My name is Chris Otten, Philly Otters.
I'm trying to open a store.
Do me a favor.
Do me a favor.
Could you spell your last name for this?
I'm from O-T-T-E-N.
All right.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth?
Nothing but the truth.
Could you give us two minutes of your views?
Land use is your purview, and that's what I wanted to talk about today.
My name is Chris Otten.
I'm trying to open a store on South Street.
I haven't actually proceeded with that.
I've signed the lease, but I cannot open the store because of this project.
I'm quite worried about it.
We're talking about a land use intensity.
This is an RM1 zone land use intensity.
This is housing.
These are customers that might attend my store.
To the proposed and what 20 people do just by right versus 200 plus people every day,
delivery trucks, serving the kitchen, serving the kids, events at night.
Now, I want to collect, I want to correct the record because I believe the lawyer here
next to me um suggested that this was a two-lane trafficked road just feet south of the school it
bottlenecks to one lane as it hits south street you can imagine with all of this activity that's
not by right uh it would really bottleneck that road and those businesses are going to hurt
i myself along with the two rcos along with tens of businesses along south street are opposed to
this and uh let me just conclude with i have this permit here that shows in 2016 they were ready to
demolish the site. That perceived hardship, the alleged hardship about not demolishing the
building, they had this permit in 2016, so now they want to project that hardship on us.
They have that. They had this permit in 2016. So now they want to project that hardship on us. It's not fair.
Thank you very much for coming in. We appreciate it. Good morning, sir.
Could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer? Yes. Good morning.
My name is Loren Ostroff, L-O-R-E-N-O-S-T-R-O-F-F.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
I do and I'm also speaking I'm speaking in favor of the project as a both of my daughters
graduated from the preschool and also have gone on to thrive at Jewish day schools an hour away
from here so I do have a short poem for you a school for our future we call it in a city built
on neighborhoods where generations have found a place to belong we ask you today to help us build
a future where our children can grow strong on eighth street a building stands waiting for new
life a new beginning not merely walls but classrooms filled with children learning growing
and dreaming a school is more than brick and stone it is where a child discovers who they are
where knowledge becomes a guiding light and where young hearts learn to reach for the stars
philadelphia has always made room for schools for faith for community and here in this diverse and
vibrant neighborhood, we seek to add another thread to the tapestry. A Jewish school open to
the future, rooted in heritage, values, and pride, where children learn to carry forward the
traditions that have sustained us through the tide. We ask for your approval, not simply for
a building, but for a vision, a promise, a place to belong for the children who will walk through
these doors and the generations who will follow them along. Let this vacant building become a
place of light let learning faith and community take flight let us build a school that strengthens
this neighborhood and helps make philadelphia's future bright and brighter and right we ask you
to say yes not only to the school but to the children whose future begins within its walls
the first of its kind in the city thank you very much anyone else in their audience
questions or comments from the virtual audience
yes chair we have two hands up so far the first is carl fritton will be allowed to speak all right
good morning could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer
uh good morning sir thank you my name is carl k-a-r-l fritton f-r-i-t-t-o-n
great do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth
Yes, I do.
Sir, could you give us your two minutes of a viewpoint?
Yeah, I'll give you less than that, sir.
My wife and I live and own at 727 Bradford Alley, less than 150 feet from the dilapidated rundown parking garage.
As articulately stated by a number of others before me,
my wife and I view that the replacement of that garage with a well-thought-out educational school
for kids K-8 is largely preferable to what's there now. I don't see it as an easy thing to
reject. It's been an ugly, unsightly, unsafe building for years, for the 10 years that we've
lived there, replacing it with an educational school when we all know that Philadelphia needs
all the good educational programs it can get, should be entirely supported by our neighbors,
And my wife and I do without reservation. So we hope that the board will approve the project. Thank you very much for taking the time to calls. Next hand, please.
Okay. Next is Anita Brazil. Okay. Good morning.
next hand please anita brazil can you unmute yourself i am unmuted all right good morning
could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer of course thank you anita
A-N-I-T-A Brazil. B-R-A-Z like zebra. I-L-L. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth,
the whole truth, nothing but the truth? I do. Could you give us two minutes of views?
