By Janet Kalter

Philly Bikecab Alliance
The first topic of discussion was Philly Bikecab Alliance. Extension of this business operation into the Old City areA was recently proposed to the board of the OCCA and approved. Examples of their human-powered transportion options were parked in the parking lot for the Board's review. Representatives of Philly Bikecab Alliance were not present at the Developments Committee meeting, but the operation was briefly discussed and their literature was distributed.

To quote their literature, "The three main applications for bikecabs in Old City are taxi service, sightseeing tours, and shuttle service. Trained tour guides will offer a different perspective and experience for learning about Old City." They also plan to make the shuttle service available for events and festivals.

To see these bikecabs and read more about them, go to: http://www.phillybikecaballiance.org/

401 Race Street - Franklin Place
The second topic of discussion was the project at 401 Race Street, the old Pincus Brothers building. While there is an article about the project in our newsletter dated, July 27, 2010, there have already been some changes and there are more in the works. If you are interested in this project, please attend the Developments Committee meetings to stay apace of the project and to contribute your thoughts.

There continues to be a mixed reaction to various aspects of the project and to the best methods to protect Old City against the parts of the project to which we may oppose. There are many parts of it to support, but some of us are concerned about the scope and the large scale of the entertainment area planned and the fact that a six-story digital billboard mounted vertically on the north side of the building remains in the plan.

The 401 Race Street sub-committee composed of four members of the Developments Committee: Bob Brown, Joe Schiavo, Ted Newbold, and Marcus Saitschenko, continue to meet with Mr. Ambrosi and Councilman DiCicco to work out the details. The sub-committee is now in their twenty-third month of meetings with the project developer.

Zoning Code Commission - Change Memo #3
The third topic was a brief discussion of OCCA's response to the new Zoning Code Change Memo #3, and there is an article in our newsletter titled, "Status Report: Zoning Code Commission Change Memo", that will bring you up to date.
A copy of the OCCA letter of response to Module 2 of the new zoning code was circulated.