and proceed with your case all righty thank you again um today i am joined by the members of the
llc rasheen williams james holloway bruce williams kyrie cox and i'm also joined by chelsea cox from
C2 Consulting who presented to the RCO and will speak more about the property
after I share the submitted exhibits.
and can you see my screen we can okay great um so first we have the notice of referral whereas
the proposed use for takeout restaurant requires special exceptions approval from the board in the
CMX 2 commercial zoning districts. Excuse me. Okay. Next, we have the letter of support from
the RCO showing that we met with the RCO in accordance with section 14.30312. I'm sorry,
my screen is a little out of the way. Okay. Let me show it this way. All right.
And we discussed our, the RCO discussed their concerns with us and they respectfully requested
the Zoning Board grant the applicant's appeal. This is the mailing list for all of the neighbors
in the area who were notified of the hearing by mail. This is the settlement statement.
the board's indulgence one
and this is the mortgage
this is the mortgage so the mortgage was dated
march 17 2021 showing that phase 4 llc is the equitable owner of this property
so i think where we where we need to be now she should show us drawings of the property
and or photos too okay okay all righty so and that's the you're posting yes this is the the
public posting of the property then we have excuse me the outside of the
property with also public posting on outside of that the inside of the
property and I will now pass it over to Chelsea Cox to speak more about what she
discussed with the RCO and to present more about the property are you calling
her as a witness yes i'm sorry i will now call chelsea cox to raise her virtual hand
so she can be unmuted to share okay could you please state your name and spell for the
stenographer and please unmute thank you sure uh my name is good morning my name is chelsea cox
it's spelled c-h-e-l-s-e-a uh last name is spelled cox is c-o-x do you swear or firm to tell the
truth the whole truth nothing but the truth yes it's your witness okay also is it okay if i share
my screen to show a presentation really quick prior to answering any questions i think this may
tell me what you're you're going to show like yeah sure sure sure so i during the rco meeting
uh the team and i put together a presentation to just highlight the project the purpose of
project some background information and just some ideas of how we're going to proceed forward with
the project so um we so because the the property is owned by an llc they have to be represented by
an attorney but for the board the attorney the attorney can call witnesses but you can't present
as if you're representing the llc so i mean your your council can ask you questions and you can
show you can show us a presentation but your council kind of needs to ask some questions to
bring the information into the record and that is fine i will present and then i will ask her
questions at the end of the presentation all right can you see my screen again yes all righty
okay i'm sorry my screen is a little bit out of weight tonight all righty so again um our goal
is to transition the commercial space located at 8129 31 stenton avenue to a fully functioning
takeout restaurant it was formerly a barbershop um the new concept will take out restaurant oh
excuse me it will be a takeout restaurant only with the menu focused on various cheese steaks
all ages welcome with no alcohol to be served the goal here is to create jobs focus on menu
offerings and contribute to corridor revitalization the current zoning is cmx2 the proposed proposed
use is cmx2 changing the use of the business to this um retail excuse me to take out only
there will be no structure structural additions added only interior fit out and signage updates
Prior zoning hearing included in addition of a takeout window.
Prior zoning hearing included an addition of a takeout window. The hours of operation are from Sunday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Monday to Saturday 11 p.m. 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
We anticipate on average to have 50 patrons per day and it's a patient of that is four months of estimated time it will take to complete the project and open the restaurant.
So here we also have the eateries that are also like right next to this property on Stan Avenue. So here our property will be welcome to all ages, open all year round, have operations that will be at a proper time ending at 9 and 10 p.m. and revitalization strategies to implement and to incorporate the community in these strategies moving forward for us to
continue with our goal of having that clean corridor.
All right, so the takeout model,
as we said, we'll have a takeout window
that takeout model minimizes on-site wait times
and it will already be existing on-street parking
that will adequately serve the customer needs.
There also has been a proposal to get a loading zone
placed at the corner of the streets
at the front of the restaurant,
which will minimize the congestion of the parking that was a concern for the RCO.
So the community benefits. Benefits will be job creation, commercial revitalization, different food options, as that is a food desert.
So we do understand that, and it is important for us to create more food options for the residents and families in that community.
youth employment, as well as local vending, and definitely a community focus around pride and local economic growth.
