Keeping Parkview Heights from becoming a reality.

Hello friends & neighbors. I would like to give a great big thanks to all those who have been so responsive to our ground campaign. An extra special thanks to all of the concerned residents of the North Side for the hospitality they showed on Independence Day as we canvassed from barbeque to barbeque. The food was delicious & the support all but unanimous. You folks are the reason we will succeed in keeping a 4 story high rise from becoming a part of a neighborhood that already suffers from overstressed roads & traffic routes, & is made up of mostly single homes & twins.

Here is a little insight into what was explained to me by a project manager, an account executive, and the president of HDC Mid-Atlantic, the developers who are trying to get this pushed through Council, starting tonight, July 9th @7PM.

Keep in mind that they were all very professional as I participated in a 45 minute conference call about two weeks ago, and I do not think these are bad people; I am however concerned that what is best for the borough as a whole is of no concern to HDC Mid-Atlantic.

First and foremost, let’s re-address the low income housing part of this proposal. Though I tried to explain what Parkview Heights is proposed to be to the best of my ability, there have been so many different variables since this started that anyone who has not been around from the time the Friendship Fire Company planned to erect a new facility on this property, would find it easy to get the facts a little jumbled. I defend most of my former statements as a slightly unclear interpretation of what is going on, not completely inaccurate, just a little off. Here is what HDC Mid-Atlantic had to say:

This project will be issued Tax-Credits in order to construct 14 market rate and 58 low-income apartments.

These tax credits will be issued from a state authority directly to HDC in consideration of this project.

HDC will then take these tax credits issued by the state and sell them to private investors for both cash & equity (investment interest in the finished product.)

I stopped there. I was invited to the open house last night, I was repeatedly contacted by HDC. HDC even said they would disclose the names of these investors as well as the procedures they have in place to ensure the qualifications & backgrounds of potential residents moving in.  After consulting with my own advisors, I had absolutely no interest in hearing anymore.  Why?  Here we go:

According to this explanation it is completely acceptable for a “mission based” not-for-profit low income housing developer to take tax credit from the state (public funds) and re-sell the tax credits at a mark-up to private investors who are in the game to turn a profit… 

I know a few congressional reps who would love to pick someone’s brain on that one, talk about a loophole.

That was all I needed to hear. There is no community interest here; no one cares about another 150-200 cars being dropped in a neighborhood that WILL NOT be able to accommodate that much new traffic. We have renaissance Academy moving 1000- 1200 students to a facility on that corner for 5 days a week, 9 months out of the year within the next 20 months. That’s enough.

We know that Friendship wants to sell the property; we know they could probably use the money, but I’ve spoken to a lot of neighbors now. No one is opposed to a property like Heritage court being placed there. Those developers built a nice community, with regard for the neighbors, and no one has any issue as far as I know, all of the North side neighbors I spoke to said good things about Heritage Court. Maybe HDC Mid-Atlantic should contact those developers.

As far as it goes for Parkview Heights, I have been talking one on one with the neighbors for two weeks now and they say NO.. Not Please don’t, Not We wish you wouldn’t.. THEY SAY NO TO PARKVIEW HEIGHTS. As a representative of the people, I gotta make sure these voices are heard.  

We enjoyed our fireworks and our open skies this weekend, we want to keep them coming. Council meets tonight at 7PM, See you at Borough Hall.