Got it.
Good afternoon, sir.
Could you please state your name as spelled for the stenographer?
It's Keith Harris, K-E-I-T-H-H-A-R-R-I-S.
Do you swear or firm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Mr. Harris, please proceed.
Yeah. Good afternoon, Mr. Bergman and the board. I'm the war leader in the area and also a state rep. I support the project and also the state rep from the area, the one named Ronnie Green, she supports this project.
Just in reference to what Mr. Master was saying about the discrimination part of the Civil Rights Act, Title IV, dating back to the original eras, that's why that legislation was put in place.
Actually, to oppose this is why that legislation was put in place in the first place.
Because to not do this is really to put in place the haves and the have-nots.
okay rental properties we don't have the same manufacturing base in this country anymore
um when those houses originally built right so the employment structure has changed to give
young families a chance to stay in the communities that they grew up in they were born in to give
them a starter home right that what mr masters is testifying on opposes that so actually it's
reverse what he's saying. Maybe he don't even
understand oil mischief is coming. Don't
understand based on the letter that was
sent to our governor Shapiro
and other parties in this, including myself.
But I don't think
they're looking at the whole picture here
that also on the
$2,400 block of Dover
Newcourt, that was a turnkey project.
40 something
units, ownership, and
it was still a post. So you can't
have it both ways here.
like you know so so you don't want any units for rent no units for even for sale for ownership
so what's the so what are you arguing like it's just going around in circles
thank you very much do you have any questions go for i do not master you have any questions
all right thank you and mr sharp just to clarify uh mr harris was with your testimony for all
three matters that are before the board this afternoon regarding related to this project
Mr. Harris, the question is, do you feel the same way about all three cases?
Yes, all three cases.
Thank you very much.
All right. Thank you. Saving you the time from testifying three times.
Hello, Reverend. Could you please state your name as Bell for the stenographer?
Yes. Good afternoon, Chairman and Board.
Reverend Tyrone Williams, Tyrone, T-Y-R-O-N-E Williams, W-I-L-L-I-A-M-S.
Right. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, I do.
Please proceed.
So we're almost at the finish line of a process that took almost five, six years that should.
It's because other processes wasn't followed.
As a CDC and program manager trying to inform the community exactly what is coming with this project,
it was hard to message it under mis-messaging.
prime example the meeting that was held on Monday
so I just want to say Strawberry Mansion
CDC is looking to put affordable housing for all
people. Strawberry Mansion does have
not just black people in it, it does have white people and other races
in it too. Although black people may dominate
there are other races. I think it's against the law to
even start a project with thinking what particular race you're going to have come in these projects.
So I just think that the testimony we heard today and contacting those that really had
nothing to do with this matter at all is just, it's not professional, number one, but number two,
I'm hoping that we can bring this to fruition because the project is needed. That's the reason
that the project is on the table
because it is needed
in the area that is definitely blighted.
thank you and that's for all three cases do you have any questions to him no i don't okay
Thank you.
And that's for all three cases.
Do you have any questions to him?
No, I don't.
anyone else in the current office one over there yeah you can sit down sure
good afternoon hi could you bring the mic real close to you sure could you please state your
name and spell it my name is wendolin fields g-w-e-n-d-o-l-y-n f-i-e-l-d-s right and i am
hold on hold on do you swear or affirm that's okay the whole truth and nothing but the truth
i do are you and are you a neighbor i am a resident a long time i'm a third generation
resident of of the 2500 block of north 31st please proceed and um i i feel like
when it comes to making certain that we spread around affordable housing throughout the city
the community, and the suburban areas, I don't think that that's done equitably. I feel like
it's concentrated in our neighborhood. They make us feel like we should be happy that we're getting
affordable housing and don't be concerned with anything else. We're not supposed to be concerned
with the number of people that's being funneled into the same area. It's already a heavily dense
area of people that doesn't allow for people to actually live and breathe comfortably without
worrying about am I going to get in an argument because there's no parking in the area am I going
to get into uh an argument because it's just simply too many people in one space yep and for
me personally I'm concerned about the whole neighborhood but my chief concern is about the
the uh 25 um 25 oh what is it the the lot right there where the canopy is and so I was told not
just based off of this, but a long time ago by my parents. I was told that those houses were
single-family homes. That lot that we're talking about in particular was a single-family home.
