Add to call agenda: Johnny McDonald
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abigail weinberg
Nov 26, 2012, 4:17:19 PM11/26/12
to wvc-work...@googlegroups.com
Dear Ann, Jack and the "Liaison Team,"
Welcome back everyone from Thanksgiving and beyond! (I know that I am barely back from a weekend wedding in S. Carolina!)
As we eagerly await setting up a time for all of us to check in on the phone (Ann & Jack are getting us their availability) below is another interesting twist that we will need to discuss.
In case Jack or Ann forgot who Johnny MacDonald is, briefly, he is a principle in a development company known as "Onion Flats" that does affordable, sustainable development in Philadelphia. (Click here for details on Onion Flats.) Back in June 2012, representatives from WVC began a conversation with Johnny about how Onion Flats could be involved in this project. Andrew knows that we spoke to Johnny and it is likely that Johnny and Andrew spoke to each other as well. Johnny was the one who got us thinking about putting money in escrow.
Johnny dropped contact with our group around August and we haven't hear from him since. (We did hear that he might have had a baby in that time.) Last week he emailed Lynne
Iser and Bob Bernstein looking for a cohousing update. The ensuing correspondence between him and Pesha is below.
I will respond to let him know that we are in the process of working with consultants to define our next steps and that we will be in touch shortly.
I look forward discussing this with you soon!!
Thanks,
Abby
Abigail Weinberg
Home: 215-842-0268 Cell: 734-474-6958 email: abbywe...@alum.barnard.edu
Home: 215-842-0268 Cell: 734-474-6958 email: abbywe...@alum.barnard.edu
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Johnny McDonald <jo...@onionflats.com>
To: Pesha Leichter <pes...@gmail.com>
Cc: Abby Weinberg <withh...@yahoo.com>; Bob Bernstein <bbbr...@aol.com>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2012 1:02 PM
Subject: Re: draft for Johnny McDonald
Hi Pesha, et alThanks for the note and follow up. Onion Flats is most interested to work on this project with you all. In light of the progress over the past several months, would you be so kind to update me with a bit more detail on the following:- Iron Stones reply to your "Pitch Package"- Send me a copy/pdf of the Pitch Package so I can understand what your proposal consists of- How WVC invisions Onion Flats participating in the projectI look forward to hearing from you, thanks!Best - JohnnyMcDonald Group @ CityspaceOnion Flats, LLCOn Nov 24, 2012, at 5:47 PM, Pesha Leichter wrote:Dear Johnny,
I am writing to you on behalf of Wissahickon Village Cohousing (WVC, formerly, Wissahickon Eco-Village). I am one of the full members of the group and have been asked to update you on our recent progress in response to the email you sent Lynne Iser and Bob Bernstein last week. FYI, Lynne Iser is no longer active in our group. Abby Weinberg, who I have copied, is an active member of the group and is serving as our current Community Coordinator. I've also copied Bob Bernstein, our member-architect, who talks your language.
Since we were last in touch with you, WVC has been trying to more forward in negotiating to build our cohousing community on the property on Germantown Ave that is currently owned by Iron Stone Strategic Capital Partners. In October, we compiled and submitted a "Pitch Package" to Iron Stone complete with a concept site plan and outline specifications that were created by Cohousing Collaborative, (Jack Wilburn and Ann Zabaldo,) consultants that we hired from the Washington, DC area. Last week, Iron Stone (Andrew Eisenstein) presented us with a proposal which he created based on the Pitch Package. We are currently digesting his proposal.
Our understanding from Andrew is that if he goes forward with us, he would need to hire a project manager to move the project forward. I don't know if he would still be interested in a 3 way partnership among Ironstone, WVC and Onion Flats. With your experience with Passive Haus and your modular approach to keeping down costs, WVC would be interested in discussing having you at the table.
Does Onion Flats have the time and interest in exploring what your involvement might be in this project?
Feel free to "reply all" to this email or call me at 215.991.5741 to let me know your thoughts about this project and your potential involvement.
Thanks very much,
Pesha Leichter
Visit my website at www.CraftedbyPesha.com
abigail weinberg
Nov 26, 2012, 4:26:21 PM11/26/12
to Johnny McDonald, Pesha Leichter, Bob Bernstein
Dear Johnny,
Thank you very much for your continued interest in our project! I'm Abby Weinberg and I am currently serving as the Community Coordinator for Wissahickon Village Cohousing. (This is the job that Lynne Iser was doing until recently.)
I wanted to respond quickly to the email below and inform you that we will be meeting with our consultants about everything that's been going on over the past month. As soon as we speak with them and gain a clearer understanding of the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead, we will get back to you. Please stay tuned!
Best,
Abby
abigail weinberg
Dec 5, 2012, 12:14:55 AM12/5/12
to Johnny McDonald, wvc-work...@googlegroups.com, Ann Zabaldo
Thanks for the quick response, Johnny!
There is at present NO commitment between WVC and Iron Stone. There has been, however, a sincere and strong interest presented by Iron Stone in working with WVC, potentially on a different property or with a different design or a different ownership model (i.e., not condos).
We very much look forward to hearing from you next week.
Best,
Abby
There is at present NO commitment between WVC and Iron Stone. There has been, however, a sincere and strong interest presented by Iron Stone in working with WVC, potentially on a different property or with a different design or a different ownership model (i.e., not condos).
We very much look forward to hearing from you next week.
