The scene outside of South Philadelphia HOMES on the 1400 block of Point Breeze Avenue last night at 6pm was a disarray of violent protesting. Members of the Concerned Citizens of Point Breeze held signs that read “Save Point Breeze,” calling anyone who dared to enter “gentrifiers.” The meeting that was scheduled to take place inside was one that Philadelphia city council president Anna Verna asked community leaders to arrange in conclusion to the ‘grueling and redundant testimony’ on March 23, 2011 over the Moratorium Bill No. 110134. Neighborhood leaders of Point Breeze, including Al Brown of the Point Breeze Performing Arts Center, Alice Shockley of the Neighbors In Action group, Claudia Sherrod of the Point Breeze Community Development Coalition, John Longacre of Longacre Property Management Group, Antoinette Johnson of the Point…

Photo courtesy of Morgão Papelão

Anna Verna, in an effort to appease a small minority group in Point Breeze, has put forward a bill to restrict the building of three-story homes and roof decks in that neighborhood for one year. Apparently this is legal.

According to the City of Philadelphia, Verna, the current City Council president, has “made the renovation of housing stock in neighborhoods and affordable housing a top priority.” Really? Is that why on March 3 she proposed Bill No. 110134 “prohibiting the issuance of any permit for the construction of buildings, additions or roof decks, exceeding a certain height” on properties in Point Breeze for one year?

In the city of Philadelphia, it’s legal to build up to 35 feet (three stories), and apparently also legal for a small group of individuals to persuade City Council to pass a bill of this nature (a bill that goes…

Postgreen’s most aggressive and extensive project yet, reNewbold (Postgreen is partnering with LPMG on this), is making its home in Point Breeze (or Newbold, depending on which side of 18th street you are on or what neighborhood committee you’ve joined). On the docket for the 16th and Moore corner are 16 row homes, two condos and one retail space, all targeted to be LEED Platinum standard with a green roof and parking. This corner used to be home to an abandoned school building, which was torn down leaving just a vacant lot (the worst thing a neighborhood could have), but the new retail space coming will most likely be the core hub of the area and pave the way for future, less venturous developers looking to get involved in the area (similar to what Toll Brothers did for Graduate Hospital). We can already see it now: Newbold…