I got a letter today from David Wasserman from Wasserman Real Estate Capital. No, I’m not that important. And No, I’m not friends with Mr. Wasserman. He’s appealing to the community for support for his company’s proposed plans for Hyde Park Village.

He is trying to get approval from the City Council for his proposed Hyde Park Village redevelopment plan, which the ARC decided not to recommend.

Other than referring to the reader as “neighbor” on a couple of occasions (he lives in Rhode Island), I liked what he had to say and I’d like to learn more:

“We have met with members of the district, including residents and retail tenants, wanting to know what you thought would make the Village a truly special place again. Your responses included increasing retail uses that support your daily lifestyle and creating a more pedestrian friendly environment. We couldn’t agree more. The redevelopment proposal filed with the City Council seeks approval to increase the retail space, including allowing a gourmet market within the Village.”

Unfortunately, the latest renderings that are included in the letter have been reduced to the point that they are almost blobs of color. The two things that worry me most about the project are the style and the scale. As I mentioned, the drawings are hard to make out clearly, but the style seems to be of the pervasive pseudo-Mediterranean sort that has cropped up all over suburbia. You fill your lot with a giant concrete box, slap some stucco over it, add a tile roof, maybe stick on a few arches, and if you want to get fancy, throw in some awnings.

The other issue is the height. The current maximum allowable height is 40 feet. The proposed height is 80 feet on one block and 90 feet on another. Again, It’s hard to tell from the drawings, but it looks a bit out of scale.

There is a proposed increase in residential from 35 to 146. For the block with existing units there will be a decrease from 35 to 18, but on the block with Talbot’s there will be 85 where there was none. On the block formerly with Brook’s Brothers, the increase is from 0 to 78. This seems a bit ambitious, but I would like to see more drawings. I’m not sure an eight or nine story building is appropriate here. For perspective, the Georgian Apartments, on Hills, is rather large and it’s only 3 stories.

Still, I like the idea behind the proposal. I know that some people freak out at the proposal of any new development, but this is a living community. We have to deal with change and some change is good. Hyde Park Village could and should be an attractive and useful part of the neighborhood and it’s always astounded me that it has languished for so long.

If you’re interested in attending the meeting, here is the information:

• Date: 12/13/2007
• Place: City Council Chambers (315 E. Kennedy Blvd.)
• Time: 6:00 P. M.

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