streets and it's imposing transformative change the existing residents so the proposal is not
supportive of several things small family new families seeking permanent lives and owning homes
because it's entirely rentals build so you think it's not for families to build equity or raise
children which is what the community has been about at the same time it doesn't support any
low-income housing either so this is a significant turn to the vision uh of a high compact turnover
rental as opposed to long-term community which is currently the prevalent character of the
as opposed to long-term community which is currently the prevalent character of the
kensington neighborhood it's gardens individual homes traditional front stoops uh where people
sit and long times get to know old folk you know new folk and rather it pushes the opposite end of
livability spectrum like to have uh there's no room for street level green surface or anything
so put in basic terms this is a game changer it will alter the essential character of the
neighborhood regarding the density with this multi-family plan the way this large so this
project transforms also just two more points the the car and foot traffic from handling a total of
let's say two storefronts and one evening restaurant and all the 12 narrow blocks around
to double or triple that on a small on these small back streets on the third block off of
arterial front street we're going to have this kind of new commercial traffic so this regards
congestion and the already difficult parking in the surrounding streets will be degraded with this
high density that's proposed i know you know there's some calculations but the proposed seven
spots for all the commercial space is a lot less than was built on nearby gerard which has 155
spaces for their 50 000 square foot commercial ground floor and the proposed 41 spots for the
112 rental units are going to challenge the local streets in contrast with the current zoning and housing the way it stands.
It'll put a significant commercial and moving traffic in the area, too.
So that's it. I just wanted to state those points of opposition and share.
if you would look at um the cba map of of what is rs5 a5 and you know how it's the rest is on the
outside on these large streets you know um should i put that up and share that no we're fine mr we
had maps we were okay thank you that's all thank you mr sterman thank you for calling in we i did
want to say i forgot to say they were very respectful they came around they talked to people
these are really good guys really um well that's that's great to hear right thank you great to
hear thank you very much uh and i'll just say just today i mean we we i appreciate the concerns
that's you know when you talk about parking and traffic you know um you could do uh a lot of
houses here with no parking um we've chosen to add the parking and manage the traffic and i believe
that um you'll counsel let me let me let me see if there's anyone else in the audience is there
anyone in the thank you is there anybody else in the audience has a comment i miss sir i have
mr glenn isaac with their hand raised i would allow them to speak at this time sure right
yeah hi i'm uh glenn could you do me forever state your name and spell it for the court reporter
sure glenn isaac g-l-e-n-n last name is i-f-a-a-c right do you swear or firm to tell the truth the
whole truth and nothing but the truth i do proceed sir so i live at uh master street um commons and
you know i've been there for the last six years um you know i want to say you know when i met mark
and Jake you know I've been very impressed with them you know I think they've gone above and
beyond when it came to engaging the community taking the needs and concerns of the neighbors
into account kind of when it came to changing the footprint of the project you know I walk by this
building all the time you know I'm a block away it's always been a hope of mine that you know if
it was no longer being used that it would be thoughtfully redeveloped so I'd be adamantly
opposed to, you know, seeing this become like a last mile of distribution facility or, you know,
used in like a true industrial manner, because I just don't think it would fit in well or be a good
use for the community. You know, I think what they're, you know, bringing or what they would
potentially bring online, you know, it's something that, you know, I think people in my development
who I've talked to, you know, we would appreciate, you know, I don't, I don't want to see, you know,
big, you know, 18 wheelers going in and out of our community, you know, on a daily basis,
when it comes to noise, you know, potential safety. We all have young children. You know,
I think that this project is something, you know, that I think would fit in well. And, you know,
I think that, you know, we could get behind. So I just want to say, you know, I'm in strong
support for it. Thank you very much for calling in. Is there anyone in the virtual audience has
something different than what's already been said sir mr charles abdo with his hand raised
mr abdo could you could you sir could you state your name and spell for the court reporter
Mr. Abdo, if you are available, please unmute and wait to be sworn in.
Mr. Abdul, if you are available
Would you state your name and spell it for the court reporter, please?
Yes, Charles, C-H-A-R-L-E-S, Abdo, A-B-D-O.
Right.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Could you give us your comments, sir?
