Chestnut Hill's East Mermaid Lane Neighborhood Conservation Overlay is to take effect immediately following a vote by the Planning Commission.
This item is available in full to subscribers.
We have recently launched a new and improved website. To continue reading, you will need to either log into your subscriber account, or purchase a new subscription.
If you are a digital subscriber with an active subscription, then you already have an account here. Just reset your password if you've not yet logged in to your account on this new site.
If you are a current print subscriber, you can set up a free website account by clicking here.
Otherwise, click here to view your options for subscribing.
Please log in to continue |
Chestnut Hill's East Mermaid Lane Neighborhood Conservation Overlay (NCO) is set to take effect immediately following a 5-1 vote by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) not to recommend City Council's passage of the measure. The PCPC's decision removes a 45-day hold, allowing for a final council vote before the summer break.
Introduced by City Council member Cindy Bass on April 25, the NCO will impose design and material requirements for new construction and renovations in the southern portion of Chestnut Hill. The area encompasses 123 homes. Despite the PCPC staff's recommendation not to approve the overlay due to its failure to identify a consistent architectural character throughout the includedarea, PCPC board member Patrick Eiding acknowledged that City Council is likely to approve the restrictions.
Bass, who chairs the rules committee, supports the bill and does not want to delay the final vote. The NCO initially was developed in response to the Goldenberg Group's 2021 proposal to construct 285 housing units on a 4.4-acre property at 100-102 Mermaid Lane, formerly housing the Chestnut Hill Friends Meeting and Blossom Philadelphia.
