Just a few examples of the work that has grown out of Project Reclaim.
We partnered with the City Planning Commission and former Councilwoman Janie Blackwell to rematch sections of our neighborhood to preserve the RSA-5 zoning.
We collaborated with Rebuilding Together to provide critical home repairs for long-time residents, and we continue to work with Rebuild.
We have a new project that we're working on with them. It's not the Block Build. It's another program.
We work with Habitat for Humanity to restore historic facades on Viola Street, preserving our architectural character on the north side of the block and also the height.
We revitalized the Viola Street Garden, a popular community space and one of the oldest public gardens in the city of Philadelphia.
And it's a source of fresh produce for our residents.
We planted trees, we cleaned the alleys, we did it all.
And we also have whole events and activities on our lots.
But I'm going to stop right there.
What's really important is time has not devalued our plan.
And this is not nostalgia.
On the contrary,
it represents years of our sweat equity equity and our volunteerism
cross-sector collaboration and resident empowerment our voice should be meaningful
in how our neighborhood and how our block is developed
just let me choose a few statements in my closing sure our award-winning
Community Plan, which is available on the City Planning Commission's website, and I just want to.
Our development principles emphasize improvements that respect the scale, the style and the history of existing homes.
New infill should serve as a catalyst for positive growth, not undermine the character we've been fighting to preserve.
So, East Parkside deserves thoughtful, community-led growth, and we, the invested residents that are here today, must be a part of what that looks like.
that are here today, must be a part of what that looks like, and we ask you to take that
into account when you make your decision. Thank you. Thank you. Steve?
Thank you, Ms. Smith. Let me first just ask you, do you have any specific titles and offices
that you hold in the neighborhood and in civic groups? Oh, yeah. I serve on the Vital Street
resident associations. I chair the community development board and I just stepped off a
transition off the Centennial Parkside CDC where I served since 2015. I'm showing now the board
part of the project Reclaim, which is a very extensive document. It's on, as you said,
What are we looking at here for this slide, Ms. Smith?
You're looking at the section of project reclaimed
and existing and proposed neighborhood zoning and how we change the zoning.
Is that?
And on the left side is existing zoning.
On the right side was the proposed zoning.
And what did the proposed zoning
here, it says that
did the proposed zoning remove the CMX2 from this area
and just put it into
only RSA5? Yes. So that was an
intentional part of the Project Reclaim mission?
Yes, and yes, the Violet Street Reset Association, yes.
Okay, I'm going to also
So go to page 105.
So this attachment is I think a summary of Project Reclaim that's in the document.
Yes, correct.
Correct. So this seems to mirror what you were talking about with Janie Blackwell and all the city agencies and everything. So as far as you understand, is the RSA 5 in Project Reclaim, is that still the position of the City of Philadelphia in the Planning Commission?
Okay. There are also, I think, some photos that you wanted to speak to. So, let's look at those.
This is exhibit seven in objectors exhibits. What about these properties did you want to bring to the attention of the board?
Mr. Chairman, I'm going to object to this testimony. These are not photographs of this property. The address would establish that.
Right. I understand your point, but we're going to allow it.
Okay, thank you.
Okay, that's 4204 and 4206 Parkside Avenue. This property has been vacant for, I don't know, over five, six years.
We did go to our RCO meeting about that.
We've also been complaining and lodging complaints with LNI and the Historical Commission and Preservation Alliance to assist us to keep from that building from being demolished.
It's a historical building on the Parkside, which is around the corner from Viola Street.
and we've been having conversations with the Historical Commission
about preserving that property that's owned by Haverford Square.
So when you say it's owned by Haverford Square,
is that Mr. German Yakubov,
the developer of the property that we hear today about?
Yes, correct.
And how long, if you know,
how long has Mr. Yakubov owned this property that's belated?
I can't state exactly,
but I've known it's been at least five or six years.
okay we're still thinking more these photos are still more of the same that's the rear the rear
of this blighted property yeah it's also um because we're very vigilant uh the block um and it butts
against file street we it's a dumping in the back of it because it's in such bad condition as a
dumping site but the residents uh we're really vigilant about dumping in that in that so the
community cleans up his or either we report ellen okay um then we have photos um from the the um
empty lots that we're here to talk about today what what about these photos did you want the
board to take notice of that is where the proposed project is um the b
That is where the proposed project is to be built, and that is the condition of it.
It's my understanding that residents have complained about the overgrowth of those and how it looks.
Are you talking about excessive amounts of weeds?
Is there dumping happening on this land also?
Because he has the gate up, the dumping is minimum, but it is an eyesore.
okay um is there anything further you wanted to testify to no okay thank you
counselor you have any questions i sure do um all right so i i want to kind of work in reverse here
so first in regards to 42 and 06 parkside avenue miss smith uh do you happen to recall the developer
bringing proposals to the community for those two particular lots uh maybe i don't know about five
years ago yes and do you recall what that request was he wanted to put eight units per building
and do you recall specifically why he wanted to put eight units i'm going to object that's
a cause for speculation if she knows if she recalls no i'm assuming it was for profit
more units more money i'll i'll have mr yakubov address that on rebuttal um uh steve if you
wouldn't mind if you can bring back up your exhibit that shows in project reclaim the
existing and proposed zoning map i don't recall which page specifically that was on
Ms. Smith, so can you, I guess, acknowledge the fact that prior to the project reclaim effort, that this block of Viola Street was zoned a mix of RM1 and CMX2, is that correct?
I believe so.
Okay. And when the rezoning effort was done, was any consideration given to the existing character and use of properties on this block of Viola Street?
I'm not sure what you mean.
