The Dropping Of The Ball

Tonight in New York City, they'll drop a ball to bring in 2016. I bet a lot of you will watch it on TV and use it as your cue that midnight's arrived and you can drink champagne and smooch your loved ones and whatever else you traditionally do to begin a new year. I don't. I'd prefer to take my cue from Norristown instead of NYC. Some of my neighbors will set off fireworks. Some local friends will post their greetings on Facebook. I don't need some far away city to make it official.

I've said on the Diary in years past that Norristown ought to do something similar to Times Square's ball drop to start the New Year, only with something rising instead of falling. Doesn't have to be expensive. Maybe ACPPA would take the challenge of making a paper mache or cloth eagle that could be raised on the flagpole outside Municipal Hall. Or a bee, since that's Norristown's symbol. Or a dragon for our connection with dragon boats. Doesn't even have to be raised at midnight New Year's Eve. The first business day or Saturday of the New Year would suffice. A pep rally of sorts. Something that says we N-towners recognize that this is a new beginning and we're all ready--together--to rise to whatever's ahead.

I usually do an end-of-the-year blog to remind everyone about our town's accomplishments over the last year. This year, however, our few town-wide accomplishments were in the first half of the year--Fourth Fridays, for instance. Last summer,  my end-of-the-week event blogs were packed with things to do. Lately, not so much.

Did we build on our successes this year? No. Most of the time, someone dropped the ball. But unlike NYC, not in a good way.

Norristown Business Association evaporated. This happened because the "president" of NBA simply stopped having meetings. He didn't officially announce an end to the organization. Had he merely told the membership at a meeting that he couldn't be president anymore, we could have elected new officers and gone on from there. But no, he dropped the ball without telling anyone. I'm willing to help reorganize the NBA, but I can't do it alone. Anyone in N-town who are interested in getting together to discuss it can contact me at this email.

The NBA was responsible for getting Fourth Fridays started, but some downtown businesses also jumped on board, seemingly enthusiastic. I talked to Oscar Vance a few weeks ago and Jazz on Cherry Street will be continuing as well as other events at 216 Cherry. Yet all the other venues involved in Fourth Fridays gave up when the NBA folded. They dropped the ball, too, just when people were starting to notice and compare us to Phoenixville and say Norristown was rising again.

Our government spent some of our tax money hiring a consultant from Better Block to guide us while we planned an event designed to show residents and budding entrepreneurs what could be done to bring visitors back to our downtown. At the first meetings, we had representatives not only from our government and the downtown neighborhood, but other concerned citizens from around town anxious to help get N-town back on track. We planned the event for Small Business Saturday to kick off the holiday season. Then 2 months went by and we heard nothing from the Planning Department (they were supposed to be in charge). Not until several of the other committee members (including myself) started sending them emails asking what was going on did we get an email in return saying they'd decided to put off the Better Block event until "the beginning of 2016." Municipal Hall totally dropped the ball, and frankly, I'll be surprised if they pick it up again. Meanwhile, I can't count how many people have told me how dead our downtown looks this holiday season. I was down there last Monday night. It was like a ghost town. And the snowflakes on the light poles are in serious need of replacement bulbs. It's pitiful.

This year up in the North End, because people who don't live in the 3rd District saw it as their sworn duty to make sure Linda Christian left office, some of the projects she was spearheading were left dangling. I won't say she dropped the ball--it wasn't her fault, and I know she's done her best to make sure Council had the info they needed to continue. One such project was a neighborhood committee that was meeting with Francis Vargas, the developer of the Montgomery Hospital property, to discuss the design of the new senior apartments to be build there. The intent was to make sure the buildings blend into the neighborhood and do N-town proud. Our last meeting with Mr. Vargas was to be in late September. Mr Vargas has sent emails saying he's committed to meeting with us, but 3 months later, we're still waiting. Now, with Council reorganizing next week, I'm not sure who, if anyone, will pick up that particular ball.

I don't mean to be as pessimistic as I sound. A lot of other groups and individuals in Norristown have shown their integrity and made some great contributions this year--Buck Jones, CADCOM, the Dragon Boat Club, the Norristown Preservation Society, to name a few. Yet I can't help but be disappointed in our goverment and our business community. Real gains could have been made in our downtown economic situation. Now I hear, "Things will turn around when the distillery opens." Once again, we're putting all our eggs in one basket. That's never, ever worked in the past. No one person or company is going to swoop in and save us.

So, one last depressing look back. I'll start looking ahead again next week, but I hope you'll all give this some thought over the weekend. Let's all make a resolution to not give up so easily in 2016.

Live Chat With Crandall Jones

For an hour last Friday morning, our Municipal Administrator, Crandall Jones, answered questions from residents in a live Facebook Chat. For those of you who couldn't participate, either because you're not on Facebook or had to do something else like work, here are the questions and replies. 2 other questions came in too late for Crandall to answer in the allotted time. The questions below aren't necessarily in the order they were asked. I corrected spelling but otherwise, the conversation is verbatim.
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Nick Graff: Demolition of Mont hospital still on schedule. Really happy that it has not been a noise, dust or traffic issue

Crandall Ortiz Jones: Yes, the demolition is still on schedule. I think Council and particularly, President Christian has made great efforts to ensure that the disturbance to the community will be kept at a minimum. The developer has been really responsive.
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Schannon Hadley Stoudemire: Can you tell us about upcoming projects in Norristown?

Crandall Ortiz Jones:  We have a micro distillery being developed now, luxury condos being developed now--both downtown. Last night Council approved a project bringing Diva's Restaurant downtown, luxury apartments coming to Sandy Street, other projects we can't discuss yet
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Ernie Hadrick: How do you feel the Lafayette Extension will impact Norristown economically?

COJ: The Lafayette project is a great boon for Norristown! Think of Conshohocken before they got access to the turnpike. The same possibility now exists for Norristown. I think our potential is greater because we have are a transportation hub. Development activity is already increasing.
     There is so much development conversation going now. Property is beginning to move consistently and our Planning Department is getting a good number of calls. Ultimately, as business begin their development, our tax base increases, property values increase, individual taxes should begin to go down and you'll see more jobs and increased infrastructure development in town.
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Elena Santangelo: Can you tell us about the new parking kiosks that go into effect Sunday?

COJ:  The weather is not cooperating with us in letting us get to some areas where we need to do some electrical work--ice is still on the ground. Looks like we're going to be delayed a few weeks until it warms up. We're finally migrating to credit card usage; pay and display instead of numbered spaces; reducing the hourly rate to $1.50 and allowing for incremental parking instead of mandating $2 only. The goal is to support businesses, commerce and movement in the downtown
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Ernie Hadrick: Folks are concerned about funding for youth recreation/after school programs. Is the Municipality pursuing funds for this purpose?

COJ: Yes. Council identified youth programs as a priority in their retreat last year and we've been working on it. A week ago, Council approved us adding an additional full-time staff member to our Recreation Department. There are also multiple discussion going on about different approaches we can take at implementing some youth projects. More to come
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Cory Steeley: While all the development of new/luxury condos is great, is there any plan to provide some incentive to developers to do more with existing blighted/abandoned properties?

COJ: The reality is that the current national development trend is not for single-family development; rather, it is for apartments. The current demand for housing shows that there significant shortage in the area nationally. Developers are responding to that--after all, they're in it for profit, not necessarily community development. On the other hand, the Municipality is doing other things to help with blighted properties--we have, through grant programs, put hundreds of thousands in improving blighted properties all over Norristown. Also, our New Horizons Collaborative project is targeting blighted and distressed neighborhoods in Norristown.
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Nick Graff: Any new updates on public pool being available this summer and any upgrades to the parks in the area for Spring and Summer?

COJ: The Municipality does not have any control over what's happening with the Carver pool; however, we have been assisting them as we can in trying to resolve the pool issue--their board is in the drivers seat on that. As I mentioned earlier, we are looking at alternative ways we can impact youth activities through beefing up our recreation activities. We've had a one-man operation in the Rec department for 3 decades, we've got some catching up to do and things are underway.
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Linda Thomas Smith: What is being done to reduce property tax?

