It's the first time I do this, so I'm not an attorney.
I don't have any experience.
I apologize again.
Okay, fine.
The exhibit includes refusal, letter, RCO letter of support, letters of support from the neighbors, photos, plans, deed, certificates of mailing, text clearance, and zoning posters.
So, Sarah, why don't we do this? Why don't you take us to the photos first? Because it'll be easier for us to figure out what's going on. Okay?
No problem. No problem.
And we know that Somerton has supported your effort. Okay.
yeah so that's it there correct yes yes okay so it's slightly bigger than normal but as you see
from the pictures my neighbors in the back have about the same size shed um it's even garage not
the shed on the left from him not visible in the picture right behind mine same exact building
right there in the corner after one house same exact thing there's literally 10 exact same
sheds on my street just in my street on my block okay so that's number one number
two is just a storage shed so I purchased the property 2018 it was in a
very bad shape it was sheriff sale I purchased it in a very bad condition I
i purchased it um in a very bad condition i would say i invested a lot of uh funds in the property
would say
installed a six feet privacy fencing of course asked all the neighbors about this i also asked
all the neighbors about the shed if they have if anybody is against this i i did not hear any
nose nothing okay um it's not a live not a living structure it's a two-way four shed
it's a little oversized i guess but there's no communications i did the electrical to it but
there's no plumbing no drain nothing like that it's not a living structure just the storage and
you have five you also have five letters from neighbors on your block correct i can get more
is just the closest i'm saying you have five right yes yes i have five i have all of the printouts
from the posters that i sent it to everyone it's okay and you posted the property in the
way when you had to you got pictures when you posted it correct yes just a second okay
just a second so here it is one here you go right yeah yes right on the street right so
and one on the door also just wanted to mention uh i tried to start the process right away with
the permits but nobody was responding in uh basically in the zoo's uh zoning yeah we're
basically saying you and i uh i even emailed and that's attachment the person who was in charge in
that department in the city hall i was receiving zero responses completely zero responses that
during the corona everything stopped nobody was doing anything and then in 2023 okay everything
came up okay okay okay so go back to the pictures of it okay okay
Okay. So, so questions from the board. Okay.
No chair.
Sorry, chair. No, no chair. No questions or comments from our attorney Hillary Emerson.
Not at this time, Mr. Chair.
What's your comments from the virtual audience?
Yes, we have Alex Yudovich. They have been allowed to speak.
good evening chairman member it is a good evening thank you could you say your name for the record
please for alice udovich u-d-o-v-i-c-h on behalf of councilman bro all right do you swear or firm
to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth i do please proceed the councilman has no
objection to the granting of the variance at this location thank you very much thank you for calling
is there anyone else in the virtual audience
no hands
planning commission
this is uh ron bednar city planning first name ron r-o-n last name bednar b-e-d-n-a-r
do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth
i do please proceed sir the property is indicated for residential use under city plan
The adopted district plan recommends no change to the existing zoning at this location.
I believe the applicant's hardship is self-imposed, not supported with evidence of unique physical circumstances or condition of the property that would prevent it from being used in conformity with the code.
Therefore, we recommend the request of variance not be granted.
Thank you.
MI-2023-003-341-507-Burgess Street, I vote yes.
James Snell, my vote is yes.
Ishmael Shaheed, my vote is yes.
Sir, you have your votes.
Thank you very much.
Can you?
Can you?
Let's see here.
Okay, so we're going to go to, right there.
We're going to go to number one, MI20230032451925North61ststreet.
Zen Jin is the attorney.
There's a letter of support from Overbook West Neighbors Incorporated.
Xen Jin is coming in as a panelist.
Good evening, counsel. Could you state your name for the record, please, and spell for the court's stenographer?
Yes, good evening. My name is Xen Jin, Z-H-E-N-J-I-N, 1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 1838, Philadelphia PA 19103, here on behalf of the applicant.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth i do
Could you identify your client, the relationship to the property?
Yes, my client is Mr. J. Eric Bronson, who's the owner of the property.
Our vice chair has just a few questions for you, sir.
Good afternoon, counsel. Do you agree to read another refusal or stipulate to integrity?
Have you emailed in all the required documents and exhibits that is needed
I require five days ahead of this hearing.
Yes, I have.
Thank you.
Please proceed as usual.
Thank you.
I'm going to share with the board the documents previously submitted.
Can everyone see my exhibit?
Yes, sir.
Great.
Thank you.
So we submitted the refusal RCO letter and photos, plans, and related documentation.
This application is essentially for the legalization of an existing two-family dwelling.
