such as tax clearances, ownership and applicant verification, code sections, required notices,
and other detailed evidence supporting the variance requests before the Board today.
If the Board has any questions during my presentation, I can happily bring up the
full exhibits for more detailed reference on any point. Now up on the screen right now you will see
an overall key plan of the proposed development which spans a large area from Ridge Avenue to
North 25th Street and from West Oxford Street to North College Avenue. Overall there are seven
separate appeal applications before the board today which represents a fraction of the overall
phase three development, most of which receive permits by right. This phase of the Sharswood
redevelopment contemplates 224 residential units, broken down with 189 affordable units
at 20, 50, and 60 percent AMI thresholds with 35 market rate units. You will note that the
majority of the units are two and three bedroom units with a handful of one and four bedroom
units also available. 74 total spaces are contemplated for this phase.
On the next slide, the board can see where we've specifically identified the location
of the cases that are before you today.
Now, by way of additional background, the Sharswood-Blumberg redevelopment is being
funded with combination of Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency tax credits, as well as Choice
Neighborhood grants. On the next slide, the board will see some general information as it relates
to the Choice Neighborhoods initiative, which is targeted towards communities struggling with
distressed housing that would benefit from improvements catalyzed by public and private
investment. The grant was made up of two phases, referred to as the transformation plan and the
implementation phase. This information will be crucial for the board to keep in mind as we review
the proposals, particularly as it relates to some of the concerns we heard during the RCO meeting.
The transformation plan itself was funded by a $500,000 grant from HUD that laid out a framework of goals, strategies, and outcomes for the Sharswood-Blumberg neighborhood that sought to incorporate public and private investment in three main areas.
Those pillars were housing, people, and neighborhood.
Now, I've summarized some of the critical tenets of each of these goals up on the screen.
The housing plan is focused on aspects of housing that would better serve the community, such as parking and home design.
The people pillar looks to job creation, health, beautification, civic responsibility, and leadership.
The neighborhood pillar seeks to address crime, blight, commercial use introduction, vacancy, and infrastructure.
The Planning Commission's district plan, adopted in 2014, also highlighted the desired public and private investment into the area, desiring to create a mixed income community while strengthening the Ridge Avenue commercial corridor.
Now, the proposals before the board today are being pursued by Penrose and are only seeking to address the housing plan pillar.
Penrose was selected and is only authorized to pursue this one aspect of the overall revitalization goal.
I raise this important note now because many of the concerns we heard from the RCO will be addressed by other pillars of the project, by other
will be addressed by other pillars of the project, by other partners, and other stakeholders.
Now, PHA acquired all of these properties through the eminent domain process in 2015.
The notices of condemnation for each property are provided in the full exhibits.
The exhibits also include the Declaration of Covenants that applies to each property,
which also sets forth the HUD requirements for unit count and affordability.
As the Board may also know, the Pennsylvania Housing Finance Agency also delegates certain thresholds for price points and density.
Now, before I move on to each property, we would like to summarize the community engagement that has occurred,
which dates back to roughly 2012-2013 with the preparation of the Lower North District Plan
and continued for many years during the preparation of the Transformation Plan.
The community engagement did not cease once the implementation phase commenced. The RCO noted in
its letter the lack of community outreach, which is not consistent with the considerable community
engagement that has occurred. As it relates specifically to Penrose's involvement, over the
past three years, Penrose has met with the community a multitude of times to discuss the
three Sharswood affordable housing developments that Penrose is tasked with completing. Those
interactions have occurred during the RCO's scheduled community meetings and RCO meetings,
plus specially scheduled community meetings and PHA-hosted events. In the past year,
specifically, Penrose has attended almost every monthly Brewery Town community meeting
to update the neighborhood on the progress of the first two phases, as well as providing updates on
this third phase. Penrose has also met with individual residents to hear and address specific
concerns. In addition, Penrose has a tour scheduled with several community members on November 19th
to hear any remaining concerns and walk them through the completed Phase 1 development at
21st and Master Street. As we hope the board will see, these projects are the culmination of many
years of planning and community involvement, and the variances requested today represent unique
hardships that are minor and will contribute to the long-planned revitalization of the area.
We submit the evidence that the board will hear today, establishes that all of the requested
variances are the least minimum, and further the long-standing development goals for the area to
provide critical affordable housing by eliminating long vacant blighted lots and by adding commercial
uses along vibrant commercial corridors. The proposals will not increase congestion and will
mitigate it by providing parking. No negative impact will result to the surrounding neighborhood
and the proposed structures meet the character of the surrounding residential and commercial
neighborhoods. This project will positively impact the neighborhood and contribute to
the continued revitalization of the area. For efficiency sake, I will also note that
a full memorandum of law is included in each exhibit packet, and we will happily expand
on any particular point for which the board requires further argument.
