Cindy Bass Rides To Rescue Of Germantown YWCA

COUNCILWOMAN Cindy Bass is fighting to salvage a future for Germantown’s historic, but abandoned, YWCA.

The Germantown YWCA, a wreck and a half, stands alongside Vernon Park in Germantown, testimony to the fact millions of dollars invested in it by the City and various nonprofits have gone everywhere else but to this historical relic. Because of years of neglect, while the money was misspent, it became the home of derelicts and poachers.

It’s been rescued this time by 8^th Dist. Councilwoman Cindy Bass, who pulled a trick out of her district budget to begin the road to recovery for the century-old neighborhood landmark. She also has gotten additional money to help the rejuvenation from the Redevelopment Authority, bringing the total to roughly $4 million in city funding.

She is using $2.2 million in funds remaining in the district’s capital dollars from the old Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, and through her efforts has gotten approval from the Redevelopment Authority for an additional $1.8 million.

“Once we found out the YWCA was not imminently dangerous, we knew the building was going to be able to be saved,” she said. “We’re all very excited.” Including Yvonne Haskins, who helped collect hundreds of petition signatures after forming Friends to Save The Germantown YWCA.

Squatters, fires and vandals have all left their mark on the building since it was shuttered in 2006. The landlord was the same RDA, which paid $1.3 million for a very-stable and marketable property that same year, planning to hold the mortgage for a nonprofit developer. When that deal collapsed, the RDA did nothing with the property for nine years, neither securing it nor marketing it during that period.

A Request for Proposal was issued last year, but only one proposal, for 50 units of senior housing, was submitted. The RDA rejected the project because it didn’t have Bass’ support.

This year, Bass said a half-dozen developers have already reached out about the project. “There’s a lot of interest out there,” she said. “They see that Germantown is on the rise and they want to be part of it.”

Any project will require a considerable investment, even with the aid of a subsidy like low-income tax credits.

Bass has also announced a groundbreaking at adjacent Vernon Park to begin a $1.2 million makeover that includes new lighting, pathway improvements and new children’s playground equipment, including restoration of historic monuments and statues.

She has pledged to keep the YWCA on her front burner, avoiding the pitfalls plaguing its past.

“Having this building now being brought back to life just fits in perfectly with what was already planned,” said Andy Trackman, executive director of Germantown United CDC.

Bass has served notice she will not wait for the RDA to proceed at the slow pace it did before her intervention. “While we await the Request for Proposals to be issued by the Pennsylvania Redevelopment Authority this spring, I will continue to speak with local developers and discuss their bold and unique visions for Germantown.

“Some of the concepts suggested thus far include full market-rate condominiums and/or rental units, office space, retail options and recreation uses,” she reported. “These suggestions have been presented both individually and  in various combinations, and I am excited about the possibilities ahead. We are seeking developers that have the capacity to move quickly, who have a plan to involve the community in the process, and who take into account the importance of environmental sustainability.  The RFP will be an open and transparent process, with an emphasis on preservation.”

The physical state of the vacant building was in rapid decline after sustaining multiple fires. Bass balked at developer Ken Weinstein’s plan to redevelop it into a space for nonprofits and low-income senior housing, saying a more community-driven project should be considered. “We have to be thoughtful and deliberate about development in Germantown – just as in Mt. Airy and Chestnut Hill. Nothing less will be acceptable,” Bass affirmed.

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