Friday, August 15, 2014

South Street West Civic Association News Letter



From: SSWCA <sswcivica@gmail.com>
Date: August 15, 2014 at 5:53:48 PM EDT
To: SSWCA <sswcivica@gmail.com>
Subject: Advisory Board Meeting with CHOP
Neighbors,

Yesterday CHOP hosted its first neighborhood Advisory Board Meeting regarding its property at 27th and South.  Here are my notes from the meeting.

·         The address of Phase 1 will be 2716 South Street.
o    The address has been approved.
o    The rationale for requesting a South Street address rather than a Schuylkill Avenue address is due to in part the fact that Schuylkill Avenue is on both sides of the river, so it could be confusing to people trying to get to the property.
·         CHOP sent the traffic study to the City on 8/11/14.
o    CHOP will not distribute the study.
o    CHOP will make the study available for review at one of its facilities.  CHOP will consider having the meeting in the neighborhood.
o    ACTION ITEM: Neighbors.  I have created a Survey Monkey to get your feedback regarding the traffic study.  Please go to this link and complete a very short survey.  https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/PXNPM2K 
·         We once again discussed the possibility of a drop-off lane on South Street.
o    CHOP advised there are conflicting opinions on this subject.  There is a project planning meeting today (8/14/14), so the topic will once again be discussed.
o    If there is a drop-off lane it is anticipated that the bike lane will not be affected; it will continue to shift to the left as it does now.
·         Zoning for commercial is required (right now it is zoned industrial), and CHOP is committed to requesting the variance “down the road.”  CHOP will let the Advisory Board know if/when that happens.  There are internal meetings happening now regarding the zoning.
·         CHOP has submitted a grant request to the Commonwealth to extend the Schuylkill River Trail to 2716 South Street.
o    SSWCA will send a letter of support for the bridge.  (NOTE: This was sent.)
o    CSX and other groups have sent a letter of support.
o    The next meeting of the Commonwealth Finance Committee is 9/9/14.  The grant request will be reviewed then, although an answer might not be ready for the meeting.
o    In order to submit the grant request CHOP had to include a proposed timeline.
§  July 2015 - January 2016 is the earliest chance to get it installed; CSX will be the ultimate decision maker
§  CSX sometimes requires night work; we have asked that near neighbors be advised 1-2 weeks before the night work is scheduled to begin.  CHOP agreed to provide advanced notice.
§  Access to the bridge probably won’t occur until all work is done on Phase 1.
·         The billboard behind the property belongs to CSX.
·         CHOP will implement rodent control. If they become a problem, please immediately contact CHOP.  You can use the number or the email to contact CHOP about any issues regarding its property.
o    267-425-9797
·         CHOP is planning to bring in a contractor to inspect the nearby homes (for those interested).  The contractor will take photos and a recorder.  CHOP will have sensors to monitor vibrations. 
·         Demolition of the JFK Building
o    The contractor is on site and is prepping it for demolition
o    The demo is scheduled to start some time in September and continue into March 2015.  This schedule is based on permits being approved.  CHOP is looking at ways to expedite the schedule.
o    Demolition will occur during the hours allowed by city and state laws, although CHOP anticipates most days will be 10 hour days:
§  weekdays = 7 AM to 8 PM
§  weekends = 8 AM to 8 PM
o    Debris removal:
§  On peak days there will be 10 trucks with 4 trips a day each
§  Contractors have been reminded not to use South Street
·         CHOP is going to continue to monitor food delivery possibilities
·         The Advisory Board will meet about once a month.  If you have any agenda items, please send an email to the SSWCA's email address. 

No comments:

Post a Comment