now at this time we are prepared to move on to each individual case um unless the board
would like to call up the council president's representative okay so one of the council
president's representative um please raise your hand chair we have kareem grooms hi
hi could you state your name and spell for the court reporter please good afternoon this is
kareem grooms uh from council president daryl clark's office kareem k-a-r-e-e-m grooms is g-r-o-o-m-e-s
right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth
I do. Proceed, sir. I'm here to relay that the Council President, Council President Clark
supports this project in totality. That's it for my statement. Thank you. Thank you very much for
calling it. In totality. Proceed, Meredith. Thank you. Many of these requests are quite minor and
I will do my best to move through them as efficiently as possible. Many of them do also
include lot consolidations but none of those consolidations generated any variances uh so
i will generally speaking not touch on that the consolidation plans are included in the exhibits
um now mr chairman do you are you intending to vote on each one after each presentation or do
now mr chairman do you are you intending to vote on each one
you want me to just keep moving i think what so what i would recommend for you to do is to go
right through all them right then i'm going to have planning planning i'll probably have to go
through all them and when i looked at the list i'm probably not going to be able to vote on them all
once because a couple of them have provisos okay why don't you why don't we just let you go right
through it. Then planning will come on way after we go to the virtual audience. Planning will come
on after that, and they'll go through it, and then I'll do the votes, okay? Sounds good. All right,
so starting first with 2253 Ingersoll Street. As the photograph and the aerial reflects,
2253 Ingersoll Street sits at the corner of Ingersoll Street and North 23rd Street.
This property is directly across from the Vox Junior High School.
The zoning map reflects that this property is split zoned RM1 and CMX2.
On the grand scheme, you will note that this lot is just south of a new building that previously
received a zoning permit. And when I reference the grand scheme, I'm talking here about
this building right here.
On this lot, the proposal is for a three-story, two-unit dwelling, which are set up as stacked
flats.
This application received two refusals, which we submit are de minimis dimensional requests.
The rear yard here is insufficient by three feet and the occupied area exceeds the maximum by 2.8%.
The applicant submits to a hardship because the code application of rear yard here is
incongruent with the corner location of this property. Furthermore, these projects are designed
based on specific required guidelines for the overall project goals and the proposed dimensions
are consistent with similar rear yard and open space on this block. Because this was designed
in conjunction with the development I referenced just to the north on Master Street, the dimensions
were specially tailored to accommodate both of these new projects as efficiently as possible.
next up at 2414 Nassau Street which also includes 2441 through 49 Jefferson Street
this is a large lot consolidation that spans from Nassau Street to North 25th Street to Jefferson
Street. On the screen, you will see a view of the vacant property that is facing towards North 25th
Street in the distance. On this second photograph, you can see the property from the perspective of
Jefferson Street. Additional context can be seen in the aerial view and the zoning map, which like
many of the properties before the board are predominantly zoned RM1 with a small corner
sliver of CMX2. Now in context to the larger scale project, which I will bring back up on the screen
briefly, you'll notice that this lot is the southernmost portion of this Part 2, Part 3
development, which covers nearly the entire blocks all the way from West Oxford Street to Ingersoll
street now this proposal includes one new three-story building with seven units along nassau
street a new parking area is proposed to accommodate 12 parking spaces through two
different curb cuts this project this proposal also incorporates green space for residents
The elevation here is shown from the perspective of North 25th Street and we've also included a
perspective rendering of the parking area. Now on this proposal we received two refusals.
First we we received a refusal for the parking which is prohibited unless it can be accessed
from a rear street. This refusal is going to be repeated through several other of the proposals
today as well. In this case, the hardship stems from the Comprehensive Plan for this area,
which specifically contemplates parking areas either to the rear or to the side of new buildings.
This parking meets the intent of the code and is consistent with guidelines provided
This parking meets the intent of the code and is consistent with guidelines provided
in the Lower North District plan. The applicant has limited lots to utilize and it would foreclose
the applicant's ability to provide any parking if required to comply with the code as written.
If you recall from the introduction earlier, parking was one of the community's most critical
requests to ensure that new housing developments do not overburden the crowded streets. The parking
area and the parking lighting is shielded by a six-foot-high shadow box fence and landscaping
to further mitigate any noise or light emanating from the property. This proposal also received a
refusal for the lack of commercial space because of that small sliver on the corner here that's
zoned CMX2. Now, as mentioned, this project has been designed in conjunction with 16 other project
sites, many which include commercial uses in more dominant commercial locations along Ridge Avenue,
which is consistent with both planning goals and the transformation plan for this area.
Aside from the planning that went into the Choice Neighborhood Grant, the Planning Commission's 2014 Lower North District Plan also contemplated focusing commercial uses along Ridge Avenue and transitioning commercial uses out of areas like this where the commercial viability is weak.
Small mom-and-pop type corner stores are specifically discouraged for this area.
Finally, as the photographs and aerial reflect, this lot sits within a residential area that
cannot support a small commercial use.
All right.
