Category: Zoning

Zoning issues related to Frankford

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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.

 

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New Owner of the Frankford Y – Garsed Mansion

From Joe Kraus, President of the Northwood Civic Association

The Northwood Civic Association meeting will be Tuesday, December 18th at 7:00 PM, at Simpson Recreation Center. The new property owner will be presenting plans for a zoning variance they applied for. Plans are to have an office space on first floor and residences on the above floors.  The new owner of the former Northwood Frankford Y may be present to introduce himself.

Bank owned property may be sued by neighboring residents with the support of the Civic. We will discuss the matter and make a decision as to what role the civic should take.

 

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Frankford NAC Zoning Meeting Tonight

The Frankford NAC zoning meeting is tonight, December 13th at 6 PM at Campbell AME Church, 1657 Kinsey Street.

The following case is on the agenda:

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

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Frankford – Your Voices Were Heard

The zoning application by Wedge Medical for a 16 unit residential drug treatment facility at 4800 Frankford Avenue was withdrawn.

4800 Frankford Avenue

Thanks to all the people who showed up in person at the ZBA hearing downtown on November 14th.  They took up a lot of seats in the room.  Also thanks to the 15th District who sent the police officers who were prepared to testify to the drug and crime situation at the address.  Thanks to Representative Jason Dawkins and Kim Washington from the CDC.

Most of all thanks to those of you who could not attend the hearing in person but expressed your opinions online.  Your voice could not be ignored.  You can’t ignore the power of social media to show where you stand.

This is a win for Frankford but it is only for this issue at this location.  There will be others coming down the road.  Wege responded to Request for Proposals which originated with the City of Philadelphia when they decided that it would be a good idea to put a residential treatment facility in Frankford.  With all of the drug treatment facilities located here, we have enough.