COJ: Good question! Development is going to reduce property tax, by bringing in businesses that help share the load. That's a really exciting opportunity coming from the Lafayette Street project. Also, we're doing business smarter in order to reduce government spending--$100K reduction in phone expenses, effective reduction in staff to eliminate waste; restructuring to do the same; your trash bills will be coming down.
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Linda Thomas Smith: What is being done about quality of life issues, i,e absentee landlords, late noisy late night basketball games (not really a problem in this cold weather, but a regular occurrence in the warmer weather), trash/litter, over crowded rental properties, etc.

CJ: Great question. We created the New Horizons Collaborative (info on my page of the website) to deal with quality of life issues. it's modeled after the Philly Rising Collaborative. Staff and I are currently working on several quality of life issues, which include an upcoming series of meeting with landlords and their reps on their responsibilities, tenants rights and responsibilities and our "new normal" in how we are holding everyone accountable for quality of life issues. A big quality of life change is our new trash contract--we're moving to 64 gallon rollers for trash and recycling. Also, our new policing strategy in Norristown is exceptional. You should come to the next public Police COMPSTAT meeting to listen, ask questions and get a picture of how we're policing in a positive way that directly impacts quality of life in Norristown. By the way, crime is Norristown is down 23% from 2013.
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Donna Malin:  Do you think there will ever be an affordable gym in Norristown?

CJ: Over the last year, Development staff actually spent time working on attracting a major gym to the downtown. At the time our demographic/economic profile wasn't as attractive as it needed to be. I think the Lafayette Street project is a game changer, so there is the possibility that it can happen--in a variety of ways
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Elena Santangelo: Any thoughts on how Council & municipal government can help to improve the appearance of Main St, to help attract visitors to our restaurants downtown?

CJ: We're doing several things on main already. Police walking beats; a new lighting improvement project is underway to brighten main street and West Marshall Street at night; we're partnering with the Elmwood Park Zoo with putting up attractive banners about the giraffe season there and are seeking other partners who want to likewise put skin in the game; working on night market and food truck activities for downtown; we've already invested millions in streetscape improvements. With our new trash and recycling program, we're going to be much more aggressive about businesses providing for residential and commercial trash collection downtown in order to keep our downtown and Marshall Street clean.

Council Agenda for February 3rd

Before I get into the agenda, let me remind you that this is the day Norristown's own Nora the Groundhog will make her long-range weather prediction about the rest of the winter. I'm betting (and hoping) she doesn't see her shadow.

This week's council meeting is Tuesday at 7:30 pm at Municipal Hall. Believe it or not, the agenda is up on the Norristown.org website today. You can read it at this link.

The meeting tomorrow night will include a presentation by Expressive Path, a non-profit in Montgomery County that helps adolescents, who may otherwise not have the opportunity, to participate in the arts. Their instructors provide lessons, workshops, art lectures, and career guidance at local recreation centers, schools, alternative programs, youth shelters, and churches.

There will also be a public hearing on the new zoning amendment for the OR District, the block taken up currently by Montgomery Hospital and the medical building and parking garage across from it. After the hearing, council will vote on the amendment, so if you have something to say, this is your chance. It would help if the Municipality had put the proposed code online somewhere so people could read it before the meeting.

The next item merely says "Grant Application – PLCB  Reducing Underage and Dangerous Drinking Program." PLCB is the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board, and this is their grant program. The agenda doesn't say who exactly is applying for the grant--I assume the municipality--or what it would be used for.

Next item: "Motion to approve Resolution 15-108 – destruction of specific obsolete records." Without knowing exactly what or how many records are involved, I don't see how anyone is supposed to make an intelligent comment during the Public Comment period, which as always, comes BEFORE the business part of the meeting. Most of you know I'm a historian, so the destruction of records concerns me, even if they seem to be of no use to the current administration. I agree that we shouldn't be keeping mounds of old papers around, but in these days of easy scanning and digitalizing, there ought to be a way to keep at least a sampling of the records. I also think the public should know the nature of the records before the vote is taken.

Under Finance, there's a "Motion to approve Resolution 15-109 --consolidated fee resolution." No explanation. Again, no way to make an educated Public Comment beforehand.
The few other items on the agenda are for things like a trailer that Montgomery County wants to donate to the borough and HARB certificates.

Happy Groundhog's Day.

This Week's Zoning Agenda

There's a Zoning hearing tomorrow night (Tuesday). Here's the gist of the agenda.

The first item is 1240 West Main (between Selma and Hartranft), what many of us know as the twin to the Gresh Mansion down the street. It was built by the brewer Adam Scheidt in 1890 and he purposefully copied the Gresh place in design. The house is one of Norristown's nicest pieces of architecture, built of Valley Forge marble.

Eadeh Enterprises now owns it and rents out 10 apartments inside--3 2-bedroom and 7 1-bedroom--plus 2800 square feet of office space. Eadeh is seeking a variance to continue 9 apartments and add 2 classrooms and an office to be used for the Headstart Program. Eadeh only own 3 properties in Norristown, one of which is the Tennis Club at 1529 Dekalb.

Item 2 is 1334 Powell, which is the Montgomery Hospital Parking Garage, owned by Einstein. New Cingular Wireless wants more antennas on top of the garage, so they're seeking a variance  to allow for a permanent facility that would consist of 12 panel style antennas. They're also proposing a screening structure that would match the existing building, which is the first sensible thing I've heard regarding the antennas. The height of the proposed antennas would be 90 feet and the top height of the screening structure would be 91 feet. I'm assuming that means from the ground, not from the top of the garage.

Once the hospital building comes down, this structure will tower over the landscape. We ought to make sure it looks decent.

If you want to protest or support or comment in any way about these projects, go to the Zoning Hearing at 7 pm tomorrow night at Municipal Hall.

Friday's Chat with Crandall

Today I'm going to post the gist of the live chat session with municipal administrator Crandall Jones that took place Friday morning, for those of you who missed it. Mostly, I'll just quote what's there (you can read it firsthand at this link), but I'll also try to clean it up a bit so it's more understandable. There was confusion at first as to where the chat would take place, so the Municipality posted questions from the event page, not always saying who asked them, plus some of the answers aren't for the questions listed above them, so I'll try to make that clearer here.

Also, questions are not necessarily in the order they were asked or answered. Facebook uses an algorithm to put comments in an order it thinks is most meaningful for each user (it never is meaningful, but they do it anyway). So if you go the page to read the original transcript, it will be in a different order on your screen than it appears on mine.

First, Crandall answered a question from Grace Williams about how our tax money is allocated.

Crandall: Good morning and great first question. The great majority of tax dollars are spent on service delivery--Police, Fire and Public Works (streets, parks, etc) are the largest departments. You are correct in noting that you can't find it on our website. We're working on doing a better job with that.

Shae Ashe: Why hasn't there been any additional discussions on paving roads in Norristown since May's workshop? Specifically 1000 of Oak.

Crandall: Actually, there has been more discussion. We put the street paving project out to bid and just last month the Municipal Council approved a $600K paving project that includes East and West Oak. The program will be posted on the website and work actually begins in the next 2 weeks.

Grace Williams:  Along the lines of Shae Ashe's question, will there be more focus on getting last winters pot holes properly repaired before the coming winter weather.... Is it there a plan in place or do pot holes get addressed as reported or put on a list? If there is a plan great, if not then asking residents for input would be helpful. I saw an answer to Shae's question but that doesn't address ongoing maintenance, just a one time repaving project.

Crandall: There is a great deal of reprogramming going on right now in terms of how we handle pothole repair. Council has been very focused on this issue and we are working to improve the process.

Nick Graff: What is the status of all the construction going on on Markley, is it still on schedule, behind? When should it be all done?

Crandall: Markley Street is actually a bit ahead of schedule. The next phase will start early next year and the project should be completed around the end of 2016.

