couple questions um the supermarket is 20 26 000 square feet um is there a proposed supermarket
vendor at this time she does not have a a proposed vendor at this time it would be it's premature
according to talking to the client she didn't speak for so she's here but she said it'd be
premature to be out trying to find somebody when it's several years before construction would be
completed assuming this were to be approved right right that's the size of like a alde's or something
like that 26 000 i believe correct there's some additional space on the second floor for offices
and stuff like that will there be parking for the residential units on site there is
specific parking for the residential units let me find
there is an indoor parking area right here stack parking 27 spots for the residential units
that's that's that's good for this part of the neighborhood for this community um i do want to
make a comment i am a proponent of adaptive reuse i think this is a great um project um that
utilizes the existing buildings. We hardly ever see that. And these days, everything's always
brand new and fully fills up the site. So the fact that the developer took the opportunity to
really create a new use for an old, potentially historic building, I think is a good thing.
Thank you. Other questions from the board? Have any tenants been identified?
And then I guess, what's the plan for marketing and tenant leases? Just because this is a lot of uses on one site, to not have anybody identified.
Because it's so premature, we don't know whether we're going to...
I'm sorry, this is the reporter. I cannot hear you.
Okay, we'll take care of it. Get closer to the bike, please.
well she was gonna say yeah it's premature I just asked the architect
she said it's at least two and a half years for construction so to try and
sign somebody up now to and for two and a half years out it's very difficult
particularly how commercial leases go but okay and then is so you said the
buildings are connected so I'm just trying to understand like if I'm in the
residential parking lot how do I get to the residential lobby
parking lot how do i get to the residential lobby or apartments may have the architect come up
because it's easier for sure have her sworn in sure good afternoon do me a favor try to get
closer to that particular mic and to talk loud if you can please state your name and spell for
the stenographer carolina c-a-r-o-l-i-n-a last name pena p-e-n-a do you swear or affirm to tell
the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. Please proceed, counsel.
So the question was, what do you get
from the residential parking lot into the lot? So there is a
dedicated hallway from the parking.
You go down to the basement into the other side
and up the elevator or stairs. Okay. And then the basement,
is it mostly going to be for circulation and storage? Correct.
Hi. And then just walking through, last question, around the sort of refusal, could you walk me
through the one-story addition? Because I know the two-story addition is on the residential side.
The one-story addition is the residential parking structure? No, it's an infill of the space in
between buildings, the large building that houses the supermarket and the L-shaped building of the
residential. So it's the part that fills in the L? Yes. And then the second story
addition is going to be up on the third floor? No.
So it will line up with the second floor of the
existing second floor of the L-shaped residential building. Got it. Okay.
I have a question. What is the square footage of the one bedrooms
and the two bedrooms? It was about 700
square feet for one bedroom and about 900 square feet for two bedrooms.
Questions or comments from our attorney?
Not at this time, Mr. Chair.
Questions or comments from people in the audience?
Mr. Feinbush, you've already been sworn, just for the record, state your name and then proceed.
Sure. My name is Ori Feinbush, O-R-I-F-E-I-B-U-S-H.
Please, please proceed.
I'm here in both my individual capacity as well as the principal of OCF Realty, which has a new office being developed at 2200 Washington, which runs from 22nd to 23rd.
My concerns for this property are largely limited to how it'll interact with the public realm.
There's really two distinct differences that haven't been covered between this development and every other development that's occurred.
Number one, this is the only development that is being proposed before any tenants have been found.
Every other example, the commercial tenants have been located, and then the development was effectively built around them.
And the reason that matters is there's a whole host of parking requirements, circulation requirements, loading requirements that without having visibility of who that tenant might be would potentially have a very significant effect and an adverse reaction on the community.
The second is that, and they go hand in hand, this is the only development that has proposed curb cuts along Washington Avenue. Every other new development that has been proposed managed to ensure that the curb cuts were on the numbered streets to keep cars, trucks, and other vehicles from crossing through the bicycle lane, from crossing through the traffic there, and effectively working to maintain all of the circulation on the lower density streets here.
And here you have an opportunity on 25th Street where you could encourage and focus both ingress and egress into the development and reduce a lot of the risk to bicyclists, pedestrians, and other vehiculists on Washington Avenue.
