
A sign of things to come | Photo: 4224baltimore.com
When the West Philly Local first wrote about a 92-unit proposal for the one-acre lot across the street from Clark Park, there were, needless to say, a lot of opinions on what that might mean. Among the concerns were that there were only six parking spaces for that many units, and that well, with that many units on so small a space, that would mean a pretty massive building, tall and foreboding and forever shrouding the Green Line Cafe in capitalistic darkness. To their credit, the developers will engage the public through their development process, beginning tonight at the International House.
Clarkmore Group LLC, a wing of New York based Thylan Associates, owns the property and is developing it with U3 Ventures (superscript theirs) in a real estate advisory role. Philadelphia’s Cecil Baker + Partners are signed on as the project’s architect. They’ve set up a web site and blog at 4224baltimore.com and a Facebook page with information and resources. The conditional zoning permit states a plan for the “erection of a semi-detached structure for use as a ninety-two (92) family dwelling with six accessory off-street open-air parking spaces (including two handicapped spaces) and 36 bicycle spaces,” but the web site says that ‘alternate plans’ are coming soon.
Soon begins this evening with the first community meeting. It’s in the South America room of the International House, 3701 Chestnut, at 6:30pm.