that would be helpful. Mr. Chair, I have Enoch Amen Rael with their hand raised. I will allow
I don't need to speak at this time.
Greetings, members of Zone Board.
Greetings.
Please spell your full name,
and I'll swear you in.
Yes, my name is Minister Enoch,
T-D-M-O-R-E-L.
That's E-N-O-C-H.
Next word, Tehuti,
T-E-H-U-T-I-O-R-E-L-A-M-E-N-R-A hyphen E-L.
Do you swear a firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, I affirm. Thank you. Please proceed. Yeah, I'm in the capacity here as the Chairman of
Farm Keepers with Southwest Community Zoning Committee, as well as a registered community
RCO with the City of Philadelphia. Whereas on August the 12th of 21, there was an RCO community
meeting held with regards to the case to bar in which the community as well as those affected
our shows had addressed and proposed of uh projects um whereas the community and those affected our
shows as body politic uh proposed the project and agreed to restrict the enormous change in the zoning
code in that historic community that would create a hardship in the future density and will result
in an unrepairable effect in that community further developer did have an opportunity to revamp their
plans to accommodate the community's concern which was at Norvell. Also heard testimony stating that
according to the city plan that the woodland area area is considered a high density.
This particular block is not near the woodland avenue and it's not is it to my understanding it
would it would not be visable to have that type of density in that small block. That area
King Cesson where this block is adjacent to it's a major artery off of King Cesson it is deemed
historic it would definitely change the fabric of that block as just recently uh as testimony
which is mentioned the density around that area is is very high you you really can park because
of the street cleaning and whereas we we oppose developers proposed project and stand uh with the
And whereas we oppose the proposed project and stand with the decision of Ellen and I
and pray to this honorable members of the Zoning Board of Justice Office to be the same.
With that, I yield my mind.
Thank you.
Anyone else to testify in this case?
Just for a point of clarification, I had mentioned that the Woodland Avenue area is two blocks from the property.
I just want to make that clear.
Anyone else?
sir i have a pastor brendan van gorder with a hand raised i will allow them to speak at this time
hello can you hear me yes pastor please spell your full name
uh brendan van gorder b-r-e-n-d-a-n-v-a-n space g-o-r-d-e-r pastor at norwood
and i live across the block you swear for them to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but
the truth yes sir thank you please proceed so um i recently moved on to the block um next to
families who have been here for 50 or 60 years um i have a little daughter that's nine months old
we bought the house as you know a single family house looking for a block that would also be
single-family homes. We wanted to be part of a block that, you know, felt like there were
families in each home, and so I'm personally, and my wife, and are both really opposed to it because
this is starting, or this proposal is two units or three units, so it's not, you know, it's not
what this is zoned for. They have to, as my understanding, Mr. Chair Frank, you know better
than I do. But as my understanding, I think they have to provide evidence that they have some type
of economic hardship, like they couldn't, like they couldn't sell it as a two story one family
house. I don't think they can do that, because I know what I paid for my house. And, you know,
I think they could make a profit by just building a two story one family house, like, like the
zoning is for. So I don't think that they've provided any evidence that that they need this
variance, and I'm against it because, like I said, you know, two units or three units, that's going
to draw a different crowd than a family. I know there's a lot of houses for sale around that are
one family, one unit, and so, you know, the two units, the three units, even if it's just two
units, that's going to draw, you know, maybe students or people who are kind of more transitory,
and so I did want to mention also that we've been really active as a block we've gotten
right now I'm actually in front of the lot and there's about 12 of us here we've been meeting
as a block and then we had a great meeting with Miss Rachel and Mr. Gertie and really discussed
you know we heard from their side of what they wanted to do and we we made it really clear to
them that hey we really want our block to stay one family one unit houses uh and so when they
asked us to meet it and they asked us if we'd be open to meeting again and we told them um only if
you would consider you know one family one unit and if not then no um because we're making it
really clear and so when they kind of reached out again we told them you know no we don't we don't
want to meet again because we want this to be a one family one unit um so i think that's basically
all i have to say i think that in terms of what could be done from here is they could sell it
back to us so that we could make it a community garden um you know we would be happy to pay around
the market price of five thousand dollars um or if they don't want to sell it to make it a community
garden again um because i think it should be noted that it's been a community garden for 15 or 20
years so it was never a vacant lot as they were saying um so you know they could sell it back to
so we could make it a garden again or they could build a two-story single-family house like it's
zoned for like uh you know i expected when i uh came to this block uh and like you know following
the zoning court of uh rsa5 thank you uh mr chair the only correction i would make
chairman you're on mute you're on thank you uh the only correction i would make pastor is that
they can build up to a three-story, 38-foot height by right. Not that that is anything
as significant as it relates to your opposition, but they can do three-story by right. Anyone else
to testify? And please, if you can give us something new and different, that would be helpful.
