Neighbors Coming Around, But Delay Approval of New Houses at Former Nursing Home

Though neighbors are getting closer to approving 32 new homes off Ridge Avenue, a civic group asked for more information before a vote.

The Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association Monday night took no action on a plan to transform the abandoned Ivy Ridge Assisted Living at 5627 Ridge Ave. to 16 twins on a newly created Kingsley Court cul-de-sac. 

Civic President Andrew Bantly said the group wanted to see specific floor plans before voting. He said as a zoning hearing wasn't scheduled yet, there was time to see more information.

"We didn't want to rubber stamp something and give them carte blanche," he said.

In January,  with a plan to build 32 twin four-bedroom, 3.5 bath homes and sell them for around $320,000. The property borders and resident homes. Nearby property owners voiced concerns about the boundaries and the amount of building on 3.5 acres.

On Monday, Bantly and a homeowner said Goldner marked the boundary and walked the property with neighbors. Afterward, they reported back with positive results.

Goldner's proposal calls for creating a new city street, and avoided creating a throughway from Ridge Avenue to Houghton Street. Some neighbors had concerns about the entrance's proximity to the hardware store, but Bantly said moves its driveway, making the point moot.

The area is zoned R-4, and Goldner will eventually need several variances to be more like a R-5 property. The individual lots will be subdivided, as well.

Due to the scope of the project, Bantly checked with city agencies and said both traffic and planning aspects of the plan were OK.

In addition to floor plans, the civic said the Roxborough Development Corporation needed to sign off on the plan. Bantly said the civic just wanted all the info in order before agreeing to 32 new homes on Ridge Avenue.

"Once we sign off on this, we can't retract it. So I don't feel comfortable holding a vote until the info is in," he said.