I was not at that meeting. Tom Chapman attended on behalf of the applicant, but he's
since retired. So I don't have firsthand knowledge of the meeting.
I don't remember the lady's name who spoke on behalf of the, I think it was Natalie.
Are you still on, Natalie?
Yes, I'm still on. The community is opposed to additional apartments coming into the neighborhood
because the side of the street that that single family home is on is facing a residential area
and they're concerned with additional traffic and all of the things that they had mentioned,
you know, the flooding issues and all of that.
So the downsizing of the apartments down, you know, to maybe six still would be an issue
because that would add a lot more congestion to that area,
and it would also put that leasing office on the residential block.
Did I hear earlier that the leasing office was off the table?
What we're asking the board to approve will not include any office.
No commercial, no retail, it's all residential.
That's correct.
All right.
So my next point is, if you built two single family homes there, and we just average it out that four people to a home, you got eight people living in two single families.
So that's why I go back to if there's any consideration room, is there any appetite for going back and discussing a lesser number of units?
and I don't know if that would even work for the developer but I'm trying to figure out I don't
know if I would I don't know how you would be able to sell a single family on that site maybe 1901
you could I don't know how you do it in 2020 that's my point I just don't don't see how you
get there I don't know who would buy a house surrounded by all those apartments so it's an
open question if somebody wants to uh natalie if you want to weigh in if you think there's an
opportunity uh to have further conversation with the applicant and his attorney uh let us know
um i would defer that to kelly o'day who's on this call who has been in touch with the neighbors
okay uh chair too we do have 10 other hands just well the 10 other hands uh unless they have
something new and different uh we'll certainly entertain we can take their names and addresses
for the record but again folks you know this this is things are a little bit different now
we're doing this virtually it's um takes a lot more time for us to get through these processes
but if you have something new and different raise your hand if not um maybe natalie or someone can
give us the names and addresses of the folks that are there or they can get on the record themselves
so so why don't we do that let's let's get the name let the other witnesses their names and
addresses i i lowered all hands and then they came back so do you wish them all to be allowed
to put on record their name and address yes and i will only entertain comments if it's new and
different. Jane, you have been unmuted and you're allowed to speak. Hi, my name is Jane Von Bergen.
That's Jane, J-A-N-E, V-O-N-B-E-R-G-E-N. I live at 314 East Mountain.
V-O-N-B-E-R-G-E-N.
I live at 314 East Mount Airy Avenue.
I can look out my back window and see the house.
It's next to the house.
It's, it's, uh, is another single family dwelling.
Um, you know, there's a driveway that separates it.
The street is basically charming and residential.
And I, excuse me, I'm sorry to interrupt, but could the witness be sworn in?
Well, go ahead.
Sorry.
to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth yes thank you so anyway jane von bergen
capital b-o-n capital b-e-r-g-e-n live at 314 east mount area avenue i can look through my back
window and see the house it's actually quite a charming house when it's kept up and um it's next
to another uh single family home on that same street i object to it because it will change the
nature of the street. It's not so much the number of the units, it's the problem, it's the nature
of the street, and nothing that has been proposed will, you know, by the developer will make that
okay. Thank you. Next we have Richard Gallagher. You can unmute yourself and give your testimony.
Thank you very much. My name is Richard Gallagher, R-I-C-H-A-R-D G-A-L-L-A-G-H-E-R. I live at 417 East Durham Street in Philadelphia. That's one block east of the subject property. I did submit a written testimony last week, but I'd just like to point out a couple of
uh let me interrupt you sir if you could do you swear in the firm to tell the truth the whole
truth and nothing but the truth yes i do thank you please proceed uh just a couple of quick points
to to uh make um regarding the context of the site um we believe that the uh proposed development um
especially the size and mass of the building would permanently alter and dominate the block
on which it sits. We feel that the essential character of the surrounding neighborhood
is that of tree-lined streets with semi-detached single-family homes. And so the proposed development
would greatly alter that feel on the street. Regarding the traffic, I'd like to ask whether
a traffic study has been done to ascertain what the impact would be on Durham Street
with regard to congestion. Of the four streets that bound the apartment complex, Durham Street
is the smallest and I feel the least equipped to handle an increase in traffic. Regarding the
impervious coverage the it's been stated that 1800 square feet of impervious
coverage would be added to the site which may not seem like a lot but that
would about triple the amount of impervious coverage I don't mean to be
rude and interrupt but I think we've heard some testimony once or twice
regarding that again we're not trying to dismiss your your testimony as not
being relevant but we're trying to get people on as possible we have other
cases under understood sir I just wanted to point out that that's triple the
existing amount we should thank you thank you that's all we have Joanne on
and Joanne you have been unmuted and you can give your testimony this is her
husband, Carl Papendik. Carl, would you state your name and address for the record? Yes, my name is
Carl, C-A-R-L, last name Papendik, P-A-P-E-N-D-I-C-K. You swear to the firm to tell the truth, the whole
truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Thank you, sir. Please proceed. I have the property. I'm at
7131 Sprague, which is actually 300 East Durham. I'm the only property that abuts the apartments,
and I think part of the sophistry of selling this on the low percentage of change by adding this
one apartment building is not what you see if you stand on Durham Street and look back
across the street toward the apartments.
