Terry Gillen's confusing stance on development

Mayoral hopeful Terry Gillen says she wants to make Philadelphia a "city of opportunity," citing her experience transforming a shuttered Navy Yard into a dynamic office park as evidence that she understands and supports economic development. 

But is Gillen's support for business less robust when the "development" happens to be in her backyard?

In a recent City Paper article, lawyer Joseph Beller said he was retained by Gillen and other neighbors to oppose the construction of 2300 South Street, a proposed mixed-use building near Gillen's Fitler Square home that would have violated the city's restrictions on height and residential density. Concerned about a parking shortage, the neighbors wanted Beller to fight the developer's request for a zoning variance that would have allowed construction to move forward in spite of those violations. 

Other sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, also said Gillen, a former aide to Mayor Michael Nutter, had made calls to City Hall about the project. The developer's request for a variance was ultimately denied, despite support from the larger neighborhood.

But the same day that article was printed, Gillen posted a cryptic statement on her official Facebook page:

Neighbors were understandably confused. Some posted incredulous queries in response to the statement on Facebook. In addition to evidence that Gillen had personally opposed 2300 South, the fact that the developer's request for an exception to the city's zoning codes had later been denied was a matter of public record. As far as most neighbors were concerned, the project was dead.

Development is a sensitive topic for Gillen beyond the fact that she is running as a pro-business reform candidate for mayor. One of Gillen's allies, ward leader Marcia Wilkof, was openly challenged in this year's primary by a group of insurgent committeepeople who said that the neighborhood's political leadership was dominated by NIMBYs.

Reached via email last week, Gillen said she understood "the reason for the confusion" over her statement and offered a second comment.

"To clarify my earlier comment, my understanding is that the developer said that he could build the project at three stories and does not need zoning approval to do so," wrote Gillen. "You should check the zoning hearing transcript on this. If that is correct, then I hope he builds the project."

But some neighbors criticized the "clarification," which was also posted on Gillen's Facebook page. Several commenters said it was disingenuous to claim that the project was "approved" because developers may have said that they could build something at 2300 South Street without a zoning variance.  

"That's not a clarification. That's backing out of an outright bald-faced lie," wrote one neighbor.

In the context of the mayor's race, the flap may seem minor — after all, neighbors are entitled to oppose developments that may not warrant a zoning variance — as there are much larger and more pressing issues facing the city.

But Gillen's handling of a fairly trivial issue in a way that seems to have left some neighbors even more suspicious that something underhanded had occurred does not bode well for a City Hall insider trying to build a repution as a reform candidate.