We're really asking for two small variances that we don't think are that intrusive to the neighborhood.
But they are necessary for the kind of impactful building that we think we're going to bring there.
And there is a bit of a time crunch in that we've got opportunity zone issues that need to be up and ready by the end of the year,
in addition to the tax abatement and an increase in taxes that are facing us at the end of 2020.
Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Laird.
Um, Mr. Smith, can you raise your hand?
He's available to unmute himself.
I'm here.
Can you hear me?
Oh, yes.
Uh, my apologies.
Um, Mr. Smith, could you first tell the board?
Please let him identify himself.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Hi, my name is Tide Smith.
Uh, I live at 1509 Nardane Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19146.
146 and you uh swear and affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth
i do please proceed uh steve do you have a direct question for me if you'd like me to
i'm sorry yeah i was just going to ask if you can um you already introduced yourself i'm going to ask
if you can just uh explain the board uh your background and then what the intent and vision
is for this property and this project thank you so i'm a third generation philadelphia and i
In my adolescence, I lived at 52nd and Chancellor.
I used to commute from 52nd and Market.
I've been a real estate developer for approximately seven years,
and I've worked for myself since 1999.
So I'm fortunate enough to be a serial entrepreneur,
and I'm passionate about black and brown business ownership.
I believe it is the key to fiscal destiny,
and I'm passionate about bringing some of the benefits
the benefits that I've been fortunate enough to create to West Philadelphia and for this project
that I've been fortunate enough to create to West Philadelphia.
the density and the transformative energy we need to create for the entrepreneurship hub that we
envision the height and the size of the building is really important. I believe that if we were
limited to what some naysayers would like us to be beholden to it will be difficult for Guy and I
to achieve what what we would like to do because the numbers just don't work um yeah that that's my
perspective thank you mr land uh members of the board i so i i'd just like to circle back um as
i stated we have made um good faith efforts to um engage with the community members the rcos
those, as I stated before we got into the substance of the variance request, that we
have been in open communication and that there were requests made of certain items, and we
have agreed to some of those items, which include providing quarterly updates to a community
advisory board providing access to the courtyard and meeting rooms for through community programming
having at least two career fairs for the community providing individual capacity building
through what what is called the if lab which is a program that's going to be housed at the
entrepreneurship hub and to make good efforts to maximize the utilization of black subcontractors
and during the construction phase um and lastly we um agreed that um we would have we would not
be opposed to providing a mural on the side of the building where you see i believe i'm still
sharing um where you see here um on the wall facing arch street now there there was a request
for us to reduce the either the building height or set back the fourth and fifth floor to reduce
the massing and those were two requests the dimensional crest that we stated that we could
could not accommodate excuse me due to the reasons that were just explained by Mr. Smith and Mr.
um loren and i believe the letters that were sent to the board were uh requesting the continuance
or something that a continuance i believe it was 30 to 60 days um to address that issue in 30 days
or 60 days our position on that specific issue isn't going to change um because of the vision
of this project. So because we feel like we've made some headway with agreeing to some of
these things that we fall in line with the vision of the project anyway, we're vehemently
opposed to any type of continuance, and we believe that this project fits in line with
the vision of revitalizing the commercial corridor on 52nd Street, and as such, ask
for the board to approve our variance request um thank you now did you say mentioned earlier in
your testimony that there was uh there were one or two whatever i forgot how you phrased it
outstanding issues and is that the issue on the setback or were there other community benefit
issues you mentioned something about community so those were the issues so in the when i read
the letters uh it seems like the massing um was the it's like the size of the building is the
issue that they uh that the members or the community rco leaders want to change or defer
uh discuss further um and so our position is a continuance is not going to solve that problem
because that's the one that's one of the issues where we um couldn't make a concession on um all
of the other issues that I listed earlier, we agree to, but that is the one that we can't agree