Mr. Chair, I just want to make a statement. Because it would be two family residents or three,
doesn't necessarily mean that they would be transient.
It would be people who otherwise couldn't afford to buy a single-family home.
Especially if there were condos, yeah.
Right.
Chair, we have Andrew Goodman.
Chair, we have Andrew Goodman.
Mr. Goodman, please identify your...
Mr. Goodman, please identify yourself for the record.
I'll remind you you're still under oath.
Yes, good afternoon.
Andrew Goodman here representing the Office of Third District Council Member Jamie Gaudier,
Room 586 City Hall.
Members of the Board, our office stands with the near neighbors on this matter.
I won't duplicate testimony, so I'll just note that I was in attendance at the RCO meeting
and heard the neighbors concerns about the use variants, as well as the lack of building
conformity within the rest of the block. Our office has also since received similar comments
from six additional neighbors who provided individual feedback through our office directly.
And I would just note that I've not seen any of that information. I would just hope in the future
that I could be provided with some of that so that I'm aware of it. And just a point of correction
to the pastor's comment um the property was had a vacant lot um had had a vacant lot violation on
it since 2008 it's now been complied with but it there's no use permit for a community garden so
i'm just was not aware of that use thank you anyone else thank you mr goodman anyone else
we have samantha samantha unmute yourself
please spell your full name and i would ask if you can limit your testimony to
something new and different yes uh hopefully you can hear me my name is samantha rise roberson
s-a-m-a-n-t-h-a-r-i-s-e roberson r-o-b-e-r-s-o-n
hold on please uh we're getting some feedback okay miss rise please spell that the last part
of your name the third part yes uh the my last name is rise roberson so r-i-s-e r-o-b-e-r-s-o-n
you swear affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
yes please proceed
uh thanks so much i submitted a written testimony um so just plan to uh to read that out loud
that I'm a recent resident of the block, but have come together with the community members
on the block who've lived here for upwards of 40 and 50 years.
We knew member of this community with interest in like making a,
making myself a permanent resident of Southwest Philadelphia. So have a shared vested interest
in the community as my long-term neighbors do. So while I'm a relatively new neighbor on the block,
have been the grateful beneficiary of long-term residents' sense of community,
there's sincere interest in supporting new residents moving to the block such as myself.
Many of the neighbors I've been able to develop relationships with have lived here before the
lot at 1226 became vacant in a horrific fire where many lives were lost. Neighbors have worked
through the space to heal that wound and create meaningful connections to overcome the hardship
since then using the space as a garden since 1990 whether or not there's been a permit or zoning for
that the reality is that the space has offered a playground to young people has offered farming
and gardening space to neighbors both young and old and has continued to support as a as a central
gathering place on the 1200 block of 50th street for decades the only reason a lot appears vacant
now is because we stopped utilizing it in that way when it when we were made aware that it had
been sold um i personally when i first moved to the block the summer of 2020 during global pandemic
actually developed a relationship with robert field and and another neighbor of ours aaron by
working on the lot together um so um it's my my feeling that the the project being suggested for
the lot is predatory in the sense that neighbors have expressed over and over um their their
aspirations for what the space could look like to be consonant with the needs um and the future
vision that folks have on the block. And while the developer can do anything by right, the variances
that they're looking at don't meet the unnecessary hardship standard. And a building that could sit
in this lot could more than happily accommodate their needs to make a profit without happening
at the expense of the community. I know you've heard about how the variance alters the consistency
and the character of the neighborhood, and I would let long-term residents speak to that reality.
