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Developer Ken Weinstein has filed a petition to take possession of and rehabilitate the Germantown YWCA, a blighted city-owned building that has sat vacant for two decades.
If a judge sides with Weinstein, his company could become the Y’s conservator under Act 135, a designation that could also see the historic property sold to a new developer.
In 2016, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority selected Ohio-based KBK Enterprises to revamp the four-story brick building on Germantown Avenue. And the company is still working to secure funding for its $18 million plan to transform the Y into a mixed-use development, a source of deep frustration for many residents who desperately want to see the property put back into use.
“It’s a negative influence on our community and it continues to deteriorate. And as it deteriorates, it’ll get more and more difficult to restore it and reuse it,” said Weinstein.