I'd like to object to this witness.
By the site.
And so there is a cost for the remediation, but there's also the normal excavation.
And so what needs to be done here is a careful comparison of what it would cost, additionally, over and above a normal excavation for that site.
Okay, sir, are you opposed to this or supporting it?
I am definitely opposed to the project because of its impact on the park, and there's simply no unnecessary hardship.
unnecessary hardship. Okay, thank you for your testimony. Thanks for taking the time.
Okay, thank you for your testimony.
Thanks for listening.
Chair, we do have Cole available to unmute and testify. And again, Chair, if you would not mind,
I would like to also, again, repeat, do not testify in the Q&A. If you wish to testify,
please raise your hand to be recognized by the Madam Chair. Thank you kindly, Chair.
Thank you, Ms. Selkett. Next witness.
Cole Olson.
Hi, sir. Can you put your name on the record and spell your name and I'll spur you in?
Cole Olson, O-S-I-N, 270 Slocum Street, 19119.
Do you swear for him to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Yes, I do.
Thank you. May proceed.
My concerns with the building of the property being dense, we already have absolutely no parking around here.
We park pretty much around the lot right now.
And there's going to be nowhere for anybody to park 33 more cars.
In addition to that, my son goes to the local school district.
Both the schools in the area have 50 to 60 kids in the classroom.
There's no way if these people have kids in the buildings, where are they going to go to school at?
Where are they going to park? Where are they going to go to school at?
Where resources are limited around here when it comes to those two things.
And those are the biggest things that we need to be worried about.
If we can't teach the kids or whoever's going to be there, then they can't be there.
Thank you so much.
Thank you.
Next witness.
Madam Chair, Matthew Ward.
Please unmute, Mr. Ward.
They're not playing with that shit.
Yes, can you hear me?
yes can you put your name and address on the record and spell your name
and i'll swear you in uh matthew ward 429 slocum street vote fepa 19119
do you swear for him to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth
yes thank you you may proceed thank you i'd like to just uh register my opposition
to the proposed residential construction and variance.
I am a father, neighbor,
and I also am speaking on behalf of Mount Airy Baseball,
where I'm a coach.
We use that field and do a good deal of stewardship
at the park there, at the baseball field.
My main opposition is based on just bad
uh placement for such density um in east mount airy um which is not manhattan this is not hong
kong um a 30 plus apartment building four stories tall literally less than 100 feet
from a cot lot and a public pool i think is is is very poor taste and um not in the best
in the interest of the playground or the community.
Thank you very much.
Ms. Sunkett, more witnesses?
Yes, Chair, we have quite a few more.
Natalia, you can state your name
and wait to be sworn in by the Chair.
Sure, it's Natalia Cereco.
Hi, can you please state your name and spell it, and then I will swear you in.
Sure, it's Natalia Sereko, it's N-A-T-A-L-I-A, last name S-E-R-E-G-A-K-O, and I'm the executive
director of East and Out Your Neighbors.
Thank you.
Do you swear for me to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Okay, proceed, please.
Sure, so I just wanted to put on record Eman's opposition to this development.
The neighbors were working really hard with the applicant to work on something that the community
and the applicant could be happy with that would serve the community in the space that it's in
because it is a public, it's right next to a public space and a space that is used by the
youth in our neighborhood. With all of the, with how big the construction is, you know,
We don't think that it's the least possible modification that's possible on that lot.
on that lot. We don't see an unnecessary hardship. This would impair adequate light
We don't see an unnecessary hardship.
supply. It would also affect the pool that would be in the back of the property.
And another concern that we have is the reports that have been going on
in the City of Philadelphia about construction and environmental
pollution based off of that construction on playgrounds so how would that how would
construction in that area affect the children that would be playing on the playground
thank you
Janet next
Janet unmute yourself please
Hi can you hear me
Yes I can can you put your name on the record
Spell your name and I'll swear you in
Okay I'm sorry
I must have clicked it twice
I'm sorry who's speaking
This is Janet
a mills okay thank you yes uh once again janet a mills uh my home address is 309 east vernon
roge my property is adjacent to the construction of of the uh proposed apartment building
um i am on record opposed the uh variance of this plan i'm sorry i don't i don't thank you
can you hear me miss mills i believe she didn't get sworn into oh i'm sorry do you swear from
to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth absolutely i'm a woman of faith thank you
for the record. You're welcome. Thank you, Your Honor. I just want to go on record. I
am dismayed with some of the issues that was stated by the developer. And one thing I'm
very concerned about is the fencing of the property to the property line for those who
live on Vernon Road. That's just one thing I'm concerned about is the fencing. I currently have
and what is the second thing you're concerned about? Pest control and sanitation.
okay so you're opposed to this project absolutely okay thank you so much Jacqueline also
Jacqueline is next year thank you
Jacqueline
hi this is jack can you hear me yes name and address please and spell your name and i will
swear you in yes ma'am um my name is jacqueline king and i it's spelled j-a-c-q-u-e-l-i-n-e
and i uh live on the 448 brandon row thank you do you swear or affirm to tell the whole truth
and nothing but the truth i do and can you tell us what reason you are opposed to this um yes i
am opposed and basically i've lived in a community for about 26 years now i'm about a block and a
half away from the location of the structure and my child is grown but again i do live in an area
and i drive by often my concerns basically are two concerns one is the safety of children uh
Right now, before the structure even, before it even goes into place, not all children are driven to this location.
