The Spirit of Penn's Garden, March 24

THIS

WEEKMARCH 24, 2016

VOL. 1NO. 10

PRESS

HOTOFF THE

WALK AGAINSTHUNGER

5

Fairmount-based Coali-tion Against Hunger to

raise awareness, funds for hunger relief.

32ND WARD RCO

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North Philly residents voice concerns over pro-

posed zoning code chang-es in their community.

ACCU REGGIE

3

Weather forecast for the Penn’s Garden region.

COMMUNITY CALENDAR

8

Events and happeningsin Penn’s Garden.

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Hien Bui was able to save her business, Ann’s Nails, from be-ing seized through eminent domain by the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA) as part of their project to rebuild the Sharswood neighborhood in North Philadelphia.

Located at 2234 Ridge Avenue, Ann’s Nails was on a list of 1,330 proper-ties to be seized by PHA under the eminent domain law. Hui spoke with City Council and was able to go through a lengthy and complicated pro-cess to have her business removed from the list. The project to rebuild Sharswood, led by Philadelphia developer Domus, whose other projects include the redevelopment of the Divine Lorraine on North Broad Street, involves rebuilding a commercial corridor along Ridge Avenue. In November 2013, PHA, with its 23 partners, received a Choice Neigh-borhood Initiative (CNI) Planning Grant for $500,000 to support the transformation plan for Sharswood and the Blumberg site. Sharswood became a blighted neighborhood shortly after the three Norman Blum-

berg apartments were built at 2311 W. Jefferson Street in 1969. However, the PHA’s plan has come under criticism by locals, as many question the agency’s ability to maintain its properties. After all, resi-dents blame PHA for Sharswood’s condition to begin with. An interview was scheduled with PHA CEO Kelvin Jeremiah. Due to a scheduling conflict, he was not available and could not reschedule the interview before deadline and therefore could not comment. Not all residents were as fortunate as Hui. Property owner and Sharswood resident Adam Lang said PHA is taking two houses and two lots he owns and he is still fighting with them over his properties. Lang owns the house he currently lives in on Master Street, two of the four vacant lots next to his house that he bought from the city several years ago, and two properties from a PHA auction two years ago. In January of last year, Lang received notices that his two lots and two

Continued on Page 6.

PHOTOS FROM SATURDAY’S IMPLOSION – PAGE 7

BYE BYE,

BLUMBERG

Page 2 The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 24, 2016

32nd Ward RCOW R I T T E N B Y D A N I E L L E N E L S O N

N O R T H P H I L L Y R E S I D E N T S V O I C E C O N C E R N S O V E R P R O P O S E D Z O N I N G C O D E C H A N G E S

Emotions overflowed at the 32nd Ward Registered Community Organization meeting last week,as residents voiced their concerns over propos-als to change the Philadelphia Zoning Code for

land use in their neighborhood. Attorney Jhen Jin and his representatives, and develop-ers Karl Klotzbach and Carlos Cully brought floor plans to thoroughly explain to residents how they would either renovate or demolish and reconstruct new developments, turning them into multi-family apartments. Despite the proposal, residents were concerned that the changes in the community could create other problems such as heavy traffic, parking issues, environmental is-sues, vandalism and an abundance of trash. The first property that was on the agenda was the 1938 North 19th Street building where Cully aims to renovate the single family home and transform it into multi-family apartments. “There will be three floors,” Jin said. “It will be divided up into two units. Each of the units will be bi-level. There will be four bedrooms and a study area for each unit.” Once the building is renovated, Cully said he is open to renting it out to anyone, either students or families. But the residents were outraged when they heard the monthly rental fee. “The rent will be about $1600 per month,” Cully said. The residents murmured amongst each other about the cost, expressing their worries about the rent and how it won’t be affordable for low-income families. Therefore, they believed Temple University students would be the primary occupants of the apartments, which would cre-ate parking issues. Janet King, a resident of the area and a former landlord in the neighborhood, said that after living in the area since 1983 she is very aware that with more students comes more cars. “Parking is a big issue for me,” King said. “I know that on Friday night, if I am not home by 5PM, I can’t park any-

