At Last, Probably Too Late

FINALLY there's an agenda posted for tonight Zoning Board Hearing. You can read the whole thing at this link. I suspect very few people will get a chance to read this because of how late it was posted. But if you plan to go, it's at 7 pm at Municipal Hall, 235 E Airy.

Not only is the project at 1529 Dekalb on the agenda, but so are 4 other properties, none of them owned by people who actually live in Norristown.

711 Swede -- The owner wants to create a duplex with 2 off-street parking spaces.

232 Minor -- Owner wants to build a roof deck and "pilot house." That's usually a nautical term, but in architecture, I think it's a top floor that projects out over the floor below. The house is one of a row of houses.

50 W Brown -- This is the old Cancer Center at Brown and Powell. They want to build 2 outdoor play areas.

923 W Marshall -- This property is on a residential block but already has a barber shop on the first floor front. They want to make the rest of the space 2 apartments.

I won't be able to go to the meeting, but at least I was able to speak at last month's hearing regarding storm water runoff from the 1529 Dekalb project. I hope that some neighbors are able to go tonight, but this close to Christmas, I wouldn't blame people if they couldn't. Yet this is basically how our town is being run currently. Everything done at the last minute. Decisions being made almost by default instead of allowing the taxpayers ample time to participate in the process. And the taxpayers, so used to this system, don't show up because they're intimidated, with good reason. So out-of-town landlords and developers end up determining what Norristown becomes, block by block, instead of residents and businesses shaping their community.

Can we change this in 2016? You tell me.