Best,
Abby
To: abigail weinberg <withh...@yahoo.com>
Cc: "wvc-work...@googlegroups.com" <wvc-work...@googlegroups.com>; Ann Zabaldo <ann.z...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: draft for Johnny McDonald
Thanks Abby, et alI will be able to dig into this document over the next few days and will get back to you early next week. Sound good?One question, has Iron Stone committed to working with you on this project if the financing is in place, or are they still seriously considering moving forward with the original town house plan submitted (and I believe approved) by Zoning?Dear Johnny,Attached please find the Pitch Package initially created by Wissahickon Village Cohousing, LLC, (WVC). This was initially presented to Iron Stone in order to begin a conversation about working together to build a cohousing community on a property they currently own on Germantown Ave.Included in the attached are:
- WVC Pitch Package including a 1-page summary of the project and several supporting documents.
- Concept Site Plan (for your use alone; please do not share with others).
- Outline Spec for the Concept Site Plan (for your use alone; please do not share with others).
I am sending this to you on behalf of WVC to bring you up to date on our vision for this project and ask you how you might contribute. So far, we have received a budget proposal from Iron Stone that shows a budget of approximately $12 million. We were hoping that Onion Flats might be able to pull together a budget that was closer to $7 million, (excluding land costs,) which is much closer to the market value and what we can afford. Would you be willing to draft such a budget?As you can see from the attached, we are especially interested in innovative approaches to energy efficiency and sustainability. Our interest in Passive House design are not fully reflected in the Outline Specs, but should be considered when crafting a budget for this project.Please contact me to set up a time to discuss this further. We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to move this process forward.All the best,Abby WeinbergCommunity Coordinator
To: abigail weinberg <withh...@yahoo.com>
Cc: Pesha Leichter <pes...@gmail.com>; Bob Bernstein <bbbr...@aol.com>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2012 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: draft for Johnny McDonald
Sounds good. Thanks.
Best - JohnnyMcDonald Group @ CityspaceOnion Flats, LLC
<WVC Pitch Package 101212.pdf><WVC Outline Spec 101212.pdf><WVC Concept SitePlan 101212.pdf>
abigail weinberg
Dec 20, 2012, 11:00:18 AM12/20/12
to Johnny McDonald, wvc-work...@googlegroups.com, Ann Zabaldo
Hi Johnny,
I am hoping you've had a chance to look at the materials we sent you regarding the cohousing pitch and concept plans. I realized that I may have overlooked your question posed below and I apologize if I did. The answer is that Iron Stone believes that there is no financing available in Philadelphia to build new condos; therefore, they are unlikely to build the plans we set forth in the pitch package. Our group now needs to consider whether we want to take another look at his original plans and see how we could turn that into cohousing, or if we want to work with Iron Stone to identify an existing building which they could help us retrofit to meet our needs. We are also open to the possibility of working with a different developer on this project, either in conjunction with Iron Stone, or on another site altogether.
As you can see, we are in the phase of exploring many avenues, which is why we are particularly eager to continue our conversation with Onion Flats and see how the "shoe fits!"
I hope to hear from you soon!
Abby
I am hoping you've had a chance to look at the materials we sent you regarding the cohousing pitch and concept plans. I realized that I may have overlooked your question posed below and I apologize if I did. The answer is that Iron Stone believes that there is no financing available in Philadelphia to build new condos; therefore, they are unlikely to build the plans we set forth in the pitch package. Our group now needs to consider whether we want to take another look at his original plans and see how we could turn that into cohousing, or if we want to work with Iron Stone to identify an existing building which they could help us retrofit to meet our needs. We are also open to the possibility of working with a different developer on this project, either in conjunction with Iron Stone, or on another site altogether.
As you can see, we are in the phase of exploring many avenues, which is why we are particularly eager to continue our conversation with Onion Flats and see how the "shoe fits!"
I hope to hear from you soon!
Abby
To: abigail weinberg <withh...@yahoo.com>
Cc: "wvc-work...@googlegroups.com" <wvc-work...@googlegroups.com>; Ann Zabaldo <ann.z...@gmail.com>
Sent: Tuesday, December 4, 2012 9:41 PM
Subject: Re: draft for Johnny McDonald
Thanks Abby, et alI will be able to dig into this document over the next few days and will get back to you early next week. Sound good?One question, has Iron Stone committed to working with you on this project if the financing is in place, or are they still seriously considering moving forward with the original town house plan submitted (and I believe approved) by Zoning?
Best - Johnny
Dear Johnny,Attached please find the Pitch Package initially created by Wissahickon Village Cohousing, LLC, (WVC). This was initially presented to Iron Stone in order to begin a conversation about working together to build a cohousing community on a property they currently own on Germantown Ave.Included in the attached are:
- WVC Pitch Package including a 1-page summary of the project and several supporting documents.
- Concept Site Plan (for your use alone; please do not share with others).
- Outline Spec for the Concept Site Plan (for your use alone; please do not share with others).
I am sending this to you on behalf of WVC to bring you up to date on our vision for this project and ask you how you might contribute. So far, we have received a budget proposal from Iron Stone that shows a budget of approximately $12 million. We were hoping that Onion Flats might be able to pull together a budget that was closer to $7 million, (excluding land costs,) which is much closer to the market value and what we can afford. Would you be willing to draft such a budget?As you can see from the attached, we are especially interested in innovative approaches to energy efficiency and sustainability. Our interest in Passive House design are not fully reflected in the Outline Specs, but should be considered when crafting a budget for this project.Please contact me to set up a time to discuss this further. We look forward to hearing from you and continuing to move this process forward.All the best,Abby WeinbergCommunity Coordinator
To: abigail weinberg <withh...@yahoo.com>
Cc: Pesha Leichter <pes...@gmail.com>; Bob Bernstein <bbbr...@aol.com>
Sent: Monday, November 26, 2012 4:45 PM
Subject: Re: draft for Johnny McDonald
Sounds good. Thanks.
Best - JohnnyMcDonald Group @ CityspaceOnion Flats, LLC
On Nov 26, 2012, at 4:26 PM, abigail weinberg wrote:
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