four stories they're only 38 foot yeah so you're with you didn't you didn't go beyond the 38
don't mean it's going to be higher i know that's why i'm asking is it 38 feet yes correct and what
you're proposing is 38 feet yes correct i just want that for ms goslow to understand that 38
feet is a is a buy right yeah you're not exceeding that okay thank you all right uh any other
questions out there anyone else have any questions or comments please raise your hand
i see no hands chair thank you planning commission
uh ron bednar city planning it's r-o-n bednar b-e-d-n-a-r we're in firm to tell the truth
the whole truth nothing but the truth i do thank you please proceed uh this property is indicated
for residential use on the city plan we recommend the crescent variance for rent
Thank you. MI 2021, that's 000031, 101 Emily Street. My vote is yes.
My vote is yes.
My vote is yes.
My vote is yes.
My vote is yes.
Thank you. MI 2021, that's 001256, 128 East, Phil, Eileen, Melina Street, E-L-L-E-N-A.
Henry Clinton?
Henry, we see you, but we can't hear you.
Mr. Chairman, I'm here. How about now?
Good. Henry, before you begin, is Springer Street different? Is that a separate case?
Yes, but it's back. It was one lot and it's subdivided. So it's going to be the same house
will be built on Springer Street and Philolanda Street. So I'm presenting them in one presentation
because all the issues are the same. That's why I want to know, so I'll read that in. MI 2021,
that's 001257141 East Springer Street. Those two cases will be joined.
141 East Springer Street.
Those two cases will be joined.
All right.
Thank you.
And I think you were on earlier today.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
You're still under oath.
Carol?
Can you put your name and address on the record and spell your last name, please?
Henry Clinton, C-L-I-N-T-O-N, Queen Memorial Building, 1313 South 33rd Street, Philadelphia
PA, 19146.
Thank you.
Do you agree to wait the reading of the refusal and stipulate to its accuracy?
Have you emailed the exhibit packet with proof of ownership, tax compliance,
refusal referral, photos, and plans of the property five days in advance of this hearing?
And have you met with the RCO, and do you have a letter?
Yes, to all the above.
Thank you. You may proceed.
Thank you. May I share my screen?
all right here it comes coming up
is that visible
yes yes okay uh these are two properties back to back and as i said to the chairman at the outset
I'm going to present them together because the issues and the refusals are basically the same
with one minor deviation. This is my table of contents containing exhibits AA through
A, let me get to the bottom there, through A10. These are my appearance statements for each
project, Phil LaLana, as well as for Springer Street. Here are the refusals. There's no
issues with regard to height, open space, rear yard. The refusal is simply that in this zoning
district, there's a minimum five foot wide side yard between the houses. And because of the
configuration of these lots, the one house on Philolena Street is only four and a half feet.
and so it's six inches off the required five feet which we consider the minimus or minimal
and the other refusal which I'll show you is for Springer Street and it's the same issue
a minimum side yard width is five feet and we have three and a half feet and that's because
when I show you the plan for that particular lot there's an offset in the lot so the first
20 feet or so are only at three and a half feet, but the remainder of the lot, which is 75 feet
deep, does comply with the five-foot requirement. So I'll move through the presentation. We do have
a letter of support for both projects from East Mountain Area Neighbors, and there are a number
of provisos that they've asked for. We have agreed with all those provisos. The change in plan
for each project is that there's been a reduction in height and that's why I'm asking the board if
they look kindly upon these applications that we have one page uh stamped today the proviso sheet
as well as the plan. And I believe Mr. Clinton that the only proviso if you can go back to those
that are enforceable through us would be the not to exceed 32 feet in height correct and that's why
that's the only thing i put on the provisional sheet and the rco mr jeffrey hayes i believe is
on the call and he does understand that but my client has agreed to adhere to the requirements
as laid out in this letter that the height does that change the plan in any way was a revised plan
Yeah, there's a revised plan for each project, one page.
One page, each, okay.
And the proviso form, both of which were sent to Attorney Saleta last week.
