I have a house at 19th and Jefferson, 1439. Well, I just had work done on it, $40,000 worth of work from housing authorities.
I'm sorry. You have to give your name for the stenographer.
My name is Vera Wallace. I have lived in this house since 1995. When I moved in, it had lead in it. Housing came in and done $40,000 worth of work. I've been in the community since 1956. I'm not trying to move out my house, and I would like a letter or something stating that I don't have to move. They rebuilt all around me. When they got to the fifth house from a whole section, they stopped. And now they want to come in and take down the five houses or do something with them. I don't know. I don't want to leave. My neighbors don't want to leave. And I don't know what to do but just stay there and refuse to leave, refuse to sell, because it's mine. And my seven kids. I have a seven-bedroom house. It's not enough money to replace it. $200,000 I wouldn't 352 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES accept.
I understand. Thank you. Would you please identify yourself?
My name is Delores Carson. I'm sitting in proxy for my son Thomas Carson who is in Germany. We own the property at 815 North 20th Street. There are no liens against it. The taxes are paid. And I would like to have taken off the list for condemnation. I don't live in the part you're talking about, up near Cecil B. Moore. I live one block away from Fairmount. And someone said that the house was vacant, but it's not. It's my son's house. And when he's not in Europe, he comes back home. I go there every week or two, pick up the mail, we pay the gas, the electric. We do everything that's done for a house that's occupied. And when he comes home, that's his home. So I don't understand why you want to take it from us.
Michael Kuntz, Redevelopment Authority. The developer, I believe, has had conversations today to the effect that he didn't know the property occupied. Apparently, we didn't know that the property occupied, but he has no 353 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES interest in acquiring it now that we found out that the property is occupied. It was originally to be acquired for an HRP by Community Ventures. So the Redevelopment Authority does not intend to acquire 815 North Street. 7
Thank you very much. 9 Sir, please identify yourself. 10
My is George McClain. I 11 live at 3437 North Hope Street, and I got a letter 12 and I took it to the Councilman's office on Fifth 13 Street. And he told me that somebody thought that 14 my house was vacant or abandoned. And only thing 15 that might have -- I was in the hospital the last 16 year for two months for cancer operation. I've been 17 on chemotherapy eight months after that. I'm off 18 there. All I have to worry about is my diabetes 19 now. 20
Could you affirm that this gentleman will get something in writing.
I will send him a letter tomorrow morning or I'll mail it out tomorrow morning. 354 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
My name is Minister Montez Lamone, and I reside in the 1900 block of 33rd Street. I'd like to submit these pictures of the properties in question. I also would like to add that only two of the properties belong -- one property is a family property, it's on the corner of 33rd and Monument, that's 1915. The other property belongs to myself and the church and the ministry. These properties are scheduled for acquisition. We have been working on the properties and L&I has been out several times and they've been on the roof and all through the property all the way down to the basement. And the last time the L&I man was there, he informed me that he was going to remove the violations off of one property and give us more time on the other property. I'd like to say that since he left, we completed two units in the corner property. My son has been staying in there, in one of the units because we've had several fires. I don't know who it's been, but people been trying to burn us out, and these reports can be gotten from the Fire 355 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES Department. But anyway, I don't want to bee too long with this. My point is that we do not want to sell the properties or give them up. We have been working with various churches in the neighborhood. Cornerstone Baptist Church, Prince of Peace, and with Dr. Fulton who has a community development organization. He's working with us also to develop these properties. I was informed by Councilman Clarke that they do not want Christian rehab in the area of 33rd Street. And I was informed by someone else that if we completed the project, that they would knock us down on the zoning in terms of putting a Christian rehab there. So that's not really the problem. The issue is that if we can't put that there, we'll put something else there to help the community. We're not so bent on putting that there. And the other property is going to be used for apartments. And they have these properties listed for acquisition and we have been working in the properties for a full year. And Councilman Clarke lives down the street from me, and I'm sure he's seen us from time to time working, he's seen the dumpsters, he's seen 356 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES whatever. He hasn't seen the inside of the properties. All you can see is the outside. These pictures were taken after a fire. These pictures are about a year or so old. So they don't look the same as it look now. But they're still boarded up from the outside. So I just want to state that we do not want to lose our family property. My family owns about eight properties in that block. My mother was a block captain for over years. She 11 raised us in this particular property, 1915 and 1919 12 North 33rd Street. She raised us in those two 13 properties. She's passed away now a couple year. 14 And she was the block captain for over 20 years. 15 They still send the block captain stuff there to the 16 house, and I have assumed the responsibility -- I'm 17 like the acting block captain. There is no block 18 captain now. Somebody came out from the City and 19 said they're going to bring form out for me to send 20 and they will make me the block captain or whatever, but that never took place. But that's not the issue. The issue is that they want to acquire these properties. Only two of these properties in question belong to us, 1915 and 1911 33rd Street, but my family owns properties up and down the same 357 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES block. Out of the properties that exist in that block, about 10 of them belong to family members of mine. So whatever happens with these properties affect the whole block.
