these are trash closets in the units are there what does he ask me i'm sorry
yes units can store trash in their in their apartment and then just take it out twice a week
there's no is the court the question is is there a dedicated closet in the units for trash that's
the question no so and on your first floor level it looks like you have to go through a bedroom to
access the rear yard correct okay that for me that's a that's a that's a non-starter to have
to go through somebody's bedroom to go to the backyard because typically your trash is stored
out there or you're having a barbecue and people are running you don't want people running through
your bedroom to go to the rest of your unit so that that's a concern um big concern for me
that layout and what's the what's the depth of the the basement below grade
can you go back to your section
so my client is fine with doing private trash as well
say that again devon my client is fine with doing private trash if we have to do private
trashed your phone we're doing that as well so at this go ahead i'm sorry so in this section this
shows that your basement is almost eight feet below grade which is a non-starter for me um
because that's you know you're you're lower than you know quite frankly a grave um and it did it
it just creates a generally bad situation in terms of light air ventilation and quality of a space so
that's problematic for me
i just want to point out this this project was approved already we're only coming back in front
of you because we're trying to add the additional unit that we also got the approval for
I didn't hear I didn't hear most of what you said this project has already been approved for
two units by the RCO we're coming back because we're trying to add the additional unit to that
they already that they agreed to approve is this is not built correct no this is a big line okay
so that's what we're reviewing we understand why you're here but this is what we're reviewing was
what we have in front of us and those are my concerns with what you have in front of us
is there any particular demonstrated hardship for having three units instead of the two
yeah so because i um with the funding um the funding it would only work if you did it the
three units without the three units the project wouldn't move forward it would just remain thinking
Some units that have 3 units in rooming housing.
Well, I have, I have an issue with the basement living as well. So.
That's something that your client may want to, you know, consider.
If 2 units would be feasible here as opposed to 3.
So, it is possible to do this, and we just not have the basement living. So, with your approval, we can do it and just remove the basement living and just use the basement storage.
So, any other questions?
If you took away the basement living, would you then reverse the.
like the bedroom units with the one bedroom end up being lower higher because obviously
it still wouldn't be a two-bedroom unit on the first yeah it would be a it would be a one
bedroom on the first floor and then the basement would probably just be used for storage so then
you would have a one bedroom one bedroom and then a two bedroom would be the highest correct
which we're fine with doing well well let's before we go on anymore what are you going
to do with the first floor where the the entrance to the rear yard is through the
bedroom what are you going to do about that
i mean we could maybe bring your client why don't you bring why don't you bring your client on and
Why don't you bring your client on and talk to your client about that? Why don't we try to get that straight?
talk to your client about.
Mr. Jones?
So the rear exit is through a bedroom. Is there a way that we can change this so that it's not a bedroom that's right here?
i would i would have to speak with an architect to confirm but i believe so i would have to speak
with her uh to confirm everything but i believe there is okay so we can be in agreement we'll
just make it so that it's not the bedroom that's that's right there at the exit
oh we can we can do a refriguration of the plans right for sure right questions from our attorney
not at this time come on up please i know you've been here a long time
you would get as close as you can to that line
okay right and could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer
my name is bonita cummings um story mansion community concern or the court reporter could
you spell your name is b-o-n-i-t-a is my first name and c-u-m-m-i-n-g-s you're a firm to tell
the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth i do please start your testimony
So I have permission to speak?
Yeah, of course.
I just first need to say that
Strawberry Mansion Community Concerns
supports redevelopment
and supports additional housing opportunities.
And the reason that this is very important is because
the narrative is that we are opposed to
uh development and or um affordable housing so i just want to clear that up for everyone
um that we are not opposed to affordable housing and or new development okay um because that this
narrative is is getting weaponized and it's trying to ruin people's reputations i don't i don't want
things of that nature but as this relative to 24 50 right 24 50 um north 30th street has had
at two meetings it's come before this board in 2025
where the thought was that it was a preexisting property
but it really was a new development
which is why we're back here at this time.
So the issue before the board is not
whether housing should be built.
The issue is whether the requested variances are necessary
and whether they preserve the integrity
of the Strawberry Mansion neighborhood conservative
conservation overlay adopted by city council agreed so if the overlay is disregarded and in
this case they want to go higher than the heights of that whole side of the block um we are not sure
if they were actually turning the porch to meet with the conformity of the porches in the block
And then you're asking, they're asking to also impact air circulation, light, odors, because they want to go further back out with the property, then the variances are, I mean, the refusals are saying they want to.
so we're asking the zoning board to not create a condition in this block that the pre-existing
residents will be harmed by so we would ask that our overlay not be stripped here um as stripping
away that overlay strips away and overlays all across the city so this this property's height
is too high they want to go higher than the height of uh the pre-existing uh residents on the block
we sent photos in to the board demonstrating
that this block is really a very intact block
and it's a working block.
So there are 15 orange cones in your photos
that we sent to you showing that the neighbors
blocked their parking spaces off with these cones
over 15 different properties.
So you have that showing up, showing that to you.
So impacting this block by three more apartments creates a density that this block is already harmed by.
And they're trying to make like, oh, this block is so barren and it's all these vacant lots.
is all these vacant lots.
It's not a lot of vacant lots.
It's not a lot of vacant lots. It may be some unhabitated.
