North Philly neighbors oppose a 204-unit apartment building over parking concerns

An eight-story, 204-unit apartment building is being proposed for 1318 W. Clearfield St. in North Philadelphia. But local community groups are skeptical of the project, which needs permission to move forward from the Zoning Board of Adjustment.

The project is a couple blocks from the Allegheny stop on the Broad Street Line and includes 82 underground parking spaces, a point of particular contention with neighborhood groups, which want substantially more car storage to be provided.

“The parking was really atrocious, you got 204 units and 85 spaces? Stop playing,” said Norman Wooten, chairman of the 12th and Cambria Advisory Board. “That’s not acceptable. It’s not even 82 because they got spaces for electric cars and handicap so it boils down to [less than that].”

Philadelphia-based CANNOdesign is the architect for the project and it is being developed by a group called J Paul Inc. Zoning paperwork submitted to the city names Joe Williams, with an address in Strawberry Mansion, as the owner.

CANNOdesign declined to comment without permission of the developer.

The development team met with the 12th and Cambria Advisory Board, which was also unhappy with the size of the project. The organization called for additional parking to be provided along with affordable housing on site, which Wooten said the developer was open to.

But Wooten also said the project would block the sun for neighbors across the street and questioned the development of such a large project in the area, which is predominantly low-income and is not close to other major developments.

“It’s not conducive to the neighborhood, an eight-story building in the middle of nowhere,” said Wooten.

The building is slated to be considered by the advisory-only Civic Design Review committee on Dec. 3.

The building also requires permission to move forward from the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA). J Paul Inc.’s plans are not currently allowed because the land at 1318 W. Clearfield St. is zoned only for industrial development. The project is also larger than the current zoning allows, and a larger loading area is required by the industrial zoning as well.

Although community support is not determinative of the ZBA’s ruling, the body often considers the position of neighborhood groups, and developers would prefer to have an RCO’s support.