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Politics & Government

Umbria Village Apartment Complex Proposal Unveiled

The plan was presented before a meeting of the Ridge Park Civic Association. There were some concerns on the part of the public.

In addition to an address by city Councilman Curtis Jones Jr., the theme of which was cracking down on quality of life problems plaguing the neighborhood during the annual bike race via a temporary "drunk" court, the theme of the night at the Ridge Park Civic Association meeting Thursday evening was construction.

Three groups presented on residential complexes. A new apartment complex at 6725 Ridge Avenue to be built by the Galman Group and a senior housing complex to be built at 6761-69 Ridge Avenue were two projects discussed.

The third construction project discussed, which raised the most issue with the public, was the final one on the night’s agenda, the project that is dubbed Umbria Village.

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Comprising four buildings with a total of 168 units, the proposed living complex involves a deal with SEPTA, the goal being that developers are trying to market themselves as a transitory-friendly complex. The plans even include a towpath that connects the proposed apartment complex grounds to the Ivy Ridge train station platform.

One obstacle facing the Petrucci Development Co. is an old bridge on the grounds where they wish to build at Parker Avenue. Though it doesn’t directly interfere with the construction plans, the bridge is “not aesthetically pleasing,” according to one Petrucci representative.

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The presenters also recognized that the bridge was meant to act as part of a planned hiking/biking/running path dubbed the Ivy Ridge Trail, so they promised to escrow the funds to rebuild another bridge so that plan could still come to fruition.

One resident suggested that the bridge not be torn down, but instead restored and beautified, saving the developers money, and retaining the bridge as is. Though it is currently in severe disrepair and serves no current function, the bridge is still a historic construct. The developers said they’ll consider that option as well.

Aside from historic, run down bridges, another grievance from the public was that of potential traffic issues caused by the new apartment complex. The developers assured the crowd it is meant as a transit friendly community, therefore they don’t expect to attract multi-car families. Although the plan will still allow for a 1.2 parking space-to-housing-unit ratio, some constituents were unconvinced that there wouldn’t be an additional traffic overflow to what they described as the already horrendous morning traffic.

The developers sought to assure the crowd, citing that they’ve already had the appropriate traffic surveys conducted, and they planned to send the document to the civic association Friday morning.

In their closing comments, Petrucci representatives explained that they still had to go before the appropriate building development and zoning bodies. Civic assocation members asked that the developers come back to the June 2 meeting with a complete list of provisos, including all their licenses, before a final decision of support for the project is made.

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