I understand. Thank 7 you. 8 Please identify yourself for the record. 9
My name is Vernetta Scott. 10 And I live on the 1900 block of Sharswood Street. 11 I'm inquiring about that block, and I want to leave 12 that block because the block only has five houses on 13 it and it's infested. I mean, it doesn't make any 14 sense. I'm scared to come out my door sometimes. I've got an old house this way, a lot this way with three or four blocks down across the street, old houses and stuff like that. I can't wait until this Bill get passed for us to relocate. How soon will we be able to relocate once the Bill do get passed?
Good afternoon. The proposal for this particular -- let me ask you a first question. If the Bill passes, the offer will be made -- Mr. Wetzel? 358 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
If the question is, can we amicably acquire a property from somebody in advance of filing a Declaration of Taking by the Redevelopment Authority's Board, the answer is yes.
That. And also if you didn't do it, what would be the timing on the Declaration of Taking?
What we could do is if you're interesting in moving and receiving relocation benefits, after the ordinance is signed by the Mayor, we could order a title report and an appraisal so that we can then begin working with her in terms of how much she's going to get for the house, the size of her replacement housing payment, et cetera. My relocation director not here right now. Excuse me for a second. If we started tomorrow, it would take about 45 days to get the title report and the appraisal completed. We could then begin, based on that, working with you to identify a replacement house and know the kind of benefits that you're going to receive. But we really need to know how much value is in the house that she's living in now to do the rest of the calculation. 359 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
Because there's only like maybe about or houses on the block. 4
I'm very familiar 5 with that. Actually both blocks, Sharswood and Steward. And they're probably the only five or six house in s all three blocks. So we're talking, best case scenario, 60 days?
Yes. I mean, if you're ready to start working with our relocation staff, we can start it now.
That's contingent on the passage of the Bill? Or because there has been some action, therefore de facto condemnation, you can enter into some --
Thank you very much. We're going to take additional testimony tomorrow on the remaining bills at 10 o'clock. If there's anything anybody's been here for the day would like to say on the record that can't be here tomorrow --
I'm sorry, but I forgot to say something. I didn't get -- 360 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
Minister Montez Lamone. I'm trying to get something from them saying that our properties will not be acquisitioned or whatever you call it, because we are working on the properties and we have been working on them for a year.
Then you should work with Mr. Kuntz here and see where this list is and what the status of it is.
From their perspective what the status is. Anyone else who to wants to testify now before we recess until tomorrow at 10 o'clock? So if you're not coming back tomorrow for any of the bills, just get it on the record. We'll do the rest of the Bills tomorrow. Yes, sir. Please identify yourself.
Bill Foster. I'm a long-time community liver and I also own business in the Cecil B. Moore area, 35 years. I'm also a 361 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES member of the CDC that's going to be building these homes in the North Central Philadelphia area, Cecil B. Moore corridor. I'm in favor of this Bill. I certainly have been here since o'clock listening 6 to all the residents, my community members, and I've 7 heard a lot of people say that they don't want to 8 move. And I understand that. I understand that if 9 someone told me that I had to move after being in 10 business and living in North Central Philadelphia for seven years I'd be upset. I also understand that there's 480 other homes that need to be acquired, 480 lots that need to be acquired, 480 rat-infested buildings that need to be acquired, 400 trash-strewn lots that need to be acquired.
Well, then the sensible thing to have done would have been to split the lots and the vacant houses away from the people with houses. I understand the problem.
