All right. And as I noted, stated earlier, and I think you can confirm that, and if you can,
please do so. Across the street, there are other properties and these are multifamily and up the
street, it's a whole commercial strip. It's a CMX 2.5 on the 5,000 block. Correct. I also want to
point out that we are not trying to turn the building into a commercial property. We weren't
looking for something that wasn't zoned correctly. However, we found this place and we are able to
conceptualize what our services would look like and did take into consideration the impact on
the community. We figure in our minds, if there are families coming through the daycare center,
the upwards of 70 children a day closed on holidays and probably vacation times or summer
times, that we would mirror that and even less with the population of people that we are serving.
So from our perspective, it does not create an undue burden on the nearing neighbors to have the additional people here to solicit this service, because there are commercial, there is a commercial corridor very close by.
We're not trying to turn this one into a commercial corridor.
We're trying to take a business that has been functioning for the last hundred years, which is being a church and then a daycare center, and then putting our services in that same with a little upgrade so we can meet the needs of our clients.
Okay, thank you. So, I believe it's near, I believe there's a bus.
Yes, Wayne Junction is within a mile. There's a bus route outside of the building at each corner
that it stops. So we do anticipate with serving the direct community that could walk in or catch
public transportation to the office and every single person will not drive. In addition, I am
a community member just a little outside of this jurisdiction on Rittenhouse Street, and I could
essentially walk to work if I desired to as well. Okay, great. Thank you. So you've touched on how
this meets the needs of the Ocean Family Center. So in your opinion, as an expert in maternal and
family, mental health and wellness. If the variances for the property, for personal services
and for the health practitioner are denied for this property, would that result in an unnecessary
hardship? Yes, it will result in an unnecessary hardship. And what I would like to point out is
the opposition from the RCOs is not that our program isn't adequate, that we're not impacting
the community in a positive way, that our services are not needed. It is the fear that we will and
then turn this into a substance use or a recovery center in the near future. So I'd like to honor
that and understand the fear of the community, but also asking for some leniency to take a risk
that we will do what we said that we are going to do, which is to have a maternal wellness center
that does not include substance use or opioid use disorder.
substance use, or opioid use disorder. Unfortunately, it does require you to take a
Unfortunately, it does require you to take a chance.
chance, and I know the statistics say that 65% of businesses fail in the first 10 years,
but we are six years in, and we have sustainable funding to make sure that our program is around.
Us purchasing this building is in our plan to have longevity in Philadelphia, so families for
generations can come to that center and get the healing and wellness that they need. So it will
be an undue burden on the organization and the community at large to not have these services
and the ability to walk in and have your appointment on a day-to-day basis.
And that's what you clearly stated is what you've been about for the past 15 years.
Correct.
So, in your opinion, would you think that this, the grant of variance for the use of
the property would endanger the public health, safety, and general welfare? And I think you
pretty much stated opposite, but let's just answer the question so we can get through the
variance criteria. Black maternal morbidity and mortality is a public health issue, which is why
I lend my time to the Maternal Mortality Review Committee on an annual basis to review the deaths
that have occurred in Philadelphia County
for birthing people.
This is an epidemic
and we are fighting against it.
And our radical way of fighting against it
is making sure that our services
are prominent and a staple
in the community.
So what about
impacting
in a negative way
the adjacent
properties?
In your opinion, will this use impact adjacent properties?
The proposed use for this property will not negatively impact the adjacent properties because we are servicing the same families that have been serviced over the last hundred years.
Churches brought together community members, brought together families.
The daycare center brought together community members and families.
And we are doing the same thing.
The thing that people most fear is when we use the term mental health, but everybody needs some wellness. So that's why it is not that we are going to negatively impact. We aren't bringing people who are going to destroy the neighborhood. We want to be good neighbors. We want to be servants in our community the same way that we are for the larger birth worker community.
And those are our intentions.
If there is going to be an issue that comes up, it is the projection of what it could be if we are not there.
