- - - COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA - - - PUBLIC HEARING COMMITTEE ON HOUSING, NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT and THE HOMELESS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, June 16, 2004, 10:30 a.m. - - - RESOLUTION 040273 - Resolution calling on City Council's Housing, Neighborhood Development and Homeless Committee to hold hearings on the redevelopment of the 4600 Block of Sansom Street between 46th Street and Farragut Street and the 100 Block of 46th Street between Chestnut and Walnut Streets. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL - - - V A R A L L O Incorporated Litigation Support Services 1835 Market Street, Suite 600 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103 215.561.2220 215.567.2670 2 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 - - - P R O C E E D I N G S - - -
Good morning. Thank you for your patience. On March 18th City Council as a body passed Resolution Number 040273, authorizing the Council Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless to hold public hearings. Today we are taking testimony. We will recess until Monday, the 21st, at 1 o'clock, to consider any further action that we may want to take. Having said that, we will ask the clerk to read the title of the bill, and we will ask those who are ready to testify to do that. And we'll start with the administration.
Resolution 040273, a resolution calling on City Council's Housing, Neighborhood Development and Homeless Committee to hold hearings on the redevelopment of the 4600 Block of Sansom 3 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 Street between 46th Street and Farragut Street and the 100 Block of 46th Street between Chestnut and Walnut Streets.
Thank you. The Chair will note that we will not spend a lot of time discussing the 100 block of 46th Street between Sansom and Walnut, as we accept the fact that there are issues there that are still under discussion. Now, we're happy if the administration would like to hear from the... If you would like to testify, if you'd like to hear from members of the block first, we're happy to do that. All right. Mr. Winward, maybe we'll call on you to get started. Miss McPhedran, will you testify next?
Thank you, Councilwoman. I don't have prepared comments today, other than to say that the Partnership CDC has been working towards the improvement of this area for over two 4 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 years at this point. And we have been working with the residents of the neighborhood and other stakeholders to come up with the best solution to what we view as a severely blighted area that's inviting crime, trash, and other typical problems that are inherent in these types of areas. So, I'd rather let the residents speak and some of the other stakeholders at this point.
Thank you. Miss McPhedran. And while she's coming forward, the Chair also notes when the Mayor signed the NTI Resolution 17 Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, it was at this community. It was at the corner of 45th and Sansom Streets where he announced this exciting program to our City and to the world. So we are happy to be here to have this discussion, and note that it is historic, in that it is about where this whole program started. Thank you. 5 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 Miss McPhedran. MS. McPHEDRAN: Hi. My name is Sue McPhedran, and I work for the Reinvestment Fund. As you may know, we're a lender/investor in housing and economic development in the City and region. The subject of today's hearing is the redevelopment of the 4600 block of Sansom Street, one of the most deteriorated sections of University City. It suffers from dilapidated properties, high vacancy rate and crime, and subsidance, probably related to the Mill Creek sewer. It's created a dangerous condition for the neighborhood, and more importantly, for the dozen or so families still living there. Despite the deterioration, it's important to point out that there's significant developer interest in this area. Recently a private developer purchased most of the vacant properties in 6 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 the 4400 block of Sansom Street, reportedly with plans to renovate and sell them at market price. TRF has introduced the Partnership CDC to another private developer, who will partner with the CDC in the 4500 block, also to do market rate development. The development entity will buy those properties at market rate from the -- at market price from the City. And there'll be a number of affordable homes that will be included in that development on the 4500 block as well. In the Reinvestment Fund's view, this section of West Philadelphia is the type of location that should be a high priority for investment for City Council, the administration, and others concerned about market transformation in Philadelphia. Our viewpoint is backed by roughly a hundred thousand dollars of acquisition financing already disbursed for properties in this area, a pledge of grant funding to 7 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 investigate subsurface conditions on the 4600 block, many hours of staff time assisting the Partnership CDC and identifying development partners, and plans to finance acquisition and construction on a larger scale once development begins. The market is already at work but needs intervention from the public sector in order to tackle this deteriorated section of an otherwise booming neighborhood. Development here can both extend the University City market and, importantly, help to strengthen and stabilize the strong homeowner blocks of Walnut Hill to the west. Failure to act threatens to stop nascent developer interest in its tracks. So, for these reasons we -- you know, we're definitely supportive of development happening here. And we will continue to be at the table with our resources to do whatever we can to see that the project happens. 8 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04
Thank you very much. Are you at liberty to tell us who the other developer is? MS. McPHEDRAN: Yeah. The other development partner that the Partnership CDC has been speaking with is Charles Lomax. His partnership company is called Northstar KKG, I believe. He's been working some in South Philadelphia, also some development up in Bristol. His father is Dr. Walter Lomax, who you may be familiar with as well.