I'm at 735 Bradford Alley, the nearest neighbor on Bradford Alley to the proposed school. Like
Carl Fritton and many other of my neighbors on Bradford Alley, I warmly, enthusiastically,
and wholeheartedly welcome the use of that building for a faith-based school. I know the
school on Lombard Street. I see the population. They are our neighbors and friends. I would like
to see the vibrancy of a school and the promise of the future in this neighborhood. If you choose
to live in the city, and in this part of the city, we accept noise traffic disruption. It's going to
it's going to occur so i don't expect that the life i had in the suburbs where it was quiet
occur. So I don't expect that the life I had in the suburbs
but not vibrant is going to be the same the school will bring vibrancy and i encourage the board
to approve this project so that we can all live together in peace and prosperity as neighbors
thank you very much for taking the time to close we appreciate it is there another hand
yes Eugene last name it beginning with a D okay yeah good morning sir could you
please state your name and spell for the stenographer yes that's uh Eugene the
fiat Nick e u g e n e d e s y a t and I k do you swear or firm to tell the truth
the whole truth nothing but the truth Thank You Commissioner I do thank you
chair if I did yes please proceed I think most schools have some degree of events that happen
outside of school hours to further they do that to further its mission of building a school
community and engaging parents so I see that in harmony with with the school this and the
residential use I also see that as a benefit I live in a couple of blocks down seven you know
700 block of south 8th street and i'm also involved with my civic in my experience a continuous
presence a door to knock on day or night actually helps not hurts to address any potential issues
you can come and talk to your neighbors that way um in my opinion the applicant i've seen
you know this project evolve the there's been work done to iterate the design to address
specific concerns and at this point i think we should allow this project to move forward thank
you thank you very much for calling we appreciate it next hand gabrielle howard okay we'll be allowed
to speak good morning gabrielle
sorry can you hear me now i can could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer
gabriel howard g-a-b-r-i-e-l howard h-o-w-a-r-d you swear or affirm that tell the truth the whole
truth nothing but the truth yes uh could you give us your two minute viewpoint yes i am for this
project i've lived at eighth and lombard i'm a near neighbor i've lived there for almost 20 years
I moved there as a single bachelor living in town, and now I'm a father, a married father of three.
I've watched both of my sisters who lived right nearby me move out of the city in search of better schooling.
I myself send my kids to public school as well as to B'nai Abraham preschool.
I've sent them.
um we understand my wife and i both understand the challenges this project might you know
bring up into our corner it might lead to some more traffic challenges but as i drive throughout
the city i drive through many schools i don't look at it as um something that annoys me anymore
but i can see the vibrancy of the city young families out and i think that that's what the
city really needs to attract to keep these great young minds into the city. Rabbi Goldman and his
wife Leah have been unbelievable to help keep us in center city Philadelphia and give us a
community of great people. And I just see this project continuing to build on many great
relationships. I think we'll see our parks continue to fill up with people. And I am
completely for this project even though i live nearby thank you very much for taking the time
the calls next hand i see no more hands here okay um so lynn i think what we we can do we can
bring up um mr steinberg and finish his uh see how much how much longer do you think you need
Thank you, Mr. Snyberg.
Oh, sure.
Right.
I just, my laptop is back.
your chair i'd like to call up my client sean sullivan sure mr sullivan have it over here
Sure. Mr. Sullivan, how about over here?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Good morning, sir. If you would get close to the mic,
could you please state your name as spelled for the stenographer?
Certainly. Sean Sullivan. That's S-E-A-N-S-U-L-L-I-V-A-N.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
I do, Mr. Chairman.
Counsel?
