Petition: Save the Good Shepherd Church Building!
Councilmember Jannie Blackwell
Sign the Petition: Save the Good Shepherd Church Building!
The owner of the Good Shepherd Church at 314 S 46th St has received a demolition permit from the city to demolish the 1930's stone building, but this may not be the end of a beloved local historic structure.
There is plan that could save the building, provide the congregation more value and provide the Garden Court with comparably more affordable units than would go up on the lot otherwise. A developer has offered to adapt the church building into apartments, and add additional housing units in a new structure that is a similar scale to the rest of the property. This is a high-quality design that will build on Garden Court’s legacy as an open and welcoming community, providing homes for many more people to live in our neighborhood—but the plan needs your support.
It is unfortunate that Garden Court is losing part of its community and that the congregation is relocating, but the building does not need to be demolished in the wake of change.
Why should we support this project?
If the congregation does not get their plan approved by the City, there is nothing to stop the demolition of this 1930's stone building.
The land is zoned exclusively for single-family homes, so if the church is demolished and new single-family homes are built here, any new houses will not be affordable to middle-class families. For comparison's sake, an empty-shell single-family-home on the same block is currently listed for $450k.
With your help, we can protect a beautiful old building and ensure that Garden Court remains a welcoming community for all kinds of people.
Sign this petition and contact Councilmember Jannie Blackwell and ask her support the adaptive reuse of the Good Shepherd Church!
Phone (215-686-3438)
We'll deliver this petition to the Garden Court Community Association, who is the coordinating RCO for this project.
Please sign and share the petition to help alert more neighbors.
To:
Councilmember Jannie Blackwell
From:
[Your Name]
I am requesting your support for preserving the Good Shepherd Church at 314 S 46th St.
The building owners have received a demolition permit from the city, but this may not be the end of a beloved local historic structure.
A developer has stepped forward offering to adapt the church building into apartments, and add additional housing units in a new structure that has a high-quality design similar in scale to the rest of the property.
It is unfortunate that Garden Court is losing part of its community and that the congregation is relocating. I feel that the building does not need to be demolished in the wake of change, however, and with your support, we can preserve a piece of neighborhood history.
