Moving to the zoning map, you'll see the site in purple that I'm trying to circle for you.
It's a combination of ICMX and IRMX, largely ICMX, and LNI in its determination has reviewed the development under ICMX.
here is a photograph that i've actually taken out of dr gillen's report which at the top shows
the existing site and at the bottom shows what we are proposing and i'll share many more renderings
with you shortly but the proposal calls to transform the existing junkyard to 535 mid-rise
apartments, replete with outdoor amenities, most open to the greater community, which I must
underscore. It's really a vision to bring the community in, to re-envision the walking way
along the railroad tracks in a safe and pleasant environment. Here is a letter of support from the
coordinating RCO, Somerset Neighbors for Better Living. In addition, Councilman Mark Squila
has issued a letter of non-opposition in this matter, and I've included this in the exhibit
package. I'm not going to share all of the detail right now, but the Civic Design Review Committee
completed its review of the project in one meeting, describing the, quote, overall building design and
material palette, end quote, as, quote, thoughtful and considered, end quote, and further commended
the team for the inclusion of affordable units in this project, this transformational project.
Civic Design Review also praised the project for its, quote, efforts to provide continuous
walkways through the phases of development and to distribute public spaces. There are only two
refusals before the board for such a large project number one the zoning district does not allow
multi-family from a residential perspective all that the zoning district would permit would be
caretakers quarters within the icmx zoning district and the second issue concerns the maximum height
in the district of 60 feet whereas 72 feet which is an irmx standard as the board knows
and 82 feet are proposed over the differing buildings.
I'd like to focus on the overall proposal,
and I've pulled up this zoning chart and highlighted a couple items.
Again, 535 residential dwellings are proposed.
179 accessory off-street parking spaces are proposed.
There's no parking issue here.
Three off-street loading spaces are proposed.
293 off-street bicycle parking spaces and beyond those bicycle parking spaces and extra 35 on-street
bicycle parking spaces on the sidewalk in appropriate areas are included. The development
would include three six-story multifamily mid-rise rental buildings, including 25 affordable housing
rental units. Building one proposes, which you can actually see on the right of the screen.
I know the detail is difficult on such a big project, but you get a sense of it. 187 residential
units and one commercial space. Commercial, by the way, members of the board was not initially
proposed. In discussions with the community, there was a belief that commercial as permitted
within the district would better the project and be to the community's benefit. So there is a
ground floor commercial in building one. Building two in the middle proposes 170 residential units
and one commercial space in building three, 145 residential units. Also, an important component
of the project you can see in the upper right-hand corner, it is 11 three-story townhome
triplexes, a for-sale component of this development along Somerset Street, a very nice transition
from the density of the re-envisioning of these scrapyards to the residential areas that surround
it on the other side of Somerset, etc. So owner-occupied condominium.
uh etc so owner occupied uh condominiums if you will three units per building 11 times 333
there along somerset slated for sale affordable housing purposes
uh as you'll see on the right hand side of the page we are meeting or exceeding most code
requirements in a positive way capturing the scope and spirit of the code um for example
an open area where none is required there is almost 100 000 square feet of open area
we are not maximizing uh far etc mo and larry found their inspiration in this redevelopment
through the philadelphia city planning commission's river wards 2035 district plan goals and
recommendations i shared extensive detail on that in my exhibits which i'm not going to pull up right
now unless the board wishes but i would like to note some highlights that guided their thinking
the subject properties were identified in the plan as recommended quote for reuse of industrial land
end quote additionally in the report's executive summary a stated goal was to transform sections
of the rail area into quote publicly accessible spaces end quote which are uh amply proposed in
the plans before you and underscored, commended by the PCPC's Civic Design Review, as I mentioned.
Additionally, the technical memorandum that accompanies the PCPC plan calls to, quote,
improve the quality and diversity of new and existing housing, end quote, noting, quote,
major opportunities, end quote, in several hundred acres of vacant or underutilized land.
