(11th in a series of posts on 2 W. Market St.)
We happened to have Gadfly videographer Owen Gallagher at the City Council meeting last night where several residents took the opportunity to prime Council on the 2 W. Market issue heading toward them after the Planning Commission meeting this afternoon as I write.
So Gadfly is able to provide here two videos of residents giving testimony against the petition of 2 W. Market to make a special exception to zone their property for commercial use.
Marty Romeril also gave a spirited talk, but, unfortunately, we were not set up soon enough to capture him on audio or video.
Followers know that Gadfly loves to showcase residents in an advocacy role, as respect for their involvement and as invitation for others to come to Council and speak their minds.
It is wonderful to watch residents in such active “political” roles.
Gadfly is all about increased public participation and salutes those who speak up.
“You may think, what are all these Center City people coming in complaining all the time? Well, we feel our neighborhoods are being invaded. There are people who want to turn our residences into offices and hotels and our churches into homeless shelters. And we’re a residential neighborhood.”
“A rental is a residential property.”
“On the map that the Planning Commission has been given [to make their decision], the property that my son has which is owner-occupied residential is labeled mixed-use. . . . The map is really useless, it’s bogus.”
“There’s an error in the petition, an alleged statement of fact which is incorrect. The petition states that it is not possible to use 2 W. Market as a residence. That’s not true. It’s true that the petitioners don’t want to use it as a residence. . . . If the price were reduced sufficiently, he could sell it as a residence.”
Video by Owen Gallagher