but it also impairs appropriate use of the adjacent property, and it does truly impose
many negative consequences on the welfare of the community. Also, there are no unique physical
conditions to this space to suggest that you would have to request any variance of any kind.
There's more that we could talk about in terms of profit and loss models, if that's something
that's necessary but i think the reality of of the neighbors being unwilling to meet or
the neighbors being unwilling to meet or not willing to have conversation is um
not willing to have conversation is um
is sort of sort of far flung it's it's been our we've been clear we've been communicative we as
a community have been meeting for months in preparation for this conversation and a long
form conversation and the reality is that the developer and and miss pritzker haven't been able
to um to come to this table with any real significant adjustments to their plan um as
someone who's interested in buying a home on this block as someone who's interested in investing in
long form in southwest philadelphia um nothing that's being offered um in the proposal for the
lot of 1226 is something that i could afford is something that i would be interested in
um i want to raise my kids and send them to comedies and i'm uh really disturbed with all
due respect if you can summarize that would be helpful oh that's all i wanted to say thank you
very much thank you anyone else something new and different please
new and different
we have Tony
Tony you can unmute yourself
am I unmuted now
yes please spell your full name
anyway
I don't want to be long
my name is Tony
wait one second
I live at 1210
Tony, Tony, Tony, please spell your full name so I can swear you in.
Hello?
I think it was removed.
Can you hear me, sir?
I had to unmute myself again.
Yeah, but you didn't listen to me.
Oh, okay, hold on a second.
Yeah, can you hear me?
You need to spell your full name.
Unmute yourself, please.
Okay. Here we go. I'm back. Spell your full name.
Everything, everything is turned up. There should be something. Oh, here, here, here.
Yeah, I'm here. I'm back.
Now that you're back again, would you please spell your full name?
Okay. Tony, T-O-N-Y. Middle name, fax as in D as in dog, P as in pot, H as in Harry,
a as in alpha x as in x-ray last name king as in martin luther king you swear for him to tell
the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes please proceed yes i'm excited to be
here um i want to be short as possible because i know you guys got to go but uh listen i i live at
1210 my address is 1210 south 50th street and i save homes in this area because i was born and
raised in this area i'm all southwest philly comedy's all the schools in southwest philly
freshman center so i'm not someone who recently moved into the community and one of the things
that i know when i that i know when i was growing up is that there's always been a single family
um uh uh neighborhood but i want to quickly uh mention a point that that any any three-story
structure here would definitely definitely change the character of this block if not the whole
neighborhood and all of these houses are have been single family for as long as i can remember
and they all have the original let's talk about architecture they all have the architecture does
does not play into this i know sir let me yeah go ahead i must have said it a half a dozen times if
not more anybody who person purchases that property if they want to build a single family
home they they can build up to 38 feet so they could put a three-story structure
by way on that lot okay okay um well tell us something we haven't already heard
okay well uh i'm going to show you something that you haven't seen
hello hello we're gonna move on uh i know somebody in council accused me of cutting people off but
that's okay next witness please you have a robert with his hand raised i have a excuse me chair this
is tanya just for fyi we have seven individuals with their hands up so we can proceed as you
wish but just a note thank you something new and different dude he's a prick we're gonna try it
you're echoing do you have two devices on
hello yes sir please spell your full name
hello yes sir please spell your full name uh full name robert fields r-o-b-e-r-t last name