BY GEORGE TOMEZSKO
Staff Writer

A class-action lawsuit contemplated by some Northeast residents to force the city to equalize property tax assessment rates is on hold pending receipt of additional information from attorneys looking into the matter. Members of the Somerton Civic Association have been debating the merits of such a suit for the past several months.

SCA president Mary Jane Hazell said that the group's attorneys want to conduct further research to determine whether a lawsuit can be filed. A report on the work done by the attorneys will be forthcoming in one or two months. Hazell, like many SCA members, feels strongly that such a suit is needed.

"I would like to see us bring suit against the Board of Revision, (of taxes) to force them to explain how they came up with this monster," Hazell said. "They have got to be accountable for what they are doing."

The "monster" to which Hazell referred is the present tax assessment system in place throughout the city. She and other residents have charged the city with discriminating against residents in the Northeast by assessing their homes at a higher percentage than homes in other parts of the city.

For example, Hazell explained that homes in her neighborhood are often assessed at more than 65 percent of their market value. But the percentage applied to homes in other parts of the city is much lower, often just 30 percent.

She also noted that the percentage used to calculate the tax assessments can vary from house to house in the same neighborhood, and does not appear to be connected to the size of the property. For example, she mentioned that a home with four bedrooms was assessed at a lower percentage than a nearby three-bedroom property.

"There's no rhyme or reason for what they (the board) are doing," Hazell said.

The purpose of the class-action suit under consideration would be to force the city to impose a uniform percentage across the city, explained Hazell.

In other business

In other business, Hazell said a group of residents had recently met with State Rep. George Kennedy, (R-170) to discuss plans for the former Byberry Hospital property.

One plan being floated is a proposal to transform the site into a golf course. Another plan calls for the construction of a retail store complex as well as housing for senior citizens. Included in this latter plan will be the construction of 3,000 parking spaces. Hazell mentioned that this aspect of the second plan is objectionable to the SCA.

However, regardless of the option chosen for the site, construction will not start anytime soon. Hazell explained that a major fly in the proverbial ointment is who will assume the cost of cleaning up asbestos at the site, now estimated at $27 million.

But Hazell feels that time has come for action on the property.

"It (the property) is an eyesore," Hazell said. "Something's got to be done about it."

Zoning issues

Two zoning issues were also discussed at the meeting.

The first case dealt with a proposal to expand a medical building on the southwest corner of Bustleton Ave. and Gifford Street. Robert Pisani, owner of the property, and Gene Sterin, his attorney, presented their plans for the addition.

The new two-story structure will measure 56-feet-by-34-feet and will contain space for 13 offices. It will be set back 35 feet from Gifford Street. Three additional parking spaces are planned for the site as well as a "drop-off" area to allow patients to enter or leave vehicles.

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