No trespassing sign on the side of the Germantown YWCA building. (Photo: Rasheed Ajamu)

Judge Ann Butchart gave developer Ken Weinstein a final rejection letter about why he would not be appointed conservator of the former Germantown YWCA. In early March he requested that she reconsider her November 2024 decision. However, this time, the developer got the reason, which he hadn’t gotten in the original ruling.

To be appointed conservator by a court, a petitioner must prove the following: that a property is (1) uninhabitable/in violation of municipal codes, (2) that the owner has failed to take action to repair and rehab the property, and (3) that a conservatorship is necessary to prevent further harm.

Butchart asserts that while Weinstein was able to prove the building was uninhabitable at the time of filing, he was unable to meet the two additional requirements. 

More broadly, the judge gives reasoning that the petitioner, Weinstein, was unable to:

• Provide testimony that the Y is a public nuisance
• Establish the need for substantial rehabilitation of the Y
• Establish an increase of fire risk to the Y or adjacent buildings
• Confirm unauthorized entry into the building
• Establish a negative economic impact on the surrounding area, directly attributed to the Y
• Establish that the Y is a nuisance that attracts children or that the property was used for illicit activities

The letter ends by implying that the respondent, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority (PRA), has actively worked to stabilize and secure the property since 2016.

In our last interview with Weinstein, he had already revealed that he didn’t think the decision would be different, but instead sought the judge’s reasoning. He calls this a loss for Philadelphia and the mayor, who wants to provide 30,000 housing units as part of the HOME Initiative.

“If preserved and reused, [the Y] would have produced more than 60 housing units for low income seniors in the community,” he says about his plans for the Germantown Y.

He looks at the positive outcomes that this long process has brought, saying Germantown still racked up some wins.

By filing against the PRA on 10/11/23, we successfully forced the City to do a massive clean up of the site in order to reduce blight and increase safety along Germantown Avenue.  As a result of our action, many truckloads of trash were removed and new fencing was installed around the perimeter.  With strong community support and involvement, we were also able to get PRA to cancel KBK’s reservation letter, opening the door to a new, more active affordable housing developer.

He thanks the support from the community, particularly the Friends of the Y, for their dedication and support over the past few years. Weinstein acknowledges that while this is the closing of one book, the future of the Y still hangs in the balance, leaving way for sagas yet to come.

And if the PRA doesn’t reuse the site and it continues to deteriorate? “We reserve the right to refile,” the developer notes.