Absolutely. MS. McPHEDRAN: So, they're in the process of negotiations right now.
Thank you very much. 9 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 Beverly Murphy. This is with regard to 4610 Sansom Street. Thank you so much for coming.
Thank you. My name is Beverly Murphy, and up until a couple weeks ago I owned 4610 Sansom Street. My children... I moved to Sansom Street the day after my daughter's second birthday, November 3, 1970. My sisters were the first once to go to the Bartram Tinicum section. My children went to DeSales, to West Catholic, Temple, Northeastern. My sisters went to Cheney, Temple. They married neighborhood kids. I have relatives in the upper half of Sansom Street 4623, 4625. My grandson's paternal grandparents live in 4700. My son and his wife just purchased a house in the 10 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 4800 block of Osage. We have a cousin in the 4600 block of Osage, a sister on Catherine Street. I've been in that neighborhood. That neighborhood is my life. My children were reared there. I know the Bookers on Melville Street, the Bailey's around the corner, Miss Theresa, her son, her daughter-in-law. We... When the neighborhood began to change, we marched. We volunteered. We... When the Asians came in, we galvanized, we talked, we had meetings. We just tried to diffuse the problem. When a child was beaten, we had fund raisers. A neighbor in the other part of Sansom Street took him and his mother in. When my child, my son, who had cancer, his neighbors rallied and prayed. When my son got grown, thought he was smart smoking reefer, they told me... They held me so I wouldn't kill him. And this is a neighborhood. It may be decaying now because things have happened. But the people who stayed stayed 11 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 because we really thought it was going to come back. And if it can't come back for us, then it is prime area. It's prime real estate. Then it is only justice that we be compensated for these properties. These people don't want -- The people that are left don't want to go, but they can go. They will go. They're not going to go far because they like the neighborhood. But to me it would be... I would want to see the property -- the area come back. As I said, I have relatives there. I cringe when I look at it now. I want to say that I used to live there, and I love it. But I also want it to be fair. And it can be. It's a lovely area. It always has been.
Thank you, Miss Murphy. And let me say, we have made a commitment to you that we intend to honor to certainly make sure that your specific 12 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 issue is resolved. And we say that on the record, that you have worked with us for the past years, at least two years, with regard to your property there. And we intend to make sure that you're protected. And we're working on that?
Wanda tuck. Come forward. Thank you. Good morning. Thank you for coming. Please identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony.
My name is Theresa Ransom. Ernest is late getting here, and he asked me to come. My name is Ransom. Thank you for inviting me. I've been living on Sansom Street since 1968. It was a lovely area. Actually, in '68 everything was. But things began to change. I also understand, as far as 13 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 building things up and making new homes and all that. I can understand all that, as far as progress is concerned. But what I can't understand is, taking homes from people that have lived in the area for such a long time period. Now, when I was laid off from Gimble's because I worked there, and I also worked at Sterns the majority of any life, they gave us enough money for us to pay cash for this home on Sansom Street. Because what I didn't want to happen to me at the age of 73 is what is happening, and that's being put on the street. I can see people down the Galleries going from table to table, person to person begging for quarters and dimes to get something to eat. I didn't want that to happen. So what I did, I went to Mr. Litey who was one of the neighbors in the block, and I asked him if he wanted to sell the property that I was living in. 14 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 And he said yes, he did. So he told me the amount. So, Gimble's just let us work and work and work until we made as much as we possibly could to make ends meet, if we weren't able to go back to work at another job which they did. And so I paid cash for this house. And I just knew that this would not be happening. And come to find out the thing you're trying to avoid is the thing that's facing you. Now again I say, I understand progress and all that, but... And I've said in the very beginning, and I say it now, you guys are going to take it because if you're determined to get it, you're going to take it. But what I don't think is fair is to take it from the people and to leave them in the street. Now, we have a duplex that's livable. It's not going to crash, fall in like everybody's saying it is because you'd be afraid to go into the house, because 15 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 they're saying it's under eminent danger. But what I don't want is, I don't want them to take a duplex and give us a room somewhere. What I want is for them, if they're going to take the duplex, to give me another duplex, and the one that I want. I don't want a house converted into a duplex because that's different than duplexes that were built a duplex from the very beginning. And this is what I want. Now, I've found a place at 54th. And I'm saying this because I read this in a booklet that Miss Tucker gave me, at 5421 Walnut Street, laid out identical to where you are on Sansom Street. There's a sale sign up on the building, and my friend who's a realtor, works for Century 21, she's tried to investigate it to find out if he's going to sell it, why does... Even CDC told her to get the house for them, and then they would exchange it. The man had or the woman has not 16 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 even answered, you know, the response. So... And I went past there yesterday to go to 69th Street. Again the sign is still up, but we don't know what's going on. All we do know is we're packing like they're telling us to do. For what? Where to go? We don't have any idea. And I don't think this is fair. I really, really don't. Now, again I say, because I've been in the area. In '68 I was young then, could work, do whatever I want to do. Now you're getting older, and you can't do it. And I don't think that it's right that for progress that they should take people's homes, put them someplace where they don't want to go, and they're supposed to be happy. I don't see that. And that's all I have to say. And I do want a duplex. And I want it just like mine, the way it's laid out, because there are some in the area. And I don't need anything with steps. I can't take steps any more. But that's what I want. 17 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04
Thank you, Miss Ransom. We're doing our best. We have talked with the individuals involved, City representatives, as recently as this morning. Some of them have gone out as recently as this morning to tour the area. And believe me, they have assured us, and the Partnership CDC has assured us that they have been working with you, and that you'll be satisfied.
