I'm Corporate Counsel and Director of Planning for Newt Cortland, which is the property owner.
Thank you.
Do you swear for him to tell the truth, the whole truth, for nothing but the truth?
Yes, I do.
Thank you.
Thanks for proceeding.
John, did you have a chance to listen to my presentation this morning?
Yes, I have.
And although it was a very high-level, 30,000-foot view summary, do you adopt it as true correct
on your own?
Yes, I do.
Thank you.
uh mr chair we can certainly answer more detailed questions if the board would like but i think
given this support i will rest my presentation now thank you does the board have any questions
no thank you yes this is tanya if i could just request that mr unger spell his name on the
record please yes please mr unger please uh spell your first and last name for the record
sure my first name is john j-o-h-n my last name is ungar u-n-g-a-r thank you thank you chair
you're welcome uh is there anyone else here in this matter that would like to speak
no further hands at this time mr plaza thank you planning commission
thank you mr chair ian hegarty for the philadelphia city planning commission
comprehensive plan recommends no change to the existing zoning districts on the site
our recent subdivision as noted by council is creating some non-conformities which this
application seeks to legalize and clean up and so the city planning commission therefore
recommends that the board grant the variance thank you count the number mi 2020-003
8401 East
Roosevelt Boulevard. My vote is
yes. My vote is
yes. My vote is yes.
Thank you very much.
Take care.
Believe that concludes.
Is that correct?
Shania and Sharon?
Yes, that's it. That's everything.
That's great. Now that we have time,
we can start at 2 o'clock right now.
All right.
Mr. John Kelly, court reporter
how did it go for you? Thank you very much. Good afternoon, everyone. My name is Frank DiCicco.
I'm the chair of the Zoning Board of Adjustment. I'll be participating in today's hearing along
with our vice chair, Ms. Carol Tenere, board secretary, confessor plaza and board members,
Mr. Thomas Holloman and Mr. James Snell. Board administrator, Mr. Jason Hand and board attorney,
Ms. Saren Saleta are also in attendance. For those of you who haven't yet participated in one of our
virtual hearings, I'll go through some of the basics of what you can expect. First, we will be
administering oaths to individual participants prior to their testimony. Second, we'd like to
advise everyone that this proceeding is being recorded and that by participating you acknowledge
your agreement to be recorded and that the recording will be made available to the public
and that the recording will be made available to the public on the web or otherwise.
on the web or otherwise.
Third, for anyone participating by phone, if you wish to testify,
you must raise your hand by hitting star 9 and then star 6 to unmute yourself.
I'll repeat.
For anyone participating by phone, if you wish to testify,
you must raise your hand by hitting star 9 and then star 6 to unmute yourself.
finally to enter an appearance statement call google 267-270-5548 and leave your email address
and the address of the property at issue i'll repeat that as well to enter an appearance
statement call google 267-270-5548 and leave your email address and the address of the property at
issue. I would also like to remind everyone, please do not attempt to testify in the chat.
Any comments should be directed to our Board Administrator, Mr. Jason Hand.
With that, I will read off a list of cases that have been requested to be continued. Number one
on our two o'clock list is MI 2020-001-309-109 Pleasant Street. The request for continuance
was by the attorney for the applicant. Number five on our list, MI 2020-003-159-2535
west lehigh avenue number six on our list mi 2021-000637-2626 west lehigh avenue is requested
to be continued councilwoman cindy bass his office is requesting a continuance for number seven on
our list, 2021-000730, 30 West Highland Avenue. Number 11 on our list, MI-2021-001329, 503-05
south 6th street and number 12 on our list mi 2020 that's 002036 539 north 22nd street
continuance was requested by the attorney if anyone disagrees with any of the cases that i've
just that i've just read off to be continued please raise your hand at this time excuse me
Chair, if we could call for the 30 West Highland case, I advise the parties that you would call up the attorneys and the representative of Councilwoman Bess.
Just to be sure that, thank you.
Yeah, I remember you talking, I just thought I was going to call them.
Okay, so would the attorneys for 30 West Highland Avenue, please raise your hand so you can be recognized.
they're being made panelists correct yes okay i understand uh no just allow them to speak
please yes okay i just need to speak mr burtel yeah okay mr burtel has been allowed to speak
there's also mr clinton and charles richardson
good afternoon um it should also be uh carl from there he's represented in this case
i just raised my hand just in case um you guys didn't see him yet
mr madera if you're out there please raise your hand he is out there i don't believe he had his
hand raised he has his hand right now is he being allowed to speak now yeah let's get let's give
to identify himself and then we'll go to Mr. Clinton and Mr. Richards. Yes, Carl Primavera,
attorney with Steven Bertel for the applicant. Carl, would you please spell your last name?
P-R-I-M-A-V-E-R-A. So I'll swear you in now. Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth,
the whole truth, nothing about the truth? I do. Mr. Bertel, are you also testifying?
uh no it'll be uh just carl for the okay okay let's get to mr clinton and mr richardson
good afternoon mr chairman henry clinton here henry please spell your full name for the uh
last name for the stenographer sure clinton c-l-i-n-t-o-n 1313 south 33
Sure, Clinton, C-L-I-N-T-O-N, 1313 South 33rd Street, Queen Memorial Building, 19146.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Thank you.
Mr. Richardson?
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair.
Charles Richardson from the Office of Councilwoman Cindy Bass, room 312, City Hall.
