Letters

Zoning benefits developer only

The Springfield Township Commissioners are considering a change to our zoning code written by the developer and owner of the Tecce Tract, a large parcel of land in the Springfield Panhandle. While the proposed zoning changes are ostensibly to allow age-restricted housing, it should be pointed out that age-restricted housing is not limited or restricted in any way by the current zoning code. So why are these changes being proposed?

A close reading of the proposed ordinance reveals that it is more about maximizing the profit of the current landowner and developer than it is about providing age-restricted housing. Why else would the developer propose an ordinance that prohibits age-restricted housing on parcels smaller than 30 acres? Anybody want to take a guess at just how many undeveloped 30-acre parcels are left in Springfield? This is about profit and preventing competition.

In addition to eliminating competition, the proposed ordinance grants a 10 percent density bonus for age-restricted housing and allows townhouse buildings 12 percent larger than currently allowed.

But it gets even worse. By the developer’s own calculations, the proposed development has a 128 to 210 percent density bonus (137 units versus the 45 to 60 units currently allowed). Again, this is about profit, not age-restricted housing.

The proposed ordinance will also reduce the required setback from 75 to 50 feet and redefine steep slopes from 15 to 25 percent, allowing for development on previously restricted, environmentally sensitive areas. How is this related to age-restricted housing? It’s not. It’s about profit at the expense of our streams, wetlands and forests. It is has been proven beyond any doubt that building on steeper slopes causes more erosion and smaller buffers provide less protection for our streams and wetlands.

Finally, the developer has written the proposed zoning ordinance in such a way that it will have priority over all other ordinances when there is a conflict. The current zoning code requires the developer to comply with the most stringent requirement in the event of a conflict. What a bonanza for the Tecce property and its developer. All they would have to do is comply with the ordinance that they have written.

If you think these changes are as absurd as they sound, tell the Springfield Township Commissioners to leave our zoning unchanged.

Rob Ryan
Flourtown

The ‘Local’s’ prejudice

I was going to feign astonishment that out of the collection of political cartoons by Gianni Benvenuti, the outright anti-Bush, American-insulting "export" sketch was selected for last week’s article, “Rodin-esque couple create exquisite sculptures.” But, why pretend?

The Chestnut Hill Local is a blatantly politically-biased paper. Readers who enjoy the basic news about the Hill but find the prejudiced posture annoying obviously must accept the narrow-minded rantings of the neoliberals (what’s good for the goose, etc.) that populate the writing staff.

If the paper’s excuse for using that bigoted drawing is that all of Benvenuti’s political cartoons are anti-Bush it should have fought off its predisposed instincts and either not used a cartoon (cartoons had nothing to do with the essence of the article) or, if it had to show another side of Benvenuti’s multiple talent, use one of his paintings or etchings. But, then again, why pretend?

Frank Dutch
Plymouth Meeting

Festival succeeds thanks to many

Sunday marked the 20th anniversary of the Chestnut Hill Business Association’s much-loved Fall for the Arts Festival. And this year, the festival was our best ever, as more than 165 artists lined Germantown Avenue, displaying their beautiful work. They provided a wonderful backdrop for the great bands, fantastic food, rides and games, and pure joy felt by all of us as we greeted friends and neighbors throughout the day. 

The Chestnut Hill Business Association would like to thank the following people for helping to put the festival together:

Frank “Stretch” Hendrie and Donny Thomas for being jacks of all trades;

Tim Ross, who put in extra hours to make sure that the Avenue was kept clean;

Myles Menardi for supplying electricity to all those who needed it;

Joe Bird, Tom Gack, and all of the other police officers who helped keep the Avenue free from traffic and pitched in on other jobs that needed to get done;

Katie Longstreth and Leah Matthews who staffed the CHBA office;

Tom Walsh who made deliveries to the parking lots early in the morning;

Joe Magarity, who so nicely allowed his parking lot to be turned into a food court;

The Thomas Family, owners of Jacob Ruth, who loaned us space to store equipment;

Tim Feeney from the City of Philadelphia Streets Department, who coordinated post-festival street cleaning;

Our terrific corporate sponsors — Audi, The Chestnut Hill Hospital and Purina Cat Chow, Weichert Realty, Cabot Creamery and Fit Life;

Anne Hopkin who decorated our intersection displays and stages so beautifully;

Woodmere Art Museum for providing young emerging artists with a setting in which they could hone their talents.