The property is refused because it is now in an area that's zoned RSA 5.
When we met with the community, part of the reason we received their support from pretty much all the neighbors,
and most were near neighbors, is because my client has owned the property for many years.
His family's been living in the property.
And as far as anybody can remember, including all the neighbors, it was a two-family dwelling.
So it being a corner property and the way that it was structured before, no one understood why he was not allowed to fix up his house, which actually led to this application.
because when he started renovating, he went to get permits.
And one of the reasons he was denied permits and told to stop any renovations
and cease using the property was because it was shown in the city records as zoned as an RSA 5.
Obviously, he's never needed to get multiple rental licenses because his family lived in there,
even though it was structurally a two-family dwelling.
Because the neighbors remember as such as well, and they know him well,
They know that he's an active member of the neighborhood, does clean up the property,
and they were actually more concerned with the fact that he couldn't do any work on the
property for the past few months than the fact that the property is a two-family dwelling.
What I'm showing is the plan of the existing condition of the property.
This is actually how it looks.
Essentially, the structure is once each story is one dwelling, and it's been this way for
some time, and it's a two-story building on a corner. So with that, and with the neighbor's
support, we would ask the board's favorable consideration in legalizing this use,
because again, we believe that the use itself was at one point a non-conforming use that was there,
and therefore I should not have been denied my client
who's actually looking to finish working on fixing up his property
and then moving back into the property.
My client should be here, although it's been a long day.
I don't know if he had to leave for any reason,
but he should be here to verify.
Do you have a photo you could show us?
Yes, I'm sorry.
I kind of jumped through the photos, my apologies.
No, no, no, that's okay.
Yeah, so this is the actual corner property.
Yeah. This is the cease operation that was given when he was trying to fix the property.
OK. All right.
You are an officer of the court. We will take your testimony.
He might still be here if we can.
Mr. Bronson, if you're here, can you raise your hand virtually to be identified?
Chair, we have a Jay Bronson. Is that the person?
Yeah. Yes. Yes. Yes. They have been allowed to speak.
Hi, sir.
Could you state your name and spell for the court stenographer?
Jay, you're going to have to unmute your...
Yes, there you go.
Jay Bronson, J-A-Y-B-R-U-N-S-O-N.
Right.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Please proceed, counsel.
Thank you.
Jay, did you see my presentation and hear my representations to the zoning board?
Can you verify what I have represented and what I have testified to is true and correct
and adopted as your own testimony?
Thank you.
Questions from the board?
No, Chair.
No, Chair.
Questions or comments from our attorney, Hillary Emerson?
Not at this time, Mr. Chair.
Questions from the virtual audience or comments?
Here we have a Gregory Allen.
they have been allowed to speak. Okay. Hi, Mr. Allen, could you state your name and spell for
the court stenographer? Hey, Chair Board. My name is Gregory, G-R-E-G.
Hey, Chair, Board. My name is Gregory, G-R-E-G-O-R-Y, Allen, A-L-L-E-N.
All right. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Please proceed.
So as Mr. Jinn has said, nearly all of the neighbors approved it. We mow Mr. Brunson well.
He's lived there.
In fact, he is a part of the district attorney's forfeiture program, and he helped to rescue
that home from some years ago when it was a drug house.
So he's a good neighbor.
We had no objections.
It was, in fact, a multifamily property.
It has two electrical installations.
the only thing we ask is that
there's a garden on the
Clifford Terrace side
and we would like that to be
preserved if that's possible
because the former owner
really kept it up really well
and it would add a lot of
beauty to the neighborhood
thanks for your comments and we appreciate you staying
around and calling us thank you
is there anyone else in the virtual audience
no hands
planning commission
This is Ron Bednar, City Planning.
Property is indicated for residential use on the city plan,
given its physical condition of the site and its use history.
We have no objection to grounding appearance.
Thank you. MI 2023-003-245-1925, North 61st Street.
I vote yes.
James Snell, my vote is yes.
Ishmael Shahi, my vote is yes.
Thank you, counsel.
Thank you.
Number two, MI 2023-003-267, 2015 Rohn Street.
There's a recommendation of opposition from the Rohnhurst Civic Association.
Vote was unanimous.
Applicant provided petition in support signed by approximately 69 neighbors.
Good morning. Good evening, counsel.
Hi, could you say your name, please, and spell for the court stenographer?
Sure. It's Dawn Tancredi, D-A-W-N. My last name is T-A-N-C-R-E-D-I. I'm here on behalf
of Leonard Cid, the property owner.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
our vice chair has just a few questions for you