Fishtown.US - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19125

in and around Fishtown, Old Richmond, & East Kensington

It has come to my attention that I might not have full knowledge of what happened at either the FNA meeting or the ZBA hearing. I'm willing to admit that. The point I was trying to make is that the proper place to express opinions about those people who spoke out might not have been on the 5 Bus, where anyone could hear it. Being involved in zoning stuff in the area, I can totally see how a meeting can spiral out of control very quickly, and go from a discussion to virtual hysteria...but this neighborhood isn't as big as it might seem and you never know who might hear you speak ill of your neighbors.

I expressed reservations about the application in the beginning, but after having discussions with alot of people, I decided a while back that if I had a vote, I wouldn't vote against the application. There's nothing in the zoning code that prohibits them from having that space, as a church. They do alot of work to beautify the area. It's fine.

I was on the 5 bus tonight and happened to be seated next to two people who are members of Liberti church and were discussing the zoning meeting. (I assume the one with FNA that is the topic of this thread.) I found the way that they spoke about the community members who came to voice concerns about the proposal to be EXTREMELY disrespectful. They referred to them as hysterical. They said their questions were outrageous. They even claimed that some of them were liars. Surrounding neighborhood associations have written letters of support for this church, claiming that they are supportive of the neighborhood as a whole and treat this place with respect...and I agree that they have turned out on numerous occasions to help with cleanups and stuff...but that was not the impression I got from this discussion. I was really disappointed to hear what I heard. It was extremely disrespectful of the public's right to be involved in the zoning process and the development of their neighborhood spaces. Shame shame.

Hey folks –
I thought it was important that someone from the church respond to a few of the concerns and comments posted. Thanks Dan, for responding already to some of the concerns…

Our church currently has a great relationship with Summerfield Church where we currently meet, but for a while we have been looking for our own space for reasons Dan has already posted. We were attracted to the space at 2424 because it will be very nice and new, yet relatively inexpensive, and only a few blocks from where we currently meet. The move will enable us to meet at times that would otherwise conflict with some of Summerfield’s own activities.

Regarding the concerns about soliciting others in the building: we and the developer have already spoken to many of the other tenants in 2424 about our hope to establish a worship space in the building, and the response has been positive. Also, we have been using a small office on the 3rd floor of the building for 6 months, and there have been only good interactions with neighbors and tenants during that time. I can assure you that we have no interest in harassing other tenants in the building. We really want to be respectful and courteous to others in the building, and clearly the developer has an interest in making sure that the other tenants are treated in just that way.

Steve, our pastor, has made efforts to connect with neighbors directly behind our would-be space on Gordon Street to address any concerns about our presence there, and also knocked on doors on the other side of York Street. Not every residence within 500 feet was approached, but we did think an effort to connect with our immediate neighbors was important, even though this was not required.

I know there are some concerns about the weather conditions outside on the night of the zoning vote at the Rec. Center. It is true that there was still some snow and ice on the sidewalks from the last storm 6 days earlier. Still, the zoning vote had been scheduled many weeks in advance, we had spread the word for a few weeks, the zoning committee also handed out flyers to the neighborhood to advertise, and we also knocked on doors in the immediate vicinity to discuss the vote. At the meeting, some did ask about the possibility of rescheduling the vote due to the weather. How many more would have come? I honestly don’t know. Had the zoning vote been delayed, it would have meant pushing back the ZBA hearing to a date possibly months down the road. There are still ongoing discussions with some of the people at the meeting who were disappointed that the vote was not postponed.

We really do want to be good neighbors. I don’t know if this clarifies things for anyone, but thought it might be good to respond.

Well said lauraska.

(in fact, many churches are focused as much on their charity/socialjustice work as they are on the afterlife, like obama's old chicago church)