where near my house. [Students’] friends come over, their cousins visit, now that is four cars. I am not walking four blocks in the middle of the night to move my car.” Cully said, however, he would rather not lease his apart-ments to students. “I would rather have a family who will enjoy the apart-ment and be long-time tenants than the continuous turn-over you get with students,” Cully said. Klotzbach, the developer for a property at 1608 Susque-hanna Avenue, said he plans on demolishing the building. The building is a commercial mixed-used property, with a storefront on the ground floor and residential space above it. But Jin and his client, Klotzbach, would like to change the Zoning Code for the property and convert it into multi-family apartments where residents can live on all floors. Tinamarie Russell, a resident who lives across from the location, said the area is a residential/business corridor and should remain so. “They knew when they bought the property that it was a business/residential corridor,” Russell said. “There were signs and everything, so to try to get it rezoned and make it strictly residential is an absolute no no.” If the Zoning Code does change for the property on Susquehanna Avenue, one resident at the meeting voiced his concerns about the construction and the amount of dust it will cause. He said there are times when he had to call the police because he couldn’t get on his block be-cause the dumpsters blocked the road on both sides. Along with those two properties, there are two more prop-erties the developers plan on converting to a multi-family apartments. They are both on Carlise Street, which is a Special Institutional District (SID). According to Jin, when the variance was first presented to the Zoning Board the project was refused because both the 2020 Carlisle and 2031 Carlisle Street properties fell under SID, where only institutions are to be built. Although Jin and his clients plan on going before the

City in hopes of changing the Zoning Code, residents had concerns of their own if more students will live in their neighborhood. The trash truck picks up garbage once per week and even though there are garbage bins and containers outside or on the street, King says there are only certain bags the trash trucks pick up. “Those bags that you get from Fresh Grocers are not trash bags,” King said. “They just get you from the store to home. If you have 10 of those stuffed in there, the trash truck doesn’t pick that up. Then the rats go into it, the cats and squirrels go into it, so it spills out and then peo-ple like me who hate trash have to sweep up everyday.” Nevertheless, residents agreed the renovation of the buildings would help to enhance the neighborhood, but they are concerned that the developers will not fulfill their obligations. Judith Robertson, the chairwoman of the 32nd Ward Registered Community Organization, plans on hosting another meeting to vote whether they approve or oppose the proposals Jin and his clients brought forth before they go to the Zoning Board in April. ·

Page 3The Spirit of Penn’s Garden – March 24, 2016

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Last week we soared into the 70s and then crashed into the 40s and 30s with a dash of snow! It’s March, so go figure. The storm that brought light snow to the area was much ado about nothing as

the surface temperatures were too warm for anything to stick. Oh well, no one is complaining about that! This week we revert back into spring and this time it’s NOT a tease. Winter is finally toast. You will still need a jacket from time to time (especially at night), but all that windy, cold, snow business is over. Our coldest day this week is in the 50s, but much of the week flirts with 70.

Watch for spring showers, especially in the latter half of the forecasting period. Snow chances this week: None — Philly may not see an-other snowflake until next winter. Thursday is a picture perfect day. It will be sunny and warm with temperatures at or above 70. A warm lovers delight! A cold front comes through on Friday so expect showers in the morning with clearing in the afternoon. It will be breezy and slightly cooler. Saturday is a cooler day, but will feature ample sunshine.

