for a little indulgence here it's a it was a technical error and this is an under you know
it's not opposed no one's opposing this it's a minor decking i'm i'm concerned with being
a technical error because if you have any additional cases then this error is going to
follow on to those cases madam chair can i make one request that if you do decide to go forward
with this that it be moved to the end of the list so i have an opportunity to review the exhibits
okay thank you i appreciate that
calendar number zero nine six four thirty one thirty three landfill place is moved
to the end of the list thank you um miss saletta do i call 14
Okay, calendar number 0981, 5415 Cedar Avenue.
The owner is Lisa A. Bethea.
We have no exhibits for this case and it is the first listing.
calendar number zero nine eight one fifty four fifteen cedar avenue is continued
calendar number two seven zero eight six thirty five west alany avenue
Kenya Carey is handling this pro se we have no RCO letter
I promoted Mr. Kenya Carey to a panelist madam chair thank you
Ms. Carey can you put your name and address on the record and spell your name
hello yes can you put your name and address on the record and spell your name please
kenya kerry k-e-n-y-a-c-a-r-e-y so um the my current address is where am i staying now um
I'm sorry, I'm staying in different places.
128 43 226th Street, Luriton, New York, 11413.
Okay. Do you swear and affirm to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Okay, do you swear and affirm to tell the whole truth?
Have you sent in the exhibit packet with proof of ownership tax compliance, a copy of the refusal or referral, photos and or plans of the property five days in advance of this hearing?
And have you met with the RCO?
And we showed that there is no RCO letter.
Madam Chair, this is Sharon Saleta.
I can tell you that there were emails back and forth.
We do have all of the exhibits, and I have been told that there was an RCO meeting, but we do not have a letter.
Okay, great.
Thank you, Ms. Salata.
Thank you.
Ms. Carey, did I swear you in?
Do you swear if I'm to tell the whole truth and I'll think about the truth?
I'm sorry.
I just came up with a 12-hour hospital shift, so I'm a little out of it.
You may continue.
Yes. What I'm asking for today from the board is to convert my one family dwelling to a two family dwelling, primarily because I'm a health care provider and I do a lot of travel assignments.
So the property stays vacant and I don't want an issue with squatters and break-ins and stuff.
So I'm trying to convert the main floor for a two bedroom so I can try to get a family in there and then I will be on the second floor.
so when I am home I don't have to be concerned. We don't have an RCO letter. Did you meet with
the RCO? I'm going to say if that was Mr. Pass, yes. What is the name of the RCO, Sharon?
Excuse me, Madam Chair, I believe that Hillary Emerson has been helping with this. Could we
check to see if she is fine is hillary are you in the virtual audience um if she is madam chair
i have just allowed her to speak great good morning this emerson hi name and address and
spell your name please and then i'll swear you in yes hillary emerson on behalf of councilwoman
Sherelle Parker, H-I-L-A-R-Y-E-M-E-R-S-O-N. Do you swear from the tell the whole truth and
nothing but the truth? I do. Okay, you may continue. Yes, thank you. The applicant had had
difficulty connecting with the RCO, not through the applicant's fault. The RCO was undergoing
some challenges and has actually now decided as of this week to no longer serve as an RCO,
So our office put the meeting together and a representative from the RCO, Mr. Kim, did attend the meeting, and I thought he was going to write a letter, but he has not.
There were no near neighbors in attendance, just myself, representative from the RCO, the applicant, Ms. Carey, and a representative who's assisting her with the property.
So that was all in attendance.
So there really is not a community position on this one in that sense because there were no neighbors that came to the meeting nor contacted our office.
does the councilwoman have a position
yes she does the the councilwoman is um not opposed to um changing the property from a
single family to a duplex uh typically this is not typical for her um but in in this case um this
block um upon inspection is um already a mix of single family dwellings and duplexes um it's
it's comprised of twins. The other half of this twin already appears to be a duplex. I believe
it's currently vacant, but it has already been converted. And this is a corner property, which
those are often duplexes to begin with. Like I said, we did not hear from any neighbors,
either for or against the project, either at the meeting or contacting our office.
um we we believe there's sufficient square footage at the property to accommodate two units
nearly 1800 square feet um and we do want to note for the record that we greatly appreciate
the applicant um not converting the property before she came to zoning but coming to zoning
first um uh we we don't see that um as often as we would like so we do appreciate that um the one
proviso that that we would ask for is that there be no unit in the basement. And it's, as my
understanding, the basement is only intended for storage, but we just would not want that to be
used as a unit in the future. Thank you. Okay.
Thank you. Okay, is there anyone in the virtual audience with questions?
Does the board have any questions? No. Okay, Planning Commission.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Ian Hegarty for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.
The comprehensive plan recommends no change to the existing single-family zoning at this location.
With respect, the applicant's hardship claim is not related to any unique physical circumstances or conditions of the actual property.
So the City Planning Commission would have to recommend that the board deny the variance.
Calendar number 2708635 West Alany Avenue. My vote is yes.
My vote is no.
my vote is no
my vote is yes
excuse me madam chair
we are then going to have to hold this matter
because
it's required that there be three members in agreement
before a decision can be made
the chair will then read the transcript
and it will be voted on a later date
Ms. Saleta
I'm also going to go back to number 8, 3133, Landville, just to be consistent.
We're doing it with every other case where there are no exhibits.
Calendar number 0964, 3133, Landville Place.
There are no exhibits.
It's the first listing.
And this case is continued.
So number 15, the chair will have to read that transcript and
vote on it. Okay.
Calendar number 186717 Chew Avenue. The attorney is Hercules Grigos.