I'm sorry, thank you.
That's okay.
And then this is the support letter for Springer Street.
You have one for Springer as well as for Solana.
And the requirements are the same on both projects.
So, again, to give the board some perspective, Phililena is in the forefront here, and the
back street, which I'll give you another perspective, is Springer Street.
Right now the lot goes from Phililena to Springer, and that's why the lots are back to back.
Another aerial view, it's a vacant lot right now.
I don't know how long it's been vacant, but I think the members of the community are well
are well familiar with how long it's been vacant. These are just photographs to give
familiar with how long it's been vacant.
These are just photographs to give.
perspective on the lots. This happens to be a photograph just to show the board of
my client's house is 128, which is to the left of this existing house. This is 126. So right now,
this is the distance between the two houses that have been in play for a long time. And that
distance is roughly 10 feet. Again, there's only posters that indicate that we did post
the property and post it properly on both sides. The plan, I think this is the most significant
plan, and I'll blow up the plan on the left. So the plan on the left is showing the lot
as is, which is about 150 feet deep, if you can see that. And this photograph, or this
plan, shows how we basically took the lot and just divided it in two. This is Philalena,
and this is Springer. The same house that is built on Philolena will be built on Springer Street.
It's a mirror image. These are the proviso sheets. Again, there's one for Philolena and one for
Springer. These are the floor plans, there's three stories, no roof deck, no basement.
This is the elevations, all the homes, most of the homes in that block you enter on the
side, not through the front. And again, this will be the same elevation on the front of
Phililena as on the front of Springer Street. I have tax certifications, all the other pro
forma documents that are required for this submission, my project information form, my
notices of appeal. Again, the zoning map to show you this is zoned RSA 5, and we're complying
with that in terms of the single family house. And I do have one witness on the line. These are
my zoning notices and certifications that everything was mailed and we met with the RCO
on several occasions. So I don't want to belabor the point, but basically we have two individual
homes, two single-family homes and two single-family lots.
We're asking for de minimis relief on the side yard
so that the houses will have 16-foot fungers.
Do you have a client to adopt your testimony?
Yes, I do, Mr. DiCicco.
Angie?
DiGrusa?
If she could be unmuted.
Hi, everyone. How are y'all?
Please identify yourself. Spell your first and last name.
Angela Gresso, A-N-G-E-L-A. Gresso, G-R-U-E-S-O.
Do you swear for him to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, sir.
Thank you. Mr. Clinton.
Mr. Gresso, were you on the Zoom call when I made this presentation concerning the lot on Philadelphia and the lot on Sprinter Street?
yes sir okay i also uh real quick want to state that the owner is on the call as well okay um and
if you had the opportunity to testify would you adopt
my testimony as your own and that's true and correct
yes sir i do all right thank you questions from the board no
anyone else to testify in this case please raise your hand
chair we have cynthia devoe please unmute yourself and please wait for the chair
good afternoon ma'am please spell your full name for the record and i'll swear you in
good afternoon cynthia c-y-n-t-h-i-a devoe d-e-v as in victor o-e you swear affirm to tell the
the whole truth nothing but the truth yes please proceed chair i have a petition here from the
neighbors on our block as well as other um blocks on the neighborhood it says we the undersigned
oppose the development project at 128 east filolina street as well as 141 springer street
the construction of the new home will block the view of the nearest neighbors it will block the
sunlight, the developers have destroyed existing properties to the nearest neighbor's home.
the developers have destroyed existing properties to the nearest neighbor's home as well as their
construction and they are non-responsive to the concern of the residents who are ingenious to the
block and the neighborhood therefore we request that the council member cindy bass and the
philadelphia zoning board oppose this project until concerns of the nearest neighbors who are
directly impact it by the project are addressed now chairman we have um they have been putting
up these houses this is the first time that we have been in one of these zoning meetings
there was no zoning prior to this put up for the other houses that was built we had no contact or
knowing how to go further we've been to our council uh woman cindy bast and everything but
No one did anything at the time. Also, the inspector, John Leck and John Daugherty,
they have been in charge of covering up everything when we try to get in to speak to someone.