Unknown: Hello. I live in a twin on Swede St which shares a walkway with a rental home. The landlord refuses to put a fence at the rear of his property. Therefore anyone can walk through and leave trash, cigarette butts and beer bottles that I am constantly cleaning up. This is a MAJOR SAFETY CONCERN for me. What can I do?

Nick Graff: Just report them to code enforcement. And I agree, rental houses are getting worse in Norristown, these landlords will let ANYONE use their property and be obnoxious.

Crandall: Correct on Code Enforcement 610-292-8096. We're reaching out to landlords directly to deal with Code issues, both through our New Horizons Collaborative and in how we are revising our Code Department business model.

Grace: When I was working part time I was able to better keep up with the website and other concerned citizens (Elena Santangelo's blog, Norristown Nudge), but one thing I noticed early on is that the Council meeting agendas are rarely posted in a timely manner and if a topic is coming up that impacts my family I would like some time to talk it through with my husband and communicate our perspective to our Council People. Any possibilities to better this process?

Crandall: Yes. I actually thought we had resolved this. I promise we'll do better at getting this done.

Elena Santangelo: With recent developments in the last months, has there been any discussion on how the municipality might identify rental properties where the landlords are not licensed? Seems to me we might be missing out on a lot of revenue, plus having unknown codes violations/hazards to neighborhoods.

Crandall: Yes--one of the things I saw was a bit of "bunkerism" among our team in dealing with property issues--we're actively attacking that mindset and there's now a great deal more of a team approach among various departments in dealing with property issues--both rental and non-rental.

Grace: ...about demolition of Montgomery Hospital...This is not only in my neighborhood, I use that bus stop every morning. While I'm disappointed enough that Norristown as a Municipality took the "it's their property they can do what they want stance" on allowing them to knock it down without a proper development plan & funding in place, we're here now. What does this timeline look like and how will it impact me as a neighbor and also a SEPTA commuter?

Crandall: The timeline is pretty fluid right now. They're in the hazardous material abatement and demolition permitting phase. From our discussions, they are anxious to move forward with demolition as soon as possible. The Municipality always requires that the developer coordinate with SEPTA to insure the least possible adverse impact to riders

Grace: Follow up to that, what expectations have been set to avoid all that goes along with a vacant lot, especially one of that size. The look will do nothing for my neighborhood, but more importantly will the property owner be held accountable for security maintenance, pest control issues that could arise?

Crandall: The Municipal Council, especially Council Member Christian, has been very pointed about making sure that the vacant lot does not become an eyesore. She has named a representative committee of citizens from the neighborhood who continue to meet with Einstein representatives and staff about the intermediate and long-range plans for the site to make sure they are in line with community expectations. Yes, the property owner will be held accountable.

Nick Graff: Is Norristown going to improve on investing in parks and recreation programs, ie. the park could use some refurbishing, having a public pool open in the summer. I see all these other towns with these amazing recreation centers, I go there instead of taking my kids keeping them on their home town.

Grace: Considering what a draw Elmwood Park Zoo is, phenomenal question...the park is just so drab & ill-maintained.

Elena: Would also like to see work on Riverfront and other parks. The Dragon Boat Club is doing improvements to Riverfront at their own expense. Can the town at least spring for some trash cans there?

Crandall: Love this topic! There is lots of discussion going on among Council and staff about parks and recreation in Norristown--even discussion about how to develop a community center. We all know that will take money. We're doing some of the "not so sexy" background work--getting our financial house in order is the first order of business. We are in discussions with multiple potential partners in trying to make something happen. Recreation is now a direct report to me instead of Public Works, because I know it is so essential to quality of life.

Kathy Walsh: When is the new development to start at the old Kennedy Kendrick School ?

Crandall: Hopefully early in 2015. Our development team and I met with them earlier this week--the project is still moving forward--the banking regulatory environment today is really slowing the process

Kathy: Why not partner with Habitat for Humanity?

Crandall: We are partnering with Habitat. Council gave them money a few months back for the Cherry Street project and many of our departmental staff (Planning & Development, Public Works) are working with them routinely.

Tom McGlynn: Many people who work can't come to this meeting. many people who don't work don't use Facebook. can we have a more accessible alternative? Thank you for your time and initiative.

Crandall: Absolutely! The first one will be sometime early November--we'll let you know. Council Members Caldwell and Christian are planning it for the entire Council.

Crandall: Everyone--thanks so much for your interest and participation in this first chat--way better than I expected! You all rock for taking the time to join me.. Have a great weekend!
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That's the gist of it. Facebook, because of their algorithms and because you have to keep refreshing the screen to see new comments and answers, was in my opinion, a really poor choice for this kind of online chat. A Google Hangout or something of the sort might be a better venue if the Municipality considers doing this again. Crandall's last answer refers to a Town Hall meeting being planned by Council for next month, so watch out for news of it.

I do appreciate Crandall taking the time to meet with us, though. Thanks, Crandall, for doing your best to answer our questions despite the confusion.

Update on Montgomery Hospital Demolition/Development

This is my week for meetings. Last night's was for the zoning committee for the development that's to take place at the site of Montgomery Hospital.

I think I mentioned that the zoning codes have to be changed for that block. Right now it's zoned for a hospital and nothing else. The developer wanted to to write up his own zoning changes and just hand them in to be approved, but our Planning Department is doing the right thing and making it a public process, with input from neighbors-especially those right across Locust Street--and from County Planners and the developers.

I use the plural because representatives showed up from Einstein last night. Einstein said over and over in the meetings about the fate of the hospital that as soon as the hospital was demolished, they'd be done with the matter and the developer, Elon company, would take over. So I'm not sure why they should have a say in the wording of the zoning.

But it turned out to be a good thing they came because even before the final permit has been issued for demolition, there are already glitches in the process. The infamous 6 foot fence was constructed this week around the property (it is, essentially, there for insurance purposes. Not sure why it took so long to be approved). The bus stop shelter is now completely fenced in. Brilliant.

Notices about the demolition schedule had been placed on the building. With the fence up, the notices can't be read except with a good pair of binoculars. The residents asked that the schedules be laminated and attached to the fence.

This past week, a couple of thuggish gentlemen showed up at Locust Street neighbors' doors, saying the residents had to let them in so they could take photos inside the houses before demolition. There was no notice sent out beforehand. It sounded like a scam, so many of the residents said no. To that response, everyone said the men freaked out and demanded to be let in, making themselves even less welcome on the block. Supposedly, the demolition firm hired these fellows to take photos of existing cracks inside and outside the neighbors homes so that the homeowners can't later claim the cracks were caused by the vibrations of the demolition. Einstein knew nothing about it, so it still might be a scam. Even so, if you live within a block of the hospital, you'd do better to take your own photos or schedule an independent home inspection. You aren't obligated to let representatives of the demolition company in.

But back to the new zoning. The changes specify that the site be used for senior housing and a small adult day-care center, or single family housing, or professional/medical offices. If the developer chooses to do so, they can put small retail like restaurants, banks, or personal service shops (think barber) on the first floor of the buildings, but the buildings can't exceed 4 stories. There has to be a minimum 25% public open space, which must be landscaped for passive recreation and can include walking paths, benches, etc. Shade trees should line the streets (which would also help with stormwater runoff). There was more--parking requirements, etc.--but it sounds like a plan that could be a benefit to Norristown and the neighborhood.

Next the developer (Elon, I assume, unless Einstein has a say for some reason) will look through the document and say what they can't live with. Then, I also assume, we'll have another meeting and I'll report back.

Requiem for a Hospital

You might remember, the last time I blogged about Montgomery Hospital, I reported that Einstein plan to demolish the buildings had triggered a PA Section 106 Project Review. A review like this is held anytime someone plans to demolish a property supposedly protected under the PA History Code and/or National Historic Preservation Act. You can read about the review on the PA Historic and Museum Commission's site.

