SOSNA NEWS: May 2003

COMMUNITY & SOSNA HELP TO SAVE STANTON SCHOOL

The good news came in April: Paul Vallas, CEO for the School District of Philadelphia decided not to close the Stanton School on the 1600 Block of Christian Street. After a number of meetings with the Save Stanton Coalition, and following impassioned pleas from parents, Stanton alumna, and teachers and mentors at the school, Mr. Vallas gave Stanton a new lease on life. Possibly the most compelling and weighty evidence tipping the scales against closing Stanton was the hard data supplied by SOSNA on the extensive real estate development underway in the area, with over 100 new affordable and market-rate homes and scores of apartments being renovated or newly constructed. While Stanton has only 180 current students as compared with a capacity for 400, real estate development in the area offers the promise of additional enrollment which justifies keeping the school open. Congratulations to everyone in the community who joined together to save Stanton. You can savor a well-earned victory.

NAC Corner, By Eve Lewis, NAC Director

"SOSNA’S SOUTHSIDE SWEEP"

Since joining the SOSNA staff, the majority of complaints that I have received from residents in the service area have concerned trash...So let’s clean it up. Beginning June 1, in partnership with the Philadelphia Community Court, SOSNA will go block by block to eliminate trash from our community. The Court will supply the personnel, SOSNA the supervision. Calling all Block Representatives, Block Captains and Volunteers! To schedule a cleanup in your neighborhood, contact me at 215-732-8446.

Art in the Neighborhood....In partnership with the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, SOSNA will sponsor FREE Saturday Art classes for children ages 6-12 beginning May 17^th thru June 28^th from 1:30-3:30 PM at the Marian Anderson Recreation Center. An Arts Festival will be held on Sat., June 28^th. To register, sign up at the Rec Center on Saturdays 9-5 or weekdays after 2PM. For information, contact Eve at SOSNA or Carolyn at the Rec Center at 215-685-6594. Register your child today for these free classes.

ELECTIONS TO SOSNA BOARD

On April 9, 2003, the following community residents were elected to 5-year terms on the SOSNA Board of Directors: Angela Richardson, Doerte Smith, Alan Mandel, Samuel Porter, Laura Blanchard, Marian Jones, Jennie Robbins, Soledad Gillespie, Marni Showell, and Ann Hoskins-Brown. Elected to One-year terms were: Ted Lee, Anthony Moretti, Gloria Jackson, William Pearson, and Richard GliniaK. Angela Richardson was re-elected as SOSNA Chair at the first meeting of the new Board.

SOSNA THRIFT SHOP HAS GREAT BUYS

If you haven’t yet visited the SOSNA Thrift Shop, Seconds on South, at 1635 South Street, you have missed one of the best thrift shops in the area. Whether you are looking for modestly-priced designer clothes, or for bric-a-brac, you can find it all at the thrift shop.

The shop is open Monday thru Friday from 11 AM to 6 PM, and on Saturday from 12 Noon to 5 PM. All the items in the thrift shop have been donated by neighborhood residents. Because SOSNA is a 501c3 non-profit corporation, donations to the shop are tax-deductible. Call 215-732-8151 for more information.

FALCON CANDY FACTORY ZONING WILL BE HEARD ON MAY 21st

The Falcon Candy Factory zoning case will be heard again on May 21^st. This controversy over the 110,000 square foot building at 2300 Carpenter thru to Washington Avenue, and the proposed parking lot at 2401 Washington Avenue, has been going on for nearly 2 years. The developers have changed their application from an initial plan for a supermarket and 50 stores in an indoor mall to one for unspecified commercial and storage units. Residents living near the site are opposed because they fear that excessive congestion will destroy the quality of life on adjacent residential streets. SOSNA has opposed the application for a variance, and will do so again on May 21^st. If you wish to support the community, try to attend the zoning hearing at 1515 Arch Street, on May 21 at 12:30 PM.

