Can you see that screen that I'm sharing now?
Let me see if I can.
How do I share it?
Hang that back up.
Okay, here we go.
Okay, now are you seeing that?
Sorry about that.
I'm technically challenged.
And I even have help here today.
You're talking to the right guy.
So you'll have mercy on me.
So this is the exhibit pack that we had actually submitted back on February 12th.
So it has a lot of information, our application refusal, the plans at the time.
So that's part of the deal today as well.
Okay, our second exhibit pack is actually an exhibit binder that we've prepared specifically for the 1122 Oak Lane parcel for today's hearing.
Okay, this lists our witnesses.
We have the amended refusal I mentioned a minute ago.
We have the ZBA's revised proviso plans form, the RCO notice letter that we sent out, some posting photos.
The revised plan is at tab six.
We have a revised facade rendering.
also a key piece is that we did a traffic and parking study um so i have a witness who will
testify to the results of that traffic and and parking study and the last thing that i wanted to
point out in addition to the tax clearance certificate is that we now have a that we added
the uh hearing transcript from the february 12th 2020 hearing to the packet so you'll have that
at your convenience. The third exhibit pack looks like this, and Ms. Saletta I think should have
this one as well. And this is basically a packet of exhibits that Mr. Morgan pulled together. There
was an effort by the church and by Mr. Morgan to obtain support, indications of support from the
community. So this has a whole lot of, there's letters, there's emails, there's petitions in
here all of which support the property and then our last exhibit packet is is our zoning hearing
binder number four and this relates to the 1100 oak lane property again our same witnesses we have
the review refusal for that property we had a notice letter that went out to the rco we had a
meeting with the RCO. There are some posting photos and the plan for 1100, which is essentially
The plan for 1100, which is essentially the same, it's just focused on that property,
the same. It's just focused on that property.
except instead of the 1122 property, is there.
And again, our tax clearance certificate for that parcel.
So those are our exhibits that we have today.
And we're going to sort of jump back and forth between some of them as we go.
Just some additional key facts before I call Mr. Morgan as my first witness.
Or excuse me, the pastor, I'm going to call the pastor first.
Again, the church is located at 1100 Oak Lane.
It's at 11th and Oak Lane, right at the corner.
The development parcel is immediately adjacent, and that's at the corner of 12th and Oak Lane.
So they take up that whole block there.
From February, you may recall that we're proposing on the 1122 parcel to construct a 40-unit affordable housing complex for seniors.
Do you have visuals for us?
I do. I'll get to those in a minute.
I'm just giving you background, and I'm going to have the pastor testify, and then Mr. Morgan, and that's when we'll get your visuals.
It's to be constructed with financing from the Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.
The deadline for that application is early 2021, so we're anxious to move this forward today, if at all possible.
The city has indicated support for the project in addition to the support from the Councilwoman's Office.
The city last year committed $2 million in home funds for the project.
That has expired because we didn't get the approval, but we do intend to reapply for those home funds.
This will be a total of total project costs will be about $15 million.
We'll create two to three hundred temporary jobs.
So we believe it'll be a significant financial benefit to this neighborhood and to the city.
OK, so my first witness, I'd like to call Pastor Richardson, and he will just give you a brief background on his time in the neighborhood and his vision for this property.
Because this application, this effort really did flow out of his long-time vision for the property.
So could we admit or promote Pastor Richardson?
You should see him on the screen there somewhere.
He would have to raise his hand.
Pastor Richardson, could you raise your hand, please?
I have Janine.
Okay. That should be it. Promote Janine. I think the pastor is with Janine.
They can unmute themselves.
And pastor, are you under Janine Owens?
I'm sure you can swear him in.
Good afternoon, pastor. Please identify yourself with the record. Spell your first and last name.
Wilbert Richardson, W-I-L-B-E-R-T-R-I-C-H-A-R-D-S-O-N.
And do you swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Thank you, sir.
Okay, good afternoon, Pastor.
This is Bill Kerr.
Were you on the call, and did you hear my statements over the past few minutes regarding this project?
Yes, I did.
And were they accurate to your knowledge?
And do you adopt them as your own testimony?
Yes, I do.
What we'd like you to do is just give the board a little bit of background on your time in this neighborhood and your genesis of this project.
Yes, thank you very much.
Chairman Frank DiCicco, and if it please, the members of the ZBA board, I covered just a few moments of your time, as stated, and I firmly rest on the letter.
we did send a letter, I did send a letter of my statement of my commitment to our program.
As I said, my name is Wilbert Richardson, pastor of the Refugee Evangelical Baptist Church
located at 1100 Oak Lane Avenue. I have lived and ministered in our neighborhood for the past 40
years. Seniors in East Oak Lane are in need of housing in this community. It is my goal and our
goal of the ministry to ensure that we can provide this community with safe quality and affordable
housing what have driven us and what have been our passion is 38 words of our mission statement
and i'll just quote them very quickly commit to service the tribe clans and families of refugee
evangelical baptist church through its internal and outreach ministries meeting needs and achieving
reconciliation i'll repeat that meeting needs and achieving reconciliation in our community
by loving god loving our neighbors and making disciples along the way we have since the very
beginning of our church existed to encourage and engage our community in cross-cultural
ministry, socially, economically, and spiritually.
We have moved our ministry.
We have started our ministry in 12th, 641 North 12th Street.
Started our ministry in 12th, 641 North 12th Street.