The Chestnut Hill community also owes very special thanks to Peggy Hendrie, Peggy Miller and Kate O’Neill. Every year they strive to put together the best festival possible and every year they succeed. Peggy, Peggy and Kate do the work of 10 and Chestnut Hill is indeed fortunate to have them working on its behalf. When you see them next, make sure you thank them for a fantastic day.

And finally, we at the CHBA owe you, the residents of Chestnut Hill, our gratitude. For 20 years, the CHBA has been managing festivals and for 20 years, you have embraced them. We understand the inconveniences that can occur when thousands of people descend upon our neighborhood (and we do our best to minimize them), yet what we hear from you is thanks. The festival represents what I think we all cherish about Chestnut Hill — it is a place where the business district is an integral part of the community and a catalyst for bringing neighbors together. We could not survive without your support and for it we thank you.

Suzanne Biemiller
Executive Director, Chestnut Hill Business Association

Kerry crowd too radical

Kenneth J. Powell Jr. is tilting at windmills if he expects ever to have a rational political discussion with the lefty, anyone-but-Bush crowd. If he expects to convince any of them, he is far along the road to self-delusion himself. These folks are so far out of the mainstream and have their political fantasies so frequently ratified by the mainstream media and by the insular circles in which they travel that they are shocked, shocked that anyone could possibly hold an opposing view.

Despite Senator John Kerry’s 33-year-old unbroken record of denigrating the United States of America, starting with his false testimony before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 1971, his treasonous meeting with this nation’s enemies while still a commissioned officer in the United States Naval Inactive Reserve and while our POWs languished in the Hanoi Hilton, through his opposition to the very weapons systems that led to our great victory in the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union, continuing with his opposition to our coming to the aid of Kuwait with a broad-based international coalition, his lackluster career in public service, his ghost-employee status as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee, his multiple diametrically opposed positions on Operation Iraqi Freedom and the manifest danger that his unremitting leftist ideology represents not only for the United States of America but for the free world as well, the intellectually-challenged ideologues of whom Mr. Powell writes will have no compunction about voting to subject this nation’s future to the vagaries of James Carville’s overnight polling data nor will their co-conspirators in the mainstream media have any trouble endorsing Senator Kerry for the most important office in the world.

That George W. Bush is President of the United States, despite all of that, I take as incontrovertible evidence of the existence of God and of His unrelenting love for the United States of America.

Joseph A. Ferry
Erdenheim

Clean!

I cannot begin to thank the staff at Mt. Airy, USA for the fabulous job they’ve been doing in keeping Germantown Avenue clean and debris-free.

I live just below Johnson Street and trash has been a perennial problem for years; I’ve even gotten tickets from the City of Philadelphia because I kept a trashcan outside to help with the problem — it seems only Philadelphia More Beautiful can place public cans.

Anyway, since Mt. Airy, USA has been at work, the change has been remarkably different, wonderful, and appreciated.

Please don’t stop this program!

Chris Henderson
Germantown

Specter no choice for Democrats

To Democrats considering voting for Arlen Specter: He is not a "Democrat in Republican clothing" and not as pro-choice as you might think. During his primary, he had no qualms courting President Bush and Sen. Rick Santorum to prove he was a real Republican. He has not crossed party lines to support a Democratic candidate nor ever indicated thoughts of switching parties. The non-partisan Congressional Quarterly reports he has voted with Bush 89% of the time.

