"So it may be PennPraxis wasn't involved in either of the neighbors'
dealings you cite, because those neighbors did not ask it to become
involved".
I made a draft for a Penn Praxis letter. Any thoughts or additions? Tom
and Tony, can you deliver the final draft to our friends at PennPraxis?
Dear Penn Prazis,
As you may know, the University of Pennsylvania along with several corporate
partners have a plan to develop a hotel at 40th and Pine. A recent report
by Moody's has found that universities are putting urban land into use with
corporate partners so that the universities may retain long term ownership
of the land. Without performing work themselves and minimizing risk,
universities maximize profit of the land with this system. As this evolves
here on 40th St, the process has been described as an example of "economic
rent seeking." by the university.
Serious ethical problems too, on the part of the development team, began
long before a news article exposed the classified plans to we friends of
40th St.. False claims about conducting "open public forums" were given
during public testimony to the Philadelphia Historical Commission. In
reality, the team has been completely secretive, manipulative, and
obfuscatory in all its dealings with the public. A fact that goes entirely
against your vision for a shared place at the discussion table for 40th St.
In short, the development team of this hotel is attempting to smash many
established standards and zoning rules so that the developers can assist the
University gain maximum profit without adding in any way to appropriate
productivity of its banked land. This project is overwhelmingly opposed in
the residential community near 40th St. The project is opposed
overwhelmingly in this entire West Philadelphia neighborhood. We feel that
our collective voices and our rights as citizens in this community are
ignored. An attempt to bulldoze this project over top of us, in the interest
of maximum profit, is obvious throughout the community.
We need your help!
Since your organization is widely known for work on a vision for 40th St and
widely known for hosting citizen driven community forums, I would like to
find out your fee to assist our community to stop the hotel and force the
sale of the property. Can we leverage some funds from Friends of 40th St to
cover your fee?
As a good neighbor, I believe this project risks the integrity and
reputation of the University; and therefore is problematic not only for we
friends of 40th St but for the entire University community. I believe we
need to host a public forum where we can demand answers from Dr Gutmann and
the Trustees of the University of Pennsylvania. A forum where the public
can ask any and all questions about the ethics of the process being used for
this banking of land in our community. A public forum where the media can
report evasive answers or refusing questions from the community. A forum
where we can demand an accounting of the university of Pennsylvania's hidden
activities in the manipulation of our government for the people. A citizen
driven forum!
Can you help us? How much will it cost? If you are preparing your own
condemnation of the process used for this Campus Inn hotel or your own
recomendation for the university to sell the land, I believe citizens in
this community would be very excited to work with you.
Your reply is awaited with great enthusiasm,
West Philly residents and friends of 40th St
----- Original Message -----
From: "Anthony West" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Ucity Listserve" <univcity@list.purple.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 03, 2008 12:06 PM
Subject: [UC] Re: The real-estate Pennspiracy
In all fairness to PennPraxis, some party has to actually hire it, or
otherwise contract with it to run a forum for it. It doesn't run around
looking for controversies and organizing forums on its own whim.
The contractor doesn't have to be Penn. In fact, it usually isn't, I
believe. I did watch PennPraxis become involved in a neighborhood issue
once, at the request of a neighborhood group that had issues with a
Penn-related project.
So it may be PennPraxis wasn't involved in either of the neighbors'
dealings you cite, because those neighbors did not ask it to become
involved.
-- Tony West
consider penn praxis at the delaware river a high-profile dress rehearsal
for penn's development of its holdings along the schuylkill river.
and consider that penn praxis was conspicuously absent from the media
when it came to helping neighbors deal with penn's proposed hotel at 40th
and pine, and when neighbors grappled with the penn-advised plans for the
south street bridge.
..................
UNIVERSITY*CITOYEN
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