And so there's no objection to residential.
There's no objection to retail.
That's all generally a positive step in the right direction for Washington Avenue, and that's very much consistent with the future of Washington Avenue.
The concern here is that this specific project as designed will have an adverse effect on anyone that's going by Washington Avenue between 24th and 25th Street because you're going to be taking all of the circulation of this property, both the residential proposed and any future retail proposed.
And we don't know who those tenants will be, what their hours will be, what their requirements will be, loading or otherwise, and dumping that all into the public realm where you have bicycle lanes, pedestrian lanes, and all kinds of other activity.
And it's no secret that Washington Avenue is one of the least safe streets that already exists in Philadelphia.
And so I'm in opposition, specifically as it relates to the ingress and egress on Washington Avenue.
I would temper my opposition if all of that circulation could be moved to 25th Street.
And with that, I appreciate the time.
uh and with that i i appreciate uh the time uh thank you awesome happy otherwise all thank you
Thank you.
I'm happy otherwise.
Thank you.
i just want to make a comment mr chairman why don't we do this you get several other people
why don't you save all your comments to the end that you could sum it up or is that okay
okay that's fine and thank you mr fine thank you for your time for sure next witness please
hello my name is nicholas feeling to do me a favor get closer to the mic you're probably
gonna have to speak a little loud is that better yeah it is very good thank you say your name
My name is Nicholas Feely, N-I-C-H-O-L-A-S-F-E-A-L-E-Y.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Are you a neighbor?
Yeah, I'm on the north side of Washington Avenue.
Please proceed, sir.
I'm the chair of the SOSNA Vision Zero Committee, and the committee is overall against the project.
We like the adaptive reuse and everything, but we're concerned about the conflict points with pedestrians and cyclists from the large parking lot.
and all the negative externalities that you know large surface parking lots create you know they
create long-term liabilities for cities you know and it become a strain on the budget in the long
term um and yeah but this just our concerns most of the committee members they're all
they are all against this project objection just because of the parking and well you're you're
against the project right yes personally as well but i am i am a fan of the adaptive reuse i think
it's a great building structure they're great right thank you very much i just want to make
an objection to sasna testifying at all since this is outside of there i understand but we'll
take him as an individual but i understand your point next witness please
good afternoon could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer yes my name is
Annette E. Randolph. Annette. A-N-N-E-T-T-E. E for my middle initial. Randolph. R-A-N-D-O-L-P-H.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
And your neighbor?
Yes. For 66 years.
Only 66 years. Okay. Please proceed.
Thank you. I live on 20th and Ellsworth, and I am the third, fourth generation to my home. I am with the same telephone number with my great-grandmother. Never changed it. My husband is military. We are military 20 years. After my husband retired, we came back home.
And so we're used to seeing different things. But what I think about this project, I think it's a wonderful idea. It will bring jobs to the community. There is plenty of parking as far as the bicycle lane will be there. It will not do any effect on anybody coming down there.
I work in the V.A. I come down Washington Avenue every morning, seven o'clock.
I am there 24 seven. I am also the one that stood out there to help Washington Avenue to continue to be the traffic that it is doing right now.
I have a petition right here with 15 names because of the weather that approve of this project.
I think it would be a wonderful idea to have that environment, and especially where people
get jobs, or a place there that people can, I think I'd say a hall or whatever, if people
get married or whatever reception is.
And I think it would be very, very nice.
We don't have that in that particular area.
It's been many, many years.
And I just, you know, and over across on the other side, you know, and it's nice there as well.
Why not have that facility over there?
I think it would be wonderful.
And I hope everybody would.
Thank you for taking the time to cut that.
We appreciate it.
Mr. Littlepage.
Mr. Littlepage, just for the record, state your name.
You've already been sworn in, sir.
My name is Albert Littlepage.
please proceed. So I think Mr. Annette said one of the things that I wanted to bring up was that
it would create jobs and one of the things as a long-term South Philadelphia resident this property
has been dead for too long just too long and the reality of it is we need some energy we need some
life there and I do agree with Mr. Feinbush you know as as he's presented before us but sometimes
like some like is building on 1400 point breeze they didn't have a tenant but they still built
and then eventually they found the tenant.
