so um this designation change um would be a hardship uh to that block at this present time
so i just wanted to uh i we we understand your position we understand your position
thank you is there anyone else in the virtual audience there we have willie brown they have
but unmuted and allowed to speak.
Hi, could you please state your name
and spell for the court stenographer?
My name is Willie, W-I-L-L-I-E,
Brown, B-R-O-W-N.
We're a firm to tell the truth,
the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Please proceed.
I'm here on behalf of Tiana Brown
to speak of her character,
her work with youth
from the time she was a teenager.
She has commitment and passion for children who are in need of home, love, and care.
I visit her home and I see foster children there.
And I've seen them there from different culture and a variety.
I've seen them there from different culture
and a variety of age ranges
and a variety of abilities.
I've seen young people, young women,
especially one who became pregnant.
I don't know when the young woman became pregnant,
but she was a foster child.
She gave birth to her child
and received good care in the home of Tiana.
I watched her work with young people, give them opportunities so that they add value
to their own lives and add value to the community now and in the future.
Tiana has unique experience for working with children in a group setting, first because
of her foster care situation in her own home, but she also understands boarding school,
where there are a range of young people they generally have them grouped of course by age
but she understands how the importance of children and not just boarding school for the wealthy
but for boarding schools for underprivileged children my own son went to a school for
Veterans Children, where it was designed for orphans. So she understands and knows
the need for providing a safe and a healthy home for children. She has worked with children from
the, as I said before, from the time I believe she was a teenager. She started a little group
call TT time. While she may not have all of the paperwork or the plan that you, that the person
before me spoke of, does not mean that she could not present that if that would need be. But to say
that young women coming into a community would threaten the safety and well-being of seniors
is absolutely unbelievable to me. I am 84 years old. I've just seen a woman 95 years old. She
just transitioned. I saw another woman who was in her 90s. And there's a foster home around the
corner from me. And I've seen some of those kids go and visit these old people and the joy that
they bring. And these old people look forward to seeing you. The kids around the corner, they are
foster kids. So they come from traumatized situations as well. So I think to say that
young women who's looking for a way to improve the quality of their own lives is a threat to
people who are living and they're seniors. So I just wanted to say that I, I believe that Tiana
would be an asset to this community rather than not. That's what I have to say. Thank you very
much. Is there anyone else in the virtual audience? Sherry, we have Sonia McDuffie. They
have been unmuted and allowed to speak. Yvette, how many more people do you have with hands up?
after miss mcduffie we have one more person thank you miss mcduffie please state your name
is spelled for the court stenographer my name is sonya mcduffie s-o-n-y-a-m-c-d-u-f-f-i-e
do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
yes are you in favor of this project or against i am in favor i am in support of tiana brown
All right. Is there anything you can offer that hasn't already been said?
Yes. On top of everything that has already been said, I, knowing Tiana and all the amazing accomplishments that she's made, it's not about her.
But the thing is, is that when you are leading a group of young women who've been through the particular, you know, trauma that these young ladies have experienced, you want to be in the hands and you want to be able to trust a person who's been through those same processes and have succeeded.
what better example you don't want a person um who is claiming to have do who's claiming to do
the work who a may have not experienced it she may or may not have experienced it
but um i'm quite frankly appalled at the attitude um and lack of regard i hear a lot of uh
um and lack of regard i hear a lot of uh things like they and um a particular reference about
the block every every neighborhood every every block is the neighborhood so to
uh single out these potential you know uh young ladies who are in need and ostracize them is
despicable
there is no one better
who could lead
and guide with the experience
and the proof
and body of work
Thank you Ms. McDuffie
I think you've made your point
we understand where you are
one more hand please
Chair we have Zakiya Salahut
they have been abused
and allowed to speak
Could you please state your name
and spell for the court stenographer
Ms. Salahud, please unmute yourself
Yeah, I just unmuted
Okay, can you hear me okay now?
Okay, could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
My name is Zakia Salahuddin
Spelling is Z as in zebra
A-K-I-Y-Y-A-H
Last name is S as in Sam
A-L-A-H-U-D as in David
I-N as in Nancy
um I just also hold on hold on hold on one minute do you swear do you swear or affirm to tell the
truth the whole truth nothing but the truth yes sir I do are you a neighbor no I am not are you
in favor or against this project I am in favor of this project and is there anything else you
can offer and we've we really have heard a lot about this yes I know and I just wanted to
reiterate um also i've known tiana over 25 years and i just wanted to say that i believe that i
know that her commitment and and the staff that she's going to have one point and the education
of the children are going to actually help improve the quality of life in that area she's always been
dedicated herself to, you know, issues that are improving the quality of life. So I just wanted
to add that I think that this would be a great, great asset, and she has a lot of support, a lot
of community support, a lot of people that will help make her program successful. Thank you.