Those lots were taken due to eminent domain to create this green space to help with the community
to have better opportunities to enjoy their locations, to breathe easier, to have visually
have some green space close to them now this area has a lot of older people now so sure the park is
a couple blocks away but i can't walk to the park i'm oxygen dependent you know so that's not
something that i'm going to do on a regular basis i'm not saying i can't ever go there but it's but
it's more imperative to me to be able to come out to my front door and say oh it's nice and green
over here look there's some trees over here with all the extra people in the area that's going to
bring extra cars that's going to bring extra pollutants so that means when you start taking
away those green spaces in these little pocket areas it's nothing to absorb all those pollutants
it's nothing to help us be able to breathe easy so that we can live as long as we can live we
already lit the life expectancy in that area is already very low so when you start cramming more
people into this area, I don't understand how that's going to get better. I don't think that's
going to help us as a whole. And it's many places throughout that whole section that they're talking
about where all of these properties are. If you walk up and down most of those streets, you'll find
quite a few empty properties that single family homes. So why can't those affordable properties
be in there so now you're just you're not expanding the footprint of that area you're just
filling in where it's blank spaces as opposed to just pouring all these people into one space and
it's fine to put apartment yeah we you you were nice enough to lead a playground but now you're
blocking out all the sun you're blocking all the air you're bringing in more people is a greater
chance if my kid is playing in the not my kid but children in the community if they're playing in
that playground and you're trying to keep an eye on them now you have an apartment right here next
to them it's a lot simpler for somebody to snatch that kid and take them in the apartment than it is
for somebody if it's just a single family home there it's less people in the area that you had
to contend with when we already have just an unimaginable amount of people living in these
communities and sure I want everybody to have a safe affordable home but I think we got enough
in this city enough spaces in this city that we could spread it out enough so that everybody can
get their opportunity all right thank you very much mr goldberg you have any questions yeah i
have one question um so specifically to to the the playground that you were referencing at 2401
no the the playground that you were referencing at 2401 30 30 seconds yeah sorry 23 yes correct
30 seconds yeah sorry 23 yes correct the one that we just went over so um that space that's next to
The one that we just went over.
the playground that you were referencing you know was previously easier to see people that were over
there what what is that space being used for currently it's being useful i don't know what
it's being used for personally okay but but what i do know is that i don't know what it's using for
personally. But what I do know is if you're putting a multiple amount of people in this
smaller space, why can't you just, if that's the case, then why don't you just sell each
individual property? So now you're putting a family instead of multiple families in a smaller
amount of space. Yeah. So, so my question was about the big open unused space that.
But this is the thing, and this is what y'all do all around the whole city. And I'm saying in
general I'm not saying your company but what you do for us is you make us feel like we should be
so grateful because now you're doing something on this empty spot when it's a myriad of things that
could be done on that empty spot for that matter that place right there could use a green space
so why not have that green space so that those kids is over there at the playground they can be
breathing a little easier as opposed to putting in more housing when you have if you walk up the
street in any direction you got
multiple places that empty
that's the blight that we need to
contend with prior before we go
to the next step of creating
new properties it's great to have
nice shiny new properties
I think you've made your point
do you have any other questions
Steve do you have any questions
none of her now okay is there anyone else in the virtual
audience here
come on up councilman
please
so councilman this is the first case it's uh 2500 north 31st street it's 24 to 1 north 32nd
for what yeah okay all right um well what you could do is you give all three cases on the record
right now okay um steve you want to start your case and what i'm going to do is go to the virtual
audience when i'm done okay um i was gonna say mr jared there you may want to go to the virtual
audience next there's three people with their hands raised they've been waiting all right
first hand please yes i have a handout from a number ending in 6517 i will allow them to speak
Good afternoon.
Hi, good afternoon.
Could you please state your name and spell for the sonographer?
Judith Robinson, J-U-D-I-T-H-R-O-B-I-N-S-O-N.
Can I say receivership?
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
I affirm.
Please, please proceed.
PHA has blighted our whole community over many years.
We have many vacant properties that are left vacant and vacant land in this neighborhood and throughout the city of Philadelphia.
We are very concerned about this land use using PHA.
They are increasing density.
Their management is horrible right nearby, 30th and Gordon.
That's why we oppose this property whole transaction.
It's concentrated.
It's bad management over many, many years.
And then we're very concerned.
This is where I grew up.
My family home is still there.
And we always had a peaceful life near the park.
But since PHA has concentrated their tenants at 30th and Gordon,
It changed the whole feeling in our community.
It's just been horrible management.
Nothing can stop them after they come into your community.
It's bad, bad management.
We're concerned about sanitation.
We're concerned about the management of these lands after the fact.
We've always been a stable community, working-class community over many years.
We have some of every type of property in our community.
We have scattered sites, which are badly managed.
They should be sold to the tenants, long-term tenants, who are our neighbors over many years.
But that hasn't happened with PHA.
The only thing that could stop this bad management is they were in receivership when Mr. Jeremiah came to town.
And since then, they've been allowed to do many unsavory things.
Unprecedented eminent domain has been used.
And now land management is being used to usurp our community for the next 100 years.
We're very opposed to this.
I want to be put down as an opposition, and I would like to speak about the other properties as they are different.
opposite in opposition and i would like to speak about the other properties as they are different
in every location thank you steve do you want to next hand please i would like to ask miss
robinson one quick question sure um mr robinson if you're still there um are you aware that
pha is not managing these properties and that penrose will be managing these properties
yes yes um uh we want certain we know this is a pha deal and we know whether pha is the direct
manager or not their tenants need to be better managed so if the tenants are coming from various
relocated uh tenants from bloomberg from barterman village they never lived uh in this particular
the area and we see from the 30th and gordon hell if i could be so frank uh it's been bad for us
the trash the just a mismanagement of the tenant so no matter who's managing them we find it to be
unsavory and blight on our community from pha over many years all right miss provinson thank you steve