to due to the vision and what we want to do with the space. So there are no outstanding issues as
it relates to the community benefits agreement? Oh, I can't. That's my question. Are there still
outstanding issues as it relates to the community benefits agreement not i'm not discussing the height
or massive oh i see we re so we've responded to every uh they sent us a list of items um or
i don't want to mischaracterize what they call them but uh items or key priorities i think was
uh items or key priorities i think was was how it's phrased and we responded to each one so our
was how it's phrased and
position is there's no outstanding issue that we haven't discussed because they we we prompted them
after the second community meeting and after the the uh phone conference that took place after the
second meeting to send us the issues that you have or the concerns and we responded to all of them so
our position is that there isn't any outstanding issue that wasn't brought up because the the ones
that were on the table were supplied by uh them because i'm getting some mixed signals i i i could
be wrong is anyone if there's anyone from the councilwoman's office if anyone is from her office
would you please raise your hand i have one hand up uh tempest carter i don't know if she is
hi i'm the council person's office i'm not but i am um the head of the rco um the major rco for
achievability all right so uh since there's no one from the councilwoman's office i'll get into
that next but please identify yourself for the record ma'am hello my name is name and address
my name is tempest carter t-e-m-p-e-s-t c-a-r-t-e-r 4816 pine street um is my address
we're infirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth i do
please proceed i do so um the question was were there any other outstanding issues
they answered every question that we had it's not that we agreed with some of the answers that they
that they provided um the achievability um and the rest of the stakeholders agree with the intent
and the virtue of the project, right? So we're not against that. However, we are really having
a lot of issues right now with mass incising. Right now, the only outstanding issue in the
community benefits agreement was working with the coordinating organization that has a TCMP grant
and does economic development along the corridor which they refuse to do however i believe in time
you know informally they will work together but that was one thing that was part of the community
benefits agreement that was um that was a rejection we also didn't ask for a mural um
we appreciate that they that they offered that but from our point of view um both from a stakeholder
point of view and an RCO point of view we haven't actually gotten any idea as to why they cannot
step back um any of you know the the um third the fourth and the fifth floor um we've asked for
pricing for how how much the um the of the i the space will be leased for we haven't been able to
get that those numbers we only were able to get very basic numbers on price per square footage
so from our perspective the um the idea that this is a financial hardship to not set back
to be more in line with the character of the community in which they they will be a part of
hasn't actually been met so that's the major issue right now we we are really excited to
continue to work with them. But if it won't move forward without a vote, I think that'll be up to
the ZBA to decide where they want to go with that. This is Sharon Saleta. Hello. We did receive a
letter this morning from Andrew Goodman. Yes. Of Councilwoman Gauthier's office that did include
comments on 52nd Street on this project. Would you like me to read them into the record?
Yes, please.
The variance thought is a substantial one and, if granted, will permanently affect the look and feel of this neighborhood commercial corridor,
as well as set a precedent for future development when it comes to scale and mass.
Many legitimate concerns about this were raised during community conversation,
and we think the project and the community will benefit from more time to work through how this impact can be mitigated.
Our office can commit to help facilitate this between now and the vote date,
And they are asking that the board postponements vote on the variance application for four weeks, leaving public comment open.
Okay, is there anyone else who wishes to testify in this case? If so, please raise your hand.
mr chairman if there's i'm muted
Mr. Chairman, if there's... I'm muted.
anyone else to testify in this case i have willie jordan willie you can unmute yourself and wait to
be sworn in mr jordan please identify yourself name and address thank you mr chairman willie
jordan w-i-l-l-i-e j-o-r-d-a-n 5021 ogden street philadelphia pennsylvania 19139
We're infirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Thank you, Mr. Jordan.
Please proceed.
We thank this opportunity, but we want to set the record clear because Brother Steve even made it clear.
Although there were two meetings, the first meeting really don't count because it wasn't done in a proper way.
It wasn't notified to all the proper people.