Well, that's the same situation that we may be looking at
as this project begins to develop.
And so I have every confident that Ms. Maya and her team
could work to get this project started in the right way.
But I believe that the attorney and Ms. Maya
I believe that the attorney and Ms. Maya are open to any suggestions, as we met with Sasa.
are open to any suggestions as we met with SOSA.
They did have some very good points about repurposing this project, putting it together for the community, and also creating jobs in the community.
So they did have...
We can bring all the people you want, but people have to have changed the better quality of their life by having jobs, good quality jobs.
And these construction jobs will be valuable to us, as well as the employee jobs that will be on the property.
So we look forward to this property being built and developed, and we hope that everyone can get along and move forward with the development of the project.
Thank you for allowing me.
Thank you very much for your comments.
Is there anyone in the virtual audience?
Yes, Chair, we have Morgan Rodriguez.
Hi, could you please state your name and spells for this sonographer?
he's coming back in as a panelist okay
hello hi could could you please state your name as bell for the court stenographer
Hi, Morgan Rodriguez, M-O-R-G-A-N-R-O-D-R-I-G-U-E-Z.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, I do.
Are you a neighbor?
Please proceed.
So I am also the chair of the South of South Neighborhood Association.
I'm also a neighbor north of Washington Avenue.
I'm here to say that I oppose this project.
It's not an appropriate use for this site.
This project has the ability to directly harm our constituents, especially those living in Innovator Village, which is directly across Washington Avenue from this project.
And to our knowledge, many of them are not even aware of this project.
Per the Philadelphia 2035 project, which establishes the vision for the city of Philadelphia,
it recommended that commercial zoning along Washington Avenue support pedestrian-oriented
commercial uses within these neighborhoods and direct development of auto-oriented commercial
uses to existing locations along the edges of the South District. This project proposes 152
parking spaces directly accessed via Washington Avenue. This is anything other than a pedestrian
oriented project. And I do also have concerns about tenants not being identified. It leaves,
you know, the ability for these spaces to be vacant. Thank you. Thank you. Is there anyone
else in the virtual audience? Yes, Chair, we have Brianna Wakefield, who's been promoted to panelist.
How many more hands do you have?
okay and good afternoon again mr chair hi mr wakefield you've already been sworn just for
the record state your name rihanna wakefield please proceed yes and i'm here to testify
council president johnson does support this project thank you very much for again taking
the time to call thank you next hand please
we have the next hand
yes chair we have
she's coming
the panelist. Okay.
How could you please state your name?
Ms. Shacomba, you're free to speak. Unfortunately, she wasn't able to be promoted to panelist
chair. Okay, could you please, could you please go to the next hand? Sure, we have Sean Darrow.
Sean Darrow, you're free to speak. Hi, could you please state your name and spell for the
stenographer. Sean Dara, S-H-A-W-N-D-A-R-R-A-G-H. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth,
the whole truth, nothing but the truth? Yes. Could you turn your video on, please? Yes, sorry.
Sean, are you a neighbor? I am. Are you in favor of this project or against?
against at the moment um would like to see some more information um so i live on the
uh i live on in between um ellsworth and federal on 24th i've been here about
in between Ellsworth and Federal on 24th. I've been here about 10 years, 11 years.
That corner has been dark. And so I guess this project in some ways will help in that way.
I guess my concerns that I haven't really heard much information about because of the amount of
commercial tenants would be trash removal and deliveries. That 2400 block of Ellsworth is
already blocked very frequently by the flooring company trying to get through there. I mean,
I have three kids, so we spend a lot of time on that corner. So where is the trash being removed
for the grocery store, most importantly, and also the commercial tenants? I'm assuming it's
probably going to be Ellsworth. And then also just like the delivery trucks for the grocery store
and the other tenants that are in that building. Thank you very much for calling us. We appreciate
it. I see the council's going to have a chance at the end here to comment. I think he's going
to cover what you just said. Thank you. Next hand. Chair, we have a calling user. Please unmute.
Hi, Tiffany Green, Concerned Citizens.
Hi, Tiffany, could you please state your name and spell for the court stenographer?
Tiffany Green, T-I-F-F-A-N-Y-G-R-E-E-N.