Germantown YWCA At Risk
January 2015
The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority has declined the lone offer it received for the historic Germantown YWCA (5820-24 Germantown Ave) following an RFP it issued in September 2014. Neighbors and preservationists now fear that the long-vacant building could be demolished before another viable offer for the building materializes.
UPDATE MARCH 2015: Councilwoman Bass and PRA commit funding for immediate stabilization!
Velodrome for FDR Park?
January 2015
A proposed 6000-seat velodrome and event venue could radically alter the character of FDR Park, an Olmsted Brothers-designed landscape named a local historic district by the Philadelphia Historical Commission in 2000.
UPDATE MARCH 2015: Parks Commission opposes FDR site for velodrome!
Laverock Hill Threatened Again
October 2014
Montgomery County’s Laverock Hill Estate is again threatened with complete demolition in a new plan by Hansen Properties to redevelop the 42-acre site just north of Philadelphia.
Land Bank Strategic Plan Proposed
October 2014
Last year, City Council approved the establishment of a Land Bank system to help manage the city’s distressing stock of vacant, city-owned or tax-delinquent properties. The new agency has just released a draft strategic plan for public comment.