And you met all of the code requirements under the original application, the amended refusal for CDR and for the original RCO meetings, correct?
Correct.
And also, again, for the original ZBA meeting, which was to be held back on April 8th?
And did you also meet all of the code requirements for any notice to be served for this rescheduled hearing?
Yes, I did.
Thank you very much, Ms. Grooms.
Unless the board has any questions, I have nothing further for Ms. Grooms.
Does the board have any questions for Mr. Whalen at this time?
Seeing none.
With that, I would conclude my initial presentation just saying that I would only call any other witnesses, the same witnesses back in rebuttal if necessary.
and um you know again we're all kind of learning with regard to um you know this process uh mr
you know, this process. Mr. Orphanides was listed as an attorney in the beginning.
orphanetes was
I am the attorney for the owner and the applicant. I will let Mr. Orphanides speak for himself,
but I understand that he is appearing as the attorney for an opposition party today. So we
are not co-counsel, but rather in adversarial counsel, so to speak here. But I do understand
that there are other people to speak and support. So I will conclude at this time. Thank you very
much. Thank you. I would ask those who are waiting to testify. I would ask only those who are in
support to raise your hand at this time. We will get to those who are opposed once we complete
the testimony of those who are in favor. So if you're not in favor of this, please
remove your hand at this time we will get back to you and that way Tanya hopefully will be able to
get a summary from each person if you're in favor of this your name and address
identify yourself please and be as brief as you could we'd appreciate it thank you
Ivan, you have been unmuted and you are available to speak now.
Ivan Tancredi, you can unmute yourself to speak.
David Hall, you can unmute yourself and speak.
Oh, I'm sorry.
Can you hear me now?
Yeah, Mr. Tancredi.
Please identify yourself with a record.
Spell your name for the stenographer, please.
Ivan Tancredi.
I-V-A-N-T-A-N-C-R-E-D-I.
Mr. Tancredi, do you swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
thank you please proceed my name is Ivan Tancredi I represent Washington Avenue
Property Owners Association I've been I owned 2100 Washington Avenue since the
early 80s on a personal note Washington Avenue needed this project it's about
time that this project is come to fruition representing Washington Avenue
Property Owners Association we're all in favor of the project as presented by the
lawyer and the architect. Thank you very much. Thank you for your patience. Thank
Eric you have been allowed to speak if you wish to unmute you.
hi can you hear me
yes we can okay great name and address for the record spell your name for the stenographer
please sure my name is eric gertschberg that's e-r-i-c-g-e-r-c-h-b like boy e-r-g
my address is 2432 carpenter street philadelphia yes i'm sorry mr gertschberg do you swear and
a firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do, yes. Sorry I didn't
interrupt. Please proceed. Not a problem. So I just wanted to, you know, voice my support. I'm
a new resident of the neighborhood, and I've been in preparation coming to a lot of the community
meetings, because I know that this is a big draw for me personally, for wanting to be in this
neighborhood. And I just kind of wanted to, you know, see it through and make sure that it is
going to come to fruition and just very excited about it thank you and welcome to the neighborhood
thank you so much
steven you can unmute yourself and speak hi good uh good afternoon
this is uh steven zellinger i'm a resident at 2106 catherine street mr zellinger would please
spell your name for the stenographer sure steven s-t-e v as in victor e-n zellinger z as in zebra
e-l-i-n-g-e-r mr zellinger do you swear and affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and
nothing but the truth yes i do proceed yes i just wanted to voice my support for the project i'm a
15 16 year resident of the neighborhood and i think i've been waiting a long time for more
Um, and I think I've been waiting a long time for more development, um, and more things
development.
to do along Washington Avenue.
I think having, you know, a full block retail on the first floor would open up a lot of
options.
I think, you know, a lot of people in the neighborhood regularly say that they have
to walk too far to, uh, some of the things that they want to do and have to go to Ritten
House Square to do things.
We just like to have more, more, uh, shopping and dining options along there.
And I think this would add to Washington Avenue development and the plan that we're trying to seek with is more retail and pedestrian friendly things to do along there.
So it's not just a highway with with cars blasting through the through the area.
So I'm in full support of the project.
What a true urban experience.
OK, thank you. Appreciate your time.
Thank you.
Murray Spencer you're allowed to speak now
Hi Murray Spencer from SOSNA SOSNA Zoning Board SOSNA Zoning Committee
Murray would you please spell your name for the record
M-U-R-R-A-Y Murray Spencer S-P-E-N-C-E-R
Mr. Spencer, you swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Please proceed.
So on behalf of SOSNA, we enthusiastically support this project.
We like the process that it took to get to this project, this building, the architecture.
We like all of it.
We especially like the underground parking.
As someone said earlier, we've learned from the things that we don't like about Lincoln Square.
They've all been incorporated into this project. We like the fact that there's a
community benefits agreement that includes affordable housing.
And on behalf of the SOSNA, again, board, the zoning committee, the architecture review committee,
And most of all of the community, there's probably a little opposition, I'm not sure who that might be, but the majority of the community is in support of this project.
Thank you, sir. Appreciate your time.
Thank you.
