they could also just change the building type
Good morning, my name is Bill Bergman, and I will be chairing this meeting of the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment.
With me is our Vice Chair, Ismail Shahid.
Present, Mr. Chairman.
Our Board Member, Cheryl L. Gaston.
Present, Mr. Chairman.
Our Board Member, Tanetta Graham.
Present, Mr. Chairman.
And our Board Member, Taya Wynn.
Present, Mr. Chairman.
Also, here is our attorney, Hillary Emerson, and our zoning board executive director, Ian Haggerty.
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is Love Park directly across Archery. Please remain there so we can account for you. Let's
look at our schedule. Are there any requests for continuance? Good morning, Chair. This is Nadia,
and I'll be your co-host today. I see no hands. Okay, so we're going to go right to our main
list. Number two, MI 2024-001-595-52 East Washington Lane. Candace Jamison and Charles
Whatley are the owner applicants? There's a letter of unanimous support from Chew and Belleville
neighbors. Candace Jamieson or Charles Whatley if you're not virtual audience. They have been
promoted to panelists. Thank you. Hello. Good morning. Could you please state your name
and spell it for the stenographer.
Candace Watley, C-A-N-D-I-C-E-W-A-T-T-L-E-Y.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth,
the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
All right, so this application is for use
as a multifamily household living,
three dwelling units in an existing structure.
The proposed use, multiple family household living
is prohibited in the RSA3 zoning district.
Our vice chair has a few questions.
Good morning.
Have you emailed in all the required documents and exhibits as needed to proceed with this case five days in advance of this hearing?
Thank you.
You may proceed and share your screen.
Thank you.
One second, please.
I'm getting it together.
Sure. Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Should be the green bottom, the green button at the bottom, right?
Yes. Here we go.
Just OK. OK. All right. Please begin.
OK, so this is 52 East Washington Lane.
I'm just going to go through the pictures.
Here is the zoning pictures. I have three.
Then we have a picture of the block here, and all these are triplexes.
And between 52 and 50 Washington Lane is where the trash will be placed.
We have the mailbox, which is something that the RCO requested to be inside.
here's when you walk in the front door and that's the steps to go upstairs that's the landing
and here we have the first floor apartment when you walk in that's the kitchen
in the living room area and that to look out from the living room into the hallway
and the front room that's like an office area
and then we have the hallway and we have bedroom one bedroom two and the bathroom
and that's bedroom one
bedroom two and here's when you first walk into the bathroom and here's when you turn to the right
into the bathroom. Here's the second floor apartment door. Here's when you open up the door
to the apartment, that's the living room. This is the living room and this is the front bedroom.
And when you open up the front bedroom, that is the door, that's the bedroom. This is a close-up
of the kitchen. And here is like a pan out view of the kitchen. Here's the second bedroom.
It's the bathroom. That's just another picture of the bathroom, the tub area. This is the door.
This is the hallway landing to go to the third floor apartment. Here's the third floor
apartment door here's when you open up the third floor apartment door
these are the steps to the third floor apartment
and here we have went the landing
here's the bathroom
the back bedroom
this is the kitchen living room area
kitchen this is the front bedroom
front bedroom it's another view of the kitchen slash living room area
here's the backyard
here's the back of the house
yeah and that's it for that
how long has this been a duplex it's been a triplex when i purchased it it was a triplex
i'm sorry ma'am yeah it was a triplex when i purchased it and when was that um initially
back in 2016 and then it went to my son and my name in 2021 all right thank you questions from
the board. Questions or comments from our attorney? Ms. Watley, is there any parking
at the property? No, it's just street parking. Just street parking. Okay. I just wanted to
note for the record, because this is an RSA3 property, it does require one parking space
per unit. So that was something that was missed on the refusal. So just noting that for the
record if the board if the board grants here that it would also be granting
variants for not having the required accessory parking. Thank you. Questions
or comments from the audience and the virtual audience? Chair we have Charles
Richardson with their hand raised and they have been allowed to speak.
good morning mr chair good morning could you please state your name and spell for the
stenographer certainly charles richardson r-i-c-h-a-r-d-s-o-n office of councilwoman
city bathroom 508 city hall you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the
You swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
truth? I do.
And just for a point of interest, we ended our day last week with you, and we're starting our day now again with you.
This is getting to be habitual, I guess.
