you know they didn't love that he was not there so um you know again we do meet the legal standard
here we're not increasing congestion we're not creating a larger burden on utilities we're not
changing the parking situation everything again just like the last one is staying exactly how
it has been for two decades and i tried to sort of really hammer that point home and you know that
the community is their prerogative to vote however they desire so the zoning classification is rsa5
one thing i didn't mention is that my client has other multi-family properties on the block
all legally all legal multi-family properties he's working with the tax review board on a
He's working with the tax review board on a tax clearance issue and is still within the grace period to renew a rental license, but they're not a circumstance like this.
tax clearance issue and is still within the grace period to
Pay tax-wise?
Yeah, yes.
We haven't applied for a rental license, but the rental licenses on his other multifamilies on this block, 3715, 3717, and 3722, which are like right here.
I mean, this is 3725.
They had rental licenses beginning in 2009.
so this is a different story here this is a photo of the front of the property i just wanted to make
sure i included because the photo on google street view shows a lot of overgrowth here
that's been taken care of here's a photo from 2014 showing two mailboxes again that was during
the period of his ownership but you know it's still 12 years ago to show that there has been
a continuous use here's the zoning photos my client manages the property himself he has a
management company called Lineage Properties. It's based in North Philadelphia at Fifth and
Oxford. They manage the other properties on the block, so they're on this block regularly.
Here's the utility meters. You can see one for each unit and one for the common space.
Very clearly not new utility meters. Interior photos. Part of the reason why my client is going
through this process now is because the long-term tenants that were there are no longer there.
So he did some cosmetic improvements to the property and thought that now is the best time
to go through this process. So you can see an empty building structure here. No living in the
basement. I included a photo. And then the plans and drawings. Again, the first floor is a one
bedroom. There's a small room towards the back. I know, you know, Cheryl's not going to love that
the bathroom is at the back of that first floor unit. But again, that's the existing condition
of the property. There is access to the basement for that unit, but there's no living down there.
And then upstairs, there's a bi-level that is three bed, two bath, lots of natural light in
those bedrooms. My client rents the majority of his properties with vouchers, specifically with
WAA, which is called Women's Against Abuse. They have multiple inspections per year. They've been
them with them for about five years according to my client 90 of the tenants in this program don't
have cars um so you know i don't think that we've this property has contributed to a parking issue
but but especially uh renting um under that program and and the property's currently been
vacant for six months for the duration of this process um and and as you said as you could see
you know their properties up kept well cosmetic improvements um and again my client just you know
wishes to to fall into conformance the rco notice uh went out in timely fashion proof of mailing
application for the variance deed to the property
and certificate of tax clearance with that i'd like to ask my client to adopt my testimony
What's his name? Robert Nunez.
Robert Nunez, please raise your virtual hand and wait to be sworn in.
Mr. Chair, counsel, I do not see any hands raised.
okay um okay uh you're an officer of the court um before i give to the board um as
your partner always reminds me that you always get um people to sign for letters i i noticed
there's nothing like this no no petition for this application all right all right i'm not
not saying that's wrong no i'm just curious yeah all right questions from the board to be honest
mr chair we weren't expecting to have community opposition uh because we felt like there would be
more work involved complying with the code than obtaining this i have a question oh go ahead you
go first i was just going to ask is there a rear yard or a rear balcony uh any outdoor there's a
rear yard that's accessible by the first floor unit only thank you uh my question was just um
was he when you were expecting your client to be here because he also wasn't at the meeting so i
was just curious i was expecting my client to be here i knew that his daughter was coming to
the community meeting because he had an obligation he couldn't get out of um but i i thought that
he'd be here how long has your client owned the property under this llc since 2023 but
under his control 2007 okay so a lot of the sort of concerns that were brought it seems by the
concerns that were brought it seems by the community were while it was under his control
community were while it was
yeah i mean we're not disputing that he's owned the property for two decades and you know it has
operated as a duplex i don't think that their concerns what i i didn't hear any concerns at
the meeting about this property being a nuisance or like specific to this property i think they felt
like it felt to me like they were viewing this as a new duplex on the block and that it was going to
make parking worse add density create trash you know things like that and and my explanation was
that really nothing should be changing i guess i have a question for you is because it does look
like there were a lot of non-permitted renovations and changes that happened to this over the years
that is what converted it um and in your conversations with your client i guess how
do they plan to operate differently moving forward well first of all obtain a rental license if we're
able to get this i mean they have they have an in they do their own property management that's
done through a company right that they own it's called lineage property management they have a
24-7 hotline they have a platform for for payments they you know do they have other
rental units in this neighborhood yeah on this block okay yeah 3715 3717 and 3722 they also have
3725 3725 and then 2716 north front so they're familiar with this block they they they're on
this block regularly they have i guess that's the i guess that's the that's the kind of the
concern that i have is that there he's on the block he's been on the block he's had this property
for 10 years right and yet there's this huge opposition something's not right um just this
seems odd that if you're in a neighborhood you own properties and on the particular block
and people are coming out to oppose you and you've owned this place for 10 years and it's been
and it's not legally you know it doesn't legally have a rental license yeah um i i'm that's i
I guess, concerns that people had.
That's my question.
So the one thing I would say is,
and maybe you don't know the answer,
why would he make the other three right
and never do this one?
He had long-term tenants in the building,
and I think he just didn't want to go through the process.
And I'm just, not to be the dead horse,
but the comments were that there were illegal renovations.
for over 17 years to property.
That was part of what was in the letter from the RCO.
And then it says the rental license was inactive
and that there were other homes on the block
without rental licenses.
