Committee Hearing, April 8, 1998

COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON STREETS AND SERVICES - - - Room 400 City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Wednesday, April 8, 1998 9:25 a.m. - - - BILL 980203 - An ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 307 of an area bounded by Market Street, Juniper Street, Filbert Street, and 13th Street by relocating the easterly curb line of Juniper Street from Commerce Street to Filbert Street a variable distance westwardly, under certain terms conditions. PRESENT: COUNCILMAN FRANK DICICCO, Chairman COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 2 I N D E X BILL 980203 Paul Lonie, Manager. . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Survey Bureau, Department of Streets Marty Soffer, City Planner . . . . . . . . 5 City Planning Commission John Connors, Officer. . . . . . . . . . . 6 Brickstone Realty James R. Platt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Architect, Senior Associate Burt Kosar Rittelman Associates Paul Deegan, Senior Vice President . . . . 12 Philadelphia Industrial Development Corp. 3 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 P R O C E E D I N G S

Good morning. The Committee on Streets and Services will now come to order. With me this morning are other members of the Streets and Services Committee. To my left is Councilman David Cohen, to my right is Councilwoman Miller, and standing behind me a few feet is Councilman Rizzo. The clerk will read the title of the first bill, the first and only bill.

Bill No. 980203, an ordinance authorizing the revision of lines and grades on a portion of City Plan No. 307 of an area bounded by Market Street, Juniper Street, Filbert Street, and 13th Street by relocating the easterly curb line of Juniper Street from Commerce Street to Filbert Street a variable distance westwardly, under certain terms conditions. (Paul Lonie comes forward.)

Good morning, please state your name for the record, and spell your last name, please.

Good morning, Councilman 4 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 DiCicco and members of the committee. My name is Paul Lonie, L-O-N-I-E. I'm the Manager of the Survey Bureau in the Department of Streets. And the Streets Department would like to offer testimony on Bill 980203. This is not an administration ordinance 8 but an ordinance requested by Mr. John Connors, Vice President of Brickstone Company. The purpose of this ordinance is to grant the authority to relocate the easterly curb line of Juniper Street from Commerce Street to Filbert Street a variable distance westwardly in connection with the conversion of the City Hall annex to a 500-room 15 hotel by Marriott. This ordinance is supported by the Department of Streets, and it is recommended to the committee for favorable action.

Are there any questions for this witness from other members of Council? (No question.)

Is there anyone else here who wishes to testify? (Marty Soffer comes forward.) 5 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203

Please state your name for the record.

Good morning, Mr. Chairman and members of the Streets Committee. My name is Marty Soffer. And that's S-O-F-F-E-R. The proposed ordinance authorizes the revision of lines and grades from the City Plan by relocating the easterly curb line of Juniper Street from Commerce Street to Filbert Street to permit the construction of a vehicular drop-off area that will support the conversion of a vacant, architecturally historic building into a Marriott Hotel. The City Planning Commission staff approves this action, which supports the City's redevelopment activities within the Convention Center area. Therefore, the Planning Commission staff recommends that Bill No. 980203 be approved. And it will be formally approved by the Planning Commission tomorrow. Thank you.

Is there somebody here who could tell us the effect of the 6 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 revision? What does it mean to people, say, who use the sidewalk?

Paul Lonie again. Mr. Connors, I believe, has a sketch of the proposed site, and I think he would be best to explain exactly what his purposes are.

Mr. Connors, please come forward and identify yourself for the record. (Mr. Connors comes forward.)

My name is John Connors, C-O-N-N-O-R-S. I'm an officer of Brickstone Realty, and our affiliate is the owner of the City Hall annex, Annex Center Realty, Inc. I think I'm going to let my architect, Mr. Jim Platt, of Burt Hill Kosar & Rittelman, explain what we are proposing.

For the benefit of the committee, could somebody explain the picture. (Jim Platt comes forward.)

Yes. My name is Jim Platt. I'm an architect with Burt Hill Kosar Rittelman. And the proposed improvement in front of the City Hall annex building involves a vehicular drop-off area that's now part of Juniper 7 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 Street. And what we have proposed is to provide two lanes of drop-off in front of the building and to provide a grade access from the drop-off area directly into the front main lobby area, which is the existing lobby that will be restored. There's a drop-off lane next to the building, and there'll be a stacking lane for three cars. We have provided a one-way exit onto Filbert Street. We've provided a planting area in front of our stacking lane that will have two trees, a monument sign, and low ground cover. We will also provide a new port-cachere, which is a glass-and-steel canopy, in front of the building to provide a covered entryway for guests as they arrive at the front of the hotel. The public sidewalk on Juniper Street will continue through, as it does now, in front of the hotel. We have provided for the four lanes of traffic to continue along Juniper Street, and there is a single lane that will have a right turn from Juniper onto Filbert Street.