So to make sure that when we are looking at those RCO letters, it outlines that it is not a problem with our services and what we are presenting.
It is a problem with the variance being for medical use that could potentially allow at some point in time a rehab center.
And yes, and for the record, that is not something that is your issue. That's the zoning code. That's how it's worded. That's what it covers. That's not within your control.
Correct. So our services providing reproductive psychotherapy, being able to provide doula and lactation support and other holistic modalities of healing should not disturb the close neighbors at all.
That's not a loud process.
And I want to emphasize that the reason why we don't necessarily want to be on a commercial
corridor where it's very walkable is that there's a lot of traffic.
When you are in your therapy session, for any of those who have been to therapy, the
one thing you value most is the stillness and the silence of what could be not going
on around you.
You get an opportunity to sit in the office and this time is about you.
I'm not worried about what's going on outside of the door.
there's not anybody sitting outside panhandling or any of those things we want to create a safe
space for our clients and our staff all right and um eileen eileen let me let me ask a question
how much longer do you think you'll be on direct well i'm wrapping up with um miss mcneil and then
i have the design professional who's coming on her her questions will be shorter though okay
We're really going kind of long here.
And just to wrap it up, you don't, in your opinion, you don't believe that this is going to have a negative impact or adversely affect any transportation or public facilities?
And is this the minimum variance that we can get in order for you to use the property?
And there's no creation of any environmental issues, correct?
creation of any environmental issues, correct? No. We're not doing anything to the outside of
We're not doing anything.
the building, the outside of the property? Correct. Besides upkeep and maintenance.
Thank you. All right. Thanks, Ms. McNeil. I would just ask that Humana Valley be...
Hold on. Hold on. I'm sorry.
Eileen, we do have Mr. Anastasia. Do you have any questions?
Oh, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Mr. Anastasia.
mr chair i have no questions right now thank you uh next witness please eileen
yes and thank you thank you to your witness too thank you uh humana valley please um raise your
hand so you they can elevate you as a panelist they have been hard to speak i do you go ahead
Please state your name and spell for the sonographer.
My name is Ximena Valle, and it's spelled X-I-M-E-N-A, and my last name is V-A-L-L-E.
You swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Please proceed, Eileen.
Thank you.
Ms. Valle, thank you.
As you can see, I have up on the screen Exhibit 20.
Is this your resume?
It is. And can you please explain your educational background?
Sure. I have a master's degree in architecture from the University of Pennsylvania.
I am a registered architect, and I've been practicing architecture for the last 18 years.
And can you describe your work experience in the field?
Certainly. At this moment, my present position is I am co-owner and founder of 15. We're an
architecture and design firm here in Philadelphia. Over the last seven years, I've been working
closely with PHMC, that's Public Health Management Corporation. And in that capacity, our team has
been their architect, working with them to find locations and design spaces for programs very
similar to those that Ms. McNeil has described, including Visiting Nurses Association, Community
mental health, health promotion council, nurse family practitioners, national-led consortium,
and turning points for children. And as their architect, we've really investigated properties
all over the city, helping them find the right match for those services. And can you just,
you might have said it, and I apologize, how long have you been an architect?
18 years. And do you have experience with the adaptive reuse of buildings,
especially in the context of ocean family center and what they're looking for in a space
we do so i would like to offer uh miss valley as an expert witness
um mr anastasio
yes mr chair do you do you have any comments about that none whatsoever thank you please proceed uh
Ms. Quigley. Thank you, Chairman Burke.
So, Ms. Vallee, your co-owner, can you briefly explain your involvement with the Ocean Family
Center? Yes, I've been overseeing this project as one of the principals involved since last
November when Salima and her team first joined us here in our office to begin to consider what
the programming needs would be as part of the feasibility study with the Community Design
collaborative organization that we're very familiar with and work with often in that capacity.
