Scott (left) and Guy Orens talk to the Spruce Hill Zoning Committee on Wednesday about very rough plans for a residential building on the 4400 block of Chestnut. (Photo by Mike Lyons / West Philly Local)
A local developer gave the Spruce Hill Community Association zoning committee a sneak peak of their plan for a residential complex that would dramatically change the 4400 block of Chestnut Street.
Scott and Guy Orens, owners of Orens Brothers Real Estate, presented a project that was very early in the planning stages to build a five-story, 150-unit on the north side of the 4400 block of Chestnut that require the demolition of some vacant and owner-occupied homes and a warehouse along Ludlow Street.
The two brothers, whose firm has built or renovated several large residential buildings in the city including the once-abandoned Croydon building at 49th and Locust, were not yet seeking any approval for their plan from the committee.
They have already purchased many of the properties that would be required to build the complex, which would be one- and two-bedroom rentals, but public discussions about things like building design, materials and facade appearance have not yet begun.
“We are willing to participate in creating something that you will like,” Scott Orens told the committee.
Scott Orens added that he believed the building would attract young professionals to the neighborhood, not just students. Only about 15 percent of the residents in the Croydon, he said, are students.
“There is a market in this neighborhood for market-rate (apartments) that aren’t for students,” he said.
The project, which would include 50 parking spaces, would also require the demolition of the Orens Brothers current headquarters on Chestnut, the glassy building that also houses Fit Gym, which would be relocated to the new building.
The small mosque currently at 43rd and Ludlow. A proposal would expand it to include the vacant lots to the south. (Image from Google Streetview)
The committee agreed to schedule a meeting in April to discuss the project further. Nearby neighbors will be notified and zoning variances, including one for the height of the building, will likely be on the table.
The zoning committee also considered a proposed addition to the small mosque on S. 43rd Street near Ludlow. The proposal calls for a structure to be built in the currently vacant lots at 20-22 S. 43rd that would house classroom and meeting space for the Baitul Mukarram Masjid, which currently occupies a stand-along three-story home.
Other items included:
• A proposal to convert a large single-family home on the northeast corner of 42nd and Locust to two units. The building served for several years as a group home for women, but was recently sold to a buyer who wants to divide it into two apartments.
• A proposal to convert the four-unit building at 4030 Spruce into a fraternity house. The chapter of Alpha Sigma Pi would accommodate 12 residents in eight bedrooms. One nearby neighbor, who has lived in the neighborhood since 1960, vociferously opposed the plan, saying it would increase the amount of noise and trash near her home.
– Mike Lyons
March 19th, 2015 at 11:05 am
Do you mean the 4400 block of Chestnut? The 4500 block is West Catholic. Either way, it’s too bad they can’t build this project on one of the many vacant or parking lots, rather than a block that actually does have a retail presence, albeit a rundown one.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:07 am
1. Oh crap, they’re tearing down my gym.
2. That’s the 4400 block, not the 4500 block.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:12 am
Yes, sorry, the proposed plan is for the 4400 block of Chestnut.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:15 am
“Scott and Guy Orens, owners of Orens Brothers Real Estate, presented a project that was very early in the planning stages to build a five-story, 150-unit on the north side of the 4400 block of Chestnut that require the demolition of some vacant and owner-occupied homes and a warehouse along Ludlow Street.”
When they say “demolition of owner-occupied homes” is this one of those scenarios where if the owners don’t want to sell or move they can have their property taken away under Kelo? Or are they counting on the current owners to sell to them in order to move forward?
March 19th, 2015 at 11:27 am
Should have researched before asking. Pennsylvania passed legislation that restricts the use of eminent domain for strictly commercial purposes.
March 19th, 2015 at 11:59 am
@wild turkey. Eminent domain although should not be used for commercial purposes, it is happening in the third district. Mantua has fallen victim to this for a developer to come in a build “west view” and a grocery store. Mr Dupree of Dupree studios won his fight against the eminent domain but the home owners did not. I know one woman who is located next to Dupree studios who lost her house to this procedure. She was a single mother who could not afford to hire a legal team to fight for her.
March 19th, 2015 at 12:23 pm
my gym, too. 🙁 The only reason I can myself go is b/c it’s such a short walk. i would think it could be a draw for “… a market in this neighborhood for market-rate (apartments) that aren’t for students.” Let’s hope it’s moved someplace closeby.
March 19th, 2015 at 2:24 pm
Re: gym:
The story reads:
“The project, which would include 50 parking spaces, would also require the demolition of the Orens Brothers current headquarters on Chestnut, the glassy building that also houses Fit Gym, which would be relocated to the new building.”
March 19th, 2015 at 2:41 pm
Thanks, Mike. I read that. The way it affects me though is that demo to fully up is probably a really long time. But it is just a selfish concern.
March 19th, 2015 at 9:02 pm
Oh no, not the gym! In addition to other businesses on this block, the gym is a staple of this neighborhood. There are so many other streets that have vacant properties that do not include small businesses that are up and running successfully. This is extremely disappointing to see.
March 20th, 2015 at 8:03 am
Accd to the developers
The gym would stay in the new building
And the developers are also trying to buy the properties, not seizing them by eminent domain.
March 20th, 2015 at 9:52 am
Yes, I see that the gym would reopen in the new building. However, as a member of the gym, I know that this gym is more than just treadmills or weights in a room. This gym is a community, one which was created organically, not manufactured. There is a difference between having a house and a home, and Fit Gym is a home for so many members of our community.
Fit Gym is a family of all backgrounds, walks of life, and creeds and to take away the gym – if even it gets replaced with a newer facility – will take away what made it so great in the first place.
March 20th, 2015 at 10:17 am
There goes our inexpensive, no frills, good service gym. :< I'm sure they will want a nice shiny gym with towel service, etc for the 'young professionals'.
March 20th, 2015 at 10:24 am
That’s my concern, real46er. If we wanted a health club or fancy fitness center, we wouldn’t be members of Fit. If this does go though, I would imagine that membership prices would increase given an increased rent, inevitably, if the building is going to be brand new. It would be terrible if this happened and drove away the current clientele at the gym. Guess we will see what happens.
March 20th, 2015 at 4:59 pm
According to the gym employee with whom i spoke
construction (other side of the block) should start over the summer, the gym will STAY OPEN ’til the new space is completed, at which point (early next year), the gym will close for 3-ish days while the old stuff is moved to the new place. That’s the plan, at least. So, if the same dirty equipment is being moved over, I doubt the place is going to end up bougie, with towel service. I don’t know what the overall space will be, but I don’t imagine it’s going to be much larger. I don’t think it’ll end up as a ‘fancy fitness center.’ Right now, there’s a 1-inch layer of dust on all of the ceiling fixtures and the cleaning solution spray bottles are often empty/missing. Let’s reign in our expectations of grandeur.
April 24th, 2015 at 11:03 am
The GYM IS SAFE! what is not is the neighborhood! What is not safe are the elderly that live on those streets who will be bullied or bulldozed out.
Or flooded out by the way Oren deals with Mill Creek.