The owners are not fulfilling their responsibilities to care for the property. The Chestnut Hill Conservancy also continues to fail.
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In sworn testimony before the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), Lavi Shenckman, whose company, Rhombus, owns the obviously deteriorating Greylock estate, stated he has done and continues to do maintenance on the property. Here is a picture from that very day of the ZBA hearing. You are free to view the property yourself from public spaces and draw your own conclusions. You are also free to peruse the easements, which outline the maintenance responsibilities of both the owner and the Chestnut Hill Conservancy and view the long list of maintenance requirements that the owner has obviously ignored.
As made clear in letters to the Local last week, two parties are legally responsible for the deplorable state of Greylock: the owners, and the Chestnut Hill Conservancy. It is abundantly clear the first party, the owners, are not fulfilling their responsibilities to care for the property. It is equally clear that the Chestnut Hill Conservancy, which shares equal legal responsibility for the estate, also continues to fail.
These excerpts from the easements that establish these responsibilities most succinctly elucidate this. Under Rights of Easement Holder; Section 2.1 Maintenance of Property Owner (Rhombus) shall keep, preserve and maintain the Property in good condition and repair, and maintain the structural soundness of the improvements. Under Duties of Easement Holder (Chestnut Hill Conservancy); Section 4.01 Enforcement. The Easement Holder accepts this Conservation Easement and agrees to enforce, in perpetuity, the restrictions imposed by the Owner upon the Property.
It is a mystery to me why the Chestnut Hill Conservancy that takes great pride in its status as the country’s first urban land trust, and who has the word conservation imbedded in its very name, can continue to fail the community in its duty to see to the care of its signature easement holding. It is a disgrace that stands to shatter the Conservancy’s reputation as well as its ability to secure future preservation easements.
Dr. George Spaeth, Chestnut Hill Landmarks Committee
Chestnut Hill
