building and not have a front door on a on a block full of homes with a community
it that that is just and it should have a every house on the block has a porch it's like our
neighborhood like we were talking about has a community life people sit on their porches they
walk down the street they come in and out of their houses and this building is not um i was
actually surprised when i saw that drawing because he's done such a good job in other parts of the
neighborhood so i know that he can do it uh so in in your experience mr solomon this will be my last
question is it is it financially have do you are you aware of of whether developers have come into
your neighborhood and made financially viable projects that are consistent with the historic
character and preserve and and and help to to to to continue the historic heritage of your
neighborhood well i i can't speak to the pocketbooks of other developers or anything like that
developers or anything like that so i i really couldn't honestly answer if it was if it you know
so i i really couldn't honestly answer
made economic financial sense to them i do know that um the the there was one developer talking
about 42 49 he he uh was able to sell that property um for a lot more than he bought it for
obviously i don't know how much he put into it i don't know how viable exactly that was so i can't
really speak to that all i can say is that that property 4249 was a was a real success for the
neighborhood for the community because we have it's a single family house three-story house as
a family living in there and i say hi to them every morning it's they're they're contributing
to the community uh so and i can say that even for tenants who come in some of the apartments
try to get them focused sure on the block what the neighbors are talking so um so to wrap up
mr solomon why is it that you are opposed to this project for the for the 16 multifamily units
well the main from from my perspective i'm opposed to the fact that it doesn't have a front door it
doesn't have porches this scale appears to be much larger in in height the architecture is is
um it clashes with the with the uh the block so those are my from my perspective i would like to
see a building that matches a style of the other buildings on the block or at least has some
complementary aspects whether it's a porch whether it's a front door you know that's not like a back
alley with a dumpster that a truck's gonna come in twice a week you know we're not an alley our
block is not an alley all right thank you meredith you have any questions uh just a couple of brief
questions mr solomon were you present for the uh hearing in february yes i was i was i was in the
room okay unfortunately i can't be there today no no no no not at all uh so can can you just
confirmed that you heard the testimony concerning this project's interaction with the buy-right
project that this developer is building at 4274 Parkside Avenue? Yes, yes, and I recall to the
best of my memory that there was sort of like a connection, a connector, and that the people that
would be living on the Viola Street property would actually have access to the Parkside buy-right
property and that's where they would come and go through there and i actually object to that that's
my problem is this where it's like it's like it's just like a back end of an apartment building
where the people who are living in the building have no connection with the street it's just
and the only connection is there's the dumpsters uh that that i remember there was no door so is it
is it a reasonably fair statement that your concerns are more of an aesthetic nature
from my perspective it's well it's more than aesthetics it's about the community it's about
people should if they're living if their windows are spacing on our block they should be able to
walk out onto the street and interact with the neighbors and be a part of the community
So it's more than aesthetics. But a lot of my concerns are aesthetics. But the aesthetics and the workings of a community work together. It's one and the same.
Mr. Solomon, can you see the screen that I've shared?
So you testified a lot about your passion for, obviously, the historic nature of the community and the work that you have been involved with.
Just very briefly, can you just confirm that the properties before the board today are outside of the boundary that was set for the historic district, as is shown up on the screen on our applicant exhibit 19?
Yes, yes. It's actually still within the National Historic District. But you are correct. It is not in the boundary of the actual historic district. But my aesthetic argument regarding that is that it's right next to the historic district.
and our district is not isolated from the rest of the community and it is problematic that the
historic district only starts in the middle of the block it's somewhat unusual uh and so in fact my
argument is is is because of that the building should work with the local district that it's
right next to uh and also in concerning with like the roof height the number of apartments
uh and also in concerning with like the roof height the number of apartments mr solomon i
didn't ask anything about the roof height so it's about the aesthetics it's about the aesthetic
my question was simply about the historic map with with all due respect that that was that was
not my question we've moved on from that uh and then my final question for you you you testify
quite a bit about this particular developer's work in the community and some of the projects that
you're familiar with that he has developed and uh your your praise for the work that he's done
are any of those properties single family or have they all been multi-family developments
they they have been multi-family but i do not live on the block uh there's one that one right
next door which um we just got all our new neighbors and everyone seems really nice
very happy with that project and that was a rehabilitation not uh not a new construction
the new the i can't vouch for the new construction but the quality of the the neighbors are um because
it's not on my block i don't go on the block that much however i've never heard any complaints so
i i i personally think that um it's you he's a he's a good uh developer when it comes to that
new construction from what i have seen it looks good uh yes and they are multi-family they're
large properties um so but i i wasn't involved in the in the zoning hearings any of that
that's all i have for mr solomon steve we're we're going to set a result of hearing
um we have we have two people who could just testify but steve yeah you said that about the
west you can give me one more person who can testify about the project and not be all over
I really appreciate it. Lorraine, yes. I think your first witness laid out what the block looked like
in the thing, but I need somebody to say why they want the project that they don't want the project.
