You may proceed.
Great.
Chairman DiCicco, members of the board, I'm pleased to be here today with my client,
Kira Kaczynski.
And if I may, I'll just go ahead and share my screen.
Here's just a second.
Quick adjustment.
Okay. My client owns 1929 Cater Street. It's a single family row home on a small block of the
1900 block of Cater Street. Ms. Kaczynski has been in the house a number of years and is planning to
add a third story because, you know, she's closed in by the square footage. Just to introduce you
to the documents we have, we have exhibit A, one, the deed, exhibit two, the refusal,
exhibit three, the application for appeal, exhibit four, all the notices with the certificate of
mailing, we posted the notices, exhibit six, we have the RCO letter of deferral, and I'll explain
that in a little bit, and then the plans at exhibit seven. At exhibit eight, we have some
property context photos and exhibit nine is a good tax certification um uh chairman chico members
of board the the plans here mr monroe yes you're you're stuck on the first exhibit um okay uh let's
see let me uh let me let me do an unshare and then a reshare
all right
are you looking at a page of a deed now
yes okay great thank you sorry about that uh you can make if you can enlarge those a little bit
that would be helpful. Absolutely. Let's see.
Let me get down to the plans, because I think that's probably what we're going to be more
interested in, because I don't want them to be totally outsized.
All right, here we go.
Now we're cooking.
All right.
Well, I guess for starters, I'll just go show you the zoning context here.
It's an RSA 5 block on the 1929 Cater. And here's a photograph of the current conditions.
The photo on the left is Ms. Kaczynski's home. The next photo is a new construction of another
home with a third-story mansard roof that's being built. Ms. Kaczynski engaged her designers and
And before she went and started spending money on the plans and permitting, she talked to people in the neighborhood.
SOSNA, the South and South Neighborhood Association, has had a long-time policy of encouraging people to build to the character of the neighborhood and has typically supported plans for third-story additions so long as the cornice line was maintained and the scale of the third-story wasn't out of size of the block.
SOSNA, the South and South Neighborhood Association, has had a long-time policy.
Here's a view looking north, or I'm sorry, a view looking west on the street, and on the other side
you can see a view looking south on the other side. To the plans, Ms. Kaczynski just wanted to
have a nice Philadelphia row home that kind of fits in with the character of the neighborhood.
There was one