Overall, a comfortable day. Sunday is a touch warmer than Saturday, but clouds will be on the increase later in the day and at night. Shower chances come into the picture on Monday as we continue to stay warm. It doesn’t look like a washout, but could deliver a 3-4 hour period of rain. Tuesday is another day we have to watch for showers but we stay warm and at this point, that’s all that matters! The weather winner of the week is Thursday; the weath-er loser is Saturday, but it’s not even a bad day! ·


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Walk Against Hunger

W R I T T E N B Y D A N I E L R A I N V I L L E

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L O C A L F I T N E S S P R O G R A M P L A N S S T U D I O I N B R E W E R Y T O W N

L O C A L G R O U P S T O R A I S E A W A R E N E S S , F U N D S F O R H U N G E R R E L I E F

According to Philly Mag, Fit Academy — an out-door bootcamp-style fitness program — is bringing its services to a new brick-and-mortar fitness studio in Brewerytown this summer.

Trainer Osayi Osunde told Philly Mag that the space, located at 3050 West Master Street, will be home to a group-training area as well as a personal-training area. Some of the classes offered at the new studio will include CrossFit, a yoga-for-athletes class, and Tabata group class-es, among others. Osunde also plans to bring in a nutrition expert to help peo-ple make smart dietary choices, saying “I can put anyone through an amazing workout, but I know that unless you’re eating the right things, you’re not going to see results.” Even with this new space, Osunde says the outdoor boot camps will still remain very much alive. “It’s so unique to Philadelphia to be able to use the environment in the way we do” to work out. The new gym is scheduled to open by either this May or June. Meanwhile, Osunde continues to hold his five-days-a-week bootcamps at the Art Museum Steps, as well as his biweekly Fit Five workout and group 5K. ·

“Hunger is a word people hear and have thoughts about third-world countries; they don’t grasp that it’s a huge issue in our region,” said Tom Mahon, communications manager for the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger. Raising awareness about the true impact of food insecu-rity in the area is among the many goals of next month’s Thomas’ Walk Against Hunger, a 3.1-mile walk held April 9 along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. The event, now in its 20th year, promotes education about hunger and hunger-relief efforts, as well as raises needed funds for area organizations that work to combat the epidemic. Beneficiaries include hunger-relief nonprofits, soup kitchens and food pantries, whose supporters individual-ly fundraise in advance of the walk. “Each organization will create its own walk team — it’s like the old walk-a-thons — and they can then solicit do-nations that way,” Mahon explained. “We also have peo-ple who create teams to support those organizations. So I could walk for a soup kitchen in my neighborhood and start my own fundraising page and invite my friends and family.” About 80 organizations are currently registered as ben-eficiaries and Mahon expects about 100 by the day of the event. In addition to the Coalition (1725 Fairmount Ave.), other local beneficiaries include Berean Presbyteri-an Church, Bethel Presbyterian Church, Gibson Temple

Baptist Church, Golden Star Baptist Church, Haven Pe-niel United Methodist Church and Resurrection Baptist Church. Last year’s walk raised $258,000 for all of the participants and Mahon said organizers anticipate this year’s mile-stone walk could top that number. The walk draws between 3,000 and 4,000 participants and planning is handled by the Coalition’s 10 full-time staffers, which Mahon said is quite a job. But it’s one the organizers are eager to take on. “We’re finalizing T-shirt designs, posting beneficiaries to our website and spreading the word about the event and the mission of the organizations involved,” Mahon said. “It’s definitely a lot of work but it’s something we’re thrilled to be doing because it provides such a great oppor-tunity to so many organizations.” The Coalition aims to raise about $20,000 for its own organization, which has existed in different forms since 1996 and became its own nonprofit eight years ago. The agency takes a three-pronged approach to hunger, Mahon explained. It offers immediate relief through a ho-tline where people can learn about the food kitchens clos-est to them and an online map listing more than 300 pro-viders in the city. Its short-term relief program includes connecting clients to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, previously called Food Stamps. “It can be a very long and tedious process, so we serve kind of as a case manager and help them complete the ap-

