said, but in my humble opinion,
the need for the
continuation and support
of the project far outweighs any small
issues right that are being stated that need to be resolved all right thank you
very much for taking the time to sit here through this sir could you please
state your name and spell it for the stenographer sure I'll get a little
closer good afternoon chair and board my name is Pastor Tyrone Williams Tyrone
T-Y-R-O-N-E Williams we know you do you swear referring to tell the truth the
truth nothing but the truth yes please proceed um i'm in support of this project uh as the rco
for strawberry mansion community development corporation as reverend marshall four stated
this has come to north pen church a few months back in the winter uh under another developer
and it didn't go anywhere and as he also stated it's been blighted and empty for some decades and
it is a need and it does support what is the mayor's initiative in the city and we at the
CDC support affordable housing and we think this goes right up that line. Thank you very much for
your for your comments. Please state your name and spell it for the stenographer. Yes, Judith
Robinson, J-U-D-I-T-H-R-O-B-I-N-S-O-N. I think I know who you are.
do you swear her firm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth yes yes yes i do um
this project is a pha badly managed of agency let me say that up front it's destabilizing a strong
home ownership neighborhood strawberry mansion has always had a very strong home ownership and
we have no farther to look than gordon street to show how increase in density using pha housing
than gordon street to show how increasing density using pha housing has destabilized our community
has led to a very disastrous horrible conditions in our lovely strawberry mansion near fairmont
park so our concerns would be the increase in density in a neighborhood in a block that is
home ownership as ty had mentioned there are several homeowners still there um so we would
be concerned about that and the parking using land that is for housing for parking we will be
concerned about the tenant screening increase in density the bad management in this area i think
we need to allow the community to reshape this project um pha has really uh inundated our
community taking a lot of land that we as a strong community could have homeownership if we would
allow our professionals such as myself 40 years real estate behind me to come up with financing
projects that could be of value to our community this land has been vacant because we had the same
representation uh council prerogative overruling community so i would appreciate and i heard that
you're going to go on so i'm not going to belabor this issue very much but but pha has very much
destabilize. I'll keep in. Thank you very much. Who's next? Oh, hi, how are you? Could you please
state your name and spell for the stenographer? My name is Carla Robinson, C-A-R-L-A, last name
Robinson, R-O-B-I-N-S-O-N. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but
the truth? Yes, I do. Please proceed. I agree with this project. I was born and raised in a neighborhood.
i'm a member of north penn baptist church i went to school there and growing up i'm 57 now i know
i look good but i'm 57 and um and i wish i had to say the same thing but go ahead and i have never
seen my community in the in the shape that we're in as far as housing and i understand what um the
the the wonderful lady before me stated about ownership and i think that we've had that time
it was going to get done, it would have gotten done. I would love to see the rebuilding of our
community. I think we can still get all of the funding, all the programs that we need.
I think this housing is needed, and it's needed now. Thank you very much. We appreciate you coming
in. Will you please state your name and spell for the stenographer? Altrina Nixon, A-L-T-R-E-N-A,
Nixon, N-I-X-O-N. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, told truth, nothing but the truth?
I do. Please proceed. So as I said, my name is Altrina Nixon, and I am 100% in support of the project. I'm a lifelong Philadelphia resident, North Philly, from 24th and Cumberland. I'm also a business owner on 29th New York. So I would love to see some development on Dover Street. As everyone has said, it's been sitting like that for many, many, many years. We need the vibrancy. We need the development. We need the job that will bring to our area. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Ma'am, could you please state your name and spell it for us?
Yes, good afternoon.
My name is Anita Roberts, A-N-I-T-A, R-O-B-E-R-T-S.
Do you swear or affirm or tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, I do.
Please proceed.
Yes, I'm pretty much really here 100% to support that neighborhood.
This is supposed to have been done like almost 10 years ago, and it hasn't.
I'm also a community rep there for Ward 28-7.
i would love to see that neighborhood gets beautified because if i have to represent it
i wanted to see good i wanted to just be beautified because i was uh um a committee person
also going back to even with jeffrey speaking about pushing back we don't even see him so if
we we family but we don't see help for him to even get up here to say that we should push anything
back. I don't think we should push anything back. Well, thank you. Thank you very much for taking
the time. Representative Keith Harris. Say your name. We've already been sworn. Yes, thank you.
