Garden Court Flats project on hold amid community opposition

After receiving strong neighborhood opposition to its proposal to expand Garden Court Plaza by building a tower on top of a garage, the developer says it will not move forward until it has community support.

Following a community meeting last week where just six residents out of the 61 in attendance voted in favor of the project, Post Brothers told Garden Court Community Association that it does not “intend to proceed with the project without community support.”

Earlier this month, Post Brothers, which recently renovated and restored the historic Garden Court Plaza apartments at 4701 Pine Street, announced plans to expand its footprint at the site by building a tower on top of the existing parking garage. The overbuild called for an additional 243 residential units and an amenities space and pool on the garage’s roof top.

But at the meeting, residents expressed a number of concerns about the project’s impact on the neighborhood, from housing affordability to traffic flow to parking. Mike Pestronk of Post Brothers said that one-bedroom apartments would rent for about $2,000 a month and two-bedroom units would be about $3,300 a month, according to West Philly Local’s report.

Ultimately, the neighbors voted largely against the project, with six votes in support, 47 opposed, and eight not opposed.

Post Brothers had planned to seek zoning variances from the ZBA after the meeting, but given the feedback told Garden Court Community Association that it would not move forward with plans until it had the neighborhood’s support.

In a post published to GCCA’s website, the committee said, “GCCA Zoning Committee will be working with the Post Brothers to meaningfully address our community’s concerns, especially with regards to housing affordability.”

Here are some renderings from the initial proposal:

• Update: Proposed Development at 4701 Pine St. [GGCA]
• Staunch opposition to new Garden Court apartment building voiced at community meeting [West Philly Local]