Councilwoman has no opposition to granting the variance.
Thank you.
Anyone else in the virtual audience?
I see no hands.
Planning Commission.
Thank you, Chairman, and good morning.
David Fecto, F-E-C-T-E-A-U with the City Planning Commission. Do you swear or affirm to tell the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? Yes, sir, I do. Please proceed. Thank you, sir.
Chairman and board members, the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the RSA3,
Residential Single Family Zoning at this location. This appears to be a legalization
of a long-standing triplex. The City Planning Commission recommends the board grant their
proposed use variants for three dwelling units with no off-street accessory parking.
Thank you. MI 2024, 001-595-52-East-Washington Lane, I wrote yes.
Cheryl Guest, and my vote is yes.
Tanetta Graham, my vote is yes.
Tyowin, my vote is yes.
Tishmel Shaheed, my vote is yes.
Thank you.
Thank you, Ms. Motley.
Number one, MI 2023-005-926-3223 West Burke Street.
Pascual Calavita is the attorney.
This is a resumptive hearing.
Chair, I'll be recusing myself.
Thank you.
That was Tenetta Graham, everyone.
Good morning.
Good morning, counsel.
Counsel, could you state your name and spell for the court stenographer?
Pascual Colavita.
P-A-S-Q-U-A-L-E-C-O-L-A-V-I-T-A.
You swear or affirm to tell the truth, told truth, nothing but the truth?
Counsel, your video's off.
I've clicked it twice.
Let's see.
For some reason, it's not going on.
I see that it's off at the top, but at the bottom, there's no line through it.
I've undone it.
Mr. Colavita, this is Ian Hegarty.
Do you have your camera, like a physical cover over your camera?
I do not.
I do not.
I can actually see where the three faces are, and I don't see a screen for you, and Karima Quintana's got a line through both of their site, but my video, it lists as on at the bottom, it's off at the top.
I mean, I don't have a problem proceeding. You guys have seen me enough times. Maybe you don't want to see me again. I don't know.
uh i if if the share uh aspect of this functions i can proceed because this again as you stated
this is just a return from a previous meeting just to conclude to show you the changes that we
uh removed all basement living and met with the community group that's basically all i'll be here
four. Okay. So yeah, Hillary, I just talked to our council. We're fine with that. So just let me
give you an idea where we're going to, how we're going to handle this. So there'll be an update
from you about the second RCO meeting and concerns previously raised by the board. There'll be
questions from the board, the public testimony, and then the planning commission, and then
obviously we'll vote. So why don't you start your presentation? Thank you. Again, Pasquale
Colavita, attorney on behalf of Kimit Hassa. I'm going to start sharing this. It's Hassa Construction
is the actual owner of the property. As was stated, this is a continuation of our initial
hearing on October 2nd of 2024. I'm just going to supplement this with a notification of the
neighbors in 7a, the letter of support after our meeting on January 23rd, a 10 to 1 vote in favor
with the copy of the plans here. And as you can see, the first floor, if I can some way move this
over. Shows no basement living and window, there's no window well arranged.
Basement living and window. There's no window well or anything in the front.
And notice of the posters that were done by Mr. Hassa and the actual meeting summary.
this is the revised plans with proviso the other ones were just the floor plans which are not part
of the the zoning application and a copy of the tax clearance certificate so we went back we had
initially set up an appointment with them for some odd reason no one had showed shown up at
that meeting and it was never, I guess, formalized, but we reposted again. It was stated in
7A, which replaced the prior one on January 10th. So it seems like everybody is now in agreement
with a three-story property, two-unit dwelling, no rooftop deck with the no basement living.
So I just ask that you grant a variance for a duplex here, a two-family dwelling, as is set forth within the proviso and plans.
And I can bring my client on to confirm everything.
Why don't you bring your client?
Or listen to questions first, so if you have any.
And for a point, we also have a letter from Councilman Young in non-opposition.
Questions from the board?
Can you fill up the floor plans again?
Is there anything specific you're looking for that I can scroll through?
I was just trying to look at the egress.
the two egresses on the first floor. This is fine. Where it is, it's fine.
Okay. Are you going to bring your client on?
I am. Sure. Bring your client on. His name is Kimit Haasa.
Kimit Haasa, if you're in a virtual audience, please raise your virtual hand.