Thank you, Chairman. Yes, I have sentimental reasons also for this development. Also,
my brother died on that block in 1988, you know, and it's been blighted since a long, long, long,
long time um i bought a resident of that hundred block today he had to leave though like yeah he
was here in the first testimony but he had to go um so um look this city is the cities
is just being re-established now re-solidified now i grew up in a dense community which all my life
i was in this community so cities are dense yes that's normal it's natural you know and so let's
let's bring back the vibrancy of our community the mall strawberry square is dying it needs the
bring back the vibrancy of our community. The mall strawberry square is dying.
residents and to to so that the mall can start you know spurring up businesses again and interest and
people shopping there because we can't have a mall that the community needs to die so we appreciate
you listening to us and we hope you support this project thank you so much for you you can come
back up for you would try to keep it to a couple minutes and try to get the mic nice and closed
so let's do me a favor just state your name you've already been sworn oh that's a tape please
proceed there is no denying that we need development in our area and that is not the
contest here right the contest is that the philadelphia housing authority
remissed on coming back to the community with a plan that they said that they will put together
in terms of managing and ensuring that the neighbors and the representatives or
the people that are living in the homes would
we need development yes but the intentionality of just coming into the community
doing what you want to do without supporting
is it's irreverent to us it's hurtful they said that they would come back to the table
to discuss the issues surrounding Gordon Street, surrounding other developments, and people really
have an issue with what's happening with those properties. All we asked them to do was to come
back to us, formulate a plan, and they said that they would go back and formulate a plan for the
community to ensure that everything is functioning properly and that we don't have disorder and that
we don't have chaos so it's not a matter of just coming here and stating that is not that that is
that is not what we want that's not the case we just want pha to be accountable not give us the
runaround and come back to the table as they stated and then the documents that i sent to you
all regarding the meeting the statements that were suggested that all is there there's no reason
why we should have to do this and i understand everyone i agree with everyone again we are not
opposed the pha should not be able to get away with not coming to the table with us and ironing
out these issues and ensuring that we have stability in our communities and that we're
not replicating things that are happening in the surrounding areas that's all we're thank you very
much for your input thank you sir could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer
sure my name is curtis wilkerson c-u-r-t-i-s last name wilkerson w-i-l-k-e-r-s-o-n do you swear or
affirm to tell the truth the whole truth is nothing but the truth yes so um i am here as a director of
strategic initiatives for the Philadelphia Housing Authority. I just would like to say that this is a project that is meaningful. This is a project that is supportive of the community. I think we had numerous residents who had spoken to how good the project is and how good it would be in terms of benefiting the community. Along with this project, PHA is willing to do a community event park, which is along 27th New York. There's insurmountable support for that project as well. There is a home ownership component to it as well.
so i think that this project should be approved thank you thank you very much for sitting here
and we appreciate your input is there anyone else is there anyone in the virtual audience
no chair i see no hands at this time all right so chairman i just would like to make a quick
clarifying uh kind just please please try to make it correct yeah very brief so just uh
wanted to share that there's no homeowners currently on this block. They are also providing
30 homeownership units through the land bank with a different developer, so that there is going to
be homeownership involved in this neighborhood, which the community is aware of. They've met with
us and them on that. Again, there is support for this project. And just so that we understand the
timeline. The councilman said February. However, you have to do a intent to submit meeting for
LIHTC credits in November, which is required before the February applications. So it is the
November timeline. Just want to get that clear. And then just so people understand the size of
this, it's a 1.3 acre site. So we could fit, if this was RM1, 120 units on this site, we're proposing
uh we could fit if this was rm 120 units on this site we're proposing 19 townhomes and 36 units
parking and green space so i just on the comments of any kind of over densifying i just it really
isn't an over dense um parcel and we did have two meetings and we've expressed uh ability and
and willingness to have it as long as um it was limited to to this project in particular
Thank you planning. Would you please vote on both?
The planning commission for this is testimony for 2, 401 first, because they're gonna be separate.
The comprehensive plan recommends no change in zoning to the current Rsa 5 residential single family.
The proposed density is in keeping with the lot space required for single family in Rsa 5.
This is a proposed affordable housing development. The conference plan recommendation one, two, three calls to promote the development of affordable housing. The planning commission recommends the board grant the requested variances for multifamily and parking access.
okay then for uh two four one six comprehensive plan recommends no change in zoning to the current
rsa5 residential single family the proposed density is roughly in keeping with the lot
space required for single family and rsa5 this is a proposed affordable housing development
the comprehensive plan recommendation 123 calls to promote the development of affordable housing
the planning commission recommends the board grant the requested variances for multi-family occupied
area and rear yard set back. So, Lynn, we're going to vote on 01, right? And we're going to hold the other one.
