COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC HEARING BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY AND PUBLIC WORKS - - - Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Thursday, June 11, 1998 10:55 a.m. - - - BILL 980533 - Authorizing Commissioner on Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to the Urban Redevelopment Law, to execute and deliver to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia, without consideration, the deed conveying fee simple title to City-owned land situate at 4501 Ridge Avenue for use by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL, Vice Chair COUNCILWOMAN JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILMAN W. THACHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO - - - VINCENT VARALLO ASSOCIATES, INC. Registered Professional Reporters Eleven Penn Center Plaza, Suite 600 Philadelphia, PA 19103 (215) 561-2220 2 I N D E X BILL 980533 D. K. Johnston, Project Manager, Schuylkill Falls Development, PHA----------------------- Paul Lonie, Manager, Survey Bureau, Department of Streets----------------------------------- 6 Kenneth A. Sipos, Real Estate Specialist, Department of Public Property---------------- 7 - - - 8 PUBLIC MEETING--------------------------------- 9 - - - 10 3 BILL 980533
The Committee on Public Property and Public Works is now in session. The record will note that we have a quorum. To my left, Councilman Longstreth, Councilman Nutter. To my right, Councilwoman Krajewski, Miller, Councilwoman Tasco, Councilman Rizzo, and Councilman Mariano, as well as Councilman Cohen and Councilman O'Neill. Thank you very much. Councilman Nutter will read the title of the bill.
Bill No. 980533, authorizing the Commissioner on Public Property,, (Commissioner), on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, pursuant to the Urban Redevelopment Law, P.L. 991, (May 24, 1945), to execute and deliver to the Redevelopment Authority of the City of Philadelphia, without consideration, the deed conveying fee simple title to City-owned land situate at 4501 Ridge Avenue for use by the Philadelphia Housing Authority, PHA, for egress and ingress in connection with PHA's Schuylkill Falls HOPE VI Development; and authorizing the 4 BILL 980533 Commissioner to remove certain restrictive covenants with respect to the contiguous property 3700 West School House Land, all under certain terms and conditions.
Do we have witness to testify on or against this bill? Please come forward. Please identify yourself for the record, give your first and last name, and proceed. Thank you very much.
Good morning. My name is D. K. Johnston. I am Project Manager with the Philadelphia Housing Authority for the Schuylkill Falls Development.
Thank you. It is difficult to hear you. Would you say that again.
My name is D. K. Johnston. I am Project Manager for Philadelphia Housing Authority for the Schuylkill Falls Development. We have received a HOPE VI grant. Actually, your preamble is mistaken. There are 300 dwelling unites planned for the site as a 5 BILL 980533 mixed-income community. One of the goals of the HOPE VI program nationally is to end the isolation of low-income families. We feel it is important to have more than one major street connection with the outside world for the redeveloped site. Today we have a dead-end street pattern. And in the maps in front of you, you will see the second map shows today's pattern. The 2-acre parcel at 4501 Ridge is a little bit less steep than most of the rest of the frontage of our site, and it is possible to engineer a second major street at that location. This would give us an opportunity to improve the street pattern.
Mr. Johnson, is the purpose of this bill to transfer a piece of property in order for PHA to be able to build a new street?
And as to the deed restriction on the School House Lane parcel that is already owned by PHA, it would enable us to place twin homes on that part of the redevelopment site, which is important to the overall unit.
Thank you. Any questions for the witness? Thank you.
Good morning, Madam Chair. My name is Paul Lonie. I am Manager of the Survey Bureau, Department of Streets. And the Department of Streets would like to offer the following testimony on Bill No. 980533. The Department would specifically like a address Section 1ii of the ordinance, which was placed at the request the Department of Streets. One of our ongoing projects is the 7 BILL 980533 reconstruction of School House Lane. This project is still in the design stage, and the final design has not yet been achieved. One of the proposed alignments would place School House Lane within the area of this proposed transfer. We are asking in this section the RDA or its successors dedicate a strip of this ground back to the city for streets purposes.
Excuse me, Mr. Lonie. Ladies and gentlemen, we know that everyone has a lot of different business here. We want to respect everyone for whatever purpose they may be here. But it is difficult for the committee members to hear what is going on. If we could have a little more quiet in the chambers, we would greatly appreciate it. And we appreciate your indulgence. Thank you.
Thank you, Councilman. The alignment of this strip of ground and the necessity of the dedication has yet to be determined. 8 BILL 980533 We are currently in negotiations with the community to reach a final alignment of the new School House Lane. We must weigh the community's wishes against the engineering and economic realities that exist at this site. This is a slow, but necessary process. We are requesting by this section of the ordinance the freedom to devise a plan that is both economically prudent and acceptable to the community. This ordinance as it now is written will grant the Department of Streets the latitude it needs to facilitate the final design that will address the needs and wishes of all the parties. Therefore, this ordinance as it is written is supported by the Department of Streets and is recommended to your committee for favorable action.
Mr. Sipos, before you start, you have submitted written testimony; is that correct?
We will incorporate your testimony into the record as if it had been read. Would you like to summarize your statement?
Thank you. Mr. Nutter and Madam Chairwoman, the Department of Public Property is in favor of this transfer, and will do everything. And we would like a Rule suspension. Thank you.
Are there any questions by any members of the committee for any of these witnesses? Seeing none, we will conclude our Public Hearing on Bill No. 980533. (Public Hearing adjourned.) - - - 10 COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA PUBLIC MEETING of the COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY AND PUBLIC WORKS - - - Thursday, June 11, 1998 - - - Public Meeting conducted by the Committee on Public Property and Public Works, held in Room 11 400, City Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the above date, to consider action on the following: BILL 980533 - - - PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN JANNIE L. BLACKWELL, Vice Chair COUNCILWOMAN JOAN L. KRAJEWSKI COUNCILWOMAN DONNA REED MILLER COUNCILMAN MICHAEL A. NUTTER COUNCILMAN BRIAN J. O'NEILL COUNCILMAN FRANK RIZZO COUNCILMAN W. THACHER LONGSTRETH COUNCILMAN DAVID COHEN COUNCILWOMAN MARIAN B. TASCO COUNCILMAN RICHARD T. MARIANO - - - 11 PUBLIC MEETING
We will begin our Public Meeting. The Chair recognizes Councilman Nutter for the purposes of a motion.
Madam Chair, I move that Bill No. 980533 be reported out of this committee with a favorable recommendation, and a further recommendation that the Rules of Council be suspended so as to permit first reading at our next session. (Duly seconded.)
All in favor? Those opposed? The ayes have it. This will conclude the Public Hearing with regard to Bill No. 980533. Thank you. (Public Meeting adjourned at 11:05 a.m.) - - - 12 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 Thursday, June 11, 1998, were reported fully and accurately by me, and that this is a correct transcript of same. RE: COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY AND PUBLIC WORKS _____________________________________ DEBRA A. WHITEHEAD, RPR