By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer
After listening to passionate speeches by park advocates and even some commissioners, the Fairmount Park Commission on Friday approved an amended lease agreement that will allow Fox Chase Cancer Center to expand into Burholme Park.
Passage of the agreement doesn’t mean Fox Chase will be bringing construction crews onto parkland any time soon. Far from it.
City Council has to give its approval, followed by a signature by Mayor Michael Nutter. Then, Orphans’ Court has to resolve a dispute over whether a century-old will prevents a private entity from building on the ground.
Nonetheless, Fox Chase chancellor and former president Dr. Robert Young was relieved that the majority of commission members sided with the cancer center.
“Obviously, we’re pleased with the decision they made,” he said.
The lease agreement passed by a vote of 8-4 during a special meeting at the Horticulture Center.
Voting in favor were Robert Nix, Doris Smith, Joan Schlotterbeck, June Brown, Debra Wolf Goldstein, John Binswanger, Bill Carapucci and Bernie Brunwasser. In opposition were Phil Price, Gardner Cadwallader, Farah Jiminez and Alex Bonavitacola.
Harris Baum abstained, and Joe Manko recused himself because he had worked with Fox Chase to find an alternate expansion site in Horsham.
Young noted that, even with the expansion, the park will still include the historic mansion, the ball fields and the sledding hills.
The golf driving range, miniature golf course, golf pro shop/concession stand, batting cages and parking lot will stay until at least September 2009 or longer, if the center is not ready to build.
Young acknowledges that no construction will take place until appeals are exhausted. For now, Fox Chase is building a pavilion on its own grounds.
The hospital official explained that the center is eager to get started on the larger project because patients are lining up for care. Fox Chase sees about 7,000 new patients a year, a figure that is expected to rise to 12,000 by 2015.
Expansion opponents have lobbied for Fox Chase to grow somewhere else, such as at the industrial sites in the Far Northeast.
The center, though, wants its operations on the same campus because many patients and employees are from the area and administrators believe it’s necessary for research and clinical staff to work together.
After searching, the center was unable to find another location besides the park.
“There’s no place close that’s feasible,” Young said.
Fox Chase, located at 333 Cottman Ave., wants to build on 19.4 acres of the 60-acre park. In all, the project will take 20 years and cost up to $1 billion. Some 1,500 jobs will be created.
The ground will be leased in a deal involving the city, the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation, the Fairmount Park Conservancy and the cancer center. The lease is for 80 years, and the center has two 40-year renewal options.
Fox Chase will pay a development fee of $5.5 million and a base rent of $2.75 million. The park and mansion will receive $1.125 million in improvements.
The cancer center was supposed to find ground to replace the land on which it will build, but open space is scarce, so the center will pay $4 million to a city fund for “improvements to existing facilities” in the 10th Councilmanic District with first priority given to parkland and open space.
Park advocates and some commissioners agreed that Fox Chase does good work but argued that the commission should stick to its mission of preserving the purity of drinking water and maintaining land as open space rather than leasing one-third of a park to a private enterprise.
Tim Kearney, a Mayfair resident and Democratic candidate in the 172nd Legislative District, pointed out that Burholme Park is surrounded by densely populated areas. He wants Fox Chase to grow somewhere else.
“We don’t have to destroy the park to expand the cancer center,” he said.
Fred Maurer, an Olney resident, said the park commission has no business discussing economic and medical issues. He believes the buildings will ruin the feel of the park.
“You’re going to have a metropolitan city in the park,” he said.
Fred Gauss, who lives across from the park on Central Avenue, said traffic is already bad on Cottman Avenue from Rising Sun Avenue to Church Road in Elkins Park. A busier cancer center with more employees and patients, he said, will make traffic even worse.
Jean Gavin agreed. She lives on Rhawn Street and said it often takes her five minutes to make a left out of her driveway onto Rhawn Street.
“The traffic in Fox Chase and Burholme already is unbelievable,” she said. ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com