This goes to the hardship of the site. There is potential for redevelopment to create employment
and tax-generating uses. The subject property itself, as you saw in the photos, has been
significantly underutilized as the neighborhood's industrial past has largely shifted and residential
living has expanded. I'm going to just briefly show you some elevations, and I really want to
highlight the renderings at the end, but you'll recall that I mentioned the six-story mid-rise
apartment buildings, and we'll get with the parking below. Lots of landscaping, you'll see
more detail as we go along. Some sections. There are only two curb cuts, which I'll point out shortly.
Here you see the townhomes for that transition from residential single family, mainly residential, to the density that this site calls for.
Here is a site plan which depicts the overall proposal, showing the access to the development off of the two curb cuts.
Here is one curb cut off of Somerset, 24 feet wide, and then also to the left, closer to Martha, is the other curb cut into the development.
The gray areas, Mr. Chairman and members of the board, are showing you the parking that's incorporated off street and very much out of the public eye.
The purple up at the top are those townhomes right on the street.
A very nice piece of this project is this corner right here at Somerset and Tulip, completely open to the public and labeled as such as Park Meadow, a nice neighborhood amenity where there was none.
All of these green areas are open.
The public is invited in to walk through to the trail, which I'll show you, the walking path, which I'll show you.
This is not a gated community, which I believe is a plus.
Here is another image or rendering.
There is a pool proposed here.
Of course, that will not be open to the public.
That is a safety issue.
That will be gated.
But just beyond the pool is the dog park, open area, and this wonderful walking path,
pedestrian walkway all along the conrail tracks with plantings along to really transform that
in a positive way the next slide here shows us the green roofing of all of the structures the
townhomes and the three buildings so not only do you have landscaping at grade but you have it at
the top and here is just some detail of the openness of the plan the neighborhood experience
This public plaza space is something that would be new, the dog run, the pedestrian walkway, etc.
This is very difficult to see. I understand that, but I just wanted to briefly touch upon it.
With the three mid-rise buildings, 206 studio apartments.
With the three mid-rise buildings, 206 studio apartments are proposed, 130 four one-bedroom
apartments, and 162 two-bedroom apartments are proposed. Then with the townhomes, the 11 townhomes
that I mentioned along East Somerset, each of those is two-bedroom, two-bathroom. This is the exciting
part of the presentation. You're looking at a view, a rendering of the three buildings
from the Conrail tracks, just to give you a sense of what it would look like from there.
I'll go through these quickly. This would be Somerset to have a sense. This is closer to the
trucks. This is a wide image look at our project, which is here on the right, and also other projects
that are in the works and existing. But this is a good image because rendering, it shows you the
three buildings and the Somerset townhomes. Here's another one more close up, which is very helpful.
Should the board wish, Dr. Gillen has issued an economic and fiscal impact study regarding
the proposed development. Currently, the site generates $8,451 in annual real estate taxes.
The proposed development would bring $248 million in total economic stimulus to the City of
Philadelphia in the near future, according to Gillen's report, which has been submitted to you.
The project would create 598 jobs during construction, followed by an additional 70
jobs during occupancy and operation. Over the course of five years, the project is estimated
to generate just over $22 million in tax revenue to the city of Philadelphia. Again, Dr. Gillen
is here and can speak should the board wish at the appropriate time. By the way, in the
rendering in front of you, we're looking at Somerset Street, and at the corner, there's
that open community garden that I mentioned. Just to take something that was nothing and
bring it to life, and make it a positive for the community. You're seeing eyes and ears on the
street of revitalization that hadn't been there before. Continued industrial use at this location
is not practicable, nor is it desired, not by the community, which officially is in support of this
project through the coordinating RCO, nor by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission's
2035 plan. A glance at the zoning map and the aerial photograph shows that the zoning
surrounding the property is solidly residential, and the actual conditions are solidly residential.
This site is not a single-family site, as can be seen at the 4.5 acres. It demands the density
that is proposed in the thoughtful, sensitive way that we're sharing with you. Common sense
would dictate that the proposed multifamily residential use is most consistent with the
surrounding neighborhood. The authorization of variance relief will not alter the character of
the neighborhood or district or be detrimental to the public welfare. The proposal fits into the
surrounding neighborhood as evidenced by the support of the coordinating RCO, non-opposition
of the district councilman, the 2035 plan, the commendations of the civic design review committee.
