27135032
Renovation is not the only thing rumbling on the 2300 block of Grays Ferry Avenue. Amid the quaint stores and eateries popping up is — once again — controversy over what to do with two vacant lots on the street.
For years there has been talk about how to develop the parcels of land next to Odunde Inc.’s building, an African educational and cultural organization.
A new proposal intends to turn the site into an affordable-housing complex, specifically for seniors ages 62 and older. But some residents who aren’t happy with the project’s size and scope say it is not conducive to surrounding development.
The intended demolition of Odunde’s building will help create a six-story structure containing 16 units. Community rooms are proposed on the sixth and first floor, which also would allot for some commercial space.
Many neighbors heard about these plans at a South of South Neighborhood Association zoning meeting Oct. 18.
The Redevelopment Authority has transferred ownership of the property to Osun Village, LP, a partnership between Odunde and local developer Universal Companies. If plans are approved by the city, the entity will develop the site.
A continuance was granted during a zoning hearing Nov. 1, with another scheduled for Nov. 20, Gail Johns, spokesperson for the Department of Licenses and Inspections, said.
Barb Failer, a committeeperson in the 30th Ward who lives blocks from the site, supports senior housing� — but at a different location.
"It’s an inappropriate site for this project," she said. "It’s the main commercial district and square for our neighborhood, and I would like to see the first floor be commercial.
"It’s very high-density housing and there is no current street parking with the plan. It’s too tall for that block. Everything else on that block is no taller than three stories."
Failer continued, "Over 90 percent of people who live within two blocks" of the proposed site do not support the project.
Other concerns include height and spatial propositions, residents say, do not meet the current zoning requirements.
The notion for such a project was proposed more than four years ago, Victoria Wilson, Universal’s chief operating officer, said.
"We looked at the needs of the community and it was determined at that time that senior housing was needed and would be needed more so in the future if all the different development were to take place that was proposed at the time," she said.
New development in the surrounding area — expensive homes that have been rehabbed and Naval Square — does not include affordable options for seniors, Wilson said, adding many elderly residents are on waiting lists to obtain reasonably priced housing in the neighborhood.
Attempts at breathing new life into the location is nothing new. Kathleen Murray, special assistant to Council President Anna Verna, noted there have been talks regarding development since 1997.
A 2002 Review article relayed neighbors’ concerns over a former consideration to have Odunde head construction of a senior housing complex at that site. Residents mentioned such an organization was not fit to handle that development.
Not much has changed, according to Lisa Parsley, of 24th Street and St. Alban’s Place.
"Odunde has no experience in this field, and Universal is way behind on other projects," she recently stated in a letter to neighbors, Mayor John Street and City Council. "It’s not fair to expect them to take on still more."
Wilson, however, said since the project will be partly funded through tax credits, it is required by law to be completed by a certain time. "We have a specific timetable we have to meet," she said.
According to www.hallwatch.org, which lists the deed records for city properties, the Redevelopment Authority acquired the lots at 2310 and 2312 Grays Ferry Ave. in 2004 through eminent domain. Frank Keel, the agency’s spokesperson, said the parcels were condemned by the Redevelopment Authority that year and conveyed to Osun Village in June.
Parsley has reviewed records that state over $30,000 in unpaid property taxes were wiped out by the RDA after the deed transfer.
"This type of thing costs schools and [the] city," she stated via e-mail. "Schools get about half of a property-tax bill. And every vacant lot has water and gas lines, so the prospect of getting those paid is remote."
Parsley also would like to have seen the parcels auctioned off on the private market, which, she said, is the RDA’s policy for lots worth more than $100,000.
Since property values in that area have surged 300 percent over the past eight years, the council president supports the concept of senior housing, Murray said.
She added the land is zoned for such development and it’s in a "fairly ideal location for seniors." Verna is confident concerns surrounding the height and density of the building, as well as parking, will be addressed with the formation of a special task force, which, as of last week, Verna’s office was not invited to join, according to Murray.
Community complaints are being taken "very seriously" and will be addressed through this task force, Wilson said.
"We don’t want the community to not be happy. We want the community to use the facility," she said. "We want to do whatever we can to make sure that this [development] is a win-win here."
Acknowledging the surge in real-estate prices, Failer said constructing affordable housing is not the issue. They are happy to help assist developers in finding a suitable location for senior living, but that doesn’t include "putting a big building into a small space," she said.
All parties were pleased a task force will address the issues, but to Failer, there is a moral to this story: "It’s never too early for a developer to sit down with their neighbors. Knock on their doors. Talk to them to find out what’s going on and get some input in the process.
"You feel badly that they spent a lot of time and energy to get the process this far only to find out their neighbors don’t approve of this plan."