Okay, so the next case we're going to present concerns 2042 Ridge Avenue.
As you can see on this overall aerial, this project is in close proximity to the four other cases that you will hear that sit along and just off of Ridge Avenue.
Now, 2042 Ridge Avenue is the easternmost lot that's shown on the screen close to Sharswood Street and right across from the PHA headquarters.
As the zoning map reflects, this lot at 2042 Ridge Avenue is split zoned CMX 2 and RM 1.
You will notice that the lot extends from Ridge Avenue all the way back to Lambert Street and is
a very unusually shaped lot. For additional context, you will see a few photographs on this
on this image that shows the lot from both the Ridge Avenue frontage as well as from the rear
along North Lambert Street. Now this proposal for 2042 Ridge Avenue includes one small building
that faces Ridge Avenue that will contain first floor commercial and four dwelling units above.
To the rear will be 21 parking spaces accessed from one curb cut off of North Lambert Street.
The parking area will be surrounded by landscaping and a six foot high shadow box fence.
The elevation here shows the proposed facade which you will notice seeks to blend with the
existing brick facades of many existing structures along Ridge Avenue.
Okay, now the refusal here, which I understand there may be some confusion over and may require
a proviso, but the refusal on this lot stems from the split zoning designation.
The only refusal we received here says that the commercial space is prohibited.
However, as you can see on the zoning map, this particular lot shows the somewhat unintended
consequence and resulting hardship that stems from the code interpretation for reviewing split
districts. The commercial space here is proposed along Bridge Avenue. The entire building containing
the commercial use sits within the CMX2 commercial zoning district. However, because the RM1 makes up
significant portion of the lot, the L&I deemed that the RM1 controls. Now of course 2042 Ridge
Avenue sits along a dominant stretch of Ridge Avenue that is uniquely positioned for commercial
use, while the other phases of the project are more apt to include solely residential.
while the other phases of the project are more apt to include solely residential uses.
Accordingly, the commercial use here is critically important for the overall project goals, which contemplates a mix of uses.
Although there was no refusal issued for the parking, we did also include the rendered view of this parking area,
so that the board can see that the parking area will be adequately shielded from surrounding neighbors by both the fence as well as landscaping.
And I do understand that if the board is inclined to grant this one, that it would need to be with a proviso for commercial uses as allowed by CMX2.
And I also neglected to mention that the previous case, 2414 Nassau Street, did have a revised plan that we submitted for a very minor change, which I will point out, which was that it would be one building instead of two buildings, and it also reduced the parking by two spaces.
Those, I believe, would be the only provisos.
Now, just two properties down from 2042 Ridge Avenue is 2038 Ridge Avenue, which proposes a small infill development.
Again, for context, this property is roughly mid-block on Ridge Avenue between Master Street and Sharswood Street, and is also just across from the PHA headquarters.
On this lot, the proposal is for a three-story structure with ground floor commercial and two dwelling units.
Here again, you will note the brick facade that seeks to blend with the character of
other existing structures on this block.
Now, the refusal for this proposal is really quite novel.
As you can see on the zoning plan, and I will zoom in a little bit, there is a deck proposed
for the residential units that sits just off the second floor level.
Now, although the deck itself is permitted, the zoning code prohibits stairs that would extend from the second floor level down to the first floor.
This prohibition only applies to attached buildings like this project that is proposed.
The applicant submits to a hardship because these stairs, of course, provide critical access to the upper level residential units and ensure they have access to the rear yard open space that is separate from the ground floor commercial tenant.
All right, now the next two I'm going to present in somewhat more of a combined fashion.
for 2016 Ridge Avenue and 2000 Ridge Avenue.
For context, 2016 Ridge Avenue sits at the northwest corner of Ridge Avenue and Master Street.
2000 Ridge Avenue is at the southwest corner of Ridge Avenue and Master Street.
And as you can see here from the overview map, 2000 Ridge Avenue makes up the entire
Ridge Avenue frontage between North College Avenue and Master Street, and also includes
several lots on College and Master.
This zoning map should give you a good sense of the outline of both of these lots.
You will note that 2016 Ridge Avenue is a highly unusually shaped lot that comes to a sharp point
at the corner and is zoned CMX2. 2000 Ridge Avenue also has an irregular shape and is predominantly
zoned CMX2 with a small portion of RM1. Now if I turn back to the photographs, you'll see additional
context to the area surrounding these properties.
This first photograph here is facing 2016 Ridge Avenue at the corner.
You will notice the PHA headquarters in the distance further up Ridge Avenue, and across
Master Street, you will also see the rough outline of a previously developed building
that was included in an earlier phase of the Sharswood Lumber project.
If I move on to the next photograph, now facing 2000 Ridge Avenue, you will see that new construction at 2016 master a bit more clear.
you will see that new construction at 2016 master a bit more clearly.
Now additional photos also show the existing buildings along Ridge Avenue
that will be demolished to accommodate this new project.