I totally I agree...whether or not I agree with HD shouldn't matter...what should is what sort of benefits can we do on our own...start a new committee, or have a new non-profit organization which helps homeowners and landlords fix their home the way it should be, with respect to neighbors and the home itself. So let's get a group of dedicated people who want to see University City a better place to live, without being a more expensive place to live. The architects of the time who built these houses knew that this neighborhood should be mixed. They purposefully put "sandwiched" smaller sized and larger sized homes, block by block. (A good example is Larchwood or Osage- 44th to 49th) There has to be resources, individual people, companies, or other organizations to which we could write applications for grants, and set up a reserve for people who are doing repairs or want repairs who can't afford it. This new organization would have all those details "steph" mentioned below plus the money to support it. People that are in favor of HD can put their money where their mouth is by supporting such a program. (i.e. You want your neighbor to fix their leaking adjacent porch roof so it doesn't ruin yours, right? Tell them you added some money in to help them defray the costs in the "Help Your Neighbor" program.) It may be easier than we think to implement this kind of program. In fact, I can almost bet that this program would have very few "cons" and a whole lot more benefits than HD. I was originally one of those for HD, and I am a homeowner and love every aspect of preserving the "history" or shall I say the original features of the home. However, as I read more and more about what the Philadelphia Historic Designation would actually do, the benefits are not as what I had hoped. So instead of harping on this HD, why don't we start something a little more personal to our neighborhood, something diverse, something fun, something educational, and of course something that doesn't cause this much tension amongst us.
Dan Myers ----- Original Message ----- From: "steph99" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Samuel Nicolary" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Cc: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, January 15, 2002 3:26 PM Subject: Re: [UC] SHCA board meeting -- historic designation > I thought more about possible incentives. Liz Campion posted a schedule of fees > for building permits from the city. Maybe an alternative to HD would be more > like Historic Encouragement...forge a relatinship with City Hall whereby owners > who want to do renovations that are historically or aesthetically "right" can > choose to work with whatever organization would lead the effort... this > organization would keep a small library of do-it-yourself books, a lending > system for tools, a directory of local merchants, contractors, architects, etc, > and most importantly, detailed information on how to do "accurate" restorations, > along with respectable alternatives for different budgets. Maps for self-guided > walking tours of streets with properties that have done it "right". > > And if owners choose to follow certain guidelines, this organization negotiates > with the city to have their permit fees reduced or waived, helps with any zoning > crappola that might arise, and works out discounts with local builders and > artisans. maybe this becomes a full-time position funded by city anti-blight > money. maybe UC becomes a model for other grassroots restoration efforts around > the city. Maybe this office becomes (or is formed as) an add-on to the > Historical Commission. > > This type of system would benefit people without twisting anyone's arm. It's > pretty obvious that incentives work better than force or edict. I think in > general, people want to do the right thing, want to take pride in their home and > neighborhood, want to see it thrive, but DO NOT want to be forced to express > that in a certain way. And incentive leaves a hell of a lot less room for > corruption, as in the case of the devil-spawn vinyl-clad windows in Powelton > Village which someone wrote about a few days ago, or the mural haraguing > Elizabeth spoke about...this harassment is a very real concern. > > <rant> Which, by the way, I think is completely anti-philly considering we are > known for our murals...an urban studies student once told me that philly has > one of the highest concentrations of murals in the US. Encouraging people to be > creative stewards *has* to be a better solution than cornering them, or at least > giving that appearance with a tangle of bylaws and regulations, ESPECIALLY in an > area as diverse as UC, where diversity is one of our most precious commodities. > </rant> > > I am eager to see this discussion turn from 2 opposed camps calling each other > childish and fascist in turn--I think the pro-and-con perspectives have been > explored to the point of stalemate--and instead see some productive discussion > about creative solutions and compromise. > > ---- > You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the > list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. > Archive is at <http://www.mail-archive.com/>. ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. Archive is at <http://www.mail-archive.com/>.
