Inside Pennthouses | Church of the Assumption case at Common Pleas | WCRP’s bank demo, development draws ire | O’Brien on Harrisburg

Developer Michael Samschick took PlanPhilly’s Kellie Patrick Gates around his residential reuse of the auto-storage buildings at Brown Street and Delaware Avenue. Samschick showed off the building’s “smart” tech features, talked about his vision for the blocks he owns on Delaware Avenue and how that overlaps with the Master Plan for the Central Delaware.

Can L&I’s review board trump the Historical Commission? That’s the key question for Common Pleas Court Judge Idee Fox as she considers the fate of the Church of the Assumption hardship case. PlanPhilly’s Alan Jaffe was at the hearing and reports that Judge Fox will issue a ruling in about one month.

The Women’s Community Revitalization Project wants to replace an old bank building at Front and Norris with 25 units of affordable housing, but many neighbors don’t support the project. City Paper checked in at a three-way zoning meeting between Fishtown Neighbors, East Kensington Neighbors Association, and Norris Square Civic Association and found the zoning debate colored by political baggage and mistrust.

What the hell is up with Harrisburg? Councilman Dennis O’Brien wants to know why the state isn’t lifting a finger to help Philadelphia’s public schools dig out of their $300 million hole. City Paper reports that O’Brien launched into a rant during a hearing about $90 million from the property tax increases that the mayor wants to see put toward closing the gap.

 

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