plication and also as a mediator if they hit any snags with the County Assistance Office,” Mahon said. The Coalition also focuses on long-term relief initiatives, primarily in the advocacy realm, Mahon added. “We work to make sure those who face food insecurity have a voice regarding the laws and programs, locally and nationally, that affect them,” he said. Hunger affects people of all walks of life, so fittingly the Walk Against Hunger, Mahon noted, brings together a di-verse group of participants. “There are definitely folks who have been in or current-ly are in a situation where they face food insecurity. And it’s also people who are connected to a pantry through volunteering or who live near one. And each organization brings its own regular walkers,” he said. The staff and volunteers at those agencies, Mahon add-ed, rarely get the credit they deserve, another opportunity afforded by the walk. “You get to celebrate the food-pantry coordinators and kitchen workers who don’t hear the accolades too often that they should,” he said. “This is a great way to come to-gether and thank them for all of their work.” The goal of unity is being furthered by organizers sus-pending the run portion of the event this year, so that all participants can set off together. Both before and after the walk, there will be opportunities for participants to learn about the efforts to curb hunger in the region — and to enjoy the sights and sounds of the day. “It’s a family-friendly event, so there will be face painting for kids, food and live entertainment and bands at Eak-ins Oval,” Mahon said. “It’s just overall a fun atmosphere where you can learn about the issue of hunger and come together to build public witness against hunger.” Check-in for the Walk Against Hunger kicks off at 8AM April 9 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Frank-lin Pkwy. The walk sets off at 9AM. For more information, visit www.hungerwalk.org. For more information about the Coalition, visit www.hungercoalition.org. ·

Image Via Walk Against Hunger Facebook Page


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investment properties fall under eminent domain, and received official offer letters last June he tells Spirit News. Lang uses the empty lots that he owns adjacent to his house as a yard and hosts neighborhood cookouts there. Because PHA filed eminent domain, he cannot refinance them with his house. The other two buildings he owns are investment properties that he planned to fix up. Lang cur-rently cannot do any work on those properties now that PHA plans to take them away. The contract for Lang’s investment properties, which he bought at a PHA auction, requires him to develop them within a certain time frame or PHA takes them back and that clock is still ticking. “Everything for the last year or so is on hold, because you don’t know what to do anymore,” Lang said.Lang said he received PHA’s letter of intent for the side yards a week before he was planning on taking out a $15,000 loan to put brand new windows in the house. He said PHA offered him half of what he paid for every-thing, so Lang continues to fight with PHA over the prop-erties. Unfortunately, he said, it is not as easy to find a lawyer versed in eminent domain law. “Part of the process is fighting with them about it,” Lang said. “You have to get attorneys and appraisers, and it’s a headache.” There are a lot of people in the neighborhood who can-not afford those resources or who do not realize that they can fight PHA over. “You have to realize that at the end of the day, the city has a team of lawyers on their side that does this all the time,” Lang said. “They know what the ins and outs are.” He claims PHA does not have a good track record with keeping up on its properties. He is among neighbors who blame PHA for the blighted condition of Sharswood. “The irony is the reason they are looking to do this type of project here is because the property values are so low because they neglected the neighborhood and ran it down for a couple of decades,” Lang said. Blumberg towers has one of the highest crime ratings out of all the housing projects in the city, he said. PHA has had scattered-site properties in the neighborhood that have been boarded up for decades. Lang is also concerned that PHA could lose interest in this project over the six to 10 years it is supposed to take place. He also claims that, while the housing authority plans to

