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This morning at 10 AM, Terry Mushovic signed the papers at the Redevelopment Authority for the transfer of 939-941 South 3rd Street to the Neighborhood Gardens Association on behalf of the gardeners. Now the Bodine Street Garden is permanently preserved!
The garden property is officialy in the hands of the Redevelopment Authority!! The RDA will have a lease agreement with the Neighborhood Gardens Association until they can transfer the property to the NGA in the Fall.
The deadline to use our grant money is in June 2006. DiCicco's office assured us the garden purchase is a done deal and it is safe to go ahead and use the money for improvements. So far we got a water line from the city and the very damaged sidewalk on 3rd Street fixed.
DiCicco's office informed us that the city has worked out a deal with the owner to purchase the land from him. They say they will close on the property this month. The transfer to the Neighborhood Gardens Association will then take several months to complete.
The gardeners received a letter asking us to remove all of our gardening implements by November 1st. We contacted DiCicco's office and learned that the acquisition process hit a snag, but the process is now moving forward. Councilman DiCicco has ordered an expedited appraisal and The Gardeners, The Queen Village Neighbors Association, The Lutheran House, The Neighborhood Gardens Association and others are all working together to ensure the garden is preserved. We intend to continue using the garden.
The 2nd annual Great Bodine Street Garden Pumpkin Festival was a great success! Come back soon for some pictures.
The Garden gets a shout out in the Philly Weekly! Check out this article written by Gwen Shaffer.
It's officially gardening season again!! We have plots available so if you are interested in joining the garden please email info@bodinestreetgarden.org.
The Bodine Street Garden received a $10,000 state grant for improvements! We can only use the grant money after our garden is officially transferred to the Neighborhood Gardens Association. According to DiCicco's office the transfer should be finalized by this summer 2005 and that would give us a year to spend the funds on the improvement projects.
Last year Mayor Street signed Bill #0303299 (for bill details see entry below). Now our garden is on a huge list with other Neighborhood Transformation Initiative properties to get appraised to find its fair market value. The RDA will pay the owner the value of the property minus taxes owed. So we are in a sit and wait period.
On May 1, 2003 Councilman Frank DiCicco introduced the legislation (Bill #030299) requesting that the Redevelopment Authority (RDA) acquire the property where the garden is located, as part of its South Central Urban Renewal program through the Mayor's Neighborhood Transformation Initiative.
A public hearing was held on the bill before the Committee on Rules on June 3, 2003 in City Hall. Councilman DiCicco invited several of the S. Bodine Street gardeners to testify in support of the bill. Gardeners Mike Legacki, Lisa Buscaglia, and Rob Buscaglia spoke to the Committee, detailing the history and value of the garden in the community, and requesting that the properties be condemned and confiscated by the Redevelopment Authority and turned over to the Neighborhood Garden Association.
The South Central Urban Renewal legislation that includes the South Bodine Street Community Garden property will be voted on by the full Council next Thursday, June 12, the last day of session before the summer break. If it is passed, Mayor Street will need to sign it and the RDA will then need to officially take the property and give it to the Neighborhood Gardens Association.
Don Ventresca informed us that he and his associates have decided to pass on the purchase of the land, realizing the seriousness of our efforts and how much it means to us.
First District Councilman Frank DiCicco pledges his support of our efforts to save the garden. You can read his letter of support to us.
The Neighborhood Gardens Association has agreed to collect donations for the Bodine Street Community Garden. Donations will be used to attempt to preserve the garden and will go towards legal expenses, settlement costs or other necessary costs for its potential acquisition. Learn how to make a tax-deductible donation.
We talked with Kathy Conway again. She has definitely removed herself from the deal and promised to call to have the sign removed ASAP. She would not comment as to whether Prudential would still be involved.
Dave Fitz from Councilman DiCicco's office called. He expressed DiCicco's support of saving the garden and told us he will help in any way he can including communicating with the owner.
We along with neighbors, Terry Mushovic from the Neighborhood Gardens Association and Dave Fitz from Councilman DiCicco's office, met with Don Ventresca, developer and potential buyer of the property. We stated our intentions to pursue legal ownership of the land and stated some options for any buyer to consider (buy and donate; back out; or buy and deal with us). Don explained his intentions to develop, but he doesn't want to make enemies. He said he will keep in touch and let us know of his decision.
The Queen Village Neighborhood Association (QVNA) has officially expressed their support of the garden. You can read their letter of support to Councilman DiCicco.
The Gardeners met and decided to file for adverse possession of the property. We hired real estate attorney Daniel Markind. He has prior experience with adverse possession. Adverse possession is acquisition of property as a result of long-term use or occupancy without challenge from anyone else who might have a right to it. To exercise adverse possession rights under Pennsylvania state law, one must be in control of property for at least 21 years. If we win adverse possession we will immediately donate the land to the Neighborhood Gardens Association Land Trust, making the garden protected green space.
The potential buyer is developer Don Ventresca. He wants to meet with us. Kathy Conway told us she has withdrawn from the deal, she doesn't want to be involved.
Last night the "Save the Garden" group attended the Queen Village Neighbors Association meeting. We all wore our "Save the Bodine Street Garden" t-shirts to draw attention to our cause. City Councilman DiCicco was there talking about Tax Abatement. After the meeting we talked to him. He said he can't make any promises, but he'll see what he can do. We also talked to Kathy Conway (the Real Estate agent brokering the sale) and she seemed to be sympathetic to our cause. She also informed us that there is an agreement of sale on the property.
We have put the Bodine Street Live GardenCam up on the site. Originally intended to keep an eye on the sign (our first one was taken down within hours — see April 10th below) we also spotted what looked like Pat Conway (real estate agent) and another man with a tape measure measuring the lots.
Along with the help of the Neighborhood Gardens Association, we have been in contact with Councilman DiCicco's office, we will keep you posed on how that develops.
We painted a new "Save the Garden" sign and put it up on the fence facing 3rd Street. So far it has not been taken down. We want to send a message to potential buyers and the neighborhood that this green space isn't going without a fight.
Last night we had a meeting with Mike Rosenberg from the Green Party of Philadelphia. He had several good suggestions of contacts and organization that may be able to help us. They said the Green Party would assist us in our effort. We also put up a big sign facing 3rd street that said "Help Protect This Urban Green Space www.savethegarden.com" It was promptly taken down by someone this morning.
We haven't heard back from the Conways, it doesn't look like they are willing to meet with us.
We called the Conways (Kathy and Pat, the Prudential Real Estate agents brokering the sale) last Thursday and asked if we could meet with the owner. Pat seemed open to the idea and said he would talk to his mother (Kathy) and the owner and would call us back. As of this weekend we haven't heard back. We would like to sit down with the owner and talk to him about our wanting to save the garden.
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