To the appellant and Stephanie Hyman, for the near neighbors.
And Madam Chair, this is a resumption hearing Mr. Grigos has put on his case.
Ms. Hyman began questioning her witnesses.
She has an additional two witnesses to call.
Okay, thanks.
Ms. Hyman has also been promoted to panelists, Madam Chair.
Thank you.
Ms. Hyman?
Good morning.
Hi, can you put your name and address on the record, spell your name, and I will swear you in?
Sure. Stephanie Hyman, S-T-E-P-H-A-N-I-E-H-E-I-M-A-N-N, 7225 Devon Street.
You swear I'm firm to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Okay. You may proceed.
Okay, thank you.
I'd like to begin by asking the board to take judicial notice of the Act 2 statute, which is 35 PS 6026.101 to 6026.908.
And then if the board agrees to...
And how are we taking notice to that? Are you going to share that with us?
It's in the exhibit packet. It's the statute.
the board will acknowledge that it has been submitted as an exhibit.
Okay, great. And then I'd like to call Mr. Robert Dixon as a witness. Thank you.
Mr. Dixon, if you're there, please raise your virtual hand so you may be sworn in.
mr dixon has been allowed to speak
hi can you put your name and address on the record please
yes robert j dixon um robert d-i-x-o-n 6800 clearview street do you swear if i'm to tell
the whole truth and nothing but the truth i do okay you may proceed ms hyman okay thank you
Mr. Dixon, can you tell us where you live and how close your home is to the 6717 Chew Avenue site?
I live at 6800 Clearview Street.
If I leave my property and walk directly across the street, I'm at the tennis courts, which rejoin the 6717 site on Chew Avenue.
Excuse me, this is Sharon. I apologize.
Excuse me, this is Sharon, I apologize for interrupting again, but Mr. Griegos has not
been promoted to panelists, if that could be done, please.
That has been taken care of this letter.
Thank you, Jason.
okay um mr gregas i'm sorry yes before we continue can he be sworn in first thank you
sure i'm trying to find someone here
and actually mr reuter as well for the city law department
if he could be promoted
for this case.
He's now been promoted to panelists
as well, Madam Chair.
Excuse me.
So we have both
promoted.
Thank you.
Mr. Grigos, hi.
Name and address for the record, please, and spell your name.
Then you'll be sworn in.
Thank you. Hercules Grigos,
G-R-I-G-O-S, 1835
Market Street, Philadelphia, PA,
representing 6717
to have llc owner and developer thank you do you swear from the tell the whole truth and nothing
about the truth i do okay mr reuter uh thank you may please the board leonard f reuter for the city
of philadelphia um we're i i'm just here because i was informed that uh one of the parties intends
to uh question the uh city plans the city planning rep so i'm just here for that so you're not
testifying i am not testifying but i'll be sworn in in case i say something that sounds like a fact
can i interrupt again um my understanding that was that ms hyman is not going to call
a city planning representative if that's the case then mr reuter would not have to uh
stay signed on yeah i'll watch anyway okay
okay never mind then thanks okay somebody proceed okay thank you um i'm sorry before we proceed can
mr roeder just be sworn in you want him to be sworn in anyway okay he has to interject thank
you kindly chair sure thank you do you swear we're firm to tell the whole truth and nothing
about the truth i do thank you thank you miss hyman again you may proceed okay thank you okay
mr dixon um the 6717 two avenue address is situated right next to the pleasant playground
correct correct and um the play the pleasant playground is more than just a playground it
offers other amenities is that right that's correct it um the playground um also has a um
Fairly new community building where we have community meetings, exercise classes.
I think there's several other types of groups like Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts that may meet in there also.
It also is the site of the Little League Baseball League, as well as a site for the Bantams football team to practice.
And there's a swimming pool in the playground.
There's a swimming pool. That's the swimming pool would be the apartment building with overlooking shadows swimming pool.
How often do you visit the playground?
I mean, I would say probably if there's something going on watching baseball, I probably look at that during the seasons probably two or three times a week.
I walk through it often because if I'm walking from the bus stop, I sort of take a shortcut through the playground just to see what's going on and keep an eye on it as I walk through my house.
And who else in your family uses the playground?
I have a grandmother who lives with me and two of them live across the street.
I take them over there for certain activities, particularly during the summer.
They have swim classes at four o'clock or community swims.
So a lot of times they'll go over there where the community swims when the pool is operating,
which I understand will open on July 7th this year.
And when you visit the playground, how do you observe people using the swimming pool?
Swimming pools, it's quite a pool in the mornings.
I didn't realize this until I started driving around some early mornings.
I would see that people would be going over to the playground early to be around the pool.
At about 10.30, it sort of gets, I won't say taken over, but visited by the numerous day camps that are going on in the neighborhood, and they have time set up for them to be at the pool.
So from about 10.30 all the way up until about 3 o'clock, the pool.
so from about 10 30 all the way up until about three o'clock that um the polls use on during
the summers is utilized on a daily basis by um different community um organizations to have day
camps in the neighborhood at four as i said i think they had a community swim um later on in
the evening they'd had zumba swims which were pretty much for um adults um i'm saying basically
women but i guess men would have been allowed to join too if they wanted to zoom in the water
Okay. And so what concerns do you have about the impact of this proposed
33-unit apartment building on the playground and the pool?
Well, it's going to be right on the adjacent to the pool. I know they were talking about trash
and things of that nature. The fact that it's going to be overlooking, it's going to be shadowing
the pool um it comes up the back i guess the back group of windows will come floors will be right on
top of the pool so you have all those people looking out um the place where there would be
egress which is stoke which they call a slogan street it's really like a little driveway into