At its September 14 meeting, the Philadelphia Art Commission again did not approve the first element of the Cobbs Creek Foundation’s renovation of the Cobbs Creek golf courses: the driving range and education center.
This is the foundation’s third attempt to gain final approval for the driving range and the education center at the golf courses, 350 acres of land the foundation has leased from the City for $1 over 30 years, and where the clearing of about 100 acres of trees has sparked resistance from community members. The commission granted a conceptual approval for the first element on July 29. That July 29 meeting followed an April 13 meeting at which the Art Commission had asked the foundation to come back with more-complete plans.
While public comments about the proposal consumed much of the April and July meetings, this time the foundation didn’t even make it past its initial slide show.
Commission members had asked for more information about the environmental impact of various elements of the planned buildings, including how materials would make the urban heat island effect better or worse, how windows might be designed to reduce the number of birds killed by flying into them, and how native plant species might be used in the landscaping.
The foundation had not provided the information the commission had requested, according to commission members on the Zoom call, and the commission voted to continue the discussion at a later date to be determined.
Local and state reps the Cobbs Creek Foundation and whoever else is involved in this fiasco need to get it together. This is a blight in the Overbrook Park community. Who’s greasy palms does this community have to thank for this eyesore? The trees should never have been torn down unless and until the Overbrook Park community agreed to the changes and all of the i’s had been dotted and the t’s crossed to make it happen. How much longer will this community, the ecology and the wild life have to suffer from this?
We need trees!!! Do not cut them here!!!
Thank you Bernard Brown for your steady excellent
reporting on this travesty to the Cobbs Creek community.
Agreed, the fact that no additional information has been provided leads one to believe there was pre-agreement without facts presented to the community. Accountability is critical, considering the devastation has already begun. Still trying to understand how the deforrestation started without community knowledge and input as if we are not voting, tax paying citizens and residents.