I am against.
Is there anything different that you have to offer at this point than what we've heard?
Please.
I hear a lot of the support for this project being in favor of the youth and for them to have recreational space.
I strongly agree with that.
I think it's very important.
I also spend time at this park and I see the children engaging with the play space.
I see that development, and I believe it's very important for children to have that green space.
We have a lot of other places in the city that have that.
Additionally, I was at the Lenape Prey ceremony for these trees and specifically was watching these children play, climb, interact,
which is something that I don't think can be done with recreational sports in this space.
Finally, I want to request that the board pay attention not only to the things that have been said by the citizens here who are for or against, but also to please pay attention to both the number of residents who are in opposition to this, as well as who is in opposition.
it's it's the neighbors it's those of us that live here um while uh many who are in support
are people who are affiliated with some of these uh sport leagues and people who can profit from
this so i really again urge the zoning board to pay attention uh to specifically um the the number
of people who are concerned and who care about the space thank you so much thank you for taking
the time to call us next hand chair we have lady danny morinich they have been unmuted and allowed
to speak how could you state your name please and spell for the course ethnographer
lady danny morinich please unmute yourself
danny morenick d-a-n-n-i last name m-o-r-i-n-i-c-h right do you swear or affirm to tell
the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth i do are you a neighbor i am not but i am
a local forager that has led over three dozen foraging walks in the park okay all right um
are you in favor of this project or against i'm against right we've had tremendous amount of
test money. I only need one minute, 30 seconds of your time, sir. You can have one minute,
30 seconds of my time, please. Thank you very much. There's a group in South Philly that
recycles human waste into universally usable product. It's eco-friendly, free, and the kind
of group that Mayor Parker would want to use as part of her clean and green initiative. But instead
of embracing it, it's being destroyed. And the group, they're called trees. Trees absorb the
carbon dioxide we exhale via photosynthesis and create oxygen. And as an added benefit,
they sequester carbon, keeping the area cooler, fix the soil, and filter water to keep it from
flooding into our sewer system. The leaves remove dangerous pollution, especially in neighborhoods
close to the highways, and can reduce ailments like asthma and heart disease, which are responsible
for about 5% of deaths worldwide. And older trees do this more effectively than the newly planted.
South Philadelphia is one of the hottest areas of the city, and the heat island effects can raise temperatures up to 22 degrees hotter than leafy suburban areas.
Removal of trees will increase that heat.
The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health published an impact study of green space on violent crime in urban environments in 2019.
It synthesized findings of 45 papers deducing that the presence of parks and other green spaces reduces urban crime, specifically gun crime.
And that was echoed by a 2022 UPEM study that found a direct correlation between more trees and fewer shootings.
Based on this evidence, I would suggest that it's not a warehouse of artificial fields that we need in South Philly, but to plant and more importantly, preserve our large heritage trees.
Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to call us.
Next hand.
Chair, we have Randy Holman.
They have been unmuted and allowed to speak.
Hi, could you please state your name?
Hello, my name is Randolph Holman, that's R-A-N-D-O-L-P-H, Holman, H-O-L-M-A-N.
Do you swear or affirm the tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Yes, I do.
Yes, I do.
Are you a neighbor, sir?
Correct, I am.
Are you for this project or against?
I am for this project.
Is there anything that you haven't heard yet that you could offer differently?
So I've been a lifelong resident of South Philadelphia.
I grew up in the area and I am one of the original members of the Anderson
Monarchs baseball team.
And on that same field, right, where I had the opportunity to play baseball,
gain lifelong friendships and learn sports and in the teachings of Jackie
Robinson, right, which I still use today.
On that field also was discovered a young lady named Monet Davis, right?
She went on to become famous around the country for playing baseball, one of the first female pitchers in Little League baseball and gained recognition for the whole city in this area for being an athlete.
And she's going on to do great things. Right. So that opportunity would not have been there if we didn't have those great parks and recreation fields that were maintained for us to play and become better athletes.
and in return become better people and better citizens, right?
So I'm advocating for the places for young people to grow,
not just in athletics, but in life, right?
This opportunity to have these fields, right,
that are not going to be affected by maybe like a rainstorm
where, okay, we can't enjoy the field today because it's flooded, right?
We want to give those kids opportunities to grow.
Right. And I think with this project, we can do that. Right.
And I think that long term solutions will be great for the community, not just the surrounding community, but but the city and further.
Because I noticed that. So those fields that's there, the baseball fields, Richie Ashburn and now called Dick Allen field.
I was one of the first teams to play on those fields. Right.
When the Phillies advocated and they gave you money, we played on those fields, right?
Much different than playing in Mary Anderson Recreation Center.
It was well-maintained, just like Mary Anderson was, thanks to Steve Bandura.
Those fields were well-maintained, and they've created a lot of great people,
not just athletes, but people, right?
And I think we can continue to do that, right, with more great spaces for athletics to grow.
Right. And I think it's a return on the city investment, not just not just for the local area, but for everyone.
When the city, when South Philly does well, I think, you know, everyone surrounding what does well.
Right. I've lived there my whole life. Like we know about Sunoco.
Right. We know about the congestion at the ballparks bring.
But don't forget, we love that. We love our force teams. Right.
We love the Phillies. We love the Flyers, Sixers and definitely love the Eagles.
and no complaints when that stadium sold out on a Sunday.
We all love it.
We can't wait for a Sunday.
So we shouldn't have a problem to see those fields flooded with people,
not water with people, over there having a good time playing sports.
