August 14-20, 2003

cityspace

Ritzy Parking Plans

by Daniel Brook

With all the attention focused on Jefferson Hospital’s plans to build a mammoth garage on Chestnut Street, a Philadelphia Parking Authority proposal to build a smaller -- but by no means small -- garage just off Rittenhouse Square may be slipping under the radar.

While the garage would fill in a highly visible gap on the 1900 block of Walnut Street, plans call for the demolition of three early 20th-century buildings on Sansom Street as well. Since the area lies within the Rittenhouse Square-Fitler Square historic district, it must clear the city's Historical Commission in a hearing later this month.

William Binderman, a member of and pro-bono attorney for the Coalition of Rittenhouse Neighbors, plans to speak in opposition to the project. "We're very much committed to saving those three buildings and to saving that streetscape," he says of the already empty Sansom storefronts. "We're talking about the uniqueness of the city. I've been all around and I don't know anything like Philadelphia," says the New York transplant. "It's got this wonderful historic fabric," which he says is threatened by the 545-car-garage project. (Six of the garage's nine stories will be above ground.)

Some welcome the garage, hoping it will spur the Ritz Theater chain to build a new movie house nearby. Currently, the local chain operates three Old City theaters. While Binderman argues that the Ritz hasn't committed to the project, chain owner Ray Posel says, "We remain eager and willing to carry forward with [our] intention" of building, provided the parking garage goes up.

Posel says that without the lot, he will not be able to attract the patrons needed to fill the screening rooms. Despite having two lots in Old City, Posel says, "it's a constant complaint that we have inadequate parking where we are now." He refused to go beyond anecdotal evidence by citing the percentage of his customers who park. "It would be simple [to compute] if I dug through my records, but I'm not willing to do that," he explains.

According to Philadelphia Parking Authority Director of Operations Linda J. Miller, the PPA hopes to clear its plans with the Historical Commission. "It's an important project to the city of Philadelphia and Rittenhouse Square," she says of the $24-million garage. "We recognize that debate is healthy, but this project is a classic case of a negotiated design, which, in the long run, will benefit that part of the city."