I don't know if you were on this morning, so would you mind, do you swear or affirm
to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Okay, thank you.
Mr. Primavera?
So, Mr. Chairman, members of the board,
this is a matter that's been through the Chestnut Hill Community Association.
I believe it's 20 meetings of the subcommittees and sub-subcommittees
and near-neighbor workshops.
I've been talking to the councilwoman.
She may have misunderstood what I said.
I said we would be prepared to go forward today,
and we desire to go forward,
but we don't have a problem if the board wants to hold the record.
But we certainly never agreed to a continuance.
And I think Stephen from my office and Charles have had that conversation.
I've been in direct conversations with Mr. Clinton to make sure he was understanding of our position.
So we're ready to go forward today.
So, Mr. Clinton, do you have anything to add to that?
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
I represent 220 residents of Chestnut Hill, at least 63 of whom are on the call today, and that number continues to rise.
There's 24 residences within 250 feet of this property.
I represent 20 of those individuals.
So we're requesting a continuance to join in with Councilwoman Bass for a number of reasons.
One, this is the first time that a continuance has been requested that I'm aware of.
and out of typical courtesy, that usually is intended to have a continuance.
Also, this building is involved as a significant contributing building
to the Chestnut Hill National Registry District.
It has a longstanding history in the neighborhood.
And it's an unusual situation.
As Mr. Premier Barrett said, there were 20 meetings,
but the individuals who have participated in those meetings
and voted on the proposition for the project
are members of the association, Chesson Hill,
who don't even live within the 250 feet of the property.
And that's why it's concerning that the people who are most impacted,
and this is something the board always looks at,
what do the near neighbors have to say?
They really have been heard, but have been shut out of the vote process.
Okay, let's hear from Mr. Richardson,
and then we're going to be number seven on our list
and we'll discuss this further at that time.
Mr. Richardson?
Yes, Mr. Chair.
Councilwoman feels like further conversation
between both parties would be beneficial.
The sheer number of people that are against this project,
in fact, all of the near neighbors are against the project,
but unfortunately, the way that the Chestnut Hill
community association's RCO process works is that they elect folks that will vote on these projects
and they will not be the ones that actually live near the project. So she feels like if the folks
are not allowed to be represented today, then she will vote to oppose this project and outright.
right but she would like to have a continuance to allow them to at least have some more conversation
more dialogue in order to make this uh make this a more smoother process all right we'll wait till
we get to it but this might be an opportunity for us to have the hearing and then have a resumption
hearing we'll wait till we get to that we have a few other cases ahead of you thank you thank you
Thank you. Also, is there anyone here for 2167 East Cumberland Street?
2167 East Cumberland. Anyone representing that case?
I got a number of hands going up right now. I only want the person who would be
uh the applicant or representing the applicant because we've not received any exhibits
christopher pepper i believe
i would ask that all put their hands down unless you're here for this particular case thank you
okay i got mr albert jeng with or mr uh michael mallory with his hand up i will allow him to speak
Now, sir.
Okay. Good afternoon, Mr. Mallory. Please identify yourself at the records by your first and last name.
Good afternoon, Mr. Mallory.
Please identify yourself with records by your first and last name.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chairman, members of the board. It's Michael Malloy, M-A-L-L-O-Y, for Mr. Zhang, 2167 East Cumberland Street.
Our exhibit packet should have gone over twice, actually, because we sent the RCO letter of support.
I'm sorry.
We can't wait for that.
Hold on, please.
I'm sorry, could we swear him in first?
I'm going to swear you in, sir. Please, you swear for him to tell the truth, the whole truth,
nothing but the truth? I do. I do. Sorry about that. Please proceed.
My apologies. So I can have the exhibit sent over now. My understanding was they came in
last week and that we supplemented with the RCO letter, which just came in a couple days ago,
of support. My understanding is they didn't get in last week, but Ms. Saleta?
If they're in, I will look for them. I didn't find them the first time, but
there may have been some technical problem. I am emailing Ms. Mariano from my office who
sends them in. So I will do that right away and I will get them to you again if possible.
I think I may know what the problem is. Ms. Mariano sent you an exhibit for another case. Also, it went to the wrong email address. It didn't go to the one on the instructions, Saletta CPA. If it is in my other email box, I will find it.
That could be it. I apologize. Thank you.
Sharon, we're okay to go?
Okay. All right, sir. Just hang in there. We'll get to your case.
Thank you.
At this time I will ask if there's anyone who is requesting a continuance or withdrawal
that is not yet been put in the record. Anyone else can ask requesting a continuance or withdrawal
please raise your hand. Mr. Alan Ockamson has his hand raised I will love to speak now sir.
Thank you Mr. Ockamson I'm not sure if you were on this morning so please identify yourself and
I'll swear you in. Yes good afternoon Mr. Chair Alan Ockamson A-L-A-N last name
Jim Nockamson, N-O-C-H-U-M-S-O-N, 123 South Broad Street, Suite 1600, Philadelphia PA, 19109.
Were you sworn in this morning?
I was not.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Thank you.
Please proceed.
Yes, this is regarding 2535 West Lehigh Avenue.
Our understanding is that there has been a request for a continuance by the coordinating RCO.
Through no fault of their own, they have been unable to meet with us. I know their calendar is pretty strong and expansive, but this would be the second continuance, and the first continuance we readily agreed to.