That's how I feel.
I'm Randolph Holman, and I am for the athletic fields.
Mr. Holman, thank you for your call.
We appreciate you calling in.
Thank you.
Yvette?
Chair, we have Susan Patron.
they have been muted and allowed to speak
hi could you please state your name and spell for the court stenographer
my name is susan patrone s-u-s-a-n p-a-t-r-o-n-e right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth
the whole truth nothing but the truth i do are you a neighbor yes i am uh are you in favor of
this prosecutor against? I am opposed. Okay. And I know that you oppose it. Is there anything
different that you haven't heard yet today? Well, I, first of all, I, everyone has covered
most of the points. So I would just like to make one. Sure. I am a past president of Pashunk
Square Civic Association and also past president of Columbus Square Advisory Council. So I,
I know I'm familiar with a lot of what is process and what isn't.
I would just like to say that Barbara Capozzi and Lindsay Scantopico had covered very well what needs still to be covered in this process related to the RCOs.
I want to urge ZBA to deny this special exception and to bring it back to the civics, to the RCOs, and continue and make it.
to the civics, to the RCOs, and continue and make it even a more transparent process.
Thank you.
Thank you for taking the time to call us.
We appreciate it.
Yvette?
Chair, we have Noah Sturridge.
They've been unmuted and allowed to speak.
Could you please state your name and spell for the court stenographer?
Noah Sturridge?
go to the next hand please chair the next hand is sarah anton they've been unmuted and allowed to speak
I see it, but she's not a muting chair, Sarah Anton.
Oh, right after Patron. Do you love it?
Hi, could you state your name, please, and spell for the course stenographer?
sarah and time
chair i'm not getting any reply
go to the next hand
we have scott stallone they have been unmuted
hi could you state your name please and spell for the court stenographer
my name is scott stallone s-c-o-t-t-s-t-a-l-l-o-n-e
right do you swear a firm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
Are you a neighbor?
Are you in favor or against this project?
Dead set opposed, 100%.
Okay. Is there anything different you can offer than what we've heard?
A little bit. I'd like to rebut one of the prior comments, and that is specifically in reference to what happens on game day during Eagles season with regards to the FDR park.
It is left in a shambles. It is overrun by SUVs. People drive up on the grass. They destroy the place.
That is the mentality of the people who come to the park on Sundays from out of the area, from wherever they're coming, is I own a home in South Philadelphia.
I have maintained a separate office in South Philadelphia in a building owned by P. Agnes.
He is one of the largest developers in South Philadelphia for the last 21 years.
This is not good news for the residents of South Philadelphia.
This will bring all kinds of problems, environmentally, traffic.
We know about the PFAS.
This is a mess.
There are other places.
Nobody here is opposed to group sports.
I am an avid Philadelphia sports fan.
I love our teams.
I watch as many.
I consume as much as I can.
But when it comes down to having the space to do what it is that we need to do,
there's got to be a better way than this proposed project thank you thank you for taking on the
calls for that how many hands you have of that chair we have no more hands okay thank you um
planning commission well sorry one moment uh i think nicole um not nicole chair the hands that
are up are on the list right no no no there was one other one um noah noah yes he was trying to
get back on.
Noah Sturgis, please unmute yourself and wait for the chair.
Hi, Noah.
Noah Sturgis, please unmute yourself and wait for the chair.
I'm still not getting any replies here.
All right.
Thank you.
No other hand, no other hands that were on our list, right?
Not on the list.
Planning commission.
Thank you, Chair Bergman.
And good afternoon, David Fecto, F-E-C-T-E-A-U.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Yes, sir.
Please proceed.
Thank you, sir.
Chairman and members of the board, the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the special purpose open space at this location.
This proposal enables the development of a major component of the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park Master Plan after initial phases have already been completed or are underway.
The appellant has shown that the proposed project cannot be practically redesigned to protect the heritage trees that are currently on site.
the city planning commission recommends that the board grant the proposed special exception
for removal of 48 heritage trees the uh the board will take this under consideration
The the board will take this on the consideration and vote on this.
Excuse me, Mr. Chair, we should allow council of the applicant to respond to the testimony briefly and the planning recommendation if they wish, and then we can we can close the record.
Thank you. Please proceed. Which one? Matt?
Yeah, Mr. Chairman, thank you. I'm going to be very brief. A couple of things, just to correct the record. Plans were actually received by the RCOs back in October. Later at the request, we spent several hundred dollars, I think close to a thousand to set large printed color plans in multiple copies in November because I guess the electronic copies weren't good enough.
but we did that at Ardine. Again, we're proceeding here at Bowers Bar as Pro Voto Council because of
our support of this project. There were also 300 neighbors that signed petitions in support of the
project. We didn't have their names, but I just would like to confirm that they're part of the
record themselves, and they were a part of Kenyatta Johnson's support, those petitions that
one in um on the um issue of no reasonable alternative we totally agree with the planning
commission's uh opinion and we think that the the testimony that we got from our all our ecological
witnesses and landscape architects and like i think support that very well there's a lot of
competing concerns here on this site and we believe that we're approaching this in a very responsible
Pacific way. As for operational concerns about safety and traffic, they really do not relate
to the removal of heritage trees, obviously the removing of a tree. Here we're removing 48
heritage trees and replacing them with 1,000. That doesn't cause traffic. It's about removal
of trees. So again, there's over 1,000 additional trees that are being planted. I would note there