Lot at 751-759 Park Avenue
The city has received a proposal for a 4 1/2 story apartment building at 751-759 Park Avenue (the lot at the end of Argyle between the Wine Sense/Baker Street/True Touch Salon building and the school.) Peter Siegrest is the city preservation planner assigned to the proposal. To be fair to both the neighborhood and the applicant, the city has asked the applicant to hold a public meeting before any hearings are scheduled before the various review authorities. The city wants the applicant to present the proposal at the public meeting and answer all questions and address any concerns. The applicant is responsible for setting up the meeting, which Peter hopes will be at Immanuel Baptist (no date/time, yet).
To be sure that all neighbors are properly notified of the meeting, Peter will prepare the mailing labels for the applicant. The city will notify community contacts separately. I will let all of you know the details of the meeting, once it has been scheduled and I have been notified.
Those of us who walk by this space everyday know that it is currently a bit of a mess. It’s not greenspace that we can enjoy, it’s strewn with trash and a bit spooky at night. So let’s get involved in this proposal process and make sure the needs, concerns and character of our neighborhood are respected.
I’m excited that there is interest in some sort of development here. That parking lot is full of broken glass and the backs of the garages on the far side are real ugly (no offense intended to the owners – they ARE the backs of garages). I’ve long though that the neighborhood would look better with something coming out to Park Ave in that lot. My vote is for something that comes right out to the sidewalk – with parking in the back. I’d also favor retail on the ground floor to further the pedestrian-friendly amenities and “destination factor” of our little stretch of Park Ave.
There seems to be support for development, but the RIGHT kind of development that respects the character of the neighborhood. So we as a neighborhood will need to be proactive and then active participants in the process. It appears that Peter Siegrest wants to get the neighborhood involved from the very beginning on this one.