21st for the large turnout, about 50, but more for the civil and business like way the potentially controversial issue of the zoning variance for 5114 Castor Avenue was discussed. Kudos to President Joe krause.
The issue was that the property was sold at auction to a new buyer as a duplex and he was not advised of the deed restriction limiting the use of the property to a single family. He added a third unit for use of the owner and wanted community approval to use the property as a triplex. The vote at the meeting was unanimous in opposition to that change.
Over 25 residents spoke on the issue and questioned the owner and his representative. There was no animosity and one resident said that the owner and his family would be welcomed to Northwood in the house as a single family dwelling but the conversion would damage the quality of life in Northwood. There was applause at that point.
A letter will go to the Zoning Board of Adjustment about the outcome of the meeting. However the issue of whether the house will continue use as a duplex is more complicated since there is an existing variance in place granting that use. The community may be forced to go to court against the owner in this case. The owner may have recourse against the bank who sold him the property without notifying him of the deed restriction.
Terry Heiser updated the meeting on the progress with traffic Calming on Castor Avenue. The bottom line is that it is coming. Step by step it will get done and should be completed by the end of Summer.
Laine Godsey, relatively recent home owner to the neighborhood, spoke as the organizer of the Friends of Northwood Park.
Laine Godsey
Mission Statement: The group is dedicated to creating a culturally vibrant gathering place that fosters community engagement and provides a welcoming and clean natural haven for all.
Preliminary Goals:
Clean-Up Day!
Trash cans (totaling 6 new cans for the park)
New Sign
Flower Bed Plantings at 3 entrances to the park and stump planters Host a “Movie in the Park” night for neighborhood families as our first Community Programming Event in July.
Reach out to The Food Trust about a Farmers Market in the park.
Partner with established Northwood Civic Association/Simpson Recreation Center
Long Term Goals:
Plant trees at the border of the park 2. Rebuild the Gazebo that was originally standing in the park 3. Host regular cultural events each summer-fall season, such as:
Yoga in the Park
Tot soccer
Movie Nights
Art Fair
Shakespeare in the Park (in partnership with Clark Park)
Farmer’s Market
Partner with Recreation Center to generate youth programming
Maintain the cleanliness of the park.
TIMELINE:
- Clean-up day: July 9 or July 23 2.
- July 7″ @ 7:00pm meet to discuss roles of Friends Group members
- August Movie Night
- September-Participate in City-wide Love Your Park day
The group will be using the Northwood Civic Association Facebook page for the time being and we will carry all their news on the Gazette calendar as well.
The next meeting of the Northwood Civic Association will be held on Tuesday, July 19th at 7 PM at St. James Lutheran Church at Castor Avenue and Pratt Streets.
Senior Living to Rise at Former St. Bart’s School
New open contact Email: info@NewCourtland.org or call: 1-888-530-4913
NewCourtland Senior Services recently acquired the former St. Bartholomew Catholic School in Wissinoming/Frankford. The site, located at 5364 Jackson Street, will become a seven-story independent living apartment complex for seniors, featuring a LIFE Center on the ground floor which provides healthcare and supportive services for low-income seniors with long-term care needs so that they can remain in their homes for as long as possible. The building is part of a larger commitment by NewCourtland to expand its model of affordable housing throughout the city, and to give low-income seniors the chance to age in their own homes with the help of the LIFE Program.
“We’re excited to expand our footprint in Northeast Philadelphia,” says Gail Kass, President and CEO of NewCourtland Senior Services. “This unique combination of housing and LIFE services will effectively help frail seniors who want to live more independently, outside of institutions and with the healthcare and supportive services they need to stay healthy and happy. The LIFE model has successfully supported seniors for the past 40 years, and with this development, we are expanding this popular option while meeting the demand for affordable senior housing in the Northeast.”
The acquisition also mirrors Governor Tom Wolf’s recently unveiled plan which connects affordable housing with services, like LIFE, to give Pennsylvanians more of a choice in where they live and how they receive needed support.
“NewCourtland has created an excellent model of senior housing and services in the Southeast region,” says Ben Laudermilch, Executive Housing Director, Office of Social Programs, Department of Human Services. “This project exemplifies the Commonwealth’s 5-year strategy of combining high-quality, affordable housing with services, like the LIFE Program, to keep people in the community and out of institutions.”
The completed project will include 42 one-bedroom apartments with a preference for seniors in the LIFE Program, as well as on-site parking and the LIFE Center. Additionally, the building, designed by Blackney Hayes Architects, will feature sustainable elements that promote energy efficiency and conservation.
The project is supported by Councilwoman Maria Quiñones Sanchez, who says, “This affordable living with healthcare option for seniors is a welcome addition to Northeast Philadelphia. It helps our seniors live the lives they want, right in their neighborhood.”
The project is also supported by the Wissinoming Civic Association, the Frankford NAC and has been approved by the Zoning Board of Adjustments, the Civic Design Review and the Philadelphia Planning Commission.
The St. Bartholomew Catholic School building had most recently been home to a charter school, which closed in October 2014. The building has been vacant since then.
The project is expected to open in 2017.
