CHCA Board Supports Bowman Development

At the end of Monday’s special meeting of the Chestnut Hill Community Association Board, the mood took a turn towards celebratory as the was approved.

With a few board members absent or excluded by conflict of interest, the proposal that has been through subcommittees and development review was given unanimous approval by the board.

Once contingency of the approval was that the developer continues to go through design review with the association as the project moves forward. The zoning changes sought by Bowman properties, however, will move forward through l with the CHCA’s backing.

The round of applause that followed the final vote was not joined by everyone, however, as some about the size and density of the project.

John Beckman, a near neighbor representative on the subcommittee formed around the development, said that his vote for the proposal was based on a “calculus of political reality,” saying that the developer told the committee that the City Council ordinances would be a “slam dunk.”

John Landis, co-chair of the Land Use, Planning and Zoning committee, said that the community was not getting everything it wanted, but that the process was fair and honest.

“We didn’t get everything we wanted, but this process brought out the quality of design and walkable urbanism that we were talking about,” Landis said.

“At no time did one side mislead the other. Both dealt with the other side with integrity, honesty and a clear representations of what could happen and what couldn’t happen. It was a hard negotiation, a fair negotiation, and hopefully, this idea that you can’t do business in Chestnut Hill will be reversed.”

In the final days of the negotiation, . The design that was agreed upon by the CHCA board included an additional setback of three feet from Hartwell Lane, a pocket park on Germantown Avenue at the entrance to the parking lot, and a five story structure, with the fifth floor being set back 24 feet from the property line.

Eileen Reilly, retail recruiter for Chestnut Hill, spoke about the potential benefits of the mixed-use construction.

“I challenge the community to look forward. I see a light at the end of the tunnel,  with so many positive steps being made. If we do not let fear stand in the way of progress, what I see in two to three years, what is a really vibrant Chestnut Hill,” Reilly said in support of the development.

She added that, while there were concerns about Bowman’s vacant properties in Chestnut Hill, that there are lease agreements in the works for some and others would be better served by having a gateway, like the Fresh Market development, to the lower end of Germantown Avenue in Chestnut Hill.

The ordinances before City Council that would recommend rezoning the property and reversing Hartwell Lane go before City Council at its Thursday meeting.