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Kensington property owners: The city is stealing our land via eminent domain (UPDATED)
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Kensington property owners: The city is stealing our land via eminent domain (UPDATED)
Around late September, property owners along Bodine and Cadwallader streets in Kensington started getting notices in the mail: The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority wanted to take their property, and it would be setting the price. Maybe it was because it was so unbelievable — the idea that the city could just seize their property, including garages rented to businesses, side yards adjacent to their homes, a garage with an apartment above that's rented, and others — that the property owners didn't take the correspondence too seriously at first. But over the past week — just in time for Christmas — they got news that it was done. "On December 18, 2012, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority acquired title to the referenced property," the letters read, distributed by mail and attached in manila envelopes to signposts all along the square block.
Now, Meletios Anthanasiadis, owner of El Greco Pizza & Luncheonette and landlord of about 20 properties in the area, is livid that some seven properties in his name are all being taken from him. The properties in question are garages that he says are currently rented to tenants, who use the garages and adjacent parking lots for businesses including an auto body shop and a small antique car restoration business. "They're displacing a small business," he says. "They're costing people their jobs."
"They're stealing [the properties]. They're taking my property, my tax dollars, and giving it to someone else."
Anthanasiadis had purchased the properties over the past 12 years or so with the plan to rent them out until he could develop on them himself. He says it was his only retirement plan, after running pizza shops ever since he dropped out of school before 10th grade. He feels that he invested in the neighborhood when few others wanted to — and now someone else will reap the profits. For one example, he points to 1529 N. Cadwallader St., for which he says the city has offered him $43,000. "I paid $55,000 in 2004, and then I had to make improvements, I had to pay interest. But that's the only offer I received from the city, and they made the offer after they took possession over my property. They become gods [in the way they hand down decisions]."
Tamara and Henry Asta, who live at 1515 N. Cadwallader St., will be losing their side yard, which they bought years ago for $10,000 and have tended into a vegetable garden, with a cherry tree. They've been saving up to build a garage on part of the lot, and even though they say the city has offered them $17,000 for the land, they don't want to sell it. "I'm using the land. I don't want to sell it. We want to build a garage," Tamara says.
Nicolasa Doheny, who bought 1506-08 Bodine Street in 1996 so that her young daughters would have a yard to play in (it's just across the street from her rowhouse) actually has been trying to sell the two lots. But she says they were appraised at around $30,000 apiece, and the city has offered half that. She doesn't think it's fair, but she's afraid she has little recourse. She's looking to start a petition, get the neighbors organized. They're talking about getting together to hire a lawyer, though they may have little recourse at this point. According to the letters they received, they have one year to appeal the amount of compensation; the letters make no mention of appealing the property transfers themselves.
The lots are going to the Arab American Development Corp. for a development project to include low-income housing. The city has committed $1.8 million in funding to the project. Councilwoman Maria Quinones-Sanchez — who introduced the legislation authorizing the condemnation of the land — and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority are supporting the CDC's application for tax credits for an energy-efficient, mixed-use project, with design by Onion Flats. No one was answering the phone at Sanchez' office today.
Marwan Kreidie, who heads the nonprofit development corporation, says the development is contingent on tax credits from the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency, which it may receive by February or March. The project is called Tajdeed, which means "renewal" in Arabic; Kreidie says it's an important component to retaining socioeconomic diversity in gentrifying East Kensington — even the "last chance" to put in affordable housing there. "We really feel like this is one way to stabilize and keep some affordable housing in the neighborhood," he says.
He says his nonprofit, the PRA and the Councilwoman all made numerous efforts to reach residents. "We let people know," he says. "we did outreach." He points out that no occupied dwellings are being taken, and that most of the properties are vacant lots. As for the auto repair shop: "Is that the kind of neighbor somebody wants? A junkyard basically? That's not the kind of neighbors that make a community strong. And all these businesses will get relocation costs — even the illegal business." Kreidie also says he and Sanchez had conversations with the Astas, and attempted to negotiate with them, to take a portion of their land but give them even more in return. "We said, 'Let's sit down and talk about it,' and they refused." The Astas' position is they shouldn't have to negotiate on land they already owned, however Kreidie says he's still willing to work out an agreement with them.
Paul Chrystie, spokesman for the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, told CP via email: "The City is supporting a joint venture by Conifer Realty and the Arab American Development Corporation to develop 45 units of affordable rental housing, which was one of several developments selected through a competitive proposal process. Five of those units will target households earning below 30 percent of Area Median Income (AMI) ($22,050/year for a family of three) with rents averaging approximately $175/month and 40 units will target households earning between 30 percent and 60 percent of AMI ($22,050-$44,040/year for a family of three) with rents averaging approximately $760/month." Chrystie added that such a project would likely break ground late in the year.
Kreidie says the project will meet net-zero-energy standards, incorporating Onion Flats-style modern design with some Arabic motifs and perhaps tiles.
This whole thing smells!!!!!!!!!!— Centrist- Reprehensible. It is only 1 City block. No one had the balls to approach the property owners in person to discuss this, or recognize that some of the properties have active owners with residents and businesses there?
Basically Al Aqsa has abused the City's power of eminent domain to clear out a city block for itself. And it's own property is dominated by a massive surface lot. Why don't they continue improvements on their own block? There is also a completely vacant City block 2 blocks south of the Mosque. But no... can't have that. It's better to trample on the property rights of active voters.— EastChestnut - Disgraceful theft by a corrupt and dirty relationship between RDA, this mosque and Council. I hope they sue and win
— Theresa C - It is a shame that the city would stoop to taking properties in such an underhanded manner. Once again, we see legislation that is passed under one outlook (that of dealing with clearly vacant properties where the owners cannot be located), yet used in another fashion (to take property of people who can be located, nonetheless, greedy politicians desire), in order to give it to people and groups that they wish. This is typical political cronyism, and bad faith of the politicians. This is a fraudulent use of the legislation. Thus, the legislation should be repealed.— Robert Taylor
- According to the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority the land is going to the Muslim community through the Arab-American Community Development Corporation, whose mission is highly discriminatory, since Mr. Kreidie and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority are in the process of stealing land from the Kuffar or non-Muslim believers in order to give it to the Muslim community in accordance to the Quran, Surah 33:27, “And He (Allah) made you heirs of their lands, their houses, and their goods, and of a land which ye had not frequented (before). And Allah has power over all things”
http://henryastacityphilaeminentdomainmuslim.blogspot.com/2013/04/the-government-of-city-of-philadelphia.html— hnrast
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