I understand that the pool is seasonal and maybe even the playground is seasonal, but the rec center is year round.
And again, not all children are driven to this location.
And I witness on a daily basis children that are just simply trying to cross the street at Chew Avenue.
And that's without the added number of cars and so forth that this structure would bring on board.
So that's my first concern is just their safety. And then secondly, I do have concerns about
just the fact that a lack of privacy. So you have children at the pool during the time that it is
open and you just never know in this day and age, you know, who's looking. And I know that that's
basically the situation everywhere. But with having that particular proximity, it just gives
them a microscope. I don't know. I just don't think that it's really cool to have them so
really cool to have them um so close to one another and basically that's really all I wanted
close to one another. And basically, that's really all I wanted to say.
to say um okay thank you very much next up is Gina Chihar
yes yes ma'am can you put your name on the record and your address spell your last name and I'll
swear you in Gina Hubbard h-u-b-b-a-r-d I live at 407 East Gorgas Lane
do you swear or affirm to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes i do
you may proceed i'm here today just to show support for the near neighbors um on vernon
and on chew avenue um one i oppose the development of this project because there are so many
apartment complexes that exist in this community that are not currently occupied so there is
not a need for this project there's not a need for another apartment building my second um reason for
disagreeing with moving forward with this project is that it is too close to the property line
of the neighbors uh the gentleman that spoke earlier i think on vernon road it is too close
to their yard um we need more green space not less green space i think the the company has not done
enough to meet with this community to make changes to it to the project so that it would be
something that would be agreeable to all parties. I think it definitely needs to be
lower in height and less apartments in the building. I think that our community needs
more families, and I think they should consider building one or two family homes there, single
family homes. That's what we need, two to three-story single family homes. Thank you.
Thank you. Next, we have DeAnda. Please unmute yourself.
yes can you hear me yes can you put your name and address on the record and i'll swear you in
spell your name as well deanda wilson first name d-e-a-n-d-a last name w-i-l-s-o-n
my address is 416 east pleasant street philadelphia pa19119
Do you swear if I'm to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Yes. Thank you. You may proceed. I want to express my opposition to this project.
I live about a block away from the proposed site and I want to express my support for the near
neighbors whose lives will be irrevocably changed for the worse by if this building
is able to proceed as planned. I also want to express how appalled I was at the last hearing
when the attorneys for the developer described the near neighbors as quote-unquote aggressive
in their opposition to this project when they're just trying to ensure that they have continued
use and enjoyment of their homes and their community as they've had since they have lived
here um in in a community that is um in a part of the community that is mostly african-american
i think his tone and um his uh i'm sorry if i could respond to that has nothing to do
So can we please stick to zoning?
I'm going to respond to that.
Okay, I'll stick to zoning.
I'll stick to zoning.
Thank you.
I'm going to respond to it, though, if I may.
Okay, can I finish my testimony?
No, you made an accusation.
That language came out of a letter that someone else presented.
That was not my language.
So I just want to be clear.
And people know me from the zoning board and know how I interact with all communities,
um even if even if i have uh have to be a lawyer sometimes with counsel i try to be as respectable
as possible to the neighbors um so that that was a letter that was read into the record so thank
you but i appreciate your concern and i and i am sensitive to those issues thank you okay
you can unmute again and please have all testimony presented be regarding zoning thank you very
Okay, I apologize. I wanted to also express how the design of the building is completely
inappropriate and not in alignment with the surrounding community. I think that that does
pertain to zoning and um it it shows that the developer and the um the architect uh don't
understand this community and and don't seem to um have any interest in contributing
seem to, um, have any interest in contributing with this project. And so I, I'll close by just
saying that that is, um, you know, this, this building is inappropriate and I hope that the,
the variance is not granted. Thank you. Thank you.
Lastly, Chair, we have Nina. Nina, you can unmute yourself.
yes hi can you hear me yes can you put your name and address on the record spell your name
and i will swear you in sure my name is nina curlett n-i-n-a-c-u-r-l-e-t-t i live at 236
east springer street 19119 do you swear or affirm to tell the whole truth and nothing about the truth
Yes, I do.
Okay, you may proceed.
I am opposed to this variance.
I'm opposed to this building.
I wanted to state that the applicant said that no commercial use was viable here.
I have to point out that the applicant is telling us not to believe our own eyes.
The truth and reality is that commercial use works and is popular on CHU.
Not only are there currently very active convenience store, laundry, funeral home, and restaurants, but there are now two new restaurants coming.
One is a coffee shop right almost directly across the street from this site.
And another is a new soul food restaurant a block down that should be opening sometime soon.
They've been working on it recently on the interior with their sign up.
So I just have to point out that it seems to be contrary to the actual fact that commercial could not be used.
And we haven't seen any evidence.
In fact, the evidence of reality shows us differently.
Can I ask are those new ground-up construction uses?
I'm sorry, I didn't hear your question.
That new ground-up construction?
Is it new ground-up construction, did you say?
Yes, or the conversions of existing spaces.
One is a full rehabilitation of a building, and the other is a, I don't know how you would describe it, I guess it would be the retrofitting and existing space.
So existing buildings, thank you.
Does the board have any questions?