WE NEED AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERENCE FOR THE FALCON SITE. An Opinion by SOSNA Treasurer Alan Mandel

After 28 years in the real estate business, I have learned that sometimes property owners do not have the foggiest notion of how to develop their property for the "highest and best use." When that happens on a small scale, it can mess up a building. On a larger scale, it can become a neighborhood problem. That’s the situation at the Falcon Candy Factory site. Falcon encompasses almost an entire block, more than 100,000 square feet. It lies within walking distance of Center City and has easy access to the Expressway, but the current ownership is stuck on development concepts that are neither exciting nor original--a supermarket/mall or commercial and storage units. In 2 years, the owners have played all sorts of games with the community, and the community has firmly said no to the games and no to their development concepts.

What a pity these owners do not understand the potential of the site they own! What a pity they are incapable of coming up with any exciting post-industrial use for the Candy Factory! With commercial storage units already available at 12^th and Washington, is storage the best idea they have for the property? With similar malls on Washington Avenue at 6^th Street, 12^th Street, and 16^th Street, do we really need another at 23^rd and Washington/Carpenter?

The Falcon Candy Factory should become something truly unique: An Arts Community. There is strong demand in the real estate market for living quarters, work space and retail space for persons in the arts. In the Callowhill area of Philadelphia, many loft buildings have been converted into artists’ studios. In the area north of Girard and in South Kensington, there are similar developments afoot. In Alexandria, Virginia, I once visited an old Torpedo Factory that had been converted into artists’ studios and retail space. The Torpedo Factory has been very successful and was the anchor for the redevelopment of the Alexandria Historic District.

What if The Candy Factory combined all 3 elements that artists’ need--living space, studio space, and retail space? Imagine 50 artists living, working, and selling their works at The Candy Factory. They would need a coffee shop, perhaps a full-service restaurant. To draw patrons, there might be blues, jazz, folk or classical concerts at The Candy Factory. This might stimulate additional neighborhood businesses and provide jobs and opportunity in the area. The Candy Factory is large enough to provide dedicated space for the community, where the artists-in-residence could offer after-school programs to neighborhood children or seniors. Never forget that the arts are a great tool for community development. Artists come in all the colors of the rainbow. Whatever the medium or style, artists create works that speak to our common humanity. An arts mall is so much more interesting than a supermarket or storage units.

You say you don’t like my concept. Well, then, what’s your concept for the site? After we defeat the owner’s zoning variance on May 21st, let’s invite everyone to an Economic Development Conference to decide how to develop the site. If the current owners do not wish to work with the neighborhood, let’s encourage them to sell their property to someone who will work with the neighborhood. It’s time to move forward from just saying no. It’s time to take the initiative & generate new ideas and development concepts that the neighborhood can support.

City, SOSNA Monitoring Naval Home Repairs by Laura Blanchard, SOSNA Recording Sec.

SOSNA continues to monitor the situation at the U.S. Naval Home site, which was damaged by arson on Feb. 3^rd. The site is now protected by a second fence, and debris removal continues. Toll Brothers, owner of the property for 15 years, has been more active in grounds maintenance, with regular lawn mowing and brush removal. The front of historic Biddle Hall is now free of graffiti.

Work continues on structural plans for the Biddle Hall roof, for other renovations to Biddle Hall and the two other historic structures, and for the development of town homes on the remainder of the site. Toll Bros. is providing the City with weekly progress reports, which are being forwarded to SOSNA, with summaries posted on the website from time to time.

Published by South of South Neighborhood Assoc, Inc. 1711 South Street, Phila. Pa. 19146. Phone 215-732-8446; Fax 215-732-2016. Website: www.southofsouth.org

Eve Lewis, NAC Director. Luz Harper, Senior Housing Counselor, 215-546-0699. Angela Richardson, Board Chair. Doerte Smith, Vice-Chair & Corp. Sec. Alan Mandel, Treasurer. Laura Blanchard, Recording Secretary. Sam Porter, Controller. Marni Showell, Assistant Controller.

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SOSNA is the Neighborhood Advisory Committee for the area from South Street to Washington Avenue, Broad Street West to the Schuylkill River, funded by the Office of Housing and Community Development to provide citizen input into their redevelopment process in our community. SOSNA is a registered nonprofit corporation exempt from Federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. Site contents copyright SOSNA except where indicated.