build affordable housing in the Blumberg apartments site, “The term ‘affordable housing’ is a misnomer.” Lang also sees PHA’s attempts as insulting to poor peo-ple, because it is as though the agency is saying poor peo-ple are not capable of finding their own housing. PHA scheduled the implosion for two out of three of the Norman Blumberg Apartments for Saturday, March 19th. One will remain as senior housing. But Lang has reserva-tions about the effect imploding the buildings will have on the neighborhood. One of those concerns is rodent infestations, Lang said. Blumberg Apartments were known for their poor living conditions and are heavily infested with rodents. Many locals fear that when the towers come down, the mice and rats will relocate to neighboring residences. In conjunction with the residential portion of the project, PHA also wants to do a commercial portion on Ridge Ave-nue, too. Lang said PHA does not have a good track record with commercial properties, either. He cites a project on Ridge Avenue in Manayunk where most of the commercial property is still vacant. With the amount of property the PHA is taking from the neighborhood, the health and well-being of Sharswood is completely dependent on one government agency that does not have a good record managing properties. Business owner Glenn Mancini, who lives in Harrowgate and bought two houses in Sharswood with his business partner, lost these homes to the city’s eminent domain ac-tion. Mancini and his partner operate a business in archi-tectural design and build. They invested $70,000 of their own savings into the properties located at 2020 and 2022 W. Master St. In October, PHA seized the houses under eminent do-

main. As a result, the two cannot make improvements to the properties or rent them out. Because Mancini and his partner have not yet been paid by the city for the proper-ties, they have no capital to invest in other properties to replace the income lost due to their inability to rent out these properties “Our business is in limbo because of it,” Mancini said. Another issue, Mancini said, is that until the PHA reach-es a settlement date, he has to keep paying taxes and the water bills even though the water company cut off service. Mancini called the Philadelphia Redevelopment Author-ity (PRA) a consultant for PHA and he was told he would need to continue to pay until a settlement date is reached. “I was told there’s nothing that can be done about the bills,” Mancini said. Additionally, Mancini received reports that he would be liable for old liens and encumbrances from previous own-ers of the properties that were taken from him. Mancini thinks private developers and investors would have been a better solution to improving Sharswood. “I think it would have been better for investors to invest in the neighborhood and in the private development pro-cess,” he said. “I think it could work if it stayed a mixture of market rate and low income.” “My story is just one example of incompetence being spurred on by corruption,” Mancini accuses the PHA. “A corruption of trampling on the rights of voiceless citizens in the guise of trying to help them. Kicked to the curb and exploited for a profit by the very agencies who claim they want to help. By seizing 1300 properties, PHA and [Council President] Clarke have cornered the real estate market in Sharswood, placing a virtual wall around the neighborhood that says developers and private investors keep out.” ·

Continued from Page 1.

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March 2-26THE RESONANCE OF PLACECerulean Arts (1355 Ridge Ave.) is pleased to present The Resonance of Place: Andrea Krupp & Roger Chavez, featur-ing works inspired by their recent residencies in Iceland and Ireland, respectively. The opening reception will take place on Friday, March 4 from 5-8PM and the Artists’ Talk will take place on Sunday, March 13 at 2PM. For more information on this exhibit and others, visit Cerule-anArts.com or call 267-514-8647.

Friday, March 25FRAM-ING :6The Performance Garage will host FRAM-ING :6 by Molly B. Misgalla. It is a 30-minute performance starting at 8PM with Q & A to follow immediately. Tickets will be sold at the door for $10 (cash only) Fram-ing : 6 is an investiga-tive research study looking at the use of film techniques in order to enhance the choreographic process. Artists in performance: Chrissy Howard, Shelby Glidden, Jason Gonzales, Tunai Jones, Kareem Marsh and Tony Rhodes. The Performance Garage is located at 1515 Brandywine St.

Saturday, March 26BYE BYE LIVER: THE PHILADELPHIA DRINKING PLAY 2 parts sketch comedy, 1 part drinking games: mixed and served! Listed number one from CBS Philly’s best comedy club in the city, we will dive into hilarious stories about the drinking experience, intertwined with drinking games with the audience. Doors open at 7PM and the show runs from 8-10PM. The show will take place at the Urban Sa-loon, 2120 Fairmount Ave., and admission is $20. For more information visit byebyeliver.com/Philadelphia.

