Mixed-use development proposed for former Triangle Park location

The triangle-shaped plot of land at the intersection of 6th Street, East Passyunk Avenue and Christian Street has been in a state of flux for years now. The location was briefly Triangle Park, which served as a community garden and green space with the permission of property owner Stuart Schlaffman, before he shut it down in 2013.

Since Triangle Park ceased to exist, the lot has remained empty, except for some accidental excavation and quite a few barrels of non-hazardous waste sitting around. Now new plans are being presented for a 5-story building with apartments and a ground floor restaurant space for this plot of land in Bella Vista.

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Now, two developers really are hoping to build on the property. Dan Rosin and Raphael Licht met with near neighbors to discuss the proposal last week, according to Sam Olshin of Atkin Olshin Schade, the architects for the project. The purpose of that meeting was to get early feedback from the most-affected residents before a formal presentation to Bella Vista Neighborhood Association scheduled for next Tuesday.

Renderings of the proposal show a 57-foot building, rising to 64 feet at the top of a pilothouse, with glassy restaurant space on the ground floor. A commercial kitchen is included in the floor plans. The renderings don’t include a number of residential units, but a zoning appeal says the developers are hoping to build 12 apartments. No parking spaces are included.

Sam Olshin said that near neighbors’ concerns were focused mostly on height and parking, and that the developers were willing to talk through those concerns. A hearing before the zoning board—the current proposal doesn’t conform to the height and lot-coverage limits of the CMX-2 zoning classification—is scheduled for January 6.

Some members of the community are already speaking out in opposition of the project, in hopes of bringing back Triangle Park instead. Friends of Triangle Park has created a petition here.

A presentation for this project will be presented at the Bella Vista Neighbors Association meeting on Tuesday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m. at the Palumbo Recreation Center at 10th and Fitzwater.