that is the corner of where the residence or where the property is
just going around basically this is across the street residences
looking in each direction that's the property from the front
hellerman street
Across directly across the street from the property, the opposite way of Hellerman Street, Battersby Street, which is the side street where the office entrance is.
And this is the back of the property.
That's the notices posted in the front of the office, proposed office.
There's the front of the proposed office as well.
Tax certificate.
and you know this this case was filed the permit back in 2024 um we've made numerous attempts to
contact mayfair rco numerous emails um you know we had to continue this hearing a couple times
um we directly sent mailings out to the community to notify them these are my mailings with proof of
mailing uh attached and stamped and we've gotten sorry we've gotten no response but we did send
notices to the community about this uh project and plan that we had and again there's been no
uh response um i haven't been contacted regarding this since the notices went out
um so i'm really unsure what position the community have if any objection to this but
essentially you know it's a low volume business my client plans to be open from 10 a.m to 5 p.m
monday through friday um rarely would clients come to the office it's mostly phone email contact
um but occasionally she'd have some clients there but she doesn't expect that to be a high volume
um i don't think there's really any issue with trash i mean it's basically electronic records
mostly in the insurance agency maybe some paper but you know beyond that i don't think it's a very
you know large footprint that it would be to the community um as far as activity around it
um but that is basically what she is seeking to do today so could you explain where the office
is i mean i'm having a hard time is this like a first floor where there was a garage or something
yes well and then yeah let me get the picture back up that's the ground it's kind of like the
first floor of the property there yeah it's kind of the first floor i guess you would walk in
correct correct and then when i sorry when i scroll over that's the back right
sorry when i scroll over that's the back right um i want to get to the front
those are just the surround so this is the front basically of the property and what the
front wouldn't be used for any business entry but that's where the basically the floors are
so you i guess you could call it a basement or first floor sort of because it's on this hill
there with the right yeah because it's on that first floor and the second floor is a private home
right correct all right questions from the board yeah i just want clarity because it says two
family but it looks like from the four plans there's a two is it a two-story single or
two-story apartment and then a office on the first floor yeah i yeah i might have put them all
it would be a one it's one unit basically
the second and third there's three three bedrooms yes I believe that's how my
client purchased it she hasn't done any activity in there and you know as the
pictures are it's kind of it's empty at this point but I believe there are there
is a family on the second and third floor occupant just because the
previous businesses many of them look like they don't match it would be insurance
agency other questions yes yeah just I'm sorry is that a is that a sign there that is a
insurance yes there I could I'm guessing my clients when my client is a Chinese origin so
So I believe she'll be servicing, I guess, mostly the Chinese community, Chinese American
community, which is why she also has it written in two languages there.
But is that part of this application?
There weren't any signage that we asked for, I believe, on our refusal or application.
so she may have to come back for that yeah so she's going to have to come back for that and
um is that is that also um some kind of advertisement or signs or something in the
window it's hard to leave well yeah i'm sorry that i'm going to get yes i'm going to scroll
over from the tree or whether that's something in the window i'm going to scroll over to one
my last photos and one is the the two zoning notices i believe that she posted um but i'm
not exactly sure what the ones on the right are okay i'm not sure if i can go back maybe and see
other questions no I think it's it's a clear that this kind of space has been
always used as a sort of a separate business on the ground floor yeah it's
just it's just really unfortunate that you have bad photos right yeah yeah I
think you know the color is much better and so it's just it would made it your
presentation much easier and clearer so but yeah it's clear from yeah it's just
it's clear from Google that it was a it was a it was always a commercial space
yeah any other questions questions from our attorney I'm just just two brief
notes and mr. chair one I think this one is also missing a refusal for multiple
principal uses on a lot right um and secondly if the board decides to approve this request i
recommend including a proviso that specifies the approved use is business and professional
office and single family household living say that one more time so that uh the approved or
say approved uses um are business and professional office and single family household living
okay thank you questions or comments from the virtual audience
thank you questions or comments from the virtual audience
i see no handshare
boy with the planning commission the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the rsa5 residential
single-family zoning at this location the city rezoned this neighborhood in 1982 and a council
supported map change the property has a documented history of commercial use in one family
The Planning Commission recommends that the Board grant their requested variance for business and professional office.
MI 2025-006-889-3001 Hellerman Street.
I vote yes with proviso.
Prove uses business and professional offices and single-family household living.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes with proviso.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote is yes with proviso.
Tanetta Graham, my vote is yes with Proviso.
Ryan McAdams, my vote is yes with Proviso.
Tyia Nguyen, my vote is yes with Proviso.
Thank you, counsel.
Try to get a little better camera there, okay?
Sorry.
Thank you.
Have a good afternoon.
Appreciate it.
Bye-bye.
Thank you.
Number three, 2026-000188-555-57 North Fish Street.
