your great predecessor stood for dignity. To support or stay silent on this harmful project,
is to betray those values. This is not labor. It's exploitation, and history will remember it
as such. Let the City of Philadelphia, the Zoning Board, and its agencies remember you are not just
approving a housing plan. You are determining whether civil rights still matter in this city.
We urge you to pause this development, investigate Title VI, and planning violations. Respect the
Lower North Plan and respect the community and respect the law. The legal policy and planning
violation summary. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibits discrimination based on race,
color, or national origin by any agency receiving federal funds.
Can I mention something? Steve, you've already covered this. So could we move on a little bit,
please well i needed to make context but i mean he made the context for you i mean he spent a
great deal of time earlier on discovering that so why don't you move on from that one point
well that's not a rush that's just trying to not repeat things over and over yeah but if it's
in the record then we have evidence of it being it's it's it's what he did put it in the record
Okay, thank you.
See, I don't know if everything I'm saying, he's saying.
See, I don't know if everything I'm saying, he's saying.
Well, I mean, if I hear...
Well, I mean, if I hear something that's, he covered the Civil Rights Act several times.
So, Mr. Chair, we have no objection that whatever her prepared remarks are entered into the record, I have objection to the factual accuracy of it, but I have no objection so the board can read it afterwards at their leisure.
Right. Mr. Chair, while I gave you the legal basis, I didn't speak to the facts about what the actual concentration of minority residents are in Strawberry Mansion versus white and other people.
She started this Civil Rights Act, is what I'm saying. You saw that. I said you've covered that pretty well. All right.
On the legal part of it, but not the actual, not the facts as to whether.
Steve, how much longer are you going to take, Steve? And I don't mean to rush, but Steve, there's a lot that has to be done today.
Sure, I understand. I'm giving the mic back to my client, but I think she needs to talk about the data of whether Starbury Mansion is a majority Black neighborhood.
I think she said that already, but go ahead. Go ahead.
Now I don't even know where to...
Well, then I think what we're going to do is we're going to submit that document and it'll become part of the record.
Well, I do want to.
to, well, in terms of what I have here,
because the focus is also on housing and structures,
in terms of 11 units,
particularly being presented for 2,506 North 31st Street, the proposed developments at the Kermit
Pocket Park features extremely small substandard units. Units fall below health and livability
guidelines. The site lacks setback buffers and amenities for families. It replaces healthy green
space with cramped inferior housing. The removal of this park places children and families
in direct sight of and proximity to a stop-and-go located at 2601 North 31st Street,
normalizing alcohol consumption and exposing residents to environmental harm and public nuisance.
Governmental oversight and responsibility summary.
Mayor and city council have a duty to uphold Title VI, the Fair Housing Act, and the city's own planning policy.
Council members representing Strawberry Mansion must not permit the misuse of zoning to reinforce segregation.
State representatives and state senators must ensure that state-funded and state-approved developments comply with civil rights laws and do not exacerbate racial disparities.
Congressmen and U.S. senators have an obligation to investigate and intervene in federally funded projects that demonstrate clear signs of Title VI or AFFH violations.
Governor Josh Shapiro must direct the appropriate state agencies to pause this project and ensure that Pennsylvania is not complicit in federal civil rights violations.
So, Steve, the issues about the governor have nothing to do with the zoning board and the three people we're talking about.
But I mean, that's something that you can do, but it's not part of the record to read in about the governor.
well it's important because robin weissman in terms of the low income housing tax credits
and the point is being made because this project again came to our community where it already has
had uh contracts paid out already so this is really like a double dip with the low income
housing tax credit process with this program, which is why we're calling for an investigation.
Okay, we'll call for investigation, but today we're here to whether to decide whether the
three units get the zoning they need. Well, evidence, evidentiary support included in our
opposition letter. The following evidence was submitted with our formal opposition letter to
the zoning board statement of facts and legal framework outlining legal and ethical violations
by attorneys and organizations involved in the project community petitions opposing the
development signed by over 100 near and impacted neighbors letters of opposition from academics
elected committee people rcos lifelong residents and community advocates well documented scientific
I'm going to object to, again, factional witnesses I have no issue with.