Yes, thank you, Mr. Chair. You know, my comments are somewhat similar to Mr. Sturman's, but I have them in writing, and I think I could be pretty brief. So if you'll allow me to do that, I'd appreciate it.
Okay, so I'm actually-
Can you please address the record of where he lives, just for the record?
Excuse me?
I live at 820 North 23rd Street, but I am probably the longest property owner of the 1300 block of
Masher Street. So I have a shop and business there and I have other properties that I rent out.
I am also on South Kensington zoning committee, but I am here today as a protestant,
as a near neighbor. I am 120 feet away at 1343 Master Street. So South Kensington has seen more
than its share of tall and dense mixed-use buildings. Most of these buildings have had
community support, and most of these buildings have been on the principal corridors of the
neighborhood and have ICMX zoning. Thompson, Howard, and Masher, the streets surrounding this
proposal are a completely different scale than those principal corridors. This site was remapped
as RSA 5 in 2017 for a good reason. Single-family homes would provide the right amount of density
and parking and traffic for this site. This proposal, which is 111,000 square feet of gross
floor area, 112 rental units, 126 bedrooms, 7,300 feet of commercial space, which will most likely
be rented as a restaurant, is not appropriate use for this site. Keep in mind, because this is a
large proposal. The voting radius for this project was within half a mile. So if you live half a
mile or two blocks away, the effect of this project, minor quality of life is fairly minor
compared to those of us who live a block away. Lastly, the 50 foot compromise in height that
was is too little and arrived way too late for any meaningful discussion with the community.
so I ask the board that they do not support the project and that this site remains as it is or
is developed as a single-family homes. Mr. Abdo, thank you for calling in. Thank you. I just want
to say I have great respect for Charlie. He's a friend. I've known him a long time, but I object
to his testimony. Thank you. I appreciate that. Thank you. Anyone else in the virtual audience
have something different. We have pros and cons, and we want to move on.
I have a Marco Guarini with a hand raised, sir. Yes, sir. Go ahead.
Please state your name. Please state your name. It's spelled for the court reporter.
Marco Guarini, M-A-R-C-O-G-O-R-I-N-I. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Proceed, sir. Thank you, Chairman. I'm here
on behalf of the south kensington community partners uh planning and zoning committee um
i just want to actually ask um uh mr grigos if you could just list out what the exact
community benefits associated with this project would be as of today um sure um
i think we have committed to 10 of the units at 80 ami um i think uh
maybe jake can can can go in and just give the details but we have um uh we're working
with west draw progress on to make sure that we have uh inclusion in the construction a training
program um we're also going to work with um people in the neighborhood to um uh train developers and
how to uh help them underwrite projects as developers not just on the construction side
um and we have been open to having a discussion about off-site green space and making a
contribution to that but we have not finalized that discussion but we're still willing to have
that conversation um and uh thank you sir that's that's that's the general high points i don't
think i've included everything but that's the high points okay um yeah i just wanted to make
uh sure that was clear and on the record and you know i think um south kansas community partners
as Herc already kind of covered the scope of our discussion.
I think Mr. Sturman and Mr. Apto have covered a lot of our concerns.
A lot of our concerns, you know, I think the 50 foot height is definitely a step in the right direction.
You know, I think the 50-foot...
And we appreciate that. Unfortunately, it's just come too late in the process for us to change it or really to evaluate whether we can change that position.
That would be part of the community conversation that we had on January 10th.
We had been asking for that height reduction, as Herc said, for quite a long time.
So as of today, the RCO position reflects the neighborhood vote that we had on January 10th, which is, you know, one that's opposed to granting the variance.
And I guess I'll leave it at that. Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you for calling in.
Planning Commission.
Thank you, Chair Bergman.
Ian Hegarty for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.
members of the board in 2017 the zoning map was amended here and this was done in accord
with recommendations from the comprehensive plan some pretty significant community outreach and
the support of city council i just want to affirm the earlier testimony you heard that the intent of
the neighborhood remapping was to promote mixed use and multi-family development on front street
and Girard Avenue, while maintaining the row house zoning on redevelopment of some of the
industrial parcels on the interior streets. So the RSA-5 designation on this property
is recent and intentional. The proposed use is therefore contrary to an adopted plan.