So I appreciate you allowing me to speak. There is damage done to several of our homes on this
block due to construction. Before this construction can proceed, we would like to ask that they can
address that as well as guarantee that our children, for one, will be safe. They have jeopardized
children's lives. I have pictures of how they left all the trash and debris out on the sidewalk.
Now, I understand these are different projects for these houses, but they are the same people
doing the construction. I have followed around in the neighborhood and seen the construction
they're doing. They're the same workers, and they all are familiar with each other in this group of
these projects are building these homes. They also are putting commercial stairways on the front of
these houses, which is not safe for anyone. And some of the buyers are not aware that these are
commercial stairs in front of the home. Also, they have not did any showing up property. They dug down
three and a half feet below my foundation, and I have proof or pictures of that as well. And they
have damaged my neighbor further down the street property as well. Now, the space that he's speaking
about, the five inches between home, they have not left me my space, although they said they
weren't. They also have pulled up the plaque, which caused me now to have water damage coming
into my home, which affects my business. I have a daycare here. I'm a family daycare. I've been
here for 20, I've been here for 30 years. I've been doing a daycare for 20. They don't speak to
you when you try to communicate with them as well we have issues with communication they comes up
you never know when someone's there working someone come in they're working now these houses
have shut off my son the viewing for us to be able to see and and um when you and i can barely
keep my blinds open because you never know when someone's in the house and the windows are so
large on the side that it takes up my whole side if i walk from my dining room you can see me by
walk in my kitchen you can see me so we have issues with them not even communicating on what
type of building they are going to build and why they're building it also with the surveying the
city has allowed resurveying to be done if you purchase something and you expect to have that
property we don't understand how the city can resurvey the block to say that we are now on
their property so according to them we are on their property i'm three inches on their property
now on their property line now and according to them also my wall that belongs to my house that's
on my deed is fenced into this property which will be the same situation over at 128 because once
they build their house anything that she need done to that side of her wall she will not be able to
get done because it's fenced in and you cannot go on other people's property to dig up and that's
one of the issues. I have to have my wall. They did not paint the side of my wall, so the wall
needs to be dug up and painted. I have an estimate for $12,000 to get that done. I don't have $12,000.
Neither will Ms. Rebecca have it because she doesn't. She's a senior citizen, and she needs
lighting in her place, and we need to know that she's still in there safe if something was to
happen to her. She live alone. So we have an issue with these buildings going up so high,
and we are not considered and our children are safe we also had a lady
because they don't close up the holes and stuff as they're working
a lady moved in earlier this year not knowing that it was a hole right out front on the sidewalk
from when they dug up the hole to do the plumbing and they left it wide open so when it snowed it
covered the hole and the lady never knew that it was a hole there because she don't live she
that it was a hole there because she don't live she didn't live here at the time and she fell in
didn't live here at the time and she fell in this six foot
this six foot deep hole and someone has to pull her out so i have a video of that so we don't have
clear safety issue um safety with these guys and i don't know who east monia we got the
survey from because when we did our walk no one was in agreement and i have everyone
name and addresses um that we talked mr roe did you attend the rco meeting we didn't get any um
information on that. That's what I'm saying. Some of this stuff, and we have problem with
mailing and stuff around here. We get mail on Sunday morning sometimes. We don't get mail and
stuff on time. And they know we have issues. But no, I did not attend because I didn't know about
it. And I didn't see the zoning. They have the zoning for that property so far back. I did not
see that zoning. If Ms. Collin hasn't came over to ask me for help to do the petition,
I wouldn't have knew that Zoni was there.
Mr. Clinton, could you show us any photographs of the posting?
Yes. Oh, I'm sorry.
I'm getting there, Mr. Chairman. Bear with me. There's the addresses.
Yeah, understood.
Mr. Vaux's address, I assume, is on that list.