The fact is that the process included community residents only _after_ a serious opposition was formed. And even then, it was only token attention: for example, the Public Meeting on April 25 consisted of a) a lecture as to why HD was needed, and b) questions about it. It was never a debate over whether Spruce Hill wanted it or not.
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/4391641.htm
Posted on Tue, Oct. 29, 2002
Council bill holds group's historical hopes in balance
By Linda K. Harris
Inquirer Staff Writer
Advocates of historic preservation in Philadelphia are rallying to
oppose a City Council bill they say would undercut their efforts and
give developers greater say in what is deemed worth saving.
The bill, introduced by City Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell, would
give City Council, rather than the Philadelphia Historical
Commission, the final word in deciding which neighborhoods are
granted a historical designation.
Blackwell's motivation, according to her staff, is to make the
designation process more democratic. But preservationists insist the
process already includes all community residents.
And there are those of us who are concerned about preservation, but _not_ at the expense of our neighbors, and definitely _NOT_ through a non-democratic process that's been abused by unscrupulous "preservationists."At the center of the current conflict is the proposed designation of the Spruce Hill neighborhood in West Philadelphia.Sponsored by the Spruce Hill Community Association and the University City Historical Society, the proposed historic district's application has been in the works for 15 years. The designation has been opposed, in part, by developers and community activists opposed to gentrification of the area.
You know, they took that photo on the 4300 block of Larchwood. I live there. Sharrieff Ali lives a block north. You'd think they could have contacted the _other_ people who've been speaking openly about this whole thing. (Geez, all the reporter had to do was a little research in their back issues.)Alan Krigman, who owns 18 apartment buildings in the proposed Spruce Hill district, is one of the few opposition members who speak openly about their side of the fight.
Hm. And what large-scale developers around here, who have the financial resources required to sway a City Councilperson, are on record as _opposing_ designation? I can't think of any.Blackwell's bill was introduced last month and is now awaiting action in the rules committee. Under the legislation, Council would decide which neighborhoods would be designated historical, based on recommendations by the Historical Commission. Preservationists fear that developers, armed with large campaign contributions, could wield greater influence with Council members than the more independent commission.
Hm. You know, when I purchased my house, I had some definite ideas about what I could do with my home. Then, suddenly, I hear about this Historic District, with a new set of rules and reviews, and the eagerness of certain individuals to police its aesthetics. Isn't _this_ "changing the rules" in the middle of the game?"We asked her to table it or pull it," said Kate Stover, secretary of the Spruce Hill Community Association. "We felt that it was changing the rules halfway through the process if the way the nominations were going to be voted on changed."
And what is so intrinsically bad about changing the rules, if they're unfair to begin with?
Laura M. Spina, a commission staffer, said that some neighborhoods distributed postcards, addressed to the commission, to property owners so they could express whether they favored the district. Such a postcard survey was done in Girard Estate, a South Philadelphia neighborhood of 480 properties designated historical in 1999. Almost 200 property owners replied - 169 in favor, 10 against, and three undecided, Spina said.
It'd be interesting to see what choices the postcards offered.
This just isn't accurate. This Hamel person is confusing the _designation_ process with the post-designaton _application_ process. City council would have authority over the initial designation: individual applications (the sort that Hamel's taling about) would still go through the PHC."The Philadelphia Historical Commission has done a very professional job," Hamel, who worked to make Society Hill a historic district, said. "They do a very thorough assessment of any community that wishes to become an historical district. That system has worked. "If a developer wants to make some changes, he doesn't want to be bothered going through the city bureaucracy. It makes the process easier for them if they go directly to City Council rather than they go through this process."
Michael Sklaroff, the new chairman of the Historical Commission, said
the group would debate the issue on Nov. 8. The public meeting is to
be held at 9 a.m. in the City Council Caucus Room on the fourth floor
of City Hall.
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