Sure. Thank you. Good morning, Sean.
can you tell the board where you reside please sure lombard muse house number 17. and how long
have you lived there since april 2020. okay and can you just describe for the board what it's
like living there it's a wonderful place to live i live there with my wife kidey our 11 year old son
even though we're in the middle of the city and we have all the access to all the great
things the city offers because of the structure of the lombard muse it winds up being a really
nice quiet place to live even with stuff going on south street from our house we don't hear
things my son's able to get his homework done it's a really beautiful quiet place to live
okay um i'm not sure how i share my screen do i just share my screen if i want to pull up
Sean, I'm pulling up an exhibit that we submitted the other day.
There are two letters from Mr. Bonnie dated March 2nd, 2026, which was two days prior to the initial hearing.
Are you familiar with those letters?
and were those letters written in support or opposition to the application in opposition okay
and is that why you didn't attend the first zoning board hearing because your association
was in opposition that's correct i had no expectation at that point that i'd need to
be personally involved okay and are you familiar with the development agreement that was entered
into between lumbar muse and the applicant yes i am sorry i don't have that
i think mr bonnie submitted it last evening as an exhibit i don't have it readily available but
um we we we have it you have it okay um have you reviewed that agreement i have okay and how did
you vote on that agreement? I voted no. And why? I have a number of concerns about the project.
First, I think the building is just too big as it's proposed right now.
Substantial portions of it reach over 55 feet in height. It's going to tower over our homes
and our neighborhood. I have a lot of concern about noise, especially from all the non-educational
events that are permitted under the agreement. There are non-educational events that are permitted
every day of the week, on weekends, outdoor
amplified music until 8 p.m. at night. I'm concerned about how that will
impact our quality of life.
The agreement is for itself.
I mean, with all due respect.
I understand your objection, but why don't we just continue this?
I'll take that into consideration.
Besides the school, what other uses are you referring to?
uh the agreement permits weddings bar and bar mitzvahs with lunches served with liquor served
with no limit on the number of events uh it permits uh various religious celebrations
both indoor and one week long outdoor um a an annual fundraising banquet so from my perspective
this is a building that's going to be used it's not just as a school during school hours but it's
going to be used evenings weekends um so the intensity of use isn't just the school okay
and do you have an outdoor space in your home i do can you describe that for us uh off of our
third floor we have a terrace uh facing east directly across from the garage building on the
terrace we have uh an outdoor container garden where we grow eggplant uh peppers tomatoes we
have a grill we have outdoor dining space and and where is that in relation to this proposed
development it's directly across from it from my terrace i can look out and i can see over the roof
of the garage building so i have an east view right now uh looking out over the garage building
and with the penthouse that's proposed and the pilot house would that impact your
light yeah it'll loom over our over our terrace um it's directly across from us it'll look
directly down onto us um so i have no doubt it will impact our light okay are you concerned about
Um, so I have no doubt it will impact our light. Okay. Are you concerned about any other impacts this might have to you? I'm concerned about lots of privacy. You know, the third floor of our house is where my son does his homework. He practices piano. He reads up there. Um, anybody on the roof deck or the pilot house will be looking directly into our third floor and onto our terrace.
have you spoken to neighbors about this project i have i've attended community meetings uh i was
one of the folks who went around and canvassed door-to-door in the neighborhood particularly
focused on near neighbors and what did you uh sense from all that folks i talked to substantially
more that i talked to were opposed uh than in support um so i just want to we we submitted
a couple petitions one last night which was an online petition which is in your package
um let's see are you aware whether the applicants have made any posts about this project on social
media i am and how would you describe those posts uh there were some uh there's a facebook
and instagram post related to a fundraiser for a capital campaign for the project which describes
it both as a school and as a community center as a center for jewish life so to me it strikes me
it's clearly not being planned it's just a school it's much much broader than that
right and if this project were just a school that otherwise complied with zoning would you
have any objection to it if the traffic problems were alleviated and it was just a school if it
wasn't this hulking looming residence i'd have no objection at all okay i have no further questions
your cross-examination well um i think to close we may take written comments okay
uh we both submitted memos of law so that's okay yeah we already have that okay
And also, in the record, rather than cross-examining and taking the time, you'll see the agreement, which speaks for itself, you'll see the plans, you'll see the shadow studies, you'll see all the expert reports that are contrary to what this layperson has just said.