You didn't have to know a thing about the redevelopment of the former Byberry hospital grounds to recognize that something was up at last week's Somerton Civic Association meeting.

Civic meetings simply don't draw crowds of 150 people unless something really big is on the agenda.

At this meeting, held Feb. 13 at the Walker Lodge, 1290 Southampton Road, more than 150 people did show.

The hot topic was a "Carter Road Newsletter" circulating among many of the residents of the section adjacent to the state-owned Byberry site.

Byberry, officially known as the Philadelphia State Hospital, closed down for good in June 1990 following years of allegations of mistreatment of patients at the psychiatric institution.

The unsigned, typeset leaflet, dated January 2001 and bearing the slogan "Your Neighborhood Reporter," consisted of an article proclaiming: "Once again our neighborhood is under siege; this time with the blessing of the very association who claims to be watching out for your interest."

The article attempted to detail plans of developer Paul Soult to build an over-55 residential community on a 40-acre strip of the 153-acre Byberry tract.

The property is bordered by Roosevelt Boulevard on the east, Southampton Road on the south, Carter Road on the west, and the Poquessing Creek on the north.

Development rights to the land currently rest with the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation and two private firms, per an agreement of sale with the state's Department of General Services.

IT'S UP TO THE COMMUNITY

Those developers would essentially need community approval before moving forward with any project. The SCA voted more than a year ago to oppose the agreement of sale.

With the hope of moving in when the existing agreement dies, Soult showed his proposal to the civic association on Jan. 9. The members voted overwhelmingly to support the concept, under certain conditions, following the presentation.

The authors of the newsletter, identifying themselves as "a group of concerned residents of Carter Road," oppose Soult's plans, citing concerns of congestion and traffic, as well as an expected property tax abatement for those moving into the proposed community. The authors also claimed a lack of representation for Carter Road residents on an "ad hoc" committee set up by the SCA to deal with the Byberry issue.

The newsletter urged Carter Road residents to attend the Feb. 13 meeting.

Mary Jane Hazell, president of the SCA, opened discussion of the Byberry situation by defending her own position and that of the civic group.

"I have never, ever, sold this community down the river at any time," Hazell said. "When I read letters that condemn this organization, it bothers me.

"At no time did we say, 'To hell with Carter Road.'"

Following Hazell's comments, a woman who said she was a 19-year resident of Carter Road took up the ad hoc committee issue.

"I'm not able to come to every meeting," she said. "(But) how come I wasn't asked to be on the ad hoc committee?"

WANT A LETTER? REGISTER

The woman also asked why she didn't receive the monthly SCA newsletter updating residents on the latest Byberry news. Hazell pointed out that only registered members of the association can be on the committee and receive newsletters. The woman was not a registered member.

About 500 newsletters are sent out by the organization each month, according to the president. Standard annual membership dues are $5 per family.

Gus Scirrotto, another Carter Road resident and a member of the civic group, said that the plan, as proposed, calls for too many new residences in the allocated space. At the January meeting, Soult said there would be 300 to 400 twin and single homes. He was not present at the meeting last week.

"I think they're trying to put a bushel in a peck," Scirrotto said. "I'm feeling claustrophobic."

Following the meeting, Scirrotto said he might be willing to support a residential plan "if they agree to cut down on the amount of homes. I think (the current proposal) is way, way too much."

Another point made in the Carter Road newsletter and echoed at the meeting was that the proposed development could bring an estimated 600 new vehicles into the immediate neighborhood. These cars would enter and exit the development via Carter Road, according to Soult's plan.

ON THE ROAD TO ACCESS

The Carter Road newsletter also claimed that a second curb cut was "a possibility" on Carter. Hazell denied that assertion and added that the Southampton Road exit may be scrapped if the community pushes for an access road leading out to Roosevelt Boulevard.

The proposal is subject to change because Soult has yet to survey the site, she said.

The woman from Carter Road questioned why the civic group supports residential development at all when, in the early 1990s, the now-defunct Byberry Reuse Committee ruled out new homes.

Frank Novak, a Carter Road resident and former SCA vice president, later added that the reuse committee (in cooperation with a consulting firm) called for the completion of the Woodhaven Road expressway project and a re-design of Southampton Road before any redevelopment. Novak was a member of the reuse committee.

"That was the main thing that I picked out of the (report) that the consulting firm brought," Novak said. "That was in 1992."

Neither recommendation has been implemented.

Hazell said that the SCA still supports the Woodhaven Road project. Other residents at the meeting called for the civic association and the Carter Road faction to try to work out their differences for the benefit of the entire neighborhood.

HOLD THOSE STONES

"I'm hearing Carter Road residents saying they've been left out of this deal," one man said. "I think we better get on the same page. We better get together and figure it out. Let's not throw stones at each other by putting these letters in people's mailboxes."

By the end of the meeting, the SCA had grown by 18 families, including six from Carter Road, Hazell said. Meanwhile, the 14-member Byberry ad hoc committee had grown by two members, both from Carter Road.

"I think this meeting was a better one than we've had in a while," Scirrotto said. "(Carter Road residents) do have a voice in this."

Despite the existing proposal by Soult and the ongoing dialogue among residents, there is no clear timetable for redevelopment. The state has extended into the summer a deadline for PIDC and the two private firms to come up with a viable plan.

In the meantime, Hazell said, the community should continue pushing for the state to clean up asbestos in about 30 deteriorating former hospital buildings on the site. The asbestos, discovered years ago by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, poses a threat to the health of the community, Hazell believes.

"Just keep putting pressure on (state Sen.) Mike Stack, (state Rep.) George Kenney and (Gov.) Tom Ridge," Hazell said, suggesting telephone calls and letter-writing to the state officials.