Okay. Right. So, yes, MI 2026, 000198, 2401 North Dover Street, I vote yes with proviso per refusal dated May 5th, 2026.
ryan mcadams my vote is yes with proviso tywin my vote is yes with proviso emily
my vote is yes with proviso and um we have to continue the other we're going to look for a week
all right so so mi20 2026 000200 2416 north dover street this case is closed
and we will vote on it next Wednesday at 9 30 a.m. let's do 9 30 a.m. okay we'll do it two o'clock
two o'clock and it's august 5th yep okay thank you everybody for coming out
we're going to take a five minute break while the room clears
let me start okay right so uh number our number five 148 west fisher avenue mi 2026 001 1 4 0
it's not there
that's four right
counsel could you please state your name and spell for this stenographer
alex goldberg a-l-e-x-g-o-l-d-b-e-r-g
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Counselor, could you identify your client, their relationship to the property?
Sure. My client is Korean Community Development Services Center.
It's the owner of the property, and its executive director, Don Yu, is sitting to my left.
And our vice chair has a few questions.
Good afternoon. Have you submitted your documents and exhibits five days in advance of this hearing?
I have.
And do you waive the read, know the refusal, and stipulate to its accuracy?
all right thank you you can see your screen up to see what the case okay we are here seeking the
legalization of an existing two-unit structure that was previously permitted to
rent both units legally there's rental licenses on file stating as such this property is owned
by as i mentioned the korean community development services center which is a non-profit that
works with the immigrant community and the only community of north philadelphia they have
housing assistance programs immigration support and early learning center programs for immigrant
children my client don was a teacher and an attorney and a public servant and his father
used to be the executive director of this organization don took over in 2024 and let's
just say we're going through the process of cleaning up some licenses and permits
on on properties owned by the organization this is one of them
on, on properties owned by the organization. Uh, this is one of them. Um, and it's currently
occupied both units, both by single individuals. They've lived there each since 2019. They're very
happy living there. The, uh, they would like to be able to stay. Um, Don's organization charges
each of them under $900 for their two bed, one bath units. Um, but the rental license fell out
Out of compliance in 2016, it was discontinued essentially in 2019.
Don is going through the process of trying to renovate some of his properties, and in
applying for a grant to pay for the renovation, they wanted proof of zoning, and we went down
the rabbit hole of this rental license is inactive, so we need to go through this process.
So you see the refusal on your screen for the two-family household living in the RSA
a5 zoning district we did with meet with the coordinating rco on may 21st it was a positive
meeting many of the neighbors acknowledged that this has been a two unit dwelling for as long as
they could remember there was no one there in opposition and importantly you know the neighbors
that were there acknowledged that the two individuals that live in in the units were
pleasant and had not been disrupted to the community whatsoever this this is
the explanation from the RCO of essentially what I just referenced this
is a property histories this is a rental license under the prior owner for those
two units from 03 to 2016 so we know at some point L and I had inspected this
property and approved it to be used as such of course if we need to obtain a
new CO to get a new rental license, we will do whatever it takes. There are several other RSA
5 properties in close proximity, including 5306 Water, 124 Delphine, 100 East Tabor,
as well as eight other properties within a one or two block radius.
Here's a zoning map. You can see where we are sort of just off the corner there.
there is a parking space in the rear accessed by a shared drive aisle you'll see a photo of
technically unit one the first floor unit has access to that or has sort of the right to use
it but neither of the individuals that live here have a car so it's just empty here's the
photograph so this is the front of the property this is the rear here's our posting the right on
west fisher and to the left interior photos this is these are these are listing photos from prior
to the individuals living there moving in in 2019 so don's trying to renovate it but you can see it
was empty at the time two hot water meters two furnaces two gas lines you know clear evidence
that that that two unit use is active and has been active clearly these are not new
here's the floor plans both units enter from the front of the property in the
middle diagram on your screen there's a common vestibule mudroom situation you
have a unit on the first floor and I think I said two bed one bath but one
bed one bath my apologies but you have a kitchen and living and a bathroom in the middle and then
a bedroom in the rear with a small deck and then upstairs you have uh you know essentially the
same layout um again both of those units are they're about 650 square feet they're being rented
for 875 dollars and the garage is access access from the shared driveway in the rear
here's the rco meeting notice again we met with the rco on may 21st
mailing certificates the application for the variance
the deed to the property
and there's just a code of tax tax clearance uh with that i'd like to ask my client to adopt my
could you please state your name and spell for the sonographer? Yes, sir. My name is Donald Yu.