Triggering this type of review, though, doesn't  mean the buildings can't be demolished. All it means is that the state takes a look at the individual case to determine what's legal. The law states that no federal or state money can be used in a project that has an adverse effect on an historic property. That's the main thing.

The 106 Review for Montgomery Hospital was held 2 weeks ago. It's a fact that Elon will be asking for tax credits, and will therefore be using public money, and that they're the ones asking for Einstein to level the site for their project. It's also a fact that Einstein and Elon keep referring to their arrangement as a partnership--Elon will be responsible for a quarter of the demo costs. However, at the review meeting, Einstein stated that they intended to demolish the buildings regardless whether or not Elon receives funding. The state essentially decided that the demolition and the development were two different projects, and since the demolition uses no public funds, they decided that Einstein could legally level the site.

Einstein got their way, as usual. Montgomery Hospital will come down.

Let's take one last look at what Einstein has said in the last 5 years or so. I'm only repeating what I, in person, heard their representatives say at town meetings. First they said they weren't taking the hospital out of Norristown. Then, when they announced the building of their new place in East Norriton (which the loss of hundreds of jobs here), they said they planned to keep Montgomery open as a clinic for emergency medical care, with the rest of the building used for other medical purposes. Well, THAT didn't happen, and our community's close access to emergency care went away when the hospital closed.

They really did take a community survey about what we thought the hospital buildings should be used for. I answered the survey myself. And they did have one developer, Mission First, come in to do the conversion to senior apartments. But the process seems to have been a closed one--no open town meetings as they had these last months with Elon. We had no input. Possibly if we had, especially the Norristown Preservation Society, we could have helped make those plans work.

Next we heard that Einstein planned to demolish the site. At the last 2 town meetings with them, the community expressed concern that, if Elon couldn't get funding, we'd be left with a vacant lot. Einstein assured us, more than once, that they were partnering with Elon and that they were committed to making sure the site was developed and not vacant. Now they tell the State Review that they intend to level the site no matter what.

I heard it said last week that Einstein took heroic measures to try to preserve the hospital. Heroic is not the word I'd use for people who lie at every turn and who obviously don't care about us. We didn't just lose a pile of pretty Art Deco bricks out of this deal, we lost our largest employer, and close access to emergency care. Lots of our citizens can't afford the $1500+ for Plymouth Ambulance and many don't have a car. NOTHING Einstein has done since buying Montgomery has been in Norristown's best interest.

And what of Elon and their development? Last week, John Cover of Montgomery County Planning explained the zoning for that district to a group of residents living near the hospital. What Elon has proposed so far isn't allowed in the existing OR the proposed code. They can and should make modifications to their plans before submitting it. And if we want quality senior housing on that site--housing that fits in with the neighborhood, doesn't lower the property values, and is an asset to the community--we need to make sure we show up en masse at zoning and planning meetings and INSIST that the code be followed. Remember, they'll be using our tax money to build. We get a say.

That is, of course, assuming Elon gets funding and development takes place at all. Otherwise, another vacant lot for Norristown.

In the meantime, for at least the next year, the demolition will take place..

Antennas and the Upcoming Primary

Two short news items today, one from the past, one for the future.

CELL PHONE ANTENNAS

Remember the cellular antennas that Cingular and T-Mobile are moving off the hospital roof? The Times Herald reported that there was a Zoning Board meeting about it on April 10. Since this was a Thursday, it wasn't a normally scheduled meeting. It was never listed on the town calendar. I suppose it might have been advertized in the paper, but I'm guessing most residents never knew it took place.

The result of that meeting is that, thankfully, the 84-foot cell tower on wheels was denied. However, all the antennas will now be placed on the elevator penthouse of the parking garage. This tower is supposed to be less than 15 feet above the roof of the elevator. This is only a temporary location, approved for 9 months. Still, if Einstein and Elon are allowed to go through with their demolition of the hospital, I'm not sure where those antenna would be placed permanently. I should note that, according to the codes department, there's been no application yet for a demolition permit.

PRIMARY ELECTION

The primary election is Tuesday, May 20th. Put it on your calendar and plan to vote because this is an EXTREMELY important election. We'll be voting for candidates for governor, lieutenant governor, US congressional representative, and state legislature. Except for the latter, there's more than one choice on both the Democratic and Republican tickets. (You can view a sample ballot at http://www.smartvoter.org/ - just put in your address and zip.)

We're in District 13-the epitome of gerrymandering.

It's likely, especially in the US Congress race, that the person you vote for in the primary will end up representing us. So don't stay home, and don't simply go into the voting booth and play eeny-meeny-miny-moe. Don't rely on flyers you get from candidates or TV ads. Do your homework. Check candidates' websites and articles from reliable news sources--find out where everyone stands on the issues. I'll report whatever I can find out.

For governor, there are 2 Republicans running: Tom Corbett and Robert Guzzardi. On the Democratic ballot, you have 4 choices: Robert McCord, Katie McGinty, Allyson Schwartz, and Tom Wolf. Frankly, all I know at the moment is that Corbett has taken education funding away, as well as state funds for things like libraries, and he's given money our schools desperately need to the fracking industry. He's also refused to allow state health insurance exchanges or expanded Medicaid in the state. We have so many low income families and self-employed individuals in Norristown, many of whom don't qualify for Medicaid under the current guidelines, yet they're now required to buy health insurance. They end up paying more than they can afford in premiums. So my take is, for the good of Norristown, we need a new governor. As for where the other candidates stand, I'll let you know what I uncover.
 

Candidates for PA's 13th

Yesterday I had the chance to meet 2 of the candidates running for our congressional rep--Daylin Leach and Val Arkoosh. I asked both of them what they'd do to help Norristown if they were elected. I'm not going to tell you their answers yet. I'm going to wait and see if I can get replies from the other candidates first. On the Democratic side, Brendan Boyle and Marjorie Margolies are also on the ballot. Beverly Plosa-Bowser and Carson Dee Adcock are running as Republicans. I've heard that there have been some debates, though apparently none around here.

Perhaps one or more of our organizations would sponsor a debate at one of our theaters? It might be telling just to see who'd be willing to come to Norristown.

As I hear of candidate appearances or debates, I'll list them here on the Diary, so you can go meet these candidates and question them yourselves. The only one I know of right now is a Meet-And-Greet for Daylin Leach at a private home in Bluebell on May 4th from 3 to 4:30 pm. If you want to go, call Beverly at 610-275-7665 for directions.

Zoning Variances for Giants

The monthly Zoning Board Hearing is scheduled for tonight at 7 pm in Municipal Hall (assuming it's not postponed due to snow). What makes this hearing interesting is that both agenda items are concerned with the cell phone and communications antennas and satellite dishes currently atop Montgomery Hospital.

1. Cingular Wireless is seeking 2 sets of variances: one to install "a temporary telecommunications tower on wheels that is 84' high with three (3) antennas and a microwave dish, temporary fencing, in the hospital parking lot located at the corner of Powell and East Fornance...."  The second is to "have a ballast mount on the rooftop of the medical office building at 1330 Powell" that will be "less than 15' above the existing rooftop" to mount 2 microwave dishes, each 2-foot in diameter.

This is a continuance from January, when Cingular announced that Einstein was kicking their equipment off the hospital roof so the building could be demolished. They added the 2nd variance since then. It was supposed to be an "either/or" addition, but you can see it isn't--the variances are for different equipment.

To give you an idea how high 84 feet is, in the photo above, it would be higher than the trees. Completely inappropriate in a residential neighborhood.

The request begs the question, how temporary do they mean? If the hospital does come down, don't the antennas have to go elsewhere anyway? Why not find a new home for them now? How about atop the Human Resources Center at Dekalb and Fornance? That's higher and zoned differently.

2. T-Mobile Northeast is also seeking a variance to mount 6 antennas on the medical building at 1330 Powell. Their mount would have a top height of 106 feet, 6 inches! More than 20 feet higher than Cingular's proposed tower. The red line on the photo of 1st Presbyterian's steeple (the highest point on our skyline) shows about where the 100 foot mark is. Look at how much higher that is than even the church roof. Our usual 3 story houses are less than half that height.

