Editor, The Sentinel:
Neighbor to Neighbor’s plan to expand on the Christ Church property will impact the economic security and lives of nearby residents, and will have lasting negative impact on a quiet residential neighborhood.
Neighbor to Neighbor is not a part of Christ Church. It is a tenant, and wants to erect a larger building, with offices, clothing and food shops, a loading dock for deliveries of fresh and canned meat, vegetables and baked goods. There will be dumpsters, air conditioning units, utility poles and wiring.
Neighbor to Neighbor proposes to put this ugly parking lot, building, dumpsters, and utility structures on a small green open space behind Christ Church buildings. On the other side of the property line are the homes of Putnam Hill and Putnam Park residents. That parking lot would be so close to some Putnam Park homes that their patios will be less than 20 feet from the sight and sound of this supermarket-type activity. No screening can effectively protect their privacy, their quality of life, or their property values.
The residents of Putnam Park and Putnam Hill are young families, middle-aged and senior citizens, veterans… employed, retired, middle- income. They trust the zoning regulations, which designate the area as residential but Neighbor to Neighbor is asking that it be granted an exception to those regulations.
Neighbor to Neighbor has other options: its friends in the Cohen Foundation and at Christ Church can help it relocate in a larger, commercial area, better-suited to its activities. We ask Neighbor to Neighbor to remember that its neighbors are not only those who walk through its doors seeking help. Its neighbors are also those who live nearby, upon whom its plans will inflict irreversible damage.
Marian Phillips