Okay. I'd like to call Lorraine Gomez. All right. Okay. And that's your last one for the minute.
All right. Hi, how are you? Good, and you? Good. Could you get the mic nice and close to you?
Could you state your name and spell it for the stenographer? Yes, my name is Lorraine Gomez,
L-O-R-R-A-I-N-E. Last name is Gomez, G-O-M-E-Z. Do you swear we're referring to tell the truth,
the whole truth, nothing but the truth? Yes, I do. And Ms. Gomez, you live on the block?
Yes, I live at 4243. Steve? How close are you in your house to the property that we're talking
about today? My house is 20 doors now. Okay. And how long have you been on the block? I guess
I finally purchased that house in 1956 and a family member has been in that house that
And I've been in there for the last 30 years.
What are your concerns about having a project with multifamily, with tenants?
How does that impact what you believe is happening and threaten things on the block?
Okay, Viola Street is one of the rare blocks.
It's not a block, it's a little village.
We all help each other on our block. And to have a developer to come in and put a 55, I'm sorry, a 16-unit property where there were three houses where there should only be 12 units, 12 apartments in those three properties, not 16, is ridiculous.
We have seniors, the majority of our homeowners are black female seniors over the age of 70.
Can you imagine right now we can sit on our porch, we can let our grandchildren play.
We have this 16 units built on our block, the congestion.
We live around the corner from Inquiry Charter School and we live on the side of Discovery
Charter School.
If you come through our community, you can't get through it at any given time when school is left, going in or coming out.
So what we suggest is a 12 unit.
We're not against development.
We're just against the density that he wants to put in our community.
Have you, do you have experiences that you can share with the board about times where tenants have, tenants coming onto the block, living on the block have disrupted the life of other people on the block?
Yes, East Parkside is saturated with institutional living. We have institutional living on Dryad Avenue, Memorial Avenue, Parkside Avenue. We've had some of their residents come on our blocks, go in our cars, check on the doors on your house to see if they're locked or not. We have to call the cops on them to remove them from our block.
We have to call the cops on them to remove them from our block.
So we are saturated and inundated with institutional housing.
So the 16 units of housing, are you confident that the people who are going to be living there are going to be people who are going to be compatible with the block, or do you have concerns about that?
I can't speak on that because I don't know.
I just think that the density in that small space is too much.
Okay. Okay. Meredith, do you have any questions?
Just a few, Mr. Chairman.
Ms. Gomez, so I just want to confirm that your testimony is that given some of the uses in the community that exist already,
that your block already is experiencing some issues with congestion
related to some of the charter schools and things of that nature?
That's correct.
And you testified that your block, like many, many others across the city,
are experiencing issues with vagrants and some criminal behavior.
Is it your testimony that that behavior is being perpetrated by tenants of my client?
I didn't say tenants of your client. I said institutional.
We have a lot of institutions living in our community, and sometimes the residents will come out and do unsavory things on our block.
Okay, but is it your testimony that institutional is equivalent to apartment living? Are you testifying that people that are living in apartments are the ones that are perpetrating the crimes? Or is it your testimony that there are other institutional uses that we're unaware of?
Crime could be coming from any of those entities. I couldn't say.
okay and and uh i know i asked this question earlier but but just in the 30 years that
you've been living on this block of iola street uh are you privy to any new construction single
family homes that have been built on this block not on this block but there have been in east
parkside are you able to provide any addresses yeah um no but i can give you the name 42nd
style street 42nd street um pins grove avenue cambridge street okay but but those those streets
are not viola street they're not parkside they're not lighty avenue they're those streets are not
within the the the triangle uh surrounding your block of viola street is that correct
no but they are part of east park side understood that's all i have for miss gomez i have one
redirect um miss gomez um isn't it true that the that the community that the viola street neighbors
haven't agreed that 12 units is is the right amount of units you were were you speaking for
yourself but not for the community speaking for myself yes okay um we do have john cromer um who's
who's here we're i'm very impressed with your next witness but you got it it's five minutes
yes he has he has it written down and he will deliver it oh okay all right all right mr cromer
thank you thank you thank you
i'm mr cromer could you please state your name and spell for this enough
excuse me john cromer j-o-h-n-k-r-o-m-e-r right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole
truth, nothing but the truth. Yes, I do. Please proceed. Good afternoon, Mr. Cromer. Can you
tell the board, they probably know, but just for the record, what your background is with the city
and with housing in the city? I'm not a member of the community, but I'm very familiar with the
block and the property and its surroundings. I was director of housing for the city of Philadelphia
DURING THE 1990S AND WAS PLEASED TO HAVE PARTICIPATED IN FINANCING THE RESTORATION OF SEVERAL OF
THE PARK SIDE AVENUE MANSIONS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO PROCEED WITH YOUR TESTIMONY?