Unfortunately, when we tried to build homes in North Central Philadelphia community three at a time, they took six, eight, ten, twelve months, a year, two years.
We're not talking three at a time. What we're talking about is 362 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES separating the houses that people are living in.
When we tried to build 4 homes at one time, it took two and a half years. 5 When we tried to build 43 homes, it took three years 6 to build those homes. And it didn't work. It 7 doesn't work to try to build 3 homes here, 20 homes 8 here, 15 homes here. We need to acquire the land 9 that we need to build North Philadelphia and we need 10 to build it. We need to collectively build, rebuild 11 North Central Philadelphia, specifically Cecil B. 12 Moore community.
My name is Steve Culbertson, I'm the Executive Director of the Frankford Community Development Corporation, and I'm here to testify in support of Bill 030290, the Frankford Creek Urban Renewal Area. I have been here all day and I've got a busy day tomorrow. And I apologize that I'm just going to try to get it in. I do have copies of the executive summary of projects, the Twins at Frankford Creek and also the site plan for the Twin Project that we're going to build. Our intention is to use a vacant and 363 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES under-utilized industrial area along the Frankford Creek that is a brown field and build 50 new twin houses on site in order to secure the work that we've been doing in Frankford trying to revitalize. So I just wanted to get it on the record that we're in support of the Bill. As far I know, there is no 8 one in opposition. We've talked to a lot of the owners on the block. We've talked to a lot of the folks around the community that really want to see this happen. So unlike many of the things that have been heard today, this is actually a project that everybody seems to want to have happen.
Let me tell you, if these bills had come over three and four at a time through the course of the year, we wouldn't be going through this. It wouldn't be this stress. We would had this stuff done and moving forward. Three or four bills a hearing is a reasonable thing to ask, especially if you combine those 27 bills or whatever it is with people who are living in houses who don't want them taken complicates the issue just astronomically. So if you had come in here, you wouldn't have had spend from 9 o'clock until 6 o'clock at night waiting to be heard. You would 364 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES have had three bills on the calendar on the schedule and we could have talked about it in a reasonable, rational way. And you would walk away feeling much better about the process and so would we. That's why this process stinks. And I'll tell you what, I'll make a commitment now. We will not go through this type of hearing again, at least with my participation. It will not happen. Maybe somebody else will run it. Maybe somebody else will go through it, but I won't sit here and listen to all of this in one session when you can't even figure out what it is you're talking about. And I apologize to you. I wish you well with your project. I hope it works out. And I'm sure that that Bill, since there's no opposition, will get out of committee tomorrow. Thank you for your patience.
Let me thank Mr. Culbertson and his leadership in Frankford and around the City and for all the positive things that you do and the thorough nature for your work and for 365 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES your commitment to housing in our City. Thank you.
My name is Ron Hinton, I am President of the Allegheny West Foundation. I am here today to testify in support of Bill No. 030293 under the Tioga Urban Renewal Area. Within the package of the properties proposed to be acquired, we are attempting a plan to rehabilitate 94 units in a seven-block area on Lehigh Avenue. The area is designed and called forgotten blocks area as an area that was originally planned when the Deliverance Church acquired the old Connie Mack Ball Park. That area was designed to be taken over as housing for the members of the church. The community opposed that and actually formed a group called Forgotten Blocks. In 1997 when I took the position as President of the Allegheny West Foundation, I met with primarily the group of seniors who were a part of this group and made a commitment and a promise to address the vacancies, which at that point had been 15 years in the coming. Just to give you just some summary of 366 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES the land, if I may. And I'm really speaking fr a community of committed people and so I need to put this on the record. There are approximately 462 homes in this seven-block area. Of those homes, 80 percent of them are occupied; 200 of them are by homeowners, 169 are renter. There are 94 vacant units. So percent of the population is affected 9 by vacant units. Of those homeowners, the majority 10 of them are senior citizens. And so this plan was 11 developed by the community. The properties were 12 identified by the community. We walked and took 13 pictures of each of the properties, presented them 14 to Councilwoman Miller, and since 1997 we have been 15 committed to a project that is put in place for 16 residents, not as it means of redeveloping that area 17 but actually saying to them "You've made your 18 commitment to our community and we're going to do 19 what we can do to take these vacancies and put 20 homeowners in them. So I respectfully ask your support in helping us to put homeowners into vacant units, thereby protecting investment that citizens of this community has already made to staying in the Allegheny West community. 367 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES
Yes, sir. Thank you for your patience in waiting, and I appreciate your testimony. SISTER TAYLOR: Good evening, and thank you for the opportunity to allow me to speak. My is Sister Margaret Taylor. I work for he Office for Community Development of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. We are working with the St. Hugh Parrish. The neighborhood is named after the parrish. And the parrish has specifically asked us to assist with rehabilitating abandoned houses. We are not interested in taking any houses that are currently resided in. We would like to take the abandoned houses, and the parrish has requested that we provide some opportunities for low-income housing. We intend to do that under of Homeownership Rehabilitation Program. So therefore, we support the ordinance which I believe is 030289 for the St. Hugh Fairhill area.
