Developers want to build a small apartment building in Fishtown but the neighbors aren't feeling it. A couple months back, developers presented plans at an FNA community meeting to demolish the the H.J. Masonry warehouse at 1217 E. Columbia Ave. and replace it with a new building with eight apartments and six parking spots. The parcel is about 3,200 sqft in size but is only zoned for single-family use.
By right, the developers could subdivide the lot into two smaller lots and build two homes. And it seems that's what the community would prefer, as they voted 50 opposed to 4 in support at their meeting. According to zoning chair Matt Karp, "the community stated it was not interested in a multi family use… there really is no hardship shown for why they can't just build on the lot as zoned." Karp went on to state that "the neighbors preferred single family homes as those are in character to the area."
We'll be curious to see whether the ZBA sides with the developers or the community on this one. On the one hand, we're not sure we see the hardship. The developers could certainly build two homes, though they would have ridiculously large rear yards due to the square footage of the property.
On the other hand, the argument that an apartment building wouldn't suit the character of the area falls flat to us. The property is half a block from Girard Avenue, a growing commercial corridor with a ton of mixed-use buildings (those businesses need density by the way). In the other direction, walking toward Thompson Street, a church conversion into fifteen apartments, opposed last year by the community, was ultimately approved by the ZBA. A few steps further, the Icehouse project has been a multi-phased condo project that's finally heading toward the finish line. So while single-family homes may be the norm around here, multi-family is certainly not an absurd concept for this location.
The project was continued at the ZBA back in June and we don't see any updated permit applications. Has anyone in the neighborhood heard any updates on this project? Due to the apparent lack of hardship and the non-support of the community we'd be surprised to hear about the project, in this form, getting ZBA approval. But we've been wrong before. And we still can't quite grasp what would be so bad about a small apartment building at this location. Maybe someone who lives nearby can shed some light.