So for safety and operations, we'll be in full compliance with fire and health codes.
We plan to have proper ventilation and grease management systems installed.
the staff will be trained in safety cleanliness and emergency procedures
and it will be regular exterior cleaning and waste management to keep the area tidy
so for design and signage there will be exterior improvement so new signage
fresh paint improved lighting see the before and after right now it's a little shabby right
but we have plans to revitalize that um so and also if the lines are signed request here do we
so so you're going to have to do that at a later date you're you're not requesting that right now
okay that's all right yes all right so back again to the whole point of it all the community
commitment so we're dedicated to being a good neighbor we'll coordinate with nearby businesses
on cleaning this and safety and we'll participate in local events and initiatives to give it back
to the community um so um chelsea cox you can now be unmuted again please
all right do you agree with what i presented today yeah when you're being okay great um and
then do you adopt it when she spoke to the rco about the same exact way yes you would okay and
do you have anything to add to this um no other than the fact that um we did present from the rco
we had several questions uh we were able to address some of the questions um we essentially
presented the same information and uh right now we are taking into consideration all other questions
and any other neighborhood concerns if we have if there if any are presented okay um and i would
like to now um ask the applicant rashin williams to raise his virtual hand and be unmuted sure mr
williams
rasheem williams will be promoted to panelists
and mr williams are you on the call yet are you unmuted mr williams
yes he had been promoted to penis i'm here now i can hear i mean i can speak mr williams could
you please state your name and spell for the stenographer yes rasheen williams r-a-s-h-e-e-n
is in nancy last name williams w-i-l-l-i-a-m-s do you swear or affirm to tell the truth told
do you swear or affirm to tell the truth told you nothing but the truth
truth nothing but the truth? Yes, I do.
yes i do could you turn on your video please i'm sorry
yep please proceed counsel good morning do you agree with all we were presented today do you
agree with everything that was said yes i do and do you adopt it as your own yes
Do you like to add anything today?
No, just like to hopefully bring a new business to the corridor up there.
We've been trying to get this done for about three years of applying, withdrawing, applying, withdrawing RCOs.
And I finally feel like we're at a good point now.
So I appreciate you representing us in Chelsea.
And yes, I definitely agree with everything that was presented.
All right.
Okay, wonderful.
Nothing further from me.
questions from the board yes um is there a floor plan
yes you have that right breath uh i did not receive that but um
yes we do we can provide one for you we can definitely provide one for you
okay it's a little hard to to know how you're going to set things up without the floor plan
We have it. I can actually share my screen if that's not a problem.
I have to move some stuff so I can get to where I need to get to.
I'm sorry one second is loading up rushing if you need me to share I can share it too
I have it pulled up oh yes if you can share it that'll be great sure please excuse my
screen it's very ugly right now but now if you can see my screen where's it just
can you see my screen it's just it's just blank i cannot see it yet no all right again
okay who can do this so yeah well okay okay so while you're while you're getting that up
My questions are about two things. In terms of the cooking and what have you, are you going to have venting through the roof for this takeout restaurant?
I would refer to the client for this answer. Yes.
Yes, we will.
all right and then um is the is this going to be on the first floor and is there like a residence
on the second floor or how is no it's just office space above it it's just the first floor so
the way the building is set up on the corner is the bar it's a bar area and right next to that
it was zoned separately as a barbershop in the past so our request was to get it zoned and make
an actual food restaurant instead of a barbershop so it's living there at all okay all right um and
then about this takeout window where is that and how was that approved and uh uh does that mean then
that the uh people will be out waiting for their food um outside of the establishment
actually it will if i can um explain it it will be a window but it won't they'll be able to walk
into the restaurant in order it'll just be a window at the front of the building you know
pretty much you can look out and in and stuff like that okay so all right but you're calling
it a takeout window so what does that that's not actually accurate yeah it's just a it's a takeout
restaurant originally when we put the plans in we were going to put a window in and i spoke to um
i was dealing with somebody at ellenott with the floor plan and everything and he was like i would
remove the window and just have it a regular come in and take out restaurant so we we updated our
plans when i withdrew it the first time back in 2024 i withdrew it and we read the plans and
I withdrew it and re-readed the plans and submitted them properly without a takeout window.
submitted them properly
So that was just, you know, the wrong language for what it actually is.