Again, why not put them on the Human Resources Center building, or some place more appropriate?

Or Einstein could halt their insane plan of demolishing the hospital and the antennas could stay put, which would make more sense.

So come to the Zoning Board Hearing tonight and hear all about it. If you live in that neighborhood, especially, you should come and voice your opinion. You were concerned about property values at last Thursday's meeting. I can't imagine that these cell towers in your collective front yard will help the value of your homes.

Our Latest, Greatest Slumlord

As promised, here's the report on last week's Town Hall with Einstein and Elon. First, I want to say how proud I was of the Norristown residents who came to the meeting. The thirty or so in attendance had varying opinions as to the fate of the hospital buildings, but their questions and comments were well thought out and intelligent. The meeting was exactly what Town Hall SHOULD be -- democracy in action. I wish more meetings in town could be like this, but usually the citizens don't have the information ahead of time to do their homework. In this case, those who attended the first meeting had a month to think about what was said, and it's clear the neighbors from the surrounding block had some discussions as well.

I have to thank Linda Christian, too, for allowing the many opinions to be heard. She began by recognizing a resident from Locust St, across from the back of the hospital. He was in favor of demolition, yet read a long list of hazards that leveling the place could bring, from noise to the effects of masonry dust on lungs, cars and roof paint, to the runoff of dust and debris during storms into the sewers and into Stony Creek. What he wanted as compensation was an exemption from taxes for nearby residents during the months of demolition.

Next Doug Seiler presented a summary of the Norristown Preservation Society's paper that I published on the Diary last Thursday. He showed a plan of the hospital, and photos from other hospital-to-apartment conversions to how the feasibility of renovation, especially if the non-historic building (the Horsey Pavilion) was demolished. He pointed out that renovation could actually be cheaper, given the federal tax credits for historic preservation, and that it could be done in such a way to extend the development plan by only about 6 months. He explained how demolishing a documented historic site causes a denial of federal and possibly state funding for development on that site. He also gave his opinion as an architect that, after examining the buildings from the outside, he saw no cracks or structural defects that supported Einstein's claim at the last meeting that the building was in bad shape and "couldn't be saved." And he pointed out that we should get a say in the demolition and development because our public taxpayer money will be used.

Matt Edmonds in the head of Norristown's Planning Commission. He couldn't be there, but his wife read a letter from him (they live on Locust, a couple blocks from Montgomery). He explained that the process for new development, from Zoning through Planning to Council's approval, would take a year to 18 months, and that Einstein/Elon hadn't yet begun that process. Yet Einstein wanted to begin demolition soon, meaning the building could be leveled long before Elon's plan, or their funding, was approved. Matt advised that demolition NOT begin until Elon had funding, at least, or we could end up with a vacant lot. Though he also said he thought the building should come down because it looked old and dingy.

I got my turn next. I told of my personal history with the hospital, having lived a few blocks away from it for more than 50 years. I told about reading the documentation from the National Park Service and PA Historic & Museum Commission about the site's historic certification and eligibility for the National Register. I also pointed out that if we routinely demolished every building in Norristown that was old and dingy-looking, the Cigar Factory and Scheidt Brewery buildings would never have been renovated. That's what power-washers are for. I said I couldn't understand why Einstein would spend 5 million to demolish the site, after selling the property to Elon for only one dollar, when they could both save money by using the existing structures.

A few other opinions were expressed, in favor of renovation. I got the impression that the majority of those present were in favor, for various reasons: the history of the building, the dangers of demolition, the fact that Norristown's Comprehensive Plan called for renovation of our older architecture, the fact that masonry structures seem safer than 4-story wooden apartment buildings.

Einstein took the floor. They were represented by John Finger, Chief Administrative Officer and Rich Montalbano, VP/Project Executive (who was also at the last meeting). Mr. Finger began by agreeing with my statement that renovation would be cheaper, saying he wishes he COULD renovate, but that the inside of the building was in bad shape. Mr. Montalbano said that they'd placed clear window guards over the 1st and 2nd floor windows, but that someone had broken windows higher than that, causing the cold air to freeze pipes so that they burst and the water shorted out electrical wires. Because of this, they said Einstein had to turn off the water, so that they currently had no sprinkler system, but that they were working with the Fire Chief and HE was telling them what they had to do to remedy the problem.

If Mr. Finger thought this would gain them sympathy, he forgot that he was standing before a roomful of homeowners. They were appalled to hear that Einstein hadn't been taking care of the property, to the point where it created a hazard to the surrounding neighborhood. They remembered Mr. Montalbano saying before that Einstein "wasn't going to spend a penny on a building that's coming down." Several residents mentioned that if any of us did that, the codes department would throw the book at us. They said that Einstein had no business buying a property that it had no intention of maintaining. They insisted that the problems be fixed and the sprinkler system be turned back on.

At some point, while trying to reassure the audience, Mr. Finger said that Einstein had "full-time security" at the site. That raised more questions in my mind. Didn't the guards do rounds of the buildings, looking for security breaches like broken windows? If they did, you think they'd have reported the problem long before the pipes froze. And if there IS full-time security, why aren't they shooing away the skateboarders, who Einstein blames for the cosmetic wall that toppled? The graffiti on the McShea building took more than a few minutes to create--where were the security guards then? What exactly does Einstein mean by "full-time security?" Because they apparently aren't keeping the site very secure.

To top it off, Francis Vargas of Elon held up his drawing of the first building his company intends to put up. It was the same tired drawing he showed us last time, with all the same flaws that would cause nightmares for senior citizens. In the month since the last meeting, no one at Elon took to heart what we'd said and made changes to improve the plan. Audience members who hadn't been at the February meeting immediately saw the flaws and asked, "Why not have a door closer to the street so no one has to walk in the rain? Why isn't there a pickup and dropoff area?" etc. Elon, like Einstein, was obviously not about to spend an extra penny to give Norristown something decent.

Mr. Finger promised to "take a second look at" the idea of renovating the historic building (though he kept ending sentences like that with "but....") One resident wisely asked what "taking a second look" meant exactly. Mr. Finger said he'd meet with Mr. Montalbano and Elon (they were to meet last Friday morning), but he ended that sentence with "but..." as well. In other words, the 2nd look wouldn't be serious.

When Judge Nicholas raised a question, Mr. Finger (exasperated that he couldn't manipulate the audience by this time) said he'd sell anyone the property for a dollar if they thought they could do better than Einstein. Are any developers out there willing to re-use the hospital buildings, assuming Einstein would give you the same deal as Elon (including the removal of asbestos and other materials, and the demolition of the Horsey Pavilion)? I think I can say that the people of Norristown will work with any developer willing to work for us, for the betterment of our community.

What we don't like is having another absentee landlord in town, who doesn't maintain their property, and a developer using taxpayer money to give something we don't want.

One Side of the Issue

I went to last night's Town Hall about Montgomery Hospital and took copious notes, which I'm going to organize over the weekend and report on Monday. This morning and tomorrow I have to be in Haverford early, doing mystery author things, so to make my life easier today, I got hold of the document that Doug Seiler read from last night at the meeting, which was prepared by the Norristown Preservation Society. It's long, but it's comprehensive and should answer almost everyone's questions. For my part, I think NPS's vision for the Montgomery Hospital site makes much more sense than Einstein/Elon's (if you could even call theirs a "vision") and is better for Norristown and the hospital's immediate neighborhood in the long AND short run.

For tomorrow's Diary, I'll try to post that entry later today, or tomorrow afternoon.