Thank you very much for your time. Planning Commission.
thank you med cavanaugh planning commission staff the comprehensive plan recommends no change to
the existing rsa 5 residential single family zoning at this location the appellant has shown
that the proposed group living will have no detrimental impact to the neighborhood beyond
what might be expected the city planning commission recommends that the board grant
the proposed special exception for group living miss brown we've had a a great deal of testimony
this morning uh we're going to take this to executive session next wednesday which will be
the 11th, and we will vote on this at 9.30 a.m. Thank you for your presentation. Thank you. Have
a great day, everybody. So, number one, MI 2024-000-427-2549. Yes. Yeah, I just want to,
can you, can the staff confirm, because it was a statement that by right, there could be three
unrelated individuals in a house, and I just want the staff to confirm so that's clear that that's
true or not true. Mr. Johns, I can confirm that that is the case. Yep. Yep. Yep. Um, so number
one, MI 2024, 0004272549 North 19th Street. Bart Levy is the attorney. Um, there's a letter of
support from all in the family. Uh, the coordinator, there's no letter from the coordinating RCO.
though it was mailed four days prior.
Mr. Levy.
Mr. Levy?
Do we see Mr. Levy's hand?
There he is.
could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer i'm bart levy b-a-r-t-l-e-v-y
and i'm appearing for north warnock llc right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the
whole truth nothing but the truth i do i do mr chairman a vice chair has a few questions certainly
Good morning, Councilor.
Good morning, Counselor. Do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy?
Do you agree to wait?
I do waive.
Have you emailed in all the required documents and exhibits that's needed and required to proceed with this case five days in advance of this hearing?
Thank you, Counsel. Please proceed and share your screen.
All right. Is the screen shared now?
Okay, very good.
This is to basically take an existing structure on North 19th Street and turn it into a useful thing, beauty.
The applicant wants to turn this unused structure into a two-family home.
The inside entrance looks like this.
As you can see on the far side, there'll be a doorway right at that stairway to get to the second floor.
There'll be a doorway sort of in the middle of this picture to get to the first floor.
This is the way the basement looks.
The basement's not going to be occupied.
It'll be used for storage.
You can see there's a water heater down there, probably the HVAC, but it'll be located there.
The stairs, obviously, everything here has to be restored.
This house, it was once in good shape.
The bones, as they say, look good,
but it just hasn't been cared for
in what looks like at least 10 years.
So all the wiring's got to be completely done.
All the structure's got to be checked out,
I guess, by L&I.
And, you know, ceiling work has got to be done.
We have a letter of support,
which we received from all in the family.
I believe it was sent to the chairman.
We are cleared through January 2nd, 2025 with the tax department.
And as you can see, North Warnock LLC is the owner of the property.
That's a copy of our refusal from the zoning board, our application, and essentially project information.
As you can see in the plans, if you'd like to go into them just a bit.
The bottom is the basement.
As you can see, there's nothing in it.
On the first floor, the way you can tell where the kitchen is, is it's this little thing that looks like a range.
That's essentially the kitchen on the first floor.
And this thing here that looks like a range up by the front is the kitchen on the second floor.
The stairway from the first floor entrance comes up here and deposits it pretty much there.
and the usual, I guess, descriptive descriptions.
These are our posters that we put up both for this meeting and for the RCO,
which also, if the chair will note, had some fairly sensible and modest provisos,
which were completely amenable to it.
I would ask, is Mr. DuPont on?
he's the owner of the corporation
has Mr. Dupont raised her hand
I guess it's up to me
if there's any questions
wait a minute do we see the owner
yes here he's been allowed to see
thank you very much could you please state your name and spell for this the doctor
yes my name is Gene Dupont
j-e-a-n dupont d-u-p-o-n-t you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the
truth yes sir we'll see you counsel thank you mr dupont did you get a chance to hear my description
and presentation about 25 49 north 19th street yes sir was it accurate to the best uh of your
knowledge truthful yes sir do you have anything you want to add to the board um that i didn't cover
no sir thank you if the board is leaving was this mr levy what's the history of the property
this has always been an rsa5 or was it multifamily before never multifamily this was a rsa5 and
what's the rest of the block look like it's kind of half as you can see from either side of the
pictures it's somewhat um undeveloped in that a lot of the homes have been removed i'll go back
to the picture here. The block, like I said, has got several vacancies on it, and most of the other
homes are either single-family homes or mixed two-family homes, just like this.
Questions from the board?
Yes. Can we go back to the layout, please, of the property?
Police of the property.
Are you talking about the letter written to the chairman?
No, the layout of the proposed layout of drawings, yes.
Which are very small and which is hard to...
I might be able to increase their slides.
Hold on a second.
That would be wonderful.
Ah, yes.
I didn't know I could do that.
That's good.