While the group formerly associated with Salem Gardens has 5 properties at the corner of 6th and Garfield on which they do not intend to build even 1 single family home, Trust Development owns 2 properties a block away on which they plan to build 2 single family homes and several townhouses. Trust has already built 3 single-family homes on duplex-saturated 6th Avenue (near Coffee Street) and their plans, which were communicated to Salemtown's neighborhood association in December 2006, for 5th and Garfield look both balanced and attractive. Trust also sought feedback on their designs from the neighborhood association, and they say that they have incorporated a number of requests (adding some porches, for example) into their concept.All that neighborhood proponents of the Planning Commission's recommendation for the Salem Gardens properties are asking is for the owners at 6th and Garfield to diversify and balance their offerings for the sake of Salemtown's long-term growth. Instead, the SG owners boxed themselves in with a flawed plan to build 6 duplexes, and the Commission did not approve. There's still plenty of money to be made, but collaboration with the people who actually live in Salemtown and invest their lives in this community also matters. Telling us what you are going to do for us and then threatening us or trying to intimidate us if we disagree is not collaboration.
Salem Gardens should sell the property in question and move on, given the history with the Neighborhood Association.
ReplyDeleteThat orginal development was canned. It was called 5th Ave Browstones. I found a description of the project in Google.
ReplyDelete"Close to the heart of Germantown lies the Salem Town historic district and its brand new community, the 5th Ave. Brownstones. These residential flats and brownstones are part of a gated community with secured off street parking and a beautifully landscaped, secured courtyard. Handsome amenities such as fireplaces, stainless appliances and 10 ft. ceilings are standard for homeowners in this traditional, urban community. Scheduled for completion in fall 2006**, units are priced to sell at $249,900 - $399,900*."
What happened to that development? What's the definition of a brownstone?
Has Trust Development sold any of those single-family homes up near Coffee street?
ReplyDeleteJM
Trust Development bought the property from the previous "5th Avenue Brownstones" group. Do a "Brownstones" search in the Google box at the top of this blog, and you'll find several posts regarding that now canceled project, including one from a year ago announcing its cancellation.
ReplyDeleteTrust is working on a completely different project at 5th and Garfield that includes 2 single family homes. The last time I spoke with Trust, they told me that they had several interested potential buyers in the The Clayton properties at 6th and Coffee.