Zen Jin is the attorney.
letter of support from the northern liberties
good afternoon good afternoon counsel could you please state your name and spell for the
sonographer yes my name is zenjin z-h-e-n j-i-n here on behalf of the apts do you swear or affirm
to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth. I do. Could you identify your client
and the relationship to this property? Yes, my clients are Mr. Ke Zhang, K-E-H-A-I-C-H-E-N-G
for H-N-Y 555. I'll see they're the owner of the property. Our vice chair has a few questions
for you, sir. Good afternoon. Have you submitted your documents and exhibits five days in advance
this hearing uh the only uh item is that the exhibits were submitted i believe three days
before due to some outstanding documentation that came in late okay and do you waive the
read and other issues on simply to its accuracy i do all right thank you can share your screen
and proceed with the case thank you i'm going to share with the board what was submitted as exhibits
so this is an application for 555 to 57 north 5th street this is refused for the request to
use this property as a visitor accommodation in an RSA 5 district what is primarily the reason
that led to this application is that when this property was purchased back in 2021
one, the owners who do live in the property applied for limited lodging use. In conjunction
to that limited lodging use, they also applied for renovations to the property, which I will
show the board the plans in a few minutes. They have operated this particular location
under that limited lodging license without any knowledge of any issues for quite a few years
until last year when license inspections came and ceased their operations stating that a limited
lodging is limited to accessory use of a single family, but that while they are a single family
house, the way they have everything structured, there's just too many units or bedrooms available
in the building for it to fall under limited lodging. This was never raised with my clients
before for many years they've renewed their limited lodging license and their renovations
were done with permits all these were facts made available to northern liberty neighbors association
who reviewed it and ultimately decided to support us with the request that the units be limited to
four units at the site which we can discuss with the board we're certainly happy to try to
accommodate that request and a temporary variance of three years so to better understand uh the
issue with this property this is a i'm sorry i don't know why it's not moving to the photos
directly i'm going to scroll down to the phone so this the location of this property as you can see
from this overhead map we're right here right near actually Spring Garden Street and between
We're right here, right near actually Spring Garden Street and between Green Street and Spring Garden Street.
Here, right across from us is a large apartment building.
So while there are other residential single family houses, it's also been in a location very close to a large commercial thoroughfare as well as a large building across with very dense use.
the building itself is also part of two addresses 555 to 57 and it's actually a large building
covering a double lot with an interesting design inside which is better shown through the plants
but i'm going to show the photos first to show the board the current conditions of the interior
after they purchased the property my clients applied for permits had stem plants and fully
fitted out the space as you see in these photos again their intent from the beginning was to do
airbnb style use of the property that's why they applied for the limited lodging and was granted
that permit they applied for the renovations and again was granted that permit they haven't had any
real issues with their use for all these years nobody's really complained trash is actually
stored within a court that is inside the property until pickup and at which point it is brought out
so to better see what we're talking about with regard to this particular property we need to
look closely at the floor plans however i want to point out to the board here if you look right here
these plans were originally approved back in 2021 by the city so these this renovation was not done
uh without the city's knowledge it was actually done openly with their approval
for the basis of limited lodging and this kind of a use and the plans basically lays out
there are three floors to the property and there's there's an open court as well but the floor plans
layout as follows the basement is set up as essentially storage utility storage spaces but
it is open and there are storage spaces and again stairs leading up for this area then once you get
the first floor it's a double width uh type uh building so it's a very wide building when you
enter you have the visitor units set up they have one two here an office here but really that's
also essentially a unit so one two you have another unit here which is a third unit they
were using this particular unit the only one with the kitchen as their living accommodations within
And here is actually glass sliding patio doors leading out to an open courtyard that is within
the property itself. Once you move upstairs, there are additional units that is accessed
by a central stairway. So you have additional units here, here, and also a unit in the back.
And again, that is replicated also on the upper floors all the way to, I'm sorry,
all the way to the fourth floor, which is a shorter floor.
And again, these were all set up as lodging units, individual lodging units.
So they all come with a bathroom and a bedroom.
It's essentially how they're set up.
They are, in fact, already set up in a way that would allow visitor accommodation as
the alternative.
My clients intend to continue to reside here.
So they manage this directly.
They are the ones that use the platform to get the people to come in.
They're the ones that manage the trash.
They want to make sure that they have good occupants, that they don't party, make noise,
and destroy the properties.
And again, they've been doing this since actually 2022.
So this is not new to them.
Sam, by the way, how many kitchens altogether?
One kitchen.
And how many units?
Uh, total there's 10, um, 10 bed.
I believe there's 10 bedrooms.
Well, if I, if I may, like units, 10 bedrooms, right.
10 bedroom, you have one bathroom.
I'm one, one, uh, only one kitchen.
The kitchen is also occupied by the owners themselves.
So nobody has access to the kitchen.
No, they don't cook.
Um, there's no cooking.
They just rent out for the rooms for, yeah.
Now, we understand the situation is that the city has come back to my client primarily
forcing them to do this visitor accommodation because of the number of bedrooms.
forcing them to do this visitor accommodation because of the number of bedrooms. They said that
even though it's a single family house set up, due to the number of bedrooms and the structure
that is there, visitor accommodation is the only permit they would accept to allow them to continue
to operate. So they were ceased operation back in 2025 after they were operating under the limited
lodging for many years with renewals. When the city inspector came in, they said, no,
you need visitor accommodation that is why we're before the board today with regard to the history
again if the board wants to see the permits from prior applications I'm happy to show them they're
not included in this particular exhibit but they they have from the beginning when they purchased
property acquired every permit needed both for renovation and also for their operations
to the best of their knowledge, staying legal in their operation.
And unfortunately, because of the way they renovated, what the city should have done
at the time was to advise them to give visitor accommodation, but that didn't happen until
just last year.
So that is why we're before the board with this particular layout, seeking visitor accommodation
units.
With regard to the RCO's request to keep it as no more than four rented units, we propose
that we certainly can revise the way the rooms are laid out to kind of make them into suites
so there will be only four rental suites at a time we don't have an issue of managing that property
in that format so and that is essentially the application uh before the board i would argue
there is a hardship not created by my client but rather by the city allowing my client from the
beginning uh to have the renovations done they have invested a substantial amount of money into