A historic coal company building that has stood as a gateway between Chestnut Hill and Mount Airy for more than a century may soon be joined by new neighbors as developer Scott Seibert is proposing to build eight new townhouses there. 

The distinctive Wissahickon schist stone building at 7600 Germantown Ave. was built in 1916 as the former headquarters of St. Martin's Coal Company and has been used as storage and office space since 2002. The land it sits on is deceptively larger than it appears from the street - as the 50,000 parcel, which is approximately the size of a football field, stretches in a narrow configuration along Wissahickon Valley Park and the former Fort Washington Branch rail line.

The site's industrial heritage dates back to when trains would deliver coal, and later oil, to a loading structure behind the office building, with the fuel 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.

Developer Scott Seibert sees this environmental designation as an opportunity. 

"What we see is 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," Seibert said. "We try to be known for doing very sustainable developments and this is no different."

Seibert, co-owner of real estate development firm Bancroft Green, initiated discussions with the property owner nine years ago and finally got an agreement of sale two years ago. 

The proposed development would preserve the original office building for commercial use while adding eight townhomes arranged in two rows — one with three homes and another with five. Each home would include a two-car garage accessed by a shared driveway.

Having lived in East Mount Airy for 13 years, Seibert said he understands the architectural challenges of the neighborhood.

“I've lived here in East Mt. Airy for 13 years, I raised my kids here,” Seibert said. “The diversity of Mt. Airy isn't just with its people, it's also with its housing stock. So it's always a challenge to say ‘What am I trying to match to? What I always try to do is have some sort of nod to the forms of structures in the area.”

He plans to use brick in earth tones of yellow, beige and brown, along with stucco and potential wood accents.

“They are all categorically very high-quality materials because we do build very sustainable, and we also build very high-end,” Seibert said.

Seibert said environmental sustainability is a core concept of the project – and plans to leave 95% of the surface permeable to maintain natural groundwater flow. 

"The way we'll do that is not only green roofs but permeable pavers, a number of new trees and a lot of thoughtful landscaping that will be able to take most of the water and just put it right back into the ground," he said. "It'll also take a site that right now, quite frankly, looks very industrial, and return it to something that certainly is going to be a lot more green than it is now."

The original office building's exterior will “look ostensibly the same,” Seibert said, though the interior will be renovated for commercial use. 

"Part of our zoning is to get the use permit there to have it be a prepared food shop," Seibert said. "We'd love to see a cafe there, perhaps even something that mimics Char & Stave at the top of the hill."

He said the potential development of the Cresheim trail, combined with a large apartment building across the street, could make the location particularly attractive for such use. 

"It would be an attractive stop for people on the trail to get their morning cup of coffee, or the people across the street, or just more people in the community to have another place to congregate," Seibert said.

The project requires Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) approval for two variances: one to build multiple homes and another for the commercial space. The site's current RSD-3 zoning allows only single-family homes, though Seibert notes the property has never been used for residential purposes.

The West Mt. Airy Neighbors Registered Community Organization (RCO) will hold a meeting about the development on Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7 p.m. (location to be announced). The ZBA hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m. via Zoom. Both meetings are open to the public.

For more information about the meetings or to receive Zoom access details, residents can contact WMAN directly.