While the reuse of the existing structure does place some constraints on development,
we recognize that. We think that the proposal is far away from the minimum variance necessary
to make use of the existing building if that's the choice of the developer and then finally we
would just note for the board's consideration that the affordable dwelling units contained
in the benefit agreement are not enforceable by the city pursuant to a deed restriction and
affordability agreement and their actual value as community benefits should be discounted
accordingly city planning commission recommends that the board deny these variances thank you
Mr. Hagedy. MI 2021-003-290-1300 North Howard Street. I vote yes with revised plan, two pages,
maximum of 112 units. Carol Tenere, my vote is yes with proviso. Thomas Holliman, my vote is no.
James Snell, my vote is yes with Proviso.
Ishmael Shahid, my vote is yes with Proviso.
Thank you very much.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. It was a pleasure to be in front of you. Thanks so much.
Good luck.
Here it is.
MI 2021 003845 1501 South 50th Street.
RCO letter in support from the Southwest Philadelphia District Services.
RCO letter in opposition from King Cesson Area Civic Association.
Kelly Lewis, proprietor and owner.
Ms. Kelly Lewis, if you're in the virtual audience, please raise your hand.
Ms. Lewis?
No hands.
Wait, I got a hand to Leslie Caldwell.
Do I allow them to speak?
Sir, madam, please unmute yourself.
wait to be sworn in. I said that's my sister. She's on here. She probably don't know how to
raise her hand. Let me see. You raised it? Okay. No. Can y'all hear her? She said she raised her
hand? No. They don't see it. He has to unmute. Wait, I have to promote her to panelists. She's
using an older version of a... Okay, thank you. I'm raising my hand, Kelly Lewis. Yes. Hi. Miss
Lewis, state your name and spell for the court reporter, please. Kelly Lewis, K-E-L-L-I-L-E-W-I-S.
right do you swear for him to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth
i do our vice chair has a few questions for you
I do. Our vice chair has a few questions for you.
Hi, do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal and stipulate to its accuracy?
Yes. And it appears that you've submitted the required documents.
Is that correct? Yes. You may proceed. Thank you.
Ms. Lewis, can you share your screen with us?
Um, let me see. I thought I was sharing it.
Is it larger?
No, we need your forms and everything else that you have. You have them on your computer to share?
I have them by hand. I would have to show them. I don't have them. All my information, my plans and everything.
Tanya?
um so we would really need for them to be displayed on the share screen on zoom
oh i'm sorry and are you not capable of doing that at this time i'm not i had to come to my
daughter's house to use her computer my computer was acting up i'm so sorry so what tanya we could
do a short continuance for this so that you can be prepared at the next hearing to actually
display your information on the screen because we have a whole audience of people
reviewing this session and it should be visible to all. I'm sorry. Okay. Can you give me a second?
Let me see if I can have that happen. If not, I'll be right back and have to do a continuance.
okay so we're going to move forward um you could just turn your camera and your audio off
we'll move forward with cases and then we'll come back to you okay okay thank you you can
continue chair thank you mi 2021 003850 2163 north 15th street
no rco letter but council president's office confirms that there was a meeting
sabria mcgill
ms mcgill if you're in the audience please raise your hand
all right sir
ms mcgill has her hand raised i have allowed her to speak
please hello hi miss mcgill state your name and spell it for the court reporter please
yes sabria mcgill s-a-b-r-i-y-a m-c-g-i-l-l right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth
the whole truth nothing but the truth i do our vice chair has a few questions for you
I'm sorry, can we pause for a moment?
Chair, Jason, you have to promote her to a panelist.
She's the presenter.
Okay, I understood.
Thank you.
Mr. Chair, who am I questioning?
Ms. Sabrina McGill.
She's coming back in as a panelist, Madam Chair.
Okay, because I didn't see her anywhere.
She's on the bottom there, I see her.
and miss you can unmute yourself hi miss mcgill do you do you agree to wave the reading of the
refusal and stipulate to its accuracy yes i do all right madam vice chair she's not an attorney