Coal site townhouses get city green light

Posted 1/30/25

Despite a last-minute objection from Councilmember Cindy Bass, the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) voted unanimously on Jan. 22 to approve a use variance for the development at 7600 Germantown Ave. 

Scott Seibert, co-owner of real estate development firm Bancroft Green, presented the project to the ZBA at a previous meeting on Jan. 15. The development would transform the site of a historic coal company building, which has long served as a gateway between Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy, into eight new townhouses while converting the existing historic structure into a business space, …

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Coal site townhouses get city green light

Posted

Despite a last-minute objection from Councilmember Cindy Bass, the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) voted unanimously on Jan. 22 to approve a use variance for the development at 7600 Germantown Ave. 

Scott Seibert, co-owner of real estate development firm Bancroft Green, presented the project to the ZBA at a previous meeting on Jan. 15. The development would transform the site of a historic coal company building, which has long served as a gateway between Chestnut Hill and Mt. Airy, into eight new townhouses while converting the existing historic structure into a business space, potentially a cafe.

With the approval of the ZBA, Seibert has the zoning variances he needs to move the project forward. Since the lot was zoned for a single-family home – a use it has never served – he needed the variance to build multiple units and allow mixed-use development for the potential business.

The ZBA received the last-minute objection to the project from Bass’ office during the Jan. 15, meeting, at 2:38 p.m. about an hour before the project was presented. At the same meeting, the developer's lawyer, Alan Nochumson, expressed surprise at the opposition. 

"We were honestly shocked, we really did a lot of hard work within the community," he said. "To say that after careful review and consideration, this project raises significant concerns that conflict with the interest and well-being of the surrounding community is shocking. Honestly, I was going to do a victory lap after giving my presentation. Out of all of my projects today, I was like, 'Wow, this is the easiest one,' and I jinxed myself, of course."

Bass' Chief of Staff explained the objection at the meeting calling the site a "horrible location." He cited safety concerns related to speeding and traffic, particularly given the larger development planned across the street.

Bass' office had designated West Mt. Airy Neighbors (WMAN) as the coordinating registered community organization (RCO) for the project. WMAN held a public meeting for the project on Dec. 4.

WMAN supported the project, with their Board President Steve Kendall noting that their zoning committee viewed the project "as an architecturally thoughtful addition of a much-needed housing type on a difficult site and that it met or exceeded all sustainability standards of energy-efficient building construction."

"I do not recall anyone at our RCO meeting on that project raising questions about safety concerns of cars from those eight townhomes or the little food shop turning onto Germantown Avenue," Kendall said. "To my knowledge, Councilperson Bass's office had not conveyed such concerns to our Zoning Committee."

The property itself is larger than it appears from street view – a 50,000-square-foot parcel that extends in a narrow configuration along Wissahickon Valley Park and the former Fort Washington Branch rail line. The existing structure, built in 1916 as the headquarters of St. Martin's Coal Company, has served as storage and office space since 2002.

The site's industrial history is significant. Trains once delivered coal, and later oil, to a loading structure behind the office building, where fuel was distributed to heat local homes. This industrial past has designated the property as a Brownfield site — land previously used for industrial or commercial purposes that may require environmental assessment.

The eight townhouses are designed to run parallel to parts of the Cresheim Trail, which they would overlook. A shared driveway connects the houses with dedicated parking for each unit. 

Seibert expressed optimism about the project's potential, telling the Local that he sees it as "an opportunity to really hold up as a good example of what you can do with old Brownfield sites, in terms of what we think is a thoughtful development that is going to benefit the community at large."

With the variances approved, Seibert hopes to turn the existing historic structure into a business like a cafe, while preserving the building.