As for choice, Planned Parenthood grades Specter at 67 percent and Democrat Joe Hoeffel at 100 percent. Specter is responsible for Clarence Thomas being on the Supreme Court. Thomas has proven to be one of the most right-wing justices. In July, Specter voted for Leon Holmes for a federal judgeship, a man who made statements such as the chance of pregnancy by rape are about the same as snow in Miami. Conservative Texas Sen. Kay Hutchinson, who normally supports Bush nominees, voted against Holmes on scholarly grounds. Specter has voted for other judges who have supported overturning Roe v. Wade.

The stakes of this election are whether the Bush-Cheney-Ashcroft agenda is advanced. Specter is always a swing vote because he can never be pinned down on a position. He’ll vote one way in committee and another way on the floor so he can appease both constituencies. This is too much of a risk. What good will it do if John Kerry is elected and the Republicans control the Senate by one vote — and it’s Specter’s?

As a Democrat, it is not my responsibility to ensure there is a "moderate" voice in the GOP. The best choice is the real Democrat in the race, Joe Hoeffel.

Michael Kleiner
Mt. Airy

Kerry a fresh start

You know things are bad when a staunch conservative like Patrick Buchanan condemns the war in Iraq. And he’s not the only Republican doing so. Republicans Chuck Hagel, Richard Lugar and even John McCain are publicly speaking out against how the Iraq war is being conducted. Unfortunately, President Bush continues to mislead us, insisting the war is going well, despite the fact that the CIA’s report states that the Iraq reality ranges from a “quagmire” to a “bloodbath.”

Electing John Kerry would be a fresh start to inviting more countries to join us. He would approach other nations with respect, not high-handed arrogance. Over 1,000 Americans have died already.

Let’s elect a President who will bring a more broad-based approach to ending this mess before the next 1,000 body bags are flown home.

J. McGrane
Flourtown

Re-think trails plan

I’ve been walking in the Wissahickon for 20 years, and I’ve never seen damage to compare with the devastation of last Tuesday’s rainstorm. The Cresheim Creek area has been hardest hit. Paths have been washed out; century-old bridges have been swept away; the landscape itself seems to be re-ordered.

It is tempting to seek emergency funds to repair this damage, but it might be wiser to take a long-term view. If we believe the climate modelers’ projections, then we must expect storms like this to become ever more frequent.

Perhaps the Friends of the Wissahickon can work with landscape architects to begin a long-term project, re-locating trails to be less vulnerable in violent weather.

The project is daunting, but doesn't compare to what Florida must contemplate.  The next time a federal official suggests that measures to abate global warming are "too expensive," we might ask about the cost of failing to act.

Josh Mitteldorf
Mount Airy

Kerry floats draft rumor

John Kerry is such an artful deceiver. In last Sunday’s Inquirer there was an article that Kerry had heard a rumor that there was a plan to bring back the draft after the election. He then assured his listeners that he had no intention of bringing back the draft if elected, but that he couldn’t speak for the Bush administration.

I know something about the draft as I was drafted in November of 1964. The draft is a bad way to raise an army.

If he had been paying attention during his 30 years in the Senate, he would have noticed that it was the Republicans that got rid of the draft over the objections of the Democrats. He would have noticed that all the Republicans from the President down have stated that the all-volunteer army is a success and there is no need for a draft.

There are two bills in the house to reinstate the draft. They were both submitted by Democrats without any Republican co-sponsors.

Kerry could have stated that there was no reason for anyone to be alarmed that they or their children might be drafted, but then there would be no fear of the Bush administration.

This is typical of Kerry’s pattern of saying and doing things that get him publicity while making it possible for him to later deny that he meant any harm. When he testified before congress that American troops in Vietnam were baby-killing war criminals, it turned out later that he was only reporting what others were saying, not trying to say that he believed it or had any first hand knowledge. When he threw away the medals that were earned in Vietnam, it turned out later that he wasn’t throwing away his medals. He only threw away medals of people that had no political ambitions and might need those medals someday.

John Kerry does not care who he hurts or scares as long as he gets to be President.

Bob Rossman
Chestnut Hill