Mormon apartment tower, meetinghouse complex passes design review

After reviewing the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints' plans for an apartment tower, townhouses, retail space, and a meetinghouse at 1601 Vine St., the city Planning Commission's Design Review Committee advised the church to open a garden to the public, work with the Streets Department to improve traffic flow on adjacent Wood Street, and use a higher-grade material than blacktop in a public courtyard.

The committee then closed its review, with little information on the large amount of public art the church is required to provide.

CDR committee members, who met earlier this week, weren't totally thrilled about that last bit.

Whatever we decide here becomes the way future developers come before us, said committee member Cecil Baker. This is part of the public realm. When jobs get this large, it's a very important part. This is a major, major opportunity, the likes of which come rarely.

But the committee let the project through, seemingly persuaded by the Mormons' attorney on the project, Peter Kelsen, and senior real estate manager, Michael Marcheschi, who said that it would be months before the public art program was finalized. The project's construction schedule would be greatly delayed if the committee made the church return with that plan before closing its review, Marcheschi said.

The church has a conditional zoning permit but can't get a final permit until the CDR process is closed.

Besides, Kelsen said, this is a special circumstance. The complex of residential, church and other spaces triggered CDR review because it is more than 100,000 square feet and calls for more than 100 residential units.

Because the proposed complex sits on land controlled by the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, it must also earn RDA approvals. It is part of the Franklintown Renewal Plan. Redevelopment Authority rules also require the church to spend 1 percent of the project's total cost on public art.

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Mormon apartment tower, meetinghouse complex passes design review