Category: Zoning

Zoning issues related to Frankford

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Frankford NAC Zoning Meetings

At the Frankford NAC zoning meeting on December 13th, the group voted to not support the request for:

4500-14 Frankford Avenue – SPECIAL EXCEPTION/PERMIT FOR THE RELOCATION OF LOT LINE TO CREATE ONE(1) LOT “PARCEL A” FROM FIVE(5) OPA ACCOUNTS ( 4500 FRANKFORD AVE,4502 FRANKFORD AVE, 4506 FRANKFORD AVE, 4510 FRANKFORD AVE AND 4510R FRANKFORD AVE) AS FOLLOWS: “PARCEL A”: APPLICATION IS FOR THE ERECTION OF THIRD STORY ADDITION OF AN EXISTING STRUCTURE WITH PILOTHOUSE FOR THE EXTENSION OF EXISTING GROUP PRACTITIONER TO the THIRD FLOOR AT BUILDING # A AND EXTENSION OF GROUP PRACTITION AT CELLAR AND EXISTING GROUP PRACTITIONER AT FIRST FLOOR IN BUILDING# B. SIZE AND LOCATION AS SHOWN IN THE APPLICATION.

4500-14 Frankford Avenue

The board opposed the application because of the misrepresentation of the plans for the project. Resident notifications indicated expansion of their behavioral health services then flipped it when they met with the zoning board and indicated it was for the expansion of their dental services.

At the meeting on January 10th, the application for:

1625 Fillmore Street – SPECIAL EXCEPTION FOR ROOMING HOUSE FOR MAXIMUM THREE (3) UNITS FOR MAXIMUM SIX (6) OCCUPANTS (GROUP LIVING). SOME OCCUPANTS MAY UNDER THE JURISDICTION OF COURT SYSTEM. ALL OCCUPANTS ARE CAPABLE OF SELF PRESERVATION AND SELF SUSTAINING IN AN EXISTING STRUCTURE.

1625 Fillmore Street from Google Street View

The board voted not to support the application due to community opposition.  Residents came out in full force.

The next meeting of the Frankford NAC zoning group will be on February 14th at 7 PM at Second Baptist Church, 1801 Meadow Street.

 

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Good Vibrations

Coming to 4731 Griscom Street in Frankford according to the sign posted on the building is a new Jamaican restaurant – Good Vibes.  No permits or plans so far on the City web site.  This corner is a hotbed of drug sales and violence.

Thanks for the tip from the neighbors who are wary of any take-out business in that area.

 

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PlanPhilly | Frankford Y’s new owner promises he won’t bring opioid recovery center to historic mansion

After a decade of vacancy, a new owner has taken control of a neglected 19th century Northeast Philadelphia landmark. Follow the link below for the rest of the story.

Source: PlanPhilly | Frankford Y’s new owner promises he won’t bring opioid recovery center to historic mansion

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31 Loft Apartments Proposed for 4400 Frankford Avenue

4400 Frankford Avenue is on the market at a price of 1.2 Million dollars.

The proposed use which has already been run through L&I is:

“27, 000 sq ft building with Approved plans for 31 Loft Apartments and a 6, 000 sq ft retail space on first floor. Other potential approved uses for the property are: Day care, Educational Facility, Artist lofts, Live/office spaces, Catering Hall, Religious Assemblies, and rooming house/ halfway houses. See attached CMX2 zoning guide for other uses. This property also includes 4335 Frankford Ave, a 20, 000 sq ft paved, secured, fenced, parking lot, that is adjacent to the property.”

This property is zoned CMX-2 which allows this use by right.  Certain other restrictions related to the size of lot and number of units may apply.

This is the old Frankford Trust building which has been recently in use as a church.  In May it was purchased by 4400 Frankford Inc. for $585,000.  The address of 4400 Frankford Inc. is 1218 Green Street which is also the address of Metal Green Inc.

I am guessing that the price is dependent on the work being accomplished but so far the owner has not responded to our request for more information.  The image below shows the ground floor plan with a daycare sharing half of the space.  Click on the image for a better view.

Linked below is a pdf of the plans.  There are one and two bedroom apartments, no efficiencies and nothing that remotely looks like a rooming house.  They would occupy the basement up to the 3rd floor.  This could be another step forward for Frankford or it could be a false alarm.  Clearly, some developers are seeing potential here and are moving in this direction.

Link to full plans here.

Link to listing on Realtor.com is here.

 

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Frankford Y Future

Steve Ostroff discussed the plans for the New Frankford Community Y building (4704 Leiper Street) at the Northwood Civic Association meeting on November 18th.  After a grilling by a skeptical audience concerned about the possibility of negative uses of the building, he managed to calm the fears of many in the Northwood residents.

Garsed Mansion from Google Street View

Although he and his partner, Mavrakis Stylianos, apparently have no specific plans, the objective is to get some tenant or tenants into the building to make some money.  Ostroff is a major investor in Frankford and he has a substantial investment in this building to protect.  He understands the mansion part of the property is on the historic register and as such cannot be altered. He said he had no plans to do so.

This deal could be a win for Frankford and Northwood.  A historic building will be protected and returned to some productive use.  The sale of the building could also become a windfall for other nonprofits in Frankford.  If the nonprofit Corporation which owns the building sells its property and then liquidates its assets, under those circumstances, the proceeds must go to another nonprofit.  How that is handled would be up to the Board of Directors but it should stay in Frankford.