When this process is over. And we thank you so much for coming. We're always available. And certainly I want to make sure that you're happy and you're satisfied.
Thank you. Miss Tuck, 4617 Sansom Street. 18 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 Next is Betty Reavis, Walnut Hill and the Partnership CDC Board. I see Horace isn't here. And I see Tracy is here. So, after this will be Tracy Gibson. Is anyone here from Travelers Aid? (No response.)
Okay. Francis Kloos? Thanks. Anybody here from Spruce Hill. Kate Stover. Thank you. Thank you very much. Please identify yourself, and thank you for being here.
My name is Wanda tuck, and I reside at 4617 Sansom Street. I am here today because my life is being turned upside down. The Neighborhood Transformation Initiative, as I understand it, is to rid the neighborhood of blight 19 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 caused by abandoned homes, cars and vacant lots, and bringing it to a viable community. If this is true, then it is long overdue. I have lived through a neighborhood transformation. I have gone through the good times and bad times. Now I'm asked to leave when the best is yet to come. I purchased my home in October 1974. The block was magnificent duplexes. Each building was occupied with two families, black and white families that lived in harmony. There were plenty of children that played in the street and had a good time. The children and families formed lifelong relationships. Then as families opted for home ownership, they moved from the block. The owners allowed the buildings to stay vacant and in disrepair. The City did nothing to prevent the decay of the neighborhood. With the vacant 20 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 homes came squatters, drug activity, prostitution and crime. Finally, three of the houses were cleaned and sealed. The two end houses on my side of the street were demolished, and a lot was left which became a dumping ground. The house next to me, 4619 Sansom Street, became a City-owned property. The family that was supposed to renovate the property started a fire in 1993 that caused extensive damage to my house. My family and I had to temporarily relocate for two years while the renovations, costing my insurance company, over $40,000 took place. I have been back since 1995 living next to a burned-out shell that the City has not attempted to make safe. They only boarded the doors and windows. They left the roof and side of the house open and exposed to the elements that has caused parts of the house to fall into the breezeway. 21 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 Now City Planning has done a study that says my block should be left as open space or rebuilt. Private contractors see this area as desirable for building because of the location, close to Center City, accessible to more than one form of transportation, close to the University of Penn, Children's and VA Hospitals, Drexel, Penn, and Community College, shopping areas and supermarkets, all the reason why I moved there. I'm being asked in a short time frame to leave my home and find something else that is functionally comparable which is virtually impossible. There is nothing available that gives me the space I now have. It's close to Center City where I work or accessible to more than one form of public transportation. The City has systematically devalued the area in order to offer the lowest possible price, and employ the tactic of 22 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 violations to force us out of prime real estate. My remedy would be to temporarily relocate my family, then allow us to come back to our block. We have lived through the good and bad times. Now let us enjoy the better. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Again, Miss Tuck, let me say that we are working to... It was not the Mayor's idea, nor is it mine, to not try to improve and save some of the blocks. You know, the three blocks on Sansom Street, some are ready to fall. And we were really trying to save the neighborhood. Certainly I'm not a party to anything that would try to hurt people or try to displace them. So, we certainly thank you for coming. And we'll work with you. And we have been assured that you'll be satisfied when this process is complete. 23 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 And we do thank you. And we're always here. We're always available. Thank you, Miss Tuck.