It may be some unhabitated properties
and there are some lots,
but it's a pretty, pretty intact block.
And the residents,
some of the residents are blocking their spaces off
in this block because there was a carjacking.
And so the women who work,
some of them have to leave to go to work
very early in the morning.
Like we got 5.30 AM women traveling out of their homes.
So trying to put three stories
into this block will first raise the height.
So we are just asking to preserve our overlay.
We're asking that if you felt the need
to rent this process that it would not violate our overlay,
it would not be more than two units,
of course, no basement living,
and they would need to really identify
a solidified trash process because two days
doesn't necessarily mean for three units of residents
that it would be sufficient for them to um for the trash to be so we sent the whole
yep letter and you can see what our concerns are primarily our concern is the overlay three stories
violates our overlay because they have to go too high um and it violates the refusals that the
overlay talks about okay evan do you have any questions
yeah um miss monita i'm just curious you saying we you're saying we i have a copy of your
vote summary did you did your rco support this project did the votes did the neighbors support
this project pardon me i have a copy of the voting summary and it looks like they were all in support
is that accurate that the neighbors supported the project the the summary is based on the process
that you all had in place yeah the rco meeting right at the rco meeting and it was
the it was three applicants based on just people being outside y'all did a meeting
where people were on people's phones outside.
They were on Zoom.
It really was only two residents.
One, we said, okay, because she said her mother's property was next door,
we put that as support.
But there was conditional support from the RCO
based on not violating our overlay,
which we spoke with you all about at the meeting.
And that's what this summary is showing. It shows interested parties were two, and then there was one applicant and one attorney. So the support from the RCO is in not violating our overlay. And if you can do two units and not take your property up higher than the rest of those properties in that block is what we're trying to preserve, which we expected.
Can I call up the neighboring property owner? Because that's not accurate based on what happened at the meeting, and it's not accurate based on the voting summary. The vote was based on three units.
no the the vote was based on well that it may have been based on what you're what you're saying
in terms of the residents but the conditional um the condition what we're saying we had three votes
conditionally that also um wants to preserve our overlay and your your your development um and
trying to continue to promote this block as some destitute block um is inaccurate is an
inaccurate description to try and create the type of infrastructure impact um that that property
will have and we're asking the board to consider um what we're saying as it relates to the overlay
because the overlay impacts not only strawberry mansion but it impacts all of the overlays of the
city if we start stripping away what the overlays are meant to preserve so that's what we're saying
thank you mr chair can i call can i call up the neighboring property owner why don't we do this
why don't we see if there's anyone else in the audience okay is there anyone else in the audience
who wants to speak on this issue yes chair i have a handle from mina shabazz okay i've allowed them
to speak good afternoon hi could you please state your name and spell them for the stenographer
sure amina shabazz a-m-i-n-a-h last name s-h-a-b-a-z-z can you see me
not yet not yet okay i would have to promote you to panelists ma'am okay because i'm i'm out here
hold on hold on do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
i do are you a neighbor i am the nearest neighbor to the project yes so why don't you tell us what
your thoughts are? My thoughts are that I am currently on the block.
My thoughts are that I am currently on the block.
I strongly support it being three units next door.
I am out here with about seven to eight other individuals who have been on the Zoom since two o'clock who want to testify that they also support it being three units.
There are 18 empty lots on the block.
18 spaces where houses should be and families should be. There are six boarded up houses that
are abandoned on the block. There is plenty of parking. There is plenty of space. There are
several empty lots on this block. It does look barren. It does look empty. This project is on
the side of the street where all the houses are three-story two houses down from me at 2456 is a
triplex it's already a triplex it's three units not the immediate next door but one over and
one of the residents there is out here and she wants to identify herself and speak we strongly
support this project the block captain uh miss miss bode and her son are out here they've lived
here 60 years six decades they strongly supported being a okay so part of your testimony is there's
you said 18 people out there how many there are 18 empty lots but if you turn on the camera i can
introduce you and show you everybody that's been out here waiting for four hours
let me promote you to panelists ma'am thank you
please pardon me mr chair okay
hi i see you so i just just from where i'm standing so i'm literally right on the block
okay and i'm going to turn the camera around there's an empty lot there's one two three
in succession boarded up houses that nobody lives in down the street
at the end there are 10 other empty lots on the block at the end of this block is more
clip comes around here all the time and cleans up these lots to say there are no empty spaces
on this block here is an empty space where four houses were right here
okay all right I think and then further down the street and further but I want to introduce
to the people that have been waiting to speak well this is the lot that we're referencing
yep that's empty here's the house that i own and here's a triplex right here and
i will turn the camera around and how do you do this like this you can just
hey my name is the maya i live at 24 56 north 30th street hold on could you spell your name
for the stenographer um it's d-a-m-y-a all right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth told
truth nothing but the truth yes are you in favor of this project yes all right thank you very much
and this young man has been on the block for a very long time you could just your name could
you please state your name is felon's name is coleman on the 2461 30th street right
he said do you swear affirm to tell the truth yes okay are you in favor of this project or against
yes all right and then all right why and then i i'm now listen to me i think we're fine we're
fine you sure because the block captain is right here he really wants to speak i'm sorry is that
All right, Block Captain.
How are you?
Could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
My name is Carl Bode.