New apartment building proposed for Washington Avenue meets familiar resistance

A seven story, 55-unit apartment building proposed for 1520-30 Washington Ave. renewed a long-standing debate over preservation of the past on the once industrially dominated South Philadelphia boulevard.

Over the last 15 years multiple large apartment buildings have been built along Washington Avenue where factories and warehouses once stood, a trend that’s often faced bitter opposition from community groups.

The new proposal seems designed to address critiques of previous projects. The units are larger in size than most Philadelphia apartments, and 20 of the units even have three bedrooms targeted toward families with children, a rarity in apartment development. Retail space is being provided. At a June community meeting the developer agreed to designate 15% of the units as affordable, although it isn’t clear what that means yet.

The project also has 75 parking spaces, far outstripping the number of apartments.

“People like to make sure that parking is not taken away from people in the neighborhood,” said Dawn M. Tancredi, the zoning lawyer for the development. “And this project has a higher ratio of parking than other mixed-use projects in the area.”

At a June meeting of East Point Breeze Neighbors, nine of 12 attendees voted in favor of the project. But opponents dominated a Tuesday Civic Design Review committee meeting, saying that they want to preserve the industrial nature of the current building — a partly vacant one-story warehouse — while critiquing the project’s effect on parking and traffic.

“You’re not providing sufficient parking here,” said Madeline Shikomba, another longtime neighborhood activist. “We do not appreciate what’s happening. We do not want any more residents. We want businesses, and this has been our constant plan.”

Washington Avenue’s industrial character has been fading for years, despite underlying zoning that in many areas — including 1520 Washington Ave. — makes residential development difficult.

There are six relatively new or under-construction multifamily residential developments along the avenue, although opponents of this one noted that they were concentrated on the north side of the street.

The new proposal actually has roots in the older industrial character of the area. The developer calls itself 1520 Washington Avenue LLC but is backed by the owners of C&R Building Supply, a company that owns multiple large showrooms and warehouses along Washington Avenue.

John Paulas of East Point Breeze Neighbors did not speak in strict opposition to the project, but said that his organization did not want retail or restaurant space in the building.

“The commercial space should be designed to have a nonprofit, trade, or educational sector workforce training organization,” Paulas said. “We need good well-paying jobs. We do not want new low-paying retail jobs on Washington Avenue.”

Neighborhood skepticism of the proposal could pose a difficulty to the developer, who needs multiple variances from the Zoning Board of Adjustment to move forward. The land is zoned for industrial use, so apartments — and the balconies the developer hopes to equip them with — are not allowed.

The zoning board hearing is set for Sept. 25. Developers generally have a harder time getting the board’s approval if community groups or the district City Council member oppose their project.

The project is designed by Landmark Architectural Design LLC and received compliments from the planners and architects on the Civic Design Review board for its handsome design.

CDR members also wondered how the future of Washington Avenue could be productively debated going forward, as more residential projects are proposed and industrial uses shrink further.

“We need to really think as a city: ‘What does this corridor mean if it is just naturally evolving as a multifamily corridor?’” said Ashley DiCaro, a CDR member and landscape architect. “I think some of the natural market and the intention is to actually transition away from industry.”