Good evening. My name is Ed Franklin. I'm the Executive Director of the Coalition (ph). I'm here in reference to Bill 368 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES 030293. I would like to follow with the President of Allegheny West reference to remaining 277 parcels that are in that Bill. I would like to thank Councilwoman Miller and her staff for a very detailed and comprehensive study to make sure that there was no residential properties in this Bill. There was only vacant lots in her Bill and only two structures that was in this Bill and was vacant. I hear all the testimony that has went forth, and I'm just shocked at how it was done. So I thank you Councilwoman Miller very much for the details that you went through. We just have one concern that I need to put on record. The Citizens of Tioga Nicetown and Tioga Nicetown CDC has some of the vacant property that is listed here to be condemned under the process. And I've already talked to Councilwoman Miller's staff and they understand that those parcels will be taken out for development for housing in that area. So again, I thank the Committee for waiting to allow me to get my turn today so we wouldn't have to come tomorrow. And I thank Councilwoman again for her excellent work in putting 369 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES this together.
Thank you for your testimony. Could you identify yourself for the record?
Good afternoon. My name is Dianna Dunson (ph), and I'm just a resident of the community of Nicetown Tioga and also a committee person for that area. I also wanted to just make it know to Councilwoman Miller that there are residents in that community who have also been working trying to do things and cleaning up lots and establishing community groups that have not been noticed. And we have been there 40 years, years, we are 16 third-generation people who necessarily don't follow 17 along with Coalition under their guidelines, with 18 Temple or Tioga United. We are residents that have 19 been there and forgotten also. So we want you to 20 know that there have been some tactics used with putting up signs on buildings that belong that have owners that they have been putting up demolition stickers and zoning notices and harassing people about selling their properties. And I actually came and stayed. I've been here since 9 o'clock and I 370 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES stayed all day because I want it record because I am one of the people who have been constantly harassed in reference to my properties. I do not want to sell. I do not want to move. I would like to help. I have been asking for help. And I am asking you now if you will please help me with my plans and my ideas that I have for my property so that I can be a part of this plan also.
Thank you. I'd just like to take this opportunity to thank all those -- the last three testifiers for staying all day. I know that you were here all day. I saw you this morning when I was here. And certainly, Allegheny West has done a fine job in our district and we truly and earnestly support the development there or the forgotten blocks. That's a project that's been caught in the pipeline due to no 20 acquisition funds for a long time, since I've been here. And we're glad to see that this will be on the move. Tioga is one of the most blighted sections of the 8th Council District, and we have lots of abandoned properties and abandoned lots. So 371 06/03/03 - COMMITTEE ON RULES we're really excited about moving forward, and we're willing and want to help anyone that we can. The community and most of the residents want something done there. They're tired of all the vacant blighted buildings, vacant blighted lots. So if you own vacant properties, at least clean them. If own vacant lots, at least clean them. And we will try to do our part from the administration and City Council point of view to give you a hand. So I do want to thank you everyone coming out, for your patience and perseverance to stay all day and testify, so thank you.
Thank you very much. The Committee on Rules, if nothing else, will stand in recess until 10:00 a.m. tomorrow morning. (Council adjourned at 6:00 p.m.) - - - 372 ¡›î› C E R T I F I C A T I O N I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of June 3, 2003, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. RE: COMMITTEE ON RULES ___________________________ Lisa C. Bradley, RPR and Notary Public