Well, can you confirm your understanding of the fact that this block of Viola Street has a fair amount of multifamily structures already, and did at the time the rezoning occurred?
So then I guess my question was just the community elected to have this zoned single family, but seemingly that was not consistent with the use of existing properties on the block.
I'm going to object to this because the applicant's council numerous times before this board has made the exact opposite argument that she's making today.
She says that she believes that this board should not disregard whatever the zoning is, the historic zoning of a place,
and that if the planning commission has some position to change the zoning, that it should be immediately retroactively changed so that she could get a variance.
Right now, she's basically telling this board that everything that she's said over the years doesn't apply, and I think that that's not proper.
I'm not concerned with what she's trying to tell the board.
I'm concerned with your client there, if she can answer the question that she had.
If you can answer it, answer it.
If not, so, Hillary, Meredith, why don't you repeat your question for her?
My question is, if you recall, did the community take into account the fact that there is existing multifamily uses on this block when the community elected to rezone it to single family?
I'm going to object that this is a call. It's not a specific question because the community didn't rezone this or didn't map it. It's the planning commission.
Listen, I'm going to try to move this one. If you can answer that question, answer it. If not, that's, you don't know.
I would see the way you look that you don't know.
So what I would say is that the most we would have is three units per property, not 16 apartments.
um with all due respect that wasn't my question but i'll move on well i think we should move on
yeah that's that's fine um so miss smith you talk about uh in your testimony
yeah that's that's fine um so miss smith you talk about uh in your testimony that the community
voice that that it's your desire rightfully so that the community voice should be incorporated
into decisions for this neighborhood do you recall how many community meetings were held
specifically for this project at 4283 viola
yes we've been discussing this ever since the it was proposed but i i'm i'm talking
about an official community meeting. Do you recall how many official meetings were held?
We have discussed this numerous times at our community development board meetings,
which we meet three times a month. I'm talking about with the developer himself.
We tried to negotiate with the developer.
Okay, so I'll refresh your memory. So there was one community meeting that was held.
Do you happen to recall scheduling-
I'm objecting that this doesn't have to do
with direct examination.
This isn't cross-examination.
This is her own case trying to be made
and she doesn't have this person as a witness for her.
So I would say if you know how many times
you've met with the developer, that's fine.
No, we met with the developer.
We have not had a meeting with the developer.
We just negotiated with our counsel.
Okay, thank you.
That is, just for the record, that's not accurate. There was an official community meeting held, which the record would show.
Okay, thank you.
Ms. Smith, do you recall after that community meeting that the developer had agreed to schedule a smaller meeting with nearby residents? Do you happen to recall that?
that meeting was not agreed by with the planning committee the vsra planning committee
we did not agree to that meeting miss smith with all due respect that meeting was scheduled
and the developer showed up and do you happen to recall him reaching out to you to find out
why nobody else showed up to the meeting? Once again, that meeting was planned with one member
who did not advise the committee. And when Mr. Iacobo called me, and I think he called the other
person, we told him, or I told him, that that meeting was not supposed to be scheduled.
Aside from Viola, and again, in response to your testimony that the community would like to be
collaborative do you recall holding a meeting with mr yakubov to discuss the design of his
project his by right project on parkside avenue that is connected to this particular lot
i do recall that community meeting okay
do you happen to recall what particular design related issues were expressed
i'm objecting this has nothing to do with this property she's talking about a different property
at a different time why are we asking questions about that yeah um meredith want to explain what
what you're trying to get at with that so mr masters in his opening talks about predominantly
design related concerns in our rebuttal we are going to present uh updated renderings responsive
to those concerns. So where Ms. Smith is testifying that this developer is not working
in collaboration with the community, our rebuttal testimony is going to seek to specifically rebut
that. So that's where I was hoping to have her give her sense of what those concerns were.
I think when you do rebuttal, you can bring up what you want to bring up.
Fair enough. I have just a few more questions. In terms of Project Reclaim, if you know off
the top of your head, when was the report published? 2014. Okay, so just about 11 years ago.
you talked about in your testimony many of the suggestions that were seemingly focused on
renovation you talk about habitat for humanity and things of that nature
To your knowledge, have any of the have any of the recommendations for new construction, have any of those recommendations been put to action?
No, we don't have the money to do that, but we like to work with developers that would be more aligned with our plan and our mission.
be more aligned with our plan and our mission. So in terms of the project reclaim goals and
So in terms of
the things that have been put into action, those have predominantly been for existing housing
stock. Is that accurate? Preservation. Yes, generational wealth, preservation
to address abandonment.
And you may have alluded to this very briefly,
but do you have an opinion as to why
none of the new construction goals have been put to action?
Well, we're working with developers.
We have now a developer that we are working with
that we hope that we can eventually talk to him
about doing some of the development projects
outside of what we're working with him on right now.
We're working with him on a turnkey property.
Turnkey properties is going to be single family homes.
And so we are in discussion with him
about doing other projects in our neighborhood.
And he is more mission aligned.
But the Turn the Key program is a subsidized program.
Is that correct?
That's correct.
And we also are talking to him
about doing other development in our neighborhood.
But to your knowledge, based on the discussions you've had,
there are no active proposals for non-subsidized single-family homes?
Yes, but we're open to working with mission-aligned developers.
Thank you. That's all I have for Ms. Smith.
Thank you.
Thank you for your testimony. We appreciate you.
Okay, thank you.
Next witness, Steve.
Next witness is Neva Wyatt.
Good morning.
Good morning.
Hi, could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
Yes, Neva White, N-E-V-A-W-H-I-T-E.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?