Brian Lawson, you can unmute yourself and speak.
hi my name is brian lawson um i live at 1026 south 22nd street and the spelling the name is
b-r-i-a-n-l-a-w-s-o-n and i want to mr lawson you swear and affirm to tell the truth the whole
truth and nothing but the truth i do thank you i just want to say as someone who is directly
across the streets from this project um for over the last two years uh the ocf teams have been
meeting with the near neighbors both on kimball and league street and 20 along 22nd street um
even to the extent of you know we have a couple facebook pages that we have built set up to be
able to get direct messages to ocf and their teams regarding any issues we're having with the
projects and just the amount of time they've spent with those of us that are really directly
impacted initially by the construction phase of this project and also looking forward to what
it's going to be. I just want to say they've done an exceptional job of being available
and very responsive and again I'm in full support of this project. Thank you Mr. Lawson for your
time and your comments. Thank you. Loretta, you can unmute yourself and speak.
Hello, I'm Loretta Tague. That's spelled L-O-R-E-T-T-A-T-A-G-U-E.
Ms. Tague, do you swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Would you give us your address, please?
Yes, I live at 2127 Oakford Street, so basically the same block, several blocks south of Washington.
And I, yes, sorry, did you have another, I think I interrupted you.
No, no, I'm saying thank you.
I'm sorry.
And I just wanted to say that I've lived in the neighborhood for 14 years.
um up to um about five years ago I lived north of Washington and now I'm south of Washington and I
walk a lot across Washington Avenue and have been delighted for example by seeing some development
that includes the OCAF office and especially the new um brewery that I can't remember its name
brewery that I can't remember its name right now, but it's always delightful to see, you know,
right now, but it's always delightful to see, you know, sort of pedestrian activity.
sort of pedestrian activity around there. And I look forward to having a nice supermarket like
Aldi and nice walking distance and making it all just a lot more pedestrian friendly and
more neighborhood-y. Thank you very much. Appreciate your time. Thank you. You're welcome.
Jennifer, you can unmute yourself and speak at this time. Hello, can you hear me?
yes we can thank you my name is jennifer leupold that's l-e-u-p-o-l-d and my address is 1306
south woodstock street and miss leupold do you swear and affirm to tell the truth the whole
truth and nothing but the truth i do please proceed thank you thank you i was an 11-year
resident of Graduate Hospital including six years on the board of SOSNA I just
moved a few blocks south to 20th and Wharton in May so I have attended many
many many years worth of meetings on this project as both a resident of the
neighborhood as well as with the SOSNA board I am now walking across Washington
Avenue on a very regular basis to bring my son to school and daycare and as I
know many Point Breeze residents are with the Stanton catchment that now
extends past Washington Avenue. From a safety perspective I am ecstatic about
this new development that's been proposed and in terms of ease for
shopping and access to things that we need on a regular basis, the ability to walk instead of
drive is very huge for myself as well as my neighbors. So I just wanted to register my
wholehearted support. Well, thank you very much and thank you for spending the time with us. Thank
you heather you are allowed to speak at this time good hi um my name is heather davidson h-e-a-t-h-e-r
d-a-v-i-d-s-o-n and i live at 1026 south 22nd street so i am across the street from both of
Rory's developments.
Ms. Davidson, I'm sorry to interrupt.
Do you swear to the firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Thank you very much.
Please proceed.
I live at 1026 at 22nd Street.
I live across the street from both 2101 and 2201.
I work from home currently, so there is noise.
But knowing what these developments are going to bring to the neighborhood, much as Ms.
loophole talked about for added availability of shopping for people who can't get to center city
or can't get out of the neighborhood through the aldi having a cbs even closer to people who are
at the south end of the graduate hospital neighborhood and the north end of point
breeze some of these things are incredibly important to neighbors of mine who are senior
who can't drive, as well as those of us who live in the neighborhood, knowing that we're
going to have a vibrant community of new people coming into the neighborhood to become participants
in the neighborhood is incredibly important to me.
I'm a former board member of Blocktoberfest who, one of our missions was to give back
to other nonprofits in the neighborhood.
So seeing what Ori is doing, our OCF is development is doing around building the breezeway for League Street and adding a park in there, as well as the public access to things and bringing more commercial to the corridor, having Dock Street, having small oven and porcos.
those have completely changed the number of people who are walking by my house on a daily basis and
the types of people who are walking by my house that is a vitally needed area for small business
to continue to expand to help grow the neighborhood and that's all I had to say
thank you very much do appreciate your time thank you David Hall do you wish to speak
Hello? Can you hear me? Yes, go ahead. Okay. David Hall, D-A-V-I-D-H-A-L-L, 2037 Kimball Street.
2037 Kimball Street.
Chair, could you unmute yourself, please?
Thank you.
Sorry.
Mr. Hall, do you swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Thank you.
Please proceed.
As a near neighbor, I just want to, you know, voice my support for the project, and I feel that the design of the project is thoughtful and architecturally interesting.
I particularly appreciate the inclusion of the pedestrian walkway at League Street that can be used by neighborhood residents and the added greenery on the property.
I think that throughout the process, there's been a very open line of communication with the developer from near neighbors.
And I feel that he's valued the input of the neighbors and incorporated that into the design.
and like other neighbors have said, this project will really activate the corridor, make it more
vibrant, more walkable, safer, and add much needed commercial space in terms of CVS and grocery store
that is currently unavailable or further away from us. So I fully support this project. Thank you.
Thank you, sir. Thank you for your time.
at this time that's all the hands that i have to
okay um i i think it's almost correct me if i'm wrong almost two hours since we had our last break
was that or was that was that about 10 or 4 or 10 or 5 so we're coming up on that and i think
the rest of the
witnesses will probably
going to be Mr. Orfanides. You're going to be
testifying, correct?
You're representing?
I have my
client, and then I'm going to add some questions
of some of
Whalen's witnesses.
So rather than break
when you begin your testimony
or break it up, why don't we take a five-minute