Commentary Regarding the Proposed Demolition of the Former Montgomery Hospital

A.  WHY NPS IS AGAINST THE PROJECT CURRENTLY PROPOSED BY EINSTEIN AND ELON:
  1.  Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code support reuse of the facility – not demolition.
  2.  Demolition of a six story concrete building is inherently hazardous and will be disruptive to the community
  3.  Proposed new project out of character
       a.  Building coverage too sparse
       b.  Style of proposed building and its set-backs, are not appropriate for the neighborhood.
       c.  Cell towers proposed across Powell street are too tall
  4.  Proposed new project is not an asset to the community:
      a.  No commercial uses at first floor contributes nothing to the neighborhood
      b.  Too much undifferentiated open space around buildings. How will it be used?
      c.  Minimal parking on site. Long walk for seniors from the garage.
      d.  Phased development and bare-bones approach, is in developer’s interest – not Norristown’s.
  5.  Overall plan may NOT get financing:
      a.  State money is competitive. 
      b. The property is eligible for the National Historic Register and has similar protections under federal and state laws as though it were on the Register. 
      c. The project is an example of “anticipatory demolition”.  This will likely trigger a section 106 review and may also deny the Federal Tax Credit financing.
  6. What’s the Rush?  Once it’s gone, that’s it.
      a.  Norris Theater is a good example.  Old Borough Hall and YWCA are others.
      b.  If financing is not approved, what is plan B?
  7.  Miscommunication about the development appears disingenuous:
      a. Talk of sitting vacant for years is not a valid point.
      b. Talk of building components falling on neighbors is not a valid point.
      c. Talk of biohazards in building making it unusable is not a valid point.
      d.  Statement that it is not historic is false.
      e.  Asbestos is being abated either way, so it’s not a valid issue.
      f.  The claim that it is private property and therefore, "they can do what they want" isn’t a valid point, because:
           i.  The proposal needs zoning relief
          ii.  Public $$ is being used to develop the proposed project.
         iii. The proposal is counter to Norristown’s “Brand” and “Comprehensive Plan”.
         iv.  Einstein has said for years that they will do the right thing.  Council should hold them to their pledge, as it was part of earlier awards of public money  and approvals for constructing the hospital in East Norriton.
      g.  Years of “re-use dialogue” gives impression that this building has sat vacant for years.
      h. The Mission First proposal and pro-forma, was flawed. The floor area was too large for the market, as they were keeping the Horsey Pavilion. The Horsey pavilion doesn’t work for housing and requires a mixed-use approach, such as office or institutional occupants. That fact, combined with Council’s push for the Pennrose project, at DeKalb and Airy, is most-likely why the financing was denied in 2012 – not because of inherent flaws with the notion of reusing the building.

B.    WHY NPS BELIEVES RENOVATING THE EXISTING BUILDING IS IN NORRISTOWN’S BEST INTEREST AND IT IS ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE FOR THE OWNER TO CONSIDER REUSE OVER DEMOLITION:
   1.  The total floor area of all the buildings on the Hospital complex between Fornance, Wood, Powell and Locust Streets is approximately 248,000 sq. feet.  The four-story, Horsey Pavilion, built in 1975, is not a historically “contributing” structure and consists of 65,000 sq. feet.
   2.  If the Horsey Pavilion is demolished and the remaining buildings are renovated to Senior housing, with an adjacent “Life Center” (20,000 sq. feet in old emergency center) and some first floor commercial space (10,000 sq. feet)  the total project area would be 183,000 sq. feet.
   3.  The existing complex has been determined eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places, with the Horsey Pavilion as non-contributing.  If the remaining 183,000 were renovated by Federal preservation standards at $200/sf, for a total project cost of $37m, then the project would receive $7.3m in Federal Historic tax credits.
   4.  By abating the asbestos throughout and only demolishing the Horsey Pavilion,  a significant portion of the $4-$5m of a total demolition cost can be saved.
   5.  Renovating the structures will generate many more local, unskilled and skilled jobs, than will new construction.  This is because preservation projects are more labor intensive than new construction.
   6.  The renovation of the historic structures can be implemented in two, or three, phases.  We estimate the total project mix to be 100 to 115 apartments in the six-story tower and 24 to 27 units in McShae Hall.
   7.  The dimensions of the historic six story tower (50’ wide) and McShae Hall (45’ wide) are very suitable to senior housing apartments.  Examples of other buildings, which were renovated to apartments and having similar building widths, include:  Kennedy Kenrick (65’) and Rittenhouse  School (47’), locally and St. Luke’s Hospital (50’) and Beacon Hospital (47’), nationally. 
   8.  Keeping the historic structure(s) has a style and image that fits the community:
      a. The existing building has a front door on Powell Street, that is easy to find and offers convenient automobile drop-off.
      b. Has some retail/commercial uses on Powell Street to enliven and serve the community.
      c. Is closer to parking spaces in garage, especially since the reuse would most likely keep the bridge to reduce vehicle/pedestrian problems.
      d. Builds on Norristown’s “Brand”, which, as stated in the Comprehensive Plan, is “a community that is diverse, has a unique historic town character, and has great access to the metro area via public transit and the regional highway system.”
      e. The importance and impact of working with historic structures when approaching development in Norristown can’t be understated.  It sends a message that the elected officials understand Norristown’s character and inherent assets and are not just “selling out” to whoever shows up with a proposal.  It also improves the quality of life for the existing residents and sends a message to other people, who may not be familiar with Norristown, that the inherent environmental and psychological values of rehabilitating structurally sound, historic, buildings has value.
   9. The existing building is built of the soundest, most fire-resistant type of construction available.  The proposed buildings are to be four story structures of wood studs and trusses, which is the least fire-resistant type.  There have been several spectacular examples of fires resulting from these types of structures being constructed in close proximity to other structures - as would be the case with Locust and Wood Streets.
  10. If renovated, the historic buildings will provide interesting apartments with a view.  Plus amenities in the building, such as the “Life Center” and retail, with nearby parking.
  11. If renovated, the existing cellular towers can remain on the roof of the existing building, instead of being moved and reconstructed, inappropriately, across Powell street on the much shorter parking garage and medical arts building.

C.  WHAT NPS IS ASKING OUR ELECTED OFFICIALS AND EINSTEIN HEALTHCARE TO DO:
   1.  First of all, to not start the demolition of the hospital complex until after the private and public financing has been approved by PHFA and finalized with the developer’s private-equity sources.
   2.  For Norristown Council and Einstein to honor Norristown Ordinance 125-1 & 2 requiring a 120 day waiting period for the demolition of “key, or landmark” buildings within the borough.
   3.  For local, County, State elected officials and Einstein Healthcare, to recognize that a financially feasible reuse of the existing structure is in the best interest of Norristown.  For those same parties to try and find a way forward that does just that.  In other words, for all concerned to simply “try harder” to save and reuse the historic portions of the complex.
   4.  For local, County and State elected officials to meet with Einstein and develop a financial incentive package, of public/private resources, that can be the basis for a re-bid of the project.  The proposed re-bid would contemplate the demolition of the Horsey Pavilion.
   5.  While the project is being re-bid, for Einstein to abate the asbestos and demolish the Horsey Pavilion, so that when the new project’s funding becomes available, the project is “shovel-ready”.
   6.  As the demolition phase is shorter with a reuse project and as the abatement and the partial demolition may be able to take place while the re-bid and PHFA review is underway, the delay to the overall development may be, at worst, several months.  It certainly won’t be years.

Einstein, Round 2

Here's a reminder about the Town Hall Meeting tonight regarding Montgomery Hospital, at 6 pm in the Community Room of the Human Services Center on Dekalb and Fornance. Yes, it'll probably be raining and you won't feel like going out. It's been more than a month since the last Town Hall, so it's hard even to remember what the controversy was about. And isn't the demolition of Montgomery Hospital a done deal anyway? At least, that's what everyone's saying.

That's what Einstein hopes you'll be thinking.

Let me refresh your memories. At last month's meeting, Einstein (the owner of the property) and Elon (the developer) came in like steamrollers. They said that the hospital buildings weren't historic, and implied that they were structurally unsafe and that the neighborhood was in imminent danger. Besides fear tactics, they sought to disempower opposing opinions by speaking as if the hospital were already leveled and there was no turning back. They kept saying if we don't go along with their plan, we'll be left with a vacant building forever. They also glossed over the real danger to the community--the demolition process--and failed to mention that the new buildings would be made of wood, not masonry.