Steve, let's try to finish this.
We're going to try to finish this.
Confirming the negative health and social effects.
Confirming the negative health and social effects of concentrated poverty and displacement
leads to poorer health outcomes, higher crime, and reduced upward mobility.
Expert source is Harvard.
I'm going to object.
Housing studies.
Steve, concentrate on these three here today.
That's what we're talking about.
The removal of tree cover and green space increases urban heart island effects.
i'm gonna object because she doesn't have the aptitude to make those statements actually
these are these are based on the criteria that the zoning board has to has to vote on i understand
but we're not she's not an expert in this field steve so really let's concentrate on the three
properties i mean i right but you're talking about removing a park removing green space and putting
and putting infill with you know you just said that i understand that yeah yeah so that that's
going to increase gun violence, it's going to increase a little lower, I'm going to object to
that statement. Do we have anything more? We're able to identify through research. If somebody
says something to you, you can go and try and define how that violates you. And to not be able
to have a conversation in this body around what we have, what we live every day, to not be able
to identify what we actually are experiencing, it's really, it's harmful, actually. So the
project, as we have found, it violates Title VI by imposing unjust burdens on a protected class.
I'm going to object because she's also not a lawyer.
This is her conclusion. So she's just concluding.
It undermines the Fair Housing Act by reinforcing segregation.
I'm going to object.
AFF rule by ignoring fair housing duties.
I'm going to object.
Steve, I think you've covered this pretty well in the beginning, really.
Well, we call on Mayor Sherrell Parker, Council President Kenyatta Johnson, and all other Philadelphia City Council members, and all of the parties involved in state HUD funding, whether through state to
um pause this program we respectfully request these entities launch a formal review of this
development process the outdated memorandum of understanding dated may 2020 22 and the pattern
of conduct suggest the title six violations planning irregularities and civil rights harm
to the strawberry man thank you very much steve do you have anything else i i would like to cross
examine the witness sure go ahead all right uh try to keep it yeah we got we got at least 25 more
cases i know i want you to concentrate yeah okay miss cummings um i i'm holding um up here in my
right hand a document that's entitled save our pocket park 2500-06 north 31st street
is is this something that you prepared it's not okay all right are you the one who created a
community meeting for this for this that was scheduled for june 2nd 2025 okay all right okay
thank you steve do you have anything else i do not think so wait actually we don't we have some
people in the in the audience here well yeah yeah is there any other people in the audience here
yeah so so we have some um community mr chair i would like ask the board to redact anything
related to that community meeting including anything regarding the petition as well because
that was not even conducted by miss i don't know who conducted i've not been i don't i i
learned about that community meeting what you're telling me so i mean i i don't think that the
zoning board has the power to suspend the first amendment okay is there anyone in the virtual
one that has comments, not the
first one, it's here. Come on up, ma'am.
Could somebody please let her
use the mic?
Hi, could you please state your name and spell for
the stenographer? Mary Felder.
M-A-R-Y
Felder.
f-e-l-d-e-r do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
yeah are you a neighbor i am okay and just just so you know we've had a great deal testimony today
are you in favor of these three properties or against i'm against thank you very much for
taking the time to come here we appreciate i would like all of these witnesses have specifically
um specific things that they wanted to say that are unique to them from their experience in the
specific things that they wanted to say that are unique to them from their experience in the
neighborhood.
neighborhood so i would like her to have an opportunity to say that and not to be and not
to be pushed away after two words well well steve now first of all i don't push people away we've
been going over this for a while yeah everything you do you're trying to prolong this and i'm just
trying to find a way that what's fair for everybody for both sides so if she has something she wants
to say then say yeah she i mean she came out i don't push people away steve you're just ridiculous
i i apologize you you can you can do you have something that you wanted to say something you
want to say ma'am what's what's important for you about this important for me is home ownership
okay a bunch of stacked up houses or people creating more drama in north philly than we
already had i cleaned the whole community i cleaned i've gotten shot one time by you know
people i don't even know or had nothing to do with it some gray-haired lady out there cleaning
the streets and i just think that this is a bad impact it's not a good one i need i need
homeownership i don't need a bunch of apartments okay because if that's the case we just build
projects, and we all
have fair housing. Thank you
very much for your comments. Anyone else?