We later moved to 1220 Oak Lane Avenue across from Elwood School, which is east of the property that we're speaking of.
And right next to our 1220 Oak Lane rental property that we had there was a firehouse.
And right next to the firehouse was a library.
And when we purchased the Ronald Roof Nippon building, we were able to move our services currently, our ministry, to that location, 1100 Oak Lane Avenue.
After a dreadful fire that burned down the existing Ukrainian church in 2013, we were able to purchase a lot at 1100 Oak Lane, 1122 Oak Lane.
The initial use was turning the lot into a parking lot, which we did, and used for other church events.
And five years later, we were to erect a new building of housing complex.
Refugee Evangelical further engaged the help of Corniff Realty and LLC and BCM Affordable Housing.
We had initially had four different developers to come and to vet for the program that we had
in our vision. And we, after five to six weeks, we unanimously voted Cornish Realty LLC and BCM
Affordable Housing and found them to be credible in our way of stating a five-star developer.
We later had one of my close friends who had formerly used LLC and BCM, affordable housing in Jersey, and they came to a meeting and they referenced BCM and Cornish Realty as well.
And so we went into partnership with them.
We gave a brief presentation of our vision to our councilperson, Sherelle, the Honorable Sherelle Parker and her staff, who organized several community meetings, which included residents of East Oak Lane and the RCO.
We listened to them and heard their concerns and responded appropriately.
In closing, the 2,000 seniors in East Oak Lane are in need of seniors housing.
We would like to give them a choice.
When downsizing, we have large homes and large, wonderful, beautiful homes in East Oak Lane.
And the senior citizens there now, number 2,000.
And we would like to have given them a choice when they downsize and to stay in their community rather than having to move or live in some of the joining communities around.
And our commitment is to give them safe, quality, affordable housing in our own community.
Thank you.
Thank you, Pastor.
Okay, that's all I have for the pastor.
if the uh the board has any questions uh i don't believe we do unless uh i don't know tom john uh
anyone no we're good mr chairman your bonnie yes thank you uh just again my name is paul bonnie
i'm an attorney and i represent the oak lane community action association who is a protestant
this matter and I also represent Yvette Young who is the next door neighbor to 1122 Oak Lane
in this matter and she's also a protestant. Before you begin Paul and let me interrupt
Mr. Kerr is there a way you can give us some visuals so because Mr. Bonney just raised an
issue about a adjoining neighbor and aerial shots or anything like that you can help us with.
This is where we'll have a better perspective.
Well, if you have any plan view, I'm happy to point out where McYoung lives.
Somebody, just give us some, the board.
Thank you very much.
Yeah, thank you.
So my second client is Yvette Young, and she lives in this house indicated at the bottom right-hand corner of this drawing that says single-family residential three-story.
Next to that to the left is the proposed senior apartment house. And above that is Pastor Richardson's existing church, the Refuge Evangelical Baptist Church.
uh existing church the refuge evangelical baptist church i believe i have the name correctly so
thank you i i appreciate it i just have a couple of questions for the pastor
um uh the first is that i think you mentioned this generally that um you your church moved to
1100 Oak Lane many years ago and I wanted to ask you if you were involved with that move.
1984-1985 we moved to 1220 Oak Lane Avenue that's right across the street from Elwood School
right next to the firehouse, which is right next to the library. We moved in 1985, and then
the building at 1100 became available. Ronald Bruce Nippon became available in 1992.
We moved from 1220 Oak Lane Avenue, which is east of the building, the lot that we're
speaking of now. We moved to 1100 Oak Lane Avenue. Thank you. Yes.
Let me understand the question.
Mr. Bonney, are you asking that the pastor, was he involved in the transaction of that or was it just his church?
Was he affiliated with the church at that time?
Yes, of course.
Thank you.
And do you recall, Pastor Richardson, that at the time of 1992, when the church moved into 1100 Oak Lane, came to the Zoning Board of Adjustment to seek variances for the church and also for the seven parking spots?
Okay. Do you remember how many parking spots were required by code as compared to the seven
that you were allowed to have by variance?
No, I wasn't aware at the particular time because it was grandfathered in when we moved
to 1100 Oak Lane Avenue. So at the time that you're speaking of, we had seven parking spaces
that were, we have purchased along with the building.
Okay, that's your recollection?
Okay, thank you.
I guess it's safe to say that you were affiliated with the church,
you know, that you were the pastor there four years ago
when now we're talking about the subject property,
which is on the corner, which would be 1122 Oak Lane.
that the church came to this zoning board
and obtained a variance to use it as a parking lot.
I think you mentioned that generally.
So do you recall that generally?
And also that we said at that same time
that within the next three to five years,
we would be building on the property.
You're saying you told the zoning board that?
Yes, we did.
Were you at the zoning board hearing or did someone else from the church go there?
Both Ken Staley and I, who was representing us at this particular time as a PE,
we were both there at the time that they made the statement.
But he did the talking, not you. Is that correct?
Both he and I did the talking, but he initially stated that we would be,
and within three to five years, building a building on the lot after three to five years.
Okay. Well,
Mr. Chair, I'm wondering if I can share my screen.
There are some people talking in the background. I'm not sure if it's Mr. Kerr.
If you're talking, just put yourself on mute.
Okay, I apologize. I think I was not mute.
Yeah, no problem.
Mr. Bonney, you can now share your screen.
Okay, thank you. Thank you.
Okay, I'm getting the hang of this here. Share.