And can you just explain the overall purpose of that study that you've mentioned? And so did
Ms. McNeil. Of course. Yeah. And so this is a service that we provided early on and worked
with Salima's team to identify initially conceptually what would be the programmatic
needs to meet what she wants to do with the program. And so that work involved honing in
on the kinds of spaces that would best serve the specific services that she described. And so in
those discovery sessions, we talked about really critical things for her programs and for her
clients, as she said, to feel safe, to feel welcome, to feel comforted, to find a space that
had a kind of retreat sort of feeling about it, that it had green space around it, and these are
common requirements for this kind of work. In all of our work with PHMC, for example, what makes the
looking for a facility quite challenging is that we need a space that defies what people might
think of when they think of a public health institution, and instead of seeming institutional,
actually feels welcoming and comforting to the clientele.
So we worked conceptually to identify the spaces, the sizes of the spaces,
the sizes of the spaces, the need for windows, for daylight, the circulation requirements.
the need for windows, for daylight, the circulation requirements.
And during that process, Ms. McNeil and her team, working along with a real estate advisor,
found this location. And so the second part of our study was really focusing in
on understanding how this facility met those needs and provided an opportunity
for the experience that her clients need in terms of healing to be provided.
So you did this study conceptually, and then you were able to, they found this space, the 5114 Wayne Avenue. And in your opinion, did the Wayne Avenue property align with the mission of the Oshun Family Center?
Absolutely. It is my professional opinion that this building perfectly suits the mission and the needs of the Oshun Family Center.
The fact, I know commercial property has been mentioned a number of times, the traditional
kind of commercial property, which would have tenants on either side, or sometimes you would
be asked to go through a security checkpoint in order to get to the location, bring a number
of challenges that this facility here actually does not have to do, and in that regard, provides
an excellent location for her programs.
Yes, I believe when we had talked, I mean, we say, quote, unquote, commercial because of the zoning districts, but this is technically a business use.
Correct.
Similar to the previous use.
Correct.
And how does the space, and you may have said this, but I think it bears repeating that, how does the space accommodate these services and programs?
but but counsel i i really do think the last witness really talked about that to a great
extent i mean i i know you said it bears repeating but i i just don't want to keep repeating testimony
really okay i can go to just our final questions then i i think um miss valley did explain why the
space is uh important i just want to have you explain very briefly why a property in a commercial
strip would not be conducive sure i mean two examples there are one as we can envision the
number of windows and daylight a commercial property on a commercial strip whether it be
a shopping mall or or just down the road like along wayne avenue would not be able to provide
daylight for each one of the therapy rooms in the way that we're able to do that and that is a big
um that is a big asset here and similarly the um just the approachability of the entrance and the
access to the green space and the respite and looking out to nature outside the windows rather
than a busy, you know, car or vehicular congestion. So in your professional opinion,
would you believe that the denial of the variances for the property would create a
hardship for Ocean Family? I do. I can say in my experience, looking for appropriate locations for
programs that bring healing to communities, like the one that Oshun is providing, can take years
to find. This is a really unique find, and I am certain that it would be a hardship to not be able
to perform these services here. And do you, in your opinion, believe that the grant of variance
will increase the danger of fire or endanger the public health, safety, or general welfare?
no and in your opinion does the grant of variance um substantially or permanently injure use of
adjacent properties or impact light and air no and will it adversely affect affect transportation
or public facilities it is my opinion that it will be no different um or perhaps less congestion than
what could have been, what's expected or experienced when this location was a school.
And this is the minimum variance, correct?
It's for use.
Correct.
Thank you, Ms. Valley.
Thank you, Chair Bergman and members of the board and Mr. Anastasio for allowing us to
complete our testimony.
Mr. Anastasio, you have any questions to the architect?
I have none, Mr. Chair.
Vern, how long do you think your presentation will be?
Five minutes.
please proceed thank you uh may i uh share my screen please you can oh i'm sorry that's okay
and i think the host might uh have to allow me to do so
excuse me mr chair please proceed thank you mr chair i've already submitted this uh package
uh into uh evidence it's a 53 page uh exhibit packet