Hi, could you please state your name and spell
for the stenographer? Yes, my name is
Joetta Johnson. My
first name is J-O-E-T-T-A,
last name Johnson,
J-O-H-N-S-O-N.
Right. Do you swear or affirm that
tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, sir. Are you a neighbor? Yes.
Are you in favor of this project or against?
Against.
Is there anything that you can tell us that we haven't heard?
No, they basically stated everything that was.
Thank you very much, ma'am.
I appreciate it.
Is there anyone else?
Do we have anyone in the virtual audience?
I have an Aisha Richardson with their hand raised.
I have allowed them to speak.
Right.
Good afternoon. My name is Aisha Richardson. I'm here from the Office of State Senator Shreve Street.
Aisha, could you spell your name for the courts?
It's A-I-S-S-I-A. Last name is Richardson, R-I-C-H-A-R-D-S-O-N.
Do you swear or affirm that tell the truth, the whole truth is nothing but the truth?
Please proceed.
now? So housing is healthcare. As we saw during the pandemic, the ability to shelter in place
became an imperative. And historically, those who are poor or of color are often disenfranchised
regarding access to affordable and quality housing. It's interesting that the Whitman Park
project was mentioned because that project, Senator Representative Milton T Street or T-Milton
Street was one of the counter demonstrators regarding that Whitman site. And it took 27
years for that housing to come online and unfortunately 75 of the families were 40 percent
black those families lost their homes when that project was being developed in the 1950s and none
of those families came back and 27 years is too long to wait for affordable housing and strawberry
mansion senator street is in support of the project thank you so anyone have any questions
thank you ayesha for calling we appreciate it is there anyone else in the audience
Mr. Greg Hampson with the hand raised I have allowed him to speak Mr. Chair
I'm Mr. Hanson could you please state your name and spell for the court stenographer
uh can you hear me sir I can okay uh Gregory Hampson I'm the uh senior executive vice president
of uh capital projects here at the Philadelphia Housing Authority right could you spell your name
for the stenographer, please. H-A-M-P-S-O-N. Right. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Please proceed, sir. Okay. Since 2019,
PHA is met with the former council president and the community with Penrose and formed a
community benefits agreement with the Strawberry Mansion Community Development Corporation.
PHA has worked tirelessly to ensure that what the community wanted was done, and that includes the pocket parks.
There's 11 pocket parks in that neighborhood.
The changes that we made, we reduced the density from 77 to 57.
We transformed the duplexes into townhouses.
We avoided construction on a playground lot.
All these things caused delays to the project, but we were willing to work with the community.
We accommodate the community's request to not build on 28th and York.
We accommodate the community's request to not build on 28th and York.
We offered additional community room space.
We established an on-site management office.
We targeted a one-bedroom multifamily building to make it seniors now, so seniors will get
to spend their days facing the park right along 33rd Street.
We lowered the height of the buildings from three stories to two stories.
And we also did, we're under contract now for 30 homeownership units in the neighborhood.
Um, what's, what's, and, and really one of the goals here is to preserve affordable housing.
You can just drive down 33rd street and see what's going on that the neighborhood is changing.
And we think this gives the opportunity for young folks to be able to afford a place in
Strawberry Manson because it will be soon.
They won't be able to, and seniors to have affordable living in really a pleasant area
right next to one of the most beautiful parks, I think in the country, Fairmont park.
And additionally, you know, we've worked and they switched the RCO and Bonita came along and it feels like it's just been delay after delay.
And these delays have cost an additional five million dollars to the project, which we've already been one point five million dollars spent working with everyone.
But what is sad is if we delay this much more, there's thirty four million dollars in grants, including the tax credits.