So what I heard about takeout window, that's not going to be wrong.
That's not.
It's not actually a takeout window.
You have to go in the order and then you take your food out.
All right.
And then you're not going to have any seating in this?
Yes, it's going to be two tables.
I'm going to try to find it on this diagram.
should be two tables four seats okay i'm trying to see it
what's that first floor proposed floor plan
it's back there yeah i can't really see it clearly out here
yeah bathroom the seating okay and as we're going what's in the basement the basement will be the
prep area so our plans is to um redo the basement and have it for storage and um you know supplies
and stuff like that okay and
you're just showing the existing plan can you switch to the proposed plan yeah okay
this is this is a really a really small space yeah it's not that it's it's like a it's almost
like one big room one room yeah so it's it's a very small space okay yes yes this is um proposed
because we haven't done any work we had you know wait till we you know got through the zoning and
things like that before we did it so all right and then um because i guess when you were talking
about takeout window i was going to ask about trash and disposal um how are you gonna yes we
have um dumpsters even without that yeah the question is trash too yeah we have um a dumpster
out back so we'll have trash cans um inside and out um just you know when people you know come up
and they may want to walk or stand outside and eat their cheese steak you know however they decide to
to do it but we have um a waste hauler form already um ready to go and we have dumpsters
in the rear of the building okay and what about trash in the front where people might
take their food and uh dispose of trash there yeah we'll yeah yes we'll put cans out daily
and those cans will be monitored and emptied throughout the the business hours and um even
like over you know they won't be outside overnight they'll come in and out the uh the property and
that's the other question i didn't ask i'm sorry uh hours of operation yeah i think we had 11 to
nine on sunday correct me if i'm mistaken uh bria i know it was on the um presentation and um you
okay and we are also you know open to you know changing the hours if anybody had any you know
issues or any conflicts with the hours of operation yeah so on sunday 11 a.m to 9 p.m
and monday through saturday 11 a.m to 10 p.m all right thank you other questions um so a few
questions just logistically one how do you get the trash to the rear of the building because it does
look like the bar owns the space right behind where you're going to be operating yeah so right
next to the bar is the driveway so we'll be taking the trash around you know carting it around every
day and dumping it in a dumpster and then you know bringing the cart back so you're gonna
got it so you're gonna walk out go around the corner and utilize well do you have access to
that fence yes but the dumpster is not in the fence it's on the outside of it on the outside
okay yes and then there's a spot in the back that i guess was parking at some point
and um i guess it got overgrown and we just cleaned it out and uh waste management put
the dumpsters there i understand and it looks like the basement is fully submerged below grade
with no windows what is your plan to provide light air and egress into the basement
for that to be used as a prep area well not necessarily we're going to use it for storage
so we'll be yeah we'll be prepping in the kitchen on the first floor but we'll store everything you
know our you know we're just going to put like a freezer down there you know the things that we
need to just store everything okay and then are you utilizing is the office on the second floor
also yours no it's not part of what we're proposing to do no no but like it is part of
your unit as as part of uh uptown cafe not part of uh as part of the
it's as part of uh uptown cafe not part of uh it's part of the building yes and it's part of
the building part of the building but not part of your unit okay part of the restaurant that
we're proposing correct got it and then for the restaurant you're proposing looking at the first
floor proposed floor plan it does look like you have this like three foot takeout area and so is
the intent that the customers are going to come in that shared door come in your door and then
And they're going to never leave outside of that, like, sort of three-foot area in front of the four-foot wall, between the window and the four-foot wall?
So, like, only your employees are going to be in, like, the kitchen in the prep area, correct?
Correct.
They'll just be behind the counter where the griddle and the fryers are.
The area on the other side of the countertop is for the customers.
And then, so, where are your freezers going to be stored or your fridges?
in the basement so all storage is in the basement and then that first floor area is really like
active food prep and cooking yes okay and then i guess we already asked about venting through the
roof i will say the one comment i have is that i think that three foot area is very tiny for even
as a takeout window area there's not a lot of space there but you don't have a ton of space so