Category: Features

Posted on by — 3 Comments

Northwood Civic Cleans Up

Joe, Junior, Frank, Sonya

Joe and Victor

It was a peaceful Saturday morning and I get a text claiming that the Northwood Civic folks were out at Adams and the Boulevard cleaning up that lot at the intersection.  I had to go out anyway so I went by and saw two guys in Home Depot tee shirts working on the lot.  Then I noticed Northwood on the other side planting and trimming and enjoying the glamor of civic engagement in Northwood.

This is serious stuff though.  That intersection is almost like a gateway into Northwood and for most of the year it looks horrible.  So three cheers for Northwood in the persons of Frank Bennett, Joe Krause, Sonya Martin and Junior.  The guys from Home Depot work in the garden center and their names are Joe and Victor.

 

Posted on by

New Housing in Frankford

At the last Frankford Civic meeting, the membership voted to support a zoning change for the owners of the Globe Dye Works building.  John Loftus, in the Far Northeast Times this week, goes into the details of their plan.  You can read it here, it’s exciting and positive and happening.

If you haven’t been to the Globe yet, come to the public meeting to find out about the Philadelphia2035 plan for the Lower Northeast and you can see the Globe at the same time.  The meeting is August 7th at 6:30 PM.

Posted on by

Controversy Surrounds Cemetery Work

The Philadelphia Historical Commission is investigating allegations that work being done at the Knights of Pythias Greenwood Cemetery is being done without proper permits.  The Historical Properties committee at the Historical Society of Frankford raised the issue in response to neighbors concerns.  The cemetery appearance has improved greatly over the last two years, However the issue is the historical significance of the property and its preservation.

Response from the Historical Commission:

I visited the site myself on Friday, June 15 and photographed the area in
question. One of my staff members tried to contact the property owner for
two weeks, but no one returned his calls or answered his emails. We
therefore requested that the Department of Licenses & Inspections issue a
violation to the property owner for failing to obtain the Historical
Commission’s approval for the work. The Department is also issuing a
violation for failing to obtain a building permit for clearing more than
5,000 square feet of land. After receiving the violations, the property
owner will have an opportunity to take the appropriate corrective actions
(ie seek the Historical Commission’s and Department’s approvals for work to
remedy the situation). If an appropriate action is not taken, then the
Department and Historical Commission will seek to enforce the violations
through the courts. Thank you for your vigilence.

Jonathan E. Farnham, Ph.D.
Executive Director
Philadelphia Historical Commission

Posted on by

Frankford Gateway to Be in the Planning Mix

PlanPhilly.com reports that the Lower Northeast District-level plan to be unveiled at the Philadelphia2035 public meeting on August 7th at the Globe Dye Works will feature 3 focus areas:

  • Castor Avenue commercial corridor
  • Frankford Gateway which includes Frankford Creek and part of Frankford Avenue, and a number of former industrial buildings that have been rehabbed.
  • SEPTA’s Frankford Transportation Center

These are ideas that floated about at the first two planning meetings but what has happened is that the community members at those meetings had the opportunity to give their vote on priorities.

So my pet project of the Frankford Greenway will be phased in apparently depending on the availability of grant money.  The offset is that there will be more direct funding to area recreational facilities.  Those are  choices that have to be made.  The one thing that this plan may actually do is get something done.  The emphasis is on what is doable now rather than making a plan that will ever be funded.

If it gets done, it is a winner.  You can read the entire story at PlanPhilly.com here and come to the Globe to see what is all about .  It’s our community.

 

Posted on by

Northwood Civic Takes Vote on 949 Foulkrod Street

It was a packed house (about 70 in attendance) at the Northwood Civic meeting on Tuesday night, July 17th,  when the members voted unanimously to take legal action against the owner of 949 Foulkrod Street for violation of the deed restriction against multi family residences.  The board is seeking donations to the legal fund to finance the law suit.

A presentation by Harry Mearing of Neighborhood Security Patrol offers security patrol service to residents of Northwood for a monthly fee of $40 per household.  Sgt. Al Revel speaking on behalf of Captain Frank Backmayer, 15th District Commander said that the service is legal but is neither encouraged nor discouraged by the police department.  Clearly the police have reservations about the use of private security in this capacity.

There has been continued vandalism of the vacant property at 1142 Kenwyn.  Board members had secured the property last month but vandals have found a way in again.  Similar situation is developing at 5030 Oxford Avenue.

A representative from Organizing for America Pennsylvania handed out information on the new voter ID law.  (See related article from the Inquirer here).

Deacon Lamont Purnell made a presentation on his plans for the property at 4834 Penn Street.  (video here) His plan now calls for establishing a personal care boarding home for 24 residents with a variety of disabilities.  You can view some of the video here.  Discussion on the issue was thorough and the Deacon made every attempt to explain to the audience his plans. The audience was overwhelming against the use of the property as proposed.

The next meeting of the Northwood Civic Association will be held on August 21st at 7PM at St. James Lutheran Church.