The five-story, 75-unit building at 5932-42 Germantown Avenue received CDRC approval this week. Still, the committee and community members urge developers to address safety and access issues along a shared driveway before moving forward.
The five-story apartment building, set to stand at 5932-42 Germantown Avenue, was approved during its second Civic Design Review Committee (CDRC) meeting on Wednesday afternoon, November 6. While it was officially approved for physical development, the CDRC and the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) have asked developers to continue considering alterations to the driveway attached to the project.
During their first civic design review on September 3, developers presented the 75-unit building consisting of 44 one-bedroom apartments, 21 two-bedroom apartments, ten studio apartments, a 38-spot parking garage, two commercial spaces, and a bike storage area on the ground floor.
This meeting concluded the extensive, communicative process of developers Canno Design, Iron State Real Estate, and Colliers Engineering and Design, with the CDRC, PCPC, and community members who have expressed concerns and suggestions on what the design should focus on to accommodate the property’s neighboring factors.
“We heard the safety concerns from the neighbors and from you all, so with that, we were able to redesign the project,” said Devon Beverly, the project attorney.
The 12-foot driveway between the property and the Town Hall building became the main point of discussion in the previous meeting when concerns were raised that it was too narrow to accommodate multiple means of traffic. Both the CDRC and community members urged changes to accommodate potential pedestrians, service trucks, residents entering the parking lot, and 14th district police vehicles that actively use the road.
“There were concerns here that you couldn’t have two-way traffic. The architects were able to bump in the curb line, widening the driveway to 17 feet,” Beverly said. “With that bump-in, we also eliminated some of the landscaping along the private driveway. This was needed in order to make sure we’re having safety.”
“This [design] also has a modification along Germantown Avenue; the curb line kind of ends right after the pedestrian lobby, so this is used to encourage users to not walk down [the driveway] where vehicle traffic is going,” Beverly added.
Developers are also addressing comments about adding U-racks for bikes to Germantown Avenue and are working with the Departments of Streets to accommodate an appropriate amount of U-racks.
“There was a comment [during the last meeting] about making [potential porches] accessible from ground floor [residential units],” Beverly said. “However, we understood that would be a safety issue if we’re going to have cars pulling up right to it, so now there will just be fencing along that area.”
Sydney Conaway, an urban designer with PCPC, expressed the commission’s concerns about the design of the widened driveway, particularly regarding pedestrian safety and the proximity of vehicles to residences. She requested additional information on ADA accessibility, curb cuts, and pedestrian circulation to ensure the design adequately addresses these issues.
Suzanne Ponsen, President of West Central Germantown Neighbors (WCGN),
chimed in and said, “I appreciate the changes with the driveway, and I hope it’s resolved to be safe and efficient for police use, residents, and maintenance work.”
Community member Eve Gentieu thought more about the building’s structure concerning Germantown’s historical architecture.
“Many of the brick structures along Germantown Avenue are more of a red or terracotta,” she said. “I think it would be wonderful if you could change the color of the brick and also get rid of that metal because that seems so industrial.”
Julie Stapleton Carroll, the zoning chair for WCGN, had different thoughts about the safety of the driveway.
“I disagree with the city’s assessment that [the driveway] is a pedestrian hazard because currently nobody really walks down that alleyway, and I can’t imagine that they’ll be entering the garage through that alleyway.”
Carroll adds that she wants to see a more formalized process and a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the developers and the 14th District Police. An MOU is a formal agreement between two or more parties that outlines their intentions, roles, and responsibilities in a specific arrangement or collaboration.
“I’m not convinced about this [driveway] solution,” CDRC member Daniel Garofalo said. “Please put some signage in there about one-way traffic in and out the garage, or a convex mirror or something because that’s the type of thing [that can lead to] a lot of fender benders when people are coming in, going out, and it narrows to one lane.”
CDRC member Ashley Dicario mentioned that the driveway lacks a bit of imagination.
She said, “I think that pedestrians, even if [there are] a few of them, will use this, and there is a conflict to think about it,” Dicario said. “I think it needs to be thoughtfully designed in a way where you can have this flexible space for cars that can pull over and allow for somebody to go by, and also a small zone on the side so that pedestrians can navigate this properly.”
Even with an approved project ready for development, the committee still urges developers to communicate with community organizers to ensure the safest and most accessible outcome.
“There’s always room for improvement in these projects, and we expect a continued conversation with all of the comments that come before our board and for [lawyers and developers] to continue to listen to the community,” Dicario said. “There should be a continued dialogue, and I think that needs to be underscored.”