Already years ago, I reported on what I called the Plywood Plaza. In essence, it seems that Allentown has not been providing much oversight on these new construction projects. It may well be that the city does not have the expertise to do so, but then such inspections should be farmed out to an engineering firm.
As for as the approval process, that has been compromised for years. Planning and zoning are compliant puppies, waiting to be petted. The neighborhood, otherwise essentially poor at the richest, will have its scarce parking further reduced.
BUT, there will be a grand ribbon cutting, and we'll learn that the neighborhood is being revitalized under inspired leadership.
photocredit:Lee Ann Thomas Smith
NOTHING IS SACRED!
ReplyDeleteRegarding the tombstones, clearly this area was overgrown and recently cleared, presumably by the developer. My take away is they are simply not done yet. Interesting no one cared about the graves until someone decided to invest a couple million dollars into the neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteanon@6:34: You're wrong, the church cemetery is maintained. I agree that it's a bad optic at this point in construction. When all said and done, perhaps the finished transition between the cemetery and building will be better from the publicity.
DeleteAt 6:43
DeleteSpin it anyway you like. This is a disgrace.
The graves along the boundary of the new building has been overgrown until this past summer.
DeleteSomeone cleared this before work was done on the foundation. No graves were disturbed by the construction. I am there almost daily to let my dachshund run and watch the construction.
The building will have an interior parking garage. If you walk around the neighborhood and talk to people I think you will find this developer is being well received. This project is being build without NIZ money or any subsidy.
ReplyDeleteWell received? I'm very skeptical that a real estate company run by a bunch of wealthy older white guys, operating out of a PO box in Hoboken, has made good impressions on the locals in that neighborhood. That's laughable.
DeleteNat Hyman doesn’t get enough credit for revitalizing Allentown by rehabilitating beautiful old buildings that had become run down as opposed to building these new monstrosities
ReplyDeleteThis same developer did rehab the old social hall next door. Looks nice.
DeleteYes, It was always my dream growing up in Allentown to someday live in an old factory or an old warehouse growing up. Especially in a run-down part of town.
DeleteInvesting a couple of million dollars of allocated HUD monies? Seems we all have been watching the same seen from a bad movie through out the area.
ReplyDeleteThe developer is out of Hoboken, NJ. Its interesting to me how close the building is to the lot line. Its really crammed in there with what looks like full coverage of the lot.
ReplyDeleteOne would think all of the responsible parties involved would have considered the very sensitive nature of butting such a large structure so close to what is clearly an historic cemetery. A few feet could have prevented the hard feelings. Sadly because Allentown's government operates in a vacuum sensitivity amongst other considerations is lost.
ReplyDeleteThis is the intersection of bad planning and incompetence. There is no excuse for this happening. There should be multiple lawsuits - against the city, the developer and the engineers/architects involved.
ReplyDeleteTo 6:51 who seems to be supportive of MORE apartment houses in the city, best of luck to you.
You mention the underground parking garage. Residents (and their visitors) are not required to park there and will still be able to take up valuable on-street parking that is now used by current residents. Naturally, current residents won’t have to option to use the underground lot, so the parking issue ends up being a loser for residents. Take it from experience, this is not a benefit to the neighborhood, and don’t even get me started about the effect it will have on the school district.
What will save Allentown is thinning out the neighborhoods to the levels they were originally built for, not overcrowding them. Tuerk and most of city council, as usual, are 100% wrong.
Why would a resident not want to park in his/her own garage space but on the street subject to accident, theft and vandalism?
DeleteI believe I saw a few movies about what happens when you build on or too close to cemeteries. I wish the developer, residents and supporters of this project the same good fortune.
ReplyDeleteWait until tenants let their dogs shit on the graves. Cmon. It's like 5ft from the graves. Who wants to look out their window and see a graveyard? This ranks up their some of Allentowns dumbest ideas
ReplyDeleteWell, don’t rent a place there if you feel that way. I doubt they will have trouble finding tenants willing to pay a fair market rent.
DeleteThis is a metaphor for contemporary Allentown. Well done.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course this project was awarded relief from the ZHB to cram and slam more units that the parcel would yield per the Zoning Ordinance. Big shocker there:
ReplyDeleteIn the end, the board (ZHB) also approved a sizeable variance of the lot square footage required under city zoning laws considering the size of the new building.
Follow the “friendships”, alliances, and money and you will have the Story of Allentown City.
ReplyDeleteThis stuff is what we see now that it is in the light, just imagine what is going on in the dark?
Now the county has excepted HUD money for a parcel Allentowns community economic development has designated a dog shit park. There ZHB presentation was just a cartoon picture of a facade nothing else presented on 400blk of church st.
ReplyDeleteIf the Zoning Ordinance, the Building Code or the Fire Prevention Code does not prevent this type of poor development from gaining municipal approval then common decency and human respect should. Is money that important? Is your political office that important? What is it that would make you care about anything?
ReplyDeleteWas Immaculate Conception or the neighbors properly notified before the Zoning Board approved the placement of this building?
The developer only cares about one thing: making money. Someone working in City Hall must care about Allentown. You get the government you vote for.
Guess what! The zoning board no longer has to notify neighboring properties of proposed zoning changes in their neighborhood. Who made this new rule and why was no one notified of this change? My guess is it's just another middle finger to the taxpayers from city hall.
ReplyDeleteMy guess is that the City never had a legal responsibility per state law to provide "neighbor notices" and has likely stopped providing them due to the amount of staff time required and large volumes of postage expenses.
Delete