You all DO understand that these strategies weren't spur of the moment, right? They're pros at this sort of crowd control.

In the month since, the Preservation Society has found documented proof that the buildings are not only on the Pennsylvania Register of Historic Places, but have been declared by the National Park Service as eligible for the National Register. Einstein very likely knew about these documents 2 years ago. Demolishing a historic property like this means the developer can't access federal funding at all, and possibly couldn't get state funding either.

Architects and contractors have looked at the outside walls of the buildings and have found no cracks or other structural defects. A wall did fall down early this year, but it was a cosmetic wall used as a fence behind the Horsey Pavilion. It fell because it had been mostly free standing and not tied into a building the way regular walls are. Also, the Horsey Pavilion was built in 1975, and the construction was not up to the same quality as the older buildings. It's not considered a historical part of the property, therefore it can, and probably should be demolished, leaving more room for on-site parking.

Einstein kept saying the buildings were too many square feet and too wide to be developed. Only the Horsey Pavilion is too wide, and without it, the square footage is comparable to Elon's plans.

But beyond all that, Einstein's and Elon's plans violate Norristown's Comprehensive Plan and Zoning Code. There's nothing in what they have planned that could be considered in Norristown's best interest, which isn't surprising since nothing Einstein has done since buying Montgomery Hospital has been good for our town. They've taken easy access to healthcare out of the heart of our community, along with one of our largest sources of jobs. Now they want to destroy one of our most historic buildings. Does that sound like someone who cares about us?

So put on your raincoat tonight and come out to hear both sides of the issue, and to voice your opinion.

Fighting Fire

Maybe you're tired of hearing me talk about Montgomery Hospital, but I have new info that needs to be disseminated, which I'll get to in a minute. First, I want to say that, to my mind, this is one of the most important fires raging in Norristown at the moment. It must be a fire, because so many of you are running from it, leaving it to someone else to extinguish.

Yesterday someone asked me where they could go to read up on the Montgomery Hospital issue, so I've added "Montgomery Hospital" to my Topics List for this blog. Scroll down the right column to find it. When you click on "Montgomery Hospital," every Diary entry that's dealt with it will come up. Other places for information include The Times Herald archives and the Norristown Preservation Society Facebook page.

On to the new info. New to me anyway. I spent some time reading documents concerned with the historical designation of the hospital property. Two years ago, almost to the day, the National Park Service sent a letter to the developer then working with Einstein to convert the hospital buildings into senior apartments. The letter stated that the hospital property "appears to meet the National Register Criteria for Evaluation and will likely be listed in the National Register of Historical Places." It goes on to list ALL buildings on the property, including McShea Hall and the 1975 Horsey Pavilion.

This is one reason the developer backed out 2 years ago. They couldn't raise the funding to rehab all the buildings. The Horsey Pavilion, because of its wide dimensions, is particularly difficult to convert to apartments. They didn't want to take the time to come up with a more viable plan.

Then I read a recent communication from an official at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, who confirmed that the original application for Historical Register identified the Horsey Pavilion as a "non-contributing component." This official believes that a development plan that included the removal of the Horsey Pavilion "would not jeopardize HR eligibility." So I got my hands on the draft of the application to see for myself. The "H" of the hospital was built in 3 phases, opening in 1939, 1947 and 1958. The laundry building is original, from 1939. McShea Hall was built in 1953 in the Modern Movement style, and since that's fairly rare in Norristown, the structure is also considered significant, but Horsey Pavilion is listed as incidental and can probably go. Had the developer asked that question 2 years ago, we might already have senior apartments in the historic buildings on the site. Without the Horsey Pavilion, a restoration project is VERY viable, and might even be to the advantage of the developer.

At the meeting last Sunday of citizens who are concerned, for various reasons, about the demolition of the hospital, architect Doug Seiler showed several examples of hospitals in New Orleans, Jersey City and Cleveland that have all been converted to apartments. The width of their building wings, along with the widths of Kennedy-Kendrick and Rittenhouse, are all within a range of about 43 to 55 feet. The width of the wings of McShea Hall and the "H" section of Montgomery Hospital is within that range, at about 45 feet--a PERFECT size for apartment conversion. A jobs comparison showed that restoring the hospital will bring more union construction jobs to town, and Doug's cost comparison showed that, with federal tax credits gained from NOT demolishing historic buildings, the costs of each plan aren't that far apart--they might even be about the same--and restoring the buildings would be much safer for the neighborhood.

One more important item. A part of Norristown's code (section 125-2) states:

"If the building is identified as a key or landmark building or is located in an historic district, the Building Inspector shall, within three days, notify the applicant, in writing, of this finding. No demolition permit, exterior or interior, may be issued. There shall be a review period for key or landmark structures of 120 days. The review period for buildings located in historic districts shall be 45 days."

So, if Norristown follows its own laws, no demolition can take place on the property without a 120 day review. Yet Einstein, at the Town Hall meeting, claimed they would begin interior demolition on March 1st. Was a demolition permit requested and issued? If so, why wasn't the law followed?

Rich Montalbano of Einstein also stated at the same meeting that the buildings weren't historic, yet one would think, since he's been in charge of the redevelopment side of the property, that he'd have been aware of the National Park Service letter that his developer received 2 years ago.

That's the latest. I'll update as I get new information. In the meantime, if you're not busy running from this fire, please remind  your council members about ordinance 125-2 and ask them to follow it until the mess gets sorted out.

Council: Ask For Inspection of Montgomery Hospital

Aerial view of the hospital with historic part circled. 

Last week, I was contacted after my Diary post on Wednesday ("Too Much Arrogance...") by an independent contractor who volunteered his services to give Montgomery Hospital a FREE inspection, to determine its structural integrity and see if it really is as dangerous as Einstein keeps claiming. I passed the contractor's information on to the Preservation Society, and would be delighted to pass it on to Council as well.

I think, before the municipality issues a demolition permit, Council NEEDS to have the building inspected, for several reasons. ONE, as I've said before, the building is eligible for the National Register of Historical Places. This is something the Preservation Society has, in writing, from the Pennsylvania Historical Museum Commission. Eligibility affords the same protection that being fully registered does. When anyone knocks down a historic building, certified by PHMC, they can't get federal funding for development on that property. BUT, let me remind you, if the 1930s part of the hospital is renovated, the developer can get 20% federal funding for the project. Real money.

Which brings me to TWO, the developer, Elon/Altman, hasn't been granted funding for their project yet, and knocking down a historic building can put their federal and state funding in jeopardy. If Einstein has their way, they'll demolish the hospital regardless. If Elon can't get funding, they'll back out (remember Logan Square?). We'd be left with a vacant lot, AND the loss of another historic building. The thing is, if Elon reuses the historic part of the property (circled part of the photo above) and demolishes the other buildings, they still have plenty of room to build on Wood Street, or sell that empty lot to another developer. They'd get much more return on their investment (the ONE DOLLAR they paid to Einstein for the lot).

THREE, Norristown's Comprehensive plan specifically calls for the REUSE of certain key buildings in the borough, and this goal is given HIGH priority. Montgomery Hospital heads the list. In fact, the reuse of Montgomery Hospital is already zoned for senior housing, whereas new development on that property is not. Why WOULDN'T Norristown want to keep a certified historic building? Look at the pride we get from successful preservation projects such Rittenhouse, the Scheidt Brewery, the Masonic Hall on West Main, etc. We DON'T get civic pride from hurriedly-planned new development, much of which, in the last few years, has been poorly built (Sandy Hill) or not built at all (Logan Square).

FOUR, the demolition of a 6-story masonry building is MUCH more dangerous to the surrounding community than restoration. Asbestos removal has to be done either way.

FIVE, renovating Montgomery Hospital would create more construction jobs than the proposed demo plus throwing up 3 buildings in a hurry (assuming that project happens at all). Restoration ALWAYS creates more jobs. 