Betty Reavis, Walnut Hill resident and Partnership CDC Board Chair. Thank you so much for coming and for all your work in the community.
My name is Betty Reavis, and I am the President of the Walnut Hill Community Association. Walnut Hill is one of seven community organizations located in the University City area of West Philadelphia. These community groups are well organized and are very concerned about their neighbors and their environment. Walnut Hill's boundaries are 45th Street east, 52nd Street west, Market 24 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 Street north, and Spruce Street south. For the most part Walnut Hill's neighborhoods are in good condition, but we are really concerned about the 4600 block of Sansom to Farragut. This is truly a severe blighted area, a real eyesore in our neighborhood. These houses were built over the old Mill Creek. They are slowly sinking and have structural problems. Therefore, they are also dangerous to live in. But there are two houses that are still occupied, and we are hoping that these people can be adequately relocated to areas that they desire. Walnut Hill strongly supports the demolition of these houses located on Sansom west of 46th to Farragut. And depending on the results of the soil analysis that is being done in that block, we're hoping for construction of new housing. If new housing cannot be built, due to negative results of the soil 25 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 analysis, perhaps a park can be considered. Thank you.
Thank you very much. We thank you for your leadership and your commitment to the community, to its residents, and to the revitalization. Thank you very much. Tracy Gibson. Thank you for being here, Tracy, and for your work over the years. Please identify yourself for the record and begin your testimony.
My name is Mr. Tracy Gibson. I am the block captain for the 4600 block of Sansom Street, and the second vice president of the Walnut Hill Community Association. In a letter to Mayor Street before he was reelected, I had mentioned a 12-year moratorium on property tax increases so the people can stop losing these houses because Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 of the insidious gentrification process which I think is part of what's going on on the 4600 block of Sansom Street. I'm very concerned that the... And I think the neighbors are concerned, that I have talked to, that they will be able to build there, even though the Mill Creek is there at 46th and Sansom. I was told by an architect and an engineer that it would be possible that metal girders could be built, and that it would be possible to build there. And I think it would be a wonderful idea if some of the people who are already living on below Farragut, between Farragut and 46th would be able to re-move into those homes at a reasonable cost to the City and a reasonable cost to them. Some of them don't even have mortgages at this point, I don't believe. So, I sent -- I've been advocating for people in this area for quite some time now. I sent you photographs of the buildings as they were falling down, and 27 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 I've tried to even though there's only a few people living in that half of the block, I've tried not to treat that half of the block as a stepchild but as a full -- full members of the block there. And I notice recently that rents in the area of 46th and Walnut there having a big large building there, and they're talking about rents of $895 a month which is, you know, out of reach for a lot of people. So, you know, that's what I'm concerned about largely, is the gentrification process and how people can begin -- how the City and the City Council and the Mayor can begin to take hold in that, and also keep people in the City who have traditionally been here so they can take full advantage of the City and the jobs that are here. That's really all I have to say. I just want to thank the City Councilwoman for having this hearing.
Thank you. 28 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 Thank you, Tracy, for your work over the years. Thank you very much.
Francis Kloos, is it? Travelers Aid. Next is Kate Stover.
Thank you for very much for having me. I just wanted to say that we have quite a few families in their transitional housing program in this area, but we're committed to working with the City. We've worked on the tot-lot and a lot of our children have worked on the mural project. We're very committed to that area for the City, and we'll work with the community and the City. We have been for a number of years. So we just want to say that we're committed to working with the City, but it 29 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 would really greatly impact our agency and our families that are now living there. But we continue to work with the community and the City, in order to be able to have affordable housing for our families.
Thank you very much. We know of the work that Travelers Aid does and of your location on the Kirkbride Center, Blackwell Campus. And we thank you for your work, and the work of the youngsters in that area. Thank you very much.
Good morning. My name is Kate Stover, and I am representing Spruce Hill Community Association. But even more importantly, I am Chair of the Sansom Street Community Coalition which is a group of individuals 30 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 and organizations that have been working in this neighborhood for about seven years. We have a vision to bring back the neighborhood the way a lot of these residents have been talking about already this morning. We think that this neighborhood is redeemable. We have been working with the Police Districts in the area, and we have been working with other stakeholders to make the streets clean and safe. We have worked to bring the playground back. And now the next step really is to improve the housing. 4400 and 4500 are already being worked on, and I think will in the next few years, make a really wonderful neighborhood. 4600 really needs to be looked at. Right now there are abandoned houses, clean houses that have been boarded up, and houses that are half demolished leaving debris in the area. What we see for a vision is, if 31 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 possible, to build mixed income housing in this neighborhood, to provide housing for residents who are already there who would like to remain, and to bring this neighborhood back. It is a marvelous space. It's close to public transportation. It is near other kinds of services, such as supermarkets. And it is a neighborhood which really needs to be redeemed. And we're looking for support from the City to help with the community and the other stakeholders to bring this neighborhood back to where it should be. Thank you.
