Developer, residents clash over East Mt. Airy project
DeSouza Brown Inc., of Bala Cynwyd, has proposed to build a 23-unit development on a six-acre site along Cresheim Creek. Residents are concerned about the intensity and environmental impact of the project.
by MICHAEL J. MISHAK
Organizers had hoped selecting a church as the venue for a discussion on a controversial housing development would ensure a sense of civility. Instead, East Mt. Airy residents sent an unequivocally clear message to developer DeSouza Brown Inc., of Bala Cynwyd, at a community meeting last week: take your plans elsewhere.
Those plans, which were formally unveiled before an audience of about 50 at Grace Epiphany Church last Thursday, would place 23 single-family homes on a six-acre site along Cresheim Creek near the intersection of Woodbrook Lane and Anderson Street.
The project requires at least four zoning variances, including ones that would release the developer from both watershed and steep-slope restrictions.
For DeSouza Brown, building suburban-style housing on what many consider sacred ground was a tough sell, one made more difficult by a suffocating summer heat.
The scene inside the church was a tense one, as resident after resident scrutinized the development, raising concerns over a host of issues, from traffic congestion to flooding. Also, some criticized the design of the new construction, a mix of brick and vinyl siding, saying it clashed with the historic character of the area's housing stock. While the homes will vary in size, from 2,340-2,800 sq. ft., each will have a two-car garage and driveway. All units will fall under a fee-simple form of condominium ownership.
At one point, a resident called the proposed homes "appallingly ugly," the first in a series of attacks to draw applause from the audience. "People don't move to East Mt. Airy for that kind of construction," the man said.
Another resident, a realtor, took issue with the pricing of the homes, which DeSouza Brown placed between $350,000 and $450,000, arguing that the local market regularly demands twice that amount.
"I understand this is a business for you," an audience member said. "But we have a community that we love, and what you've planned doesn’t fit."
Arguing the case for development, Marc DeSouza said his firm's projects have routinely increased the property values of adjacent real estate.
Defending the housing design, he said the construction was consistent with that of the general neighborhood.
Still early in the planning process, the firm has not conducted an environmental impact study, but DeSouza said the project would leave the streambed untouched with the exception of two culverts to carry traffic over the creek. An on-site retention basin would manage storm water runoff, he said. Attempting to allay a concern about clear cutting, DeSouza said his firm maintains as much "worthwhile" natural vegetation as possible.
The debate reached a breaking point when one man suggested the developer forego building altogether and donate the property, soliciting another round of applause.
"You can buy it and donate it," Joseph Beller, a lawyer representing DeSouza Brown, retorted. "It's not a private park. Nobody has the right to tell someone they can't use their land."
The firm first purchased the property in 1966, he said. Spurred by a renewed interest in urban development, DeSouza Brown started working on plans for the site about three years ago. After an informal review by a City Planning Commission staffer, the developers shrunk their initial target from 28 to 23 homes. While the firm examined the possibility of a lower density development, with as few as eight homes, it concluded that such an option would not meet bottom-line projections, Marc DeSouza said.
For DeSouza Brown, whose work has mostly been focused in central Pennsylvania, the project would mark its first new construction in Philadelphia in 25 years.
"If there's no willingness to compromise, there's no need for me to keep sweating through my suit," Beller told the crowd.
Asked about the possibility of a community buyout, Marc DeSouza said his firm would consider the option. Citing a recent appraisal, he valued the land at $2 million as approved ground. Even without zoning variances, the property could sell for $1.4 million, he said.
Riled by the fierce resistance, Norman DeSouza said the community was overstepping its bounds. "This is not a park. It's a privately-owned piece of ground," he said. "We have a right to develop it within the bounds of city ordinances, and we'd like to do that with some sense of cooperation from the community. If we can't we'll meet in a different forum."
In the hopes of reaching an accord, the Wissahickon East Project, the nonprofit that emerged last November to oppose the development, is forming a committee to continue the discussion with DeSouza Brown.
If history is any indication, the group could have significant leverage. In the late 1990s, Brian Flaherty, an attorney and area resident, led the fight against a plan that would have put two homes on the site. Though the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment approved the project, a Common Pleas Court judge overturned the decision on appeal, he said.
The opposition will also benefit from the political muscle of City Councilwoman Donna Reed Miller. "If the community doesn't support this, we'll fight the project," said Miller aide Vernon Price after last week's meeting.