Given all these reasons, I think Council needs to answer to the taxpayers if they DON'T request an inspection of the historic structure before Einstein begins demolition next month. They need to explain why they want to get rid of a historic building, why they want to put the neighborhood in jeopardy from demolition, why they're going against the Comprehensive Plan, why they don't want extra jobs in town, and why they're willing to bet all this against Elon's proposed project before any funding has been approved.

Too Much Arrogance In One Place

At the Town Hall Meeting last night in the 3rd District, Einstein and Elon/Altman used the same tactics employed by some of our most notorious members of Congress: fear and disempowerment.

The accomplished the latter by speaking as if their whole demolish-the-hospital/build-new-housing plan were already finalized, funded, approved by Zoning, Planning and Council, and loved and applauded by the community. They said they're going to start internal demolition of the historic building March 1st, BEFORE any of the approvals have even been sought, and long before Elon knows if it can get funding. In fact, Elon won't even know if they can get funding before the whole block's been completely leveled. Einstein said they tried and tried to find an economic solution that would allow them to leave the 1934 structure standing, but that it wasn't financially feasible. And yet, they and Elon are spending 4 million on demolition.

They SAID they wanted community input last night, but in reality, they didn't want to hear criticism. They didn't want to compromise. They wouldn't bend at all. They don't want ANYONE in Norristown to feel they have any power to fight against them. They were arrogant and treated residents like children. "Don't worry, little ones. Papa Einstein and Papa Elon knows what's best for you."

And to make sure they got their way, they used fear tactics. They had half the residents in that room last night believing that the hospital building could fall down at any second. They painted themselves as the good guys, removing an imminent danger from the community. But they presented no proof of structural problems.

On the positive side, the only person who got any applause last night was Doug Seiler, a restoration architect who has his business in Norristown. He had in hand documents from the state showing that Montgomery Hospital is considered a historic building and is a candidate for the National Register of Historic Places. He pointed out that because of this, Elon would be eligible for up to 20% in Federal funding if they restored the 1934 building instead of demolishing it. Doug believes the 1934 structure to be sound and able to be repurposed.

When Einstein and Elon said the building was too big to be economically feasible, Doug pointed out that the 1934 structure by itself was about 120,000 square feet and that their plans for new housing was about the same. The rest of the buildings and additions on the property (the ones that really may be a danger, like McShea Hall) could be removed.

Let's look at Elon's plan. They propose 2 L-shaped, 4-story, apartment buildings of 50 units each (almost all one bedroom), with entrances in the bend of each L. A 3rd building on the corner of Fornance and Powell would be a "Community Life Center" which would hold adult day care, shuttles that could take residents to shopping centers, and "other amentities" that were never defined. The Life Center would have a parking lot for 32 cars, plus there'd be another lot for 19 cars where the McShea lot is now. Other parking would be available in the parking garage. Elon said seniors tended not to drive anyway. (My dad drove until he was 80 years old, then still refused to sell his car.)

Elon says these apartments are being built with seniors in mind, but really, they reminded me more of the dorm where I lived in college. Imagine being a single woman in her 70s, having to come home on a rainy night, parking in a lonely garage, taking the elevator down to street level (they're demolishing the bridge), crossing Powell in the middle of the block in the dark, then having to walk another half block just to get in the entrance of her apartment building. (Really Elon? You couldn't put entrances right off the sidewalk on Powell?)  Then after taking an elevator to her floor, perhaps having to walk the equivalent of another half block if her apartment is at the end of the hall. There are back entrances to the buildings, but no place a friend or relative could pick up a resident without blocking the drive or having the senior walk to the car under a roof like they can at Rittenhouse.

One woman in the audience last night asked why the community center wasn't between the two apartment buildings, where the residents could have easy access to it. The answer was, essentially, "We know what we're doing and you don't."

Elon said they designed "independent living" housing for seniors so they can stay in their homes longer (meaning, I suppose, in one of Elon's apartments instead of going into a nursing facility). They said that 62 year-olds are pretty active, so their design was good. They seemed to have no idea that 62 year-olds eventually age into their 70s and beyond and will use canes and walkers. They had no notion that nearly all 62 year-olds these days drive cars, yet many, woman especially, feel vulnerable enough because of their age that they don't want to walk long distances in the dark. They had no notion that many seniors won't leave a beloved home to move to an apartment unless they're having physical problems.

Moreover, Elon says they're building in phases, putting up an apartment building at Powell and Wood first (assuming they can get funding). There won't be a Life Center with a shuttle or "amenities" for those residents. If residents don't drive, the only retail nearby is LeCons Pharmacy. No sandwich shops, no groceries, nothing. This isn't independent living. Depending on funding, they may build the 2nd apartment building next, then the Life Center. Or if the first is a bust, the others may never be built at all. For that matter, they may not get funding for the first. It'll be Logan Square all over again, minus a historic building we could have saved.

But I suspect fear and disempowerment will win out, as they usually do. Residents will be too scared of an empty building, and feel too helpless to do urge their lawmakers to find a better solution. I only ask Council to, please, do what you can to stop Einstein/Elon from demolishing the 1934 structure until Elon's funding is assured.

I can tell you for sure, I won't be trusting Elon/Altman Group as landlords when and if I ever need a senior apartment. And if I ever pass out in your presence and you feel the need to call me an ambulance, tell them to take me to Mercy instead of Einstein.

Two Meetings: Two Bad Development Deals

Two meetings tonight, both dealing with bad development decisions for Norristown. So go stock up on storm supplies early or let that wait until tomorrow. Pick a meeting and go to it. It's important.

At 6 pm, in the Community Room of the Human Resources Building at Dekalb and Fornance, Linda Christian is holding a 3rd District Town Hall Meeting where representatives from Einstein will present their plan to demolish Montgomery Hospital, despite the fact that the building is a candidate for the National Register of Historic Places. Bad enough Einstein left us without a major medical facility in Norristown, and took a lot of doctor's offices with them, limiting many residents physical access to healthcare. Bad enough they took a load of jobs and businesses out of our community. Now they want to demolish the hospital building, too, which is an architectural asset to the town.

The demolition will cause other headaches as well, like the proposals of Cingular and T-Mobile to place cell towers at the corner of Fornance and Powell, and on the roof of the parking garage.  Not to mention the mess in the neighborhood during demolition. The demolition seems to be planned to occur before the new development of senior housing has even been proposed before Planning, so if for some reason Altman Group doesn't get funding or backs out for any other reason (how many times has THAT happened in town?), we'll end up with another huge vacant lot.

So you can come protest the demolition of the hospital. Or if you'd prefer, go to the Planning meeting at 7 pm at Municipal Hall. Remember the development at 1202 Dekalb? A proposed 24 units on a mere two-thirds of an acre? If you don't remember the season finale of this development's appearances before Planning and Council last October, you can refresh your memory by glancing over the Diary entry "Development, with Generous Donations from People Like You," from October 2, 2013.

In it, developer Sarah Peck told Council that she could reduce the density of her development to 18 units and change the driveway to make a better parking/traffic flow on Basin Street if she could only raise another $200,000. Council proposed giving her $150,000 of our tax money to her if she could raise the other $50,000.

Sensible people in town thought, instead of this elaborate extortion racket, that Peck ought to build one 6-unit building at a time, and sell those units first, to finance the rest of the construction. But sensible people are rarely listened to in Norristown where development is concerned.

Anyway, Sarh Peck comes up before Planning tonight with her Final Land Development plan for 1202 Dekalb. The agenda states that she's seeking "approval to construct three structures with eight dwellings in each for a total of 24 dwelling units."

So what happened to her plan to reduce density? Her website still shows the original plans with the original bad parking configuration. More importantly, what happened to our $150,000? Was she unable to raise the rest of it and therefore we get to keep our money? Or did she somehow finagle the funds out of Council, yet still intends to build the full, overcrowded mess?

I'd be interested to learn, but with 2 meetings only an hour apart, I doubt I'll make it to both.