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Like most of the city, South Philadelphia has been waiting more than a year to see Mayor John Street’s Neighborhood Transformation Initiative move forward.
Now that it is, some residents have decided they don’t like the direction the anti-blight effort is taking.
Legislation in City Council to include three blighted properties in the initiative led to a raucous neighborhood meeting on Monday evening.
More than 100 residents met at Greater St. Matthew Baptist Church, Fitzwater Street and Grays Ferry Avenue. Many were there to express their opposition to the city’s intention to consider Odunde, Inc.’s proposal to build low-income housing for seniors on the 2300 block of Grays Ferry Avenue.
The three abandoned lots are among 24 included in a bill authored by Council President Anna Verna that affects what is known as the South Central Urban Renewal Area. The legislation was introduced Oct. 31.
Neighbors say they want the properties developed, but do not want Odunde in charge.
"[The properties] are moving to an entity that has no housing experience and has a long history of wacky relationships in this community," said 30th Ward leader Terry Gillen.
Odunde describes itself as an educational and cultural organization rooted in African traditions. It is best known for its annual Odunde Festival held the second Sunday in June.
Gillen contended that Odunde has no track record of community involvement and added many residents feel its annual festival is more nuisance than cultural celebration.
Odunde officials were not invited to attend Monday’s meeting, but a few people in the audience who identified themselves as members of the organization interrupted the forum with shouts and rambling speeches.
The group’s executive director, Oshunbumi Fernandez, did not return calls for comment on Tuesday.
Odunde has its headquarters at 2308 Grays Ferry Ave., adjacent to the empty lots. Kathleen Murray, Verna’s chief of staff, told residents the group’s interest in the properties dates back several years.
It is the only organization that has expressed interest in developing the land. The current owner of two of the properties owes more than $32,000 in delinquent taxes and the Water Department has a $1,500 lien against him.
During hearings early last week, Council’s rules committee heard testimony from the South of South Street Neighbors Association in favor of Odunde receiving the properties on the 2300 block of Grays Ferry.
Gillen, a member of the mayor’s blight transition team, and other neighbors were upset to learn about the hearing after the fact.
"I have a lot of questions about what happened here," Gillen said. "I am very concerned that the process here feels sneaky. It feels underhanded, and it feels like it is not open and inclusive."
SOSNA officials Eve Lewis and Alan Mandel testified that they were informed about Odunde’s intention through the "Community Alert" — a pay service provided by the city that publicizes upcoming public hearings and important meetings.
Jay McCalla, director of government relations and special projects for the Redevelopment Authority, said prior to a hearing to discuss condemning a property, the date of the proceeding must be advertised for three consecutive weeks in the Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer and Legal Intelligencer. The public hearing cannot take place until 10 days after the last ad is published.
"Our process is open, predictable and transparent," McCalla repeated several times throughout Monday’s meeting.
After the hearing, the bills are introduced in City Council by the district councilperson.
Today, Council members will vote on the first round of NTI legislation. On the docket are bills submitted by the members representing each district. By the end of the session, Council will have authorized the city to take control of approximately 2,700 abandoned and blighted properties citywide.
It is Street’s intention that those properties eventually be turned over to qualified developers or residents to be rehabilitated.
Verna has introduced several bills affecting different neighborhoods in her district.
Included in the South Central Urban Renewal Area are 17 properties slated to go to Universal Companies — 14 of which will be rehabilitated and sold as market-rate housing. The legislation also covers another three homes that would be given to private residents and used as side yards to their existing homes, and the three lots on Grays Ferry Avenue.
This bill cannot be amended according to state law, Murray said, and pulling the bills from the table now would delay developers’ plans at least four months and cost them upwards of $30,000.
McCalla tried to assure neighbors they would have the opportunity to stop Odunde if they wanted to, adding the group still must meet strict criteria prior to getting the lots.
"We are the Redevelopment Authority," McCalla said, "not the willy-nilly authority."
First Odunde must prove it has the financial means to rehab the project, McCalla said. Then it must present detailed design plans for the construction of the homes they would like to build there that meet all city codes.
If Odunde fails to do either of those, he said, the organization does not get the properties. Also, if the property needs to be rezoned, that is another opportunity for residents to block the project, McCalla said.
There is no set time frame for this process. Generally it depends how organized the developer is, but with the sudden influx of properties due to the mayor’s initiative, Redevelopment Authority officials will be working at maximum capacity, McCalla said.
Finally, Verna must introduce a resolution to City Council officially handing the lots over to Odunde. Neighbors also can stop the process at this point if they convince the Council president to withhold the resolution, McCalla said.
"These bills move through City Council slower than any other kind of bill," he noted.
If another developer expresses interest in the lots in the meantime, that also would be taken into consideration. It would become "a horserace" to determine which proposal would be best for the neighborhood, McCalla said.