Is Juniper Street 8 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 the street that we generally think of as Market Street, in front of the City Hall annex?

Yes, that's correct.

That's technically Juniper Street?

That's technically Juniper Street, yes.

And where would the entrance be?

The front door is right in the middle of the building.

Is that where it is now?

That's where it is now. There's some plywood covering those, and they've been covered for some time, so I can see why it would be not so clear where the front entrance is. But this is the main front door right off of the plaza and into the hotel will be right in this area.

I would assume from looking at this island, or whatever we refer to it as, that it will probably actually be a good calming device. Because I know now, when people 9 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 are traveling north and they're looking to go either up Juniper or Filbert, there's really no -- there aren't any controls here. And I myself see when I cross over sometimes, it's very difficult because cars are not looking for traffic coming from here, foot traffic, and they're going straight in, and there's always a lot of confusion. So I think that it will add some sense of, you know --

It is true that the curb line modification -- the radius of the curb line was specifically designed to have a car making a right turn reduce speed --

Before they get there.

-- in order to get to Filbert Street. Right now, they go around that corner pretty quickly.

Where's the old curb line?

The old curb line is about right where the existing one is. I think it's out in front. We're pushing it back about three feet. 10 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203

One East Penn Square is right next to it, it's the old Market Street National Bank building.

That's this one.

That's there. What separates the two buildings?

There's a street now, Commerce Street.

That's not used for vehicular street traffic is it, Commerce Street? Isn't that a very narrow --

It's not very functional. There's a nine-foot cartway.

Nine-foot.

So when a vehicle goes down there, they typically have one wheel up on the curb and one wheel down, so it's not a commonly used street.

May I ask a quick question? Taxi cab staging, where will that be? Taxi cabs, where would tax cabs line up here? Because taxi cabs always seem to be where they're not supposed to be because no one plans for the staging area for tax cabs. Where 11 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 will that be?

Well, one of the reasons that we needed to create at least a three-car queuing area out front was for taxi-cab-waiting, and it's -- it's --

You know that's where the doorman's going to park his friends.

We're going to do the best we can in managing that. But the answer is that we did need a need queueing lane and we do have a drop-off lane that will handle, I believe, five cars, six, if it's the right arrangement of cars. Right now, the queueing for the taxi queuing occurs in front of the big Marriott on the 1200 block of Filbert Street, and sometimes runs up to the 1300 block, as you know. And so we're hoping that we can improve traffic flow by utilizing this device, this curb line modification.

What do you call this area with the greenery?

That will be -- that will be low planting. We'll probably have ground cover 12 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 there below and put in new granite curbs and put two trees.

That faces City Hall?

Yes, that's correct.

Not unlike the Wanamaker Plaza.

It was necessary, I assume, to do that, to get the Mayor's approval? (Laughter.)

Doesn't he look out the window right at this?

I'll let Mr. Connors answer that one.

Okay, any other questions of Members of the Committee? (No further questions at this time.). (Paul Deegan comes forward.)

Good morning, Mr. Chairman, members of the committee. My name is Paul Deegan, D-E-E-G-A-N. I'm senior Vice President of the Philadelphia Industrial Development Corporation. And I'm here to testify in support of the bill. 13 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 PIDC and the Administration have been working with the developer and owner of the annex to convert the building into a Marriott Hotel. We're very much in support of this project, and we ask that the Council give bill favorable consideration. And we also ask that the rules of Council be suspended so as to support first reading of the bill at the next regularly scheduled meeting of Council.

Thank you, Paul.

Thank you.

Is there anyone else here who wishes to testify for or against the bill? (No response.)

Seeing no one, this concludes the public hearing on the Committee of Streets and Services. - - -

We now go to the public meeting on the Committee of Streets and Services. The Chair recognizes Councilman Cohen 14 COMMITTEE ON STREETS & SERVICES, BILL NO. 980203 for a motion on Bill No. 980203.

Mr. Chairman, I move that Bill No. 980203 be approved and that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading at the next Council meeting. (Duly seconded.)

It has been moved and seconded that Bill No. 980203 be reported out of committee with a favorable recommendation and that the rules of Council be suspended. All those in favor of the bill, signify by saying aye. Nay? The bill is approved. I thank all of your and thank the Committee for coming down here this morning. I appreciate your time. (Adjourned at 9:40 a.m.) - - - 15 C E R T I F I C A T E I HEREBY CERTIFY that the foregoing proceedings of the Council of the City of Philadelphia of Wednesday, April 8, 1998 were reported and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: COMMITTEE ON STREETS AND SERVICES __________________________________, JOSEPHINE CARDILLO, RPR