YES, AND I APPRECIATE THE TIME YOU SPENT THIS AFTERNOON, SO I'LL BE BRIEF.
ONE TOPIC THAT REALLY HASN'T BEEN BROUGHT UP THIS AFTERNOON IS THE ISSUE OF CONGESTION.
And you can visualize, I'm sure, the street presence of this property.
What you see from the street is a locked iron gate.
And just imagine how that's going to work with respect to deliveries, UPS, Federal Express, DoorDash, other deliveries.
And just imagine how that's going to work with respect to.
We're talking about a building where 32 people may be living.
And if those people are like other Philadelphians, they're probably going to be calling or texting for deliveries.
And that street would require a delivery person to pull up to the curb, ring the bell, have the resident come downstairs from possibly the third or fourth floor, open the gate, and sign off for the delivery or receive the delivery.
It's just not possible to leave a package on the sidewalk outside of that gate.
And the result is going to be really
impossible for residents to put up with.
The submission by the applicant includes pictures
of Viola Street.
None of them were taken during evening or night hours,
where a lot of those deliveries would probably
be taking place.
So I think that's one issue that hasn't been brought up yet
that's really going to have a critical bearing on how this project relates to the neighborhood
and the severely negative impact it would have on the neighborhood.
Thank you.
Do you have a position on the lack of a front door and the way that the configuration of this project?
Well, I think that's the problem.
A delivery person would not be able to live around Parkside Avenue.
The delivery would have to be made on Viola Street because that's the address of the person that ordered it.
And so the result was somebody would have to open the iron gate or be down there to meet the delivery person.
And the result is going to be traffic that pauses at that gate and backs everything else up.
So I think it's going to be a severe problem.
Do you also, can you also elaborate on the single family zoning of the community and the historical nature of the community and whether that, in your mind, cuts against this project or?
Steve, this is your last question.
I think that's been addressed already, but I think it's important to bear in mind that this community, like the rest of Philadelphia, is changing, and projects that were not viable a few years ago are becoming viable.
So I don't think it's correct to say that just because single family new construction has never appeared on the block, that it never will. The neighborhood is changing. In some cases, not for the better. But in terms of the market, the market has steadily been improving.
And I don't think it's unrealistic to expect that over time, there will be an opportunity to develop single family new construction housing. Thank you.
Thank you.
Meredith, you have any questions?
Just one or two.
Mr. Cromer, relative to your last couple of sentences, relative to your optimism that single family development may be viable at some time in the future, have you done any independent analysis on the cost of new housing construction and the current rental rates in this particular area to be able to actually testify
whether that is viable current day when this application is in front of the board?
I haven't, and I don't think I need to. The variables are changing quickly,
and they will change during the next few weeks, but also during the course of this year.
The overall trend, though, has been one of rapidly increasing real estate values in Parkside
in nearby areas, and there's plenty of evidence of that. But respectfully, without having actual
data to present to this board, that testimony is entirely speculative. To simply say that
conditions are changing without presenting any data to this board is not credible evidence for
this board to consider. I understand your question, but I think he tried to be honest. He's not given
deity. He just said what he thinks. Understood, Mr. Chairman. Just for the record, I just want
to make it clear. Okay. And then my final question for Mr. Kramer, you testified to two somewhat
My final question for Mr. Kramer, you testified to two somewhat conflicting things. One being that it would be very difficult to make deliveries to Viola Street, but then also the fact that consistent with our presentation that this is designed to be part of a development on Parkside Avenue, specifically to pull that impact away from Viola Street.
So I'm just a little bit unclear here, you know, whether you're testifying that the design is actually going to accomplish the concern that you've testified to, or I'm just a little bit unclear, you know, what your testimony is on that point.
I understand the intent, but the reality is that delivery vehicles would have to pull up on Viola Street. They could not pull up on Parkside Avenue because they would be directed to addresses on Viola Street. There wouldn't be any elder alternative.
that's all i have for this witness all right um so we're going to resume this
resumptive hearing i'll give you the early state we have july 15th 2025 at 9 30 a.m
thank you very much everyone for thanks everyone for coming i uh appreciate everybody from that's
in the audience here and uh i like your signs are very nice thank you mr chair part i just
have a question mr masters are you do you still have additional witnesses that you plan to bring
yes i do okay all right so we'll be completing your your presentation as the first order of
business in the next hearing okay thank you thank you all right mr chair can i suggest a five minute
recess? Sure. Thank you. We are back. Number 7, MI 2024-005-731-950 Malboro Street. David
Orphanidis is the attorney. There's a letter of support from Fishtown Neighbors Association.
The vote was 21 in support, 12 in opposition.
Letter of non-opposition from council member squad.