Tuesday, March 29SM COMMUNITY RESOURCE GARDENInterested in growing your own vegetables and herbs? Join us at the SM Community Garden and learn how and when to grow food naturally. There are a limited number of plots available so come out and join the club soon. The event runs from 11AM-2PM.

Friday, April 1FIRST FRIDAY RECEPTIONBrewerytown Social brings together businesses, residents, and artists to create a cultural corridor around West Gi-rard Avenue that showcases talented local artists and ben-efits the entire Brewerytown community. This first friday, there will be receptions at Brewerytown Beats, The Mon-key & The Elephant, Crime & Punishment Brewing, and Lather Hair Studio from 6-10PM. For details on the artists and specific times, find Brewerytown Social on Facebook.

Tuesday, April 5A PEOPLE’S ASSEMBLYThe People’s Assembly at Tree House Books is a process that our community will engage in as important and es-sential impact makers in North Philadelphia. This pro-cess will, over time, expose how the ideas and work done by the people of North Philadelphia benefits the develop-ment of the entire city. By creating a relaxed and safe at-mosphere, Identifying key tasks to be completed during meetings, and being flexible with the agenda as new issues may arise, we will work towards community con-sensus. We will review writings reflective of great civiliza-tions and municipalities, we will share stories of success and celebration. We use this practice to develop plans for growing together. This is our city. Together we will direct its growth. Treehouse books is located at 1340 W. Susque-hanna Ave., and the event runs from 6:30-8:30PM.

Tuesday, April 5STOPPING THE CRIMINALIZATION OF YOUTHOver the past few decades, a significant rise in the number of out-of-school suspensions, expulsions, and referrals of students to the police – marked by an extraordinary level of racial bias – has stoked conversation about a “school-to-prison pipeline.” Building on years of research and advocacy, Harold Jordan will discuss some of the major obstacles to fixing our schools’ dependence on these measures, and some of the practices implemented in for-ward-looking school communities. Mr. Jordan is the Se-nior Policy Advocate at the ACLU of Pennsylvania, and the author of Beyond Zero Tolerance: Discipline and Policing in Pennsylvania Schools. He chairs the board of The Phila-delphia Public School Notebook, a nonprofit news service reporting on public education. The event will take place at Eastern State Penitentiary from 6-7PM. It is open to the

public and free, with a reception to follow.

Thursday, April 7THE BIOLOGY OF BEDTIMESLEEP—it’s something we do (or try to do) every night be-cause we feel tired and know how our behavior changes when we don’t catch enough zzz’s. Scientists, however, ar-en’t clear on the biology behind our compulsion to sleep, or even how regular snoozing benefits us. After making a simple discovery, that flies also need sleep, University of Pennsylvania Neuroscience professor Amita Sehgal was inspired to study the molecular basis of sleep and circa-dian rhythm (the 24-hour cycle that mysteriously dictates many of our physiological functions). At this Weeknights at the Wagner lecture, Sehgal will share the latest findings from her lab, where they use the Drosophila melanogaster fruit fly as a model for human sleep and sleep-related be-havior. The lecture begins at 6PM. For more information visit wagnerfreeinstitute.org.

Saturday, April 9NEIGHBORHOOD CLEANUPJoin the Fairmount Civic Association for their 4th annual Spring Cleanup at 9:30AM, in conjunction with the Philly Spring Cleanup. Volunteers will receive supplies such as gloves, trash bags, and rakes. They will also be museum passes to Eastern State Penitentiary, 76ers tickets, and oth-er items to be raffled away to volunteers. Refreshments to be provided. Afterwards, head over to a local establishment (TBD) for drink specials and a fundraiser to benefit the FCA.

Saturday, April 30FLEA MARKETThe Greater Brewerytown CDC will host a flea market from 10AM-5PM. To be a vendor, register by April 25 by going online or visiting the office at 3000A W. Master St. ·

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The Spirit of Penn's Garden, March 24