Central Roxborough Civic Association Meeting Minutes

January 6, 2011

Old Business

1. SJU Lacrosse team party house 4313 Manayunk Ave. Denys Davis,Off-Campus Housing Coordinator/Community Liaison Saint Joseph's University, will be contacted again.

2. District 2: 531 Gates St party house. 3 ChestnutHillCollege(CHC) students on the lease and 6-7 living there. Neighbors have called police numerous times and Officer Kline has been there several times. L&I hasn't acted. Problem not resolved. Dr.Lynn Ortale CHC has talked to the neighbors. The Dean of Students will talk to the 531 Gates students whenever classes resume from their holiday break.

New Business

631 DuPont Street

Introduction and Presentation by: Peter F. Kelsen, Attorney, Blank Rome LLP. Thomas Chapman, Attorney, Blank Rome Architect for Galman Group(Developer)

631 DuPont Street, Donna Court, property construction:

Phase 1: Addition of 24 parking spaces at 631 Dupont, for a total of 60 parking spaces at the Donna Court apartments. Phase 2: Construction of 8 3&4-bedroom attached townhouses on vacant land on the 600 Block of Green Lane.

Zoning Notice posted at 631 is incorrect and poorly written. A CRCA Board member has taken photos of the Notice.

Zoning Board hearing on the application is January 19 at 2PM, 1515 Arch Street. The entire property is zoned R-11 which is multi-family, high-rise buildings. Original zoning dates back to 1961. The new townhouse proposal is considered single-family, low-rise.

Zoning is two-fold change for Green Lane: they are encroaching on the set back by 5 feet and building on a slope. Additional parking at 631 needs a variance.

No additional runoff is allowed on the property and must be contained. Construction on slopes need Zoning Board and Wissahickon Watershed approval. A 20-foot retaining wall is going to be needed for the Dupont parking lot.

Townhouses will be 40 feet high in three stories above the garage level. 2000 sq ft four-bedroom,or 1900 sq ft three-bedroom. They are 21 feet to 31 feet in from the property line on the street. They will have no sidewalks. Between curb cuts it is 12 feet (not enough for on-street parking or visitors. The 8 attached houses will be 16 feet wide each with a front parking pad and 1-car garage on the ground floor. Zoning Board requires 1 for 1 parking. Developer claims these are 2 for 1.

The developer will be the Galman Group They plan to start construction in spring or late summer with a 6 to 9 months time frame for completion of construction