Thank you, Miss Stover. Are there any other members of the community who would like to testify? Miss Califano? Mr. Wetzel. Thank you. Mr. Koons, would you like to come up as well. Thank you. Please identify yourselves to the 32 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 record and begin your testimony. And thank you for being here this morning.
My name is Catherine Califano. I am Deputy Secretary of the Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation. The Office of Housing and Neighborhood Preservation is committed to acquiring all of the properties on the 4600 block of Sansom Street, between south 46th Street and Farragut Street. We will assist Partnership in several ways. A resolution is prepared for Council introduction on Monday, to provide a grant to Partnership CDC to acquire 4615 and 4617 Sansom Street. In addition, we are prepared to bring an ordinance to Council in the fall to acquire the remaining privately-owned parcels on the block. 33 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 Lastly, we are committed to working with Partnership to devise and support a development plan for both the north side and the south side of the 4600 block. In addition, through the Department of Licenses and Inspections, they are prepared to demolish the vacant -- the structures on Sansom Street, 4612 through and including 4620 Sansom Street on the south side, 4613 through and including 4619 Sansom Street on the north side. Demolition will commence on Monday of next week on the south side only. With regard to the north side, 4613 and are eminently dangerous. However, 17 the decision to demolish 15 and 17 was 18 driven by the fact of cracked rear walls 19 which would likely crumble as 13 and 19 are demolished. In order to save those structures, the cost could approach $50,000 per property. Given these facts, it was determined that all four properties would be demolished at once. And the timing of 34 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 demolition will depend upon the speed with which partnership CDC arranges for the relocation of the residents in and 17. 5
We 6 certainly are asking for your commitment. 7 We've already spoken with Mr. Wingert to 8 ensure that we want your commitment to let 9 the Ransoms and Miss Tuck, as well as Miss 10 Murphy know that we are working with them 11 to make sure that they are satisfied with 12 the progress of development in this block. 13
The Redevelopment 14 Authority will assist Partnership in 15 providing technical assistance on supporting these relocations and the acquisition of these properties.
Let me say because Mr. Gibson mentioned gentrification. And we find that... You know, my commitment is to deal with homeless people, housing development, home improvement. And certainly it is unfortunate that, given the market today, that it has 35 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 become, in fact, gentrification for some people. My commitment certainly is to help people improve their housing stock, to help the City move forward, and it was to preserve this neighborhood. Passing this every day and noticing that it was a neighborhood in trouble, it was a neighborhood in crisis, we tried to approach the City about improving the quality of homes. But certainly it was not to the detriment of people who live there or people who have had housing over the years. We just want to make our position clear because sometimes, as many of you know, we have our battles. We fight. We never fight with Mr. Wetzel and Mr. Koons. We do with Miss Califano. But we don't have fights because we are interested in making sure that neighbors feel that they are protected, and that in the event that a move occurs if they are satisfied with what comes out of it and 36 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 feel that they are made whole, as whole as one can be when you're not living in the same property, but we want to make sure that you are satisfied. And so, having said that, we thank you very much for your testimony, and certainly thank you very much. We thank you. Is there anyone else here who would like to testify? (No response.)
So we thank you all for testifying. We will have a discussion among ourselves, and with the City. And should we need to say more, we will do that Monday at the close of Council; should not, we'll just announce that that hearing will continue subject to the call of the Chair. I think that we have tried to make it a positive hearing, to go as far as we could, in terms of airing everybody's concerns, and certainly in terms of letting all of us know that we're committed to 37 Resolution 040273 - Housing - 6/16/04 making sure that this neighborhood improves, and that the people there are protected. Having said that, we say thank you very much. Again, this Committee is recessed until Monday, June 21st, at 1 o'clock. Thank you all. (Public hearing continued to Monday, June 21, 1:00 p.m.) 38 CERTIFICATE I HEREBY CERTIFY that the proceedings and evidence are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me upon the public hearing of The Philadelphia City Council, taken on June 16, 2004, and that this is a true and correct transcript of same. _____________________________ DAVID A. DEIK, RPR and Commissioner of Deeds (The foregoing certification of this transcript does not apply to any reproduction of the same by any means, unless under the direct control and/or supervision of the certifying reporter.)