Right now, two-thirds of that space is taken up by residences,
one-third by an apartment house.
The large white house on the corner is mine.
I've lived here for 65 years.
I've lived here for 65 years.
From my understanding, the apartment...
From my understanding, the apartments were built
five years before I moved in.
The apartments have been doing all the things
one would expect apartments to do
to make themselves stay attractive for renters.
But in the last couple of years,
the shift has been on to be more commercial,
where they've cut down trees,
By the way, there are two very large trees that are on that lot with that house.
When we moved in, our neighbor Miss Taylor, who owned the house, loved the house and
had no difficulty selling it to others after she moved. So the idea that it wouldn't be attractive,
maybe the apartment house could make it less attractive so it wouldn't sell well,
which they will do for our homes that are surrounded by them or adjacent to them.
So that's more than just a house. It's two large trees, it's hedge, it's a wall, it's a feeling of
a house, and it's a feeling of a residential area if you're across the street looking back at it.
When you look back at it, you don't see all the 90 units.
You see one apartment house.
That's it.
Now you will see two, which is doubling and halving, if you will, or reducing significantly
the look when you look at the house from Durham Street on the northwest side.
You see those two houses right now and this cute little house in the middle.
And the apartments have been able to rent it.
We talked to the woman who rents it.
She loves the place.
She was just told that her lease would not be extended.
So in effect, they gave up a rental.
Mr. Chair, I'm sorry.
I have to object to hearsay on that.
Okay, my wife called to her.
Joanne?
Yeah, but your wife's not, sorry, your wife's not testified.
Well, can she testify now?
Oh, I think we're going to hear the same thing.
Am I not correct?
She's going to, she actually talked to the woman.
So it's not.
Jared, did you want to?
I'm not looking to, I don't want to repeat anybody's testimony.
I'm just making my hearsay objection and it can just be noted.
Thank you.
So would you allow my wife, Joanne, to talk about what she was told by the woman herself?
This is Joanne Papendick, J-O-A-N-N-E-P-A-P-E-N-D-I-C-K, 300 East Durham Street.
I live next door to the little house, 318.
is anyone there yes chair can you swear her in can you swear for him to tell the truth the
whole truth and nothing but the truth i do thank you i i was talking to tanya and she said that
her lease was up at the end of may and that she was had she had to leave but then with the
pandemic, they allowed her to stay until the end of August, but she still had to
get out of the house at the end. What is the relevance of this testimony? Well, the
house is going to sit empty. That is not relevant. I mean, the house
could be empty, could be occupied. I'm just, what relevance does that have as
It's the desirability of the house.
And you can see at the pictures now on your screen,
I hope you're seeing what we do,
the two large trees and the hedge surrounding the house.
Yeah, but somebody can decide to buy that house.
If they bought it, they can tear that stuff down.
There's no guarantee that the shrubbery
and the trees are going to remain.
But there's a guarantee they won't.
if their zoning is approved.
I hear you, but there's no guarantees
moving forward.
I just lost everybody here.
How did I do that?
Hello?
It also establishes a residential look
at this time.
Understood.
Tanya?
Okay, Chair.
If you wish for these people only
to put their name and address on record,
we have Minow Reval.
you have been allowed to speak. Please unmute yourself and go forward with testimony.
You have been allowed to speak.
Please unmute yourself and go forward with testimony.
Thank you.
My name is Meenal Ravel, M-E-E-N-A-L.
Last name is R-A-V-A-L.
Address?
7153 Sprague Street, around the corner from this site.
We swear to firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Thank you.
Something new and different please
Right two points. Mr. Klein said we're just adding in a small way by turning this house and
Lawn into a asphalt. I will say that's classic
Way that all environmental issues are being taken these days. The situation is already bad. We already have too much impervious
land here
Ma'am, I need to interrupt you, and I'm sorry. You're repeating a lot of what we've already
heard. Okay, I'm not repeating. I'm saying I'm questioning. I'm questioning. I'm questioning
adding in a small way. It's not a small way. No, no, no. You have to wait, ma'am. Ma'am,
you're talking about impervious surface. We've heard that two or three times already.
Something really different, please. She's been muted. Would you like to move on?
The second point is single family. You said that this, this property would be undesirable
as a small family, like one or two person. It is extremely desirable to live, to buy it. I
myself would buy this property if it was available as a house. So it is very desirable. It's a lovely
little block. That's my two points. Thank you very much for letting me speak.
Thank you.
Alicia, you've been allowed to speak.
Please state your name and address.
Oh, hi.
This is James Aleniak.
I think I'm on my wife's plan for the phone system.
Anyway, it's James Aleniak, James, Z-E-L-E-N-I-A-K.
I live at 7151 Sprague Street.
I think that what we're missing here, and the important thing to note,
is that the house is not out of character.
It doesn't matter that it's built in 1901.