The proposed variance would represent the minimum variance that will afford relief
and represent least modification of the regulations at issue. There are two, as I mentioned,
Only two issues. The grant of variance relief will not substantially increase congestion in the public streets, increase the danger of fire or otherwise endanger the public health, safety, or general welfare.
The incorporation of public amenities into the overall design of this development speak to a net benefit to the community.
And the transformation of a junkyard with hazardous substances into cleaned up appropriately residential living is a true positive.
In the interest of time, I have mentioned that the developers are here, Mr. Oller is here, and Dr. Gillen is here. I'll pause at this moment.
Mr. Laver, would you want to bring on your client to adopt your testimony?
Yes, please. Mr. Mo Rushdie, would you please raise your virtual hand so you may be sworn in?
And sir, please identify yourself, spell your first and last name, and I'll swear you in.
I've been allowed to speak, sir.
Mohamed Rushdie, 3020 Ripskenskreet, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19134.
Spell your first and last name, please.
First name is M-O-H-A-M-E-D, last name is Rushdie, R for Robert, U, S for Sam, H, D for David,
Y for yellow.
Thank you. Do you swear if I'm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Thank you.
Do you swear if I'm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
We'll be right back.
Mr. Laver?
Thank you, Mr. Rushdie. Have you been present during the totality of this virtual presentation?
Yes, I have.
And have you been able to clearly hear the statements that I've made?
Yes, I have.
And would you adopt and affirm my testimony as your own, Mr. Rushdie?
Yes, I do.
Thank you.
Thank you. Any questions from the board?
Anyone else would like to testify in this case?
If so, please raise your hand.
No further hands at this time, Mr. Chair.
Thank you.
Planning Commission?
Ron Bednar, City Planning.
This property is indicated for industrial commercial mixed use on the city plan.
The applicant completed the CDR process on April 20th, based on our letter of general support dated April 22nd.
We recommend that the questionnaires be granted.
Thank you very much.
MI 2021-000732, 2200-50 East Somerset Street,
and MI 2021-000734, 2152-58 East Somerset Street.
And Mr. Labor, you said there are revised plans?
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chairman.
There are revised plans for each case consisting of one page each.
My vote is yes with the proviso.
Revised plan for each application approved today.
Thank you.
my vote is yes with proviso yes with proviso to both yes with proviso to both yes with proviso
to both thank you and good luck i wish i was still representing the district
thank you it's a great project a great project thank you very much we're excited about this
stay safe you too calendar number mi 2020 dash zero zero one zero one zero
2608 west dolphin street jeffrey young is the attorney
oh my god
So Young, if you're in the virtual audience, please raise your hand, so you may be sworn in, sir.
Doesn't seem to be in the audience, so Mr. Chair.
All right, let's go to the next case, and we'll come back to that.
okay calendar number mi-2021-001147 48 west upsell street there are no exhibits and it's the first
listing
I think Mr. Nipper
Mr. Nipper if you are still in the audience please raise your virtual hand
Mrs. Nipper either one Miss Nipper or Mr. Nipper
there's another name
oh yeah Marcella Nipper
we started a conversation
about the
exhibits
Mr. Nipper I asked him to hang in
until we got to his case
alright let's go to number 9
and then we'll come back to that one as well.
Calendar number MI 2021-000-581-5966, Elsinore Street.
Francisco Radames, is that correct, Confessor?
something like that okay
uh no letter mr chair miss hillary emerson has her hand raised let us speak at this time sir
okay miss emerson you're still under oath please identify yourself for the record
uh good evening um mr chair members of the board hillary emerson here on behalf of councilwoman
sherelle parker um i i didn't hear this one listed as the exhibits not being called out the there was
i didn't hear this one listed as the exhibits not being called out the there was an rco meeting on
an rco
the 20th um and i did send the rco letter which i believe was also sent to the applicants um