So that shouldn't even be part of saying we had two votes, two meetings.
and also that to combine yes with concerns they want to just put them in
the yes column column and not in the no column so we're trying to address the
concerns that the community have brought to our attention so that everyone can be
on the right page on this so in at each time has been a high number of yes but
with concerns and those concerns are some in it are in the community agreement a document
this is a uh as as we sent a letter and as a state um from the council person's office that
this will change the whole uh dynamics of 52nd street this large building so if we want if once
we do that and then it will open up to a lot of other um uh ventures that want to do that
so we want to get it right we're not trying to hinder or or even uh um permit them from not
having a good project that we think will benefit the community we just want to be on the right page
mr chairman anyone else wishes to testify please raise your hand if i could just respond to uh
Just two statements that I made. First, I just want to clarify the numbers, and I can outline them again, but the numbers that I represented on the record broke down the percentage for yes votes, yes with changes votes, and no votes.
I did not combine yes votes and yes with changes votes.
I've kept those separate.
And in both meetings, the yes votes outweighed the yes with changes votes.
As I stated before, in the first meeting, the yes votes were 62%.
The yes with changes votes were 24%.
And just the straight no votes were 14%.
um in the second meeting the just yes votes were 48 percent and the yes would changes votes were
26 percent and then there were no votes of that one as well that were 26 percent and i just wanted
to highlight that both the issues the issues of mashing were brought up in in both meetings um
they were brought up in both meetings and then they were also discussed at uh they were brought
up in the subsequent meeting that wasn't an RCO meeting, but it was a meeting with like
the RCO heads that was organized by Mr. Goodman and the councilwoman's office. So
massing was a was an item that was discussed all throughout this process at every meeting
and every discussion and then the votes were had with that information. I just wanted to be clear
on that um but i'll allow you to uh mr chairman i'll that's the end of my response but i believe
there are other people that may want to testify thank you anyone else who wishes to testify in
this case please raise your hand we have a michael jones michael you can unmute yourself and wait to
be sworn in the jones please identify yourself your name and address
Michael Johns.
Hello.
Hello.
Can you hear me?
Yes, we can.
Please identify yourself.
Name and address.
Michael Johns, J-O-H-N-S.
Address is 228 North 53rd Street.
You swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Thank you.
Please proceed.
I just want to read a letter into the record.
Dear Chairperson Chico and board members, I'm requesting the zoning board to hold the
vote for this application for at least four weeks from this hearing date.
for this application for at least four weeks from this hearing date. This project represents the
most significant new construction initiative proposed for the north 52nd street commercial
corridor generations and as such it is in the unique position to permanently change the form
character and public realm of the corridor. What is decided on this project in terms of mass and bulk
will ultimately become a precedent for future development along the corridor for this reason
more time must be given for the developer to work on the concerns raised regarding the proposed
buildings height materiality and relationship to the existing architectural rhythm of the corridor
as a member of philadelphia's former zoning code reform commission some of our core tenants were
to protect neighborhood character promote economic growth and to include new land use trends
in the updated code and as current member of the civic design review committee in philadelphia
i am passion i passionately believe that the form and design control set in the zoning code
help to preserve neighborhood character and make the public realm more hospitable it is clear to me
that this project has the opportunity and potential to effectively address these core
tenets. I am hopeful that the developer will take the additional time requested
to make this a truly spectacular project that can be a best practices model for how to rebuild
and revitalize an aging urban commercial corridor. Finally, as a lifelong resident and small business
owner of this what's philadelphia neighborhood i welcome the positive change that this project
if done right can promote respectably respectfully michael johns thank you thank you very much
thank you mr bertell do you have any comment yes so uh mr johns and mr jordan were on the
excuse me my apologies uh were on the the phone the phone conference that i referred earlier that
took place subsequent to second uh rco meeting as uh representatives of i believe the 44th ward
uh rco um and the request uh we're not unfamiliar with their request for reduction in massing um
And I believe, as I said before, that Mr. Johns also voiced his position on the massing of the building at the second RCO hearing.
His position was heard.