And so the question is,
is this that the community is saying
not only were there no rental licenses for this property,
but he has others where he didn't have rental licenses.
and so i i you know i can i can understand where there might be a lot of concern about that so let
me i can speak to both of those points so my client hasn't made any illegal renovations i
don't know where that came from he's permitted to do certain cosmetic repairs without the necessity
of building permits he's done those you saw from the interior photos we didn't testify at the
meeting or today that we made any significant changes to the building structure because we
haven't. Regarding his other properties, as I mentioned, he's dealing with a tax lien issue
and the three properties he owns on the block, he had rental licenses beginning in 2009
and they went inactive less than six months ago. He's been trying to get those rental licenses
renewed. He has a tax issue. You have to be tax compliant to renew your rental licenses.
It has nothing to do with this property. I understand that the community felt like because he hadn't renewed those rental licenses, which we explained he was working to accomplish, and by the way, he had had them for 17 years until they went inactive, again, less than six months ago.
that and we have every intention of reviving them right he's he's not legally operating those
properties he's trying to revive those rental licenses all right so let's let's get to the
issues that we're more concerned about where's the trash stored good question so what they've
been doing in the past is in the front of the property my suggestion to my client and we would
agree to provide those is that the upper level unit stores their trash indoors and the lower
level unit stores their trash in the rear yard. And that was something that we suggested at the
And that was something that we suggested at the community meeting as well.
community meeting as well. All right.
All right.
And then I guess, right, I think we would be, would your client be amenable to having a certificate of occupancy?
We're part of the requirements here to address this whole issue about the possible unauthorized renovations.
And then the other thing it seems to be a concern here is that what about emergency egress?
in the property do you have uh the two means of ingress and egress for this property that you're
supposed to have with fire code purposes so you know we'll make whatever modifications we have to
under the building code to get a co i don't you know this property i don't see as much different
than the one prior in terms of means of egress um i'm not a building code expert i believe that
we're code compliant in terms of the egresses that we require that we have provided another
thing that we suggested at the community meeting was that we would agree to have jacob's ladders
in the upper level unit all right and do you know if you have the support from the two houses
adjacent to the properties i i do not know i don't think there was nobody on our specific
block that i'm aware of that was at this community meeting it was surrounding neighbors
but we're not aware of any position of the adjacent neighbors questions from our attorney
um i just wanted to make sure with regard to this property wouldn't you say the license the
rental license lapsed this property has never had a rental license i was referring to to the
other property okay but i just looked it up it said it was maybe it's been enacted for quite a
while there might have been one for one unit okay yeah i just want to make sure i was we talked
about different ones. I just want to make sure. Okay. Yep. Questions or comments from the virtual
audience? Yes, Chair. I have a hand up from Charles Korn. I'll go ahead and promote him right
now. Hi, Charles.
yo hi sir could you please state and spell your name for the stenographer
charles kahn c a r n do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the
truth sir yes sir uh please proceed good afternoon um as um the attorney uh noted this was assigned
to another rco but we happen to step in and um to support the
which is in the break it up charles
Charles, you're breaking up.
We're not hearing it, Charles.
Mr. Kahn, you are breaking up.
Yeah, I know.
It says low bandwidth.
Can I keep talking?
Wani, are you in favor of this or against?
Now, we're opposed to this. Based on a letter, the item's in there, rental license. Actually, they came up with these addresses, and we looked them up in the meeting, and none of them had a license, a rental license.
OK, so and again, about the trash, the daughter wanted to put the trash on the lawn and trash containment.
However, in that community, we got a lot of raccoons and possums and we addressed that about the egress.
We had a problem with that. We thought it was overuse.
He has brought quite a bit of the properties on the block and they all have the same issue if you drive down 16th Street.
So we opposed it totally.
We think it's overused, that's all.
Do you have any questions?
I don't.
I would just say it's the existing use of the property.
Mr. Korn, thank you for taking the time to call.
Thank you.
Appreciate it.
Right.
Thank you all.
Is there anyone else in the first audience?
Chair, I do not see any further hands.
Planning Commission.
amy boy with the planning commission the comprehensive plan recommends no change in
Amy Boyd with the Planning Commission.
The comprehensive plan recommends no change in zoning.
zoning at this location from the current rsa 5 residential single family there is no evidence
that the i'm sorry um let me start over comprehensive plan recommends no change in
zoning at this location from the current rsa 5 residential single family the property was remapped
from RM1 residential multifamily
in 2021, and there
is evidence that the property was used as
two-family since before the remapping.
The Planning Commission recommends that the
Board grant their requested variance for two-family.
I'm going to
hold this, and not for
two weeks. We'll do it next
Wednesday at 2 o'clock. The 28th.
The 28th.
I just want to talk to everybody.
There really are some complexities.
Totally fine. May I make just one brief statement?
Three.
Okay. So I think that we, by the letter of the law, I believe that we meet the legal standard here for a hardship. This is not self-created. It sounds like, and I wasn't aware of this, this used to be zoned RM1, which is maybe how these two units got here. We're fully in agreement to obtain a CO.
i understand the reservations about my clients i would say delay in in you know activating this
property the proper ways but i don't see that this application is much different than the one
for a mifflin that was just previously granted under very similar circumstances well i think
it's a little bit different okay i mean she didn't know three other properties on the block that had
problems still i mean it's a simple answer but i hear okay so why don't we move on to number eight
you're 88 right 89 and my 20 26 003 945 1221 pine street just state for the record state your
name alex goldberg all right um mr goldberg could you identify your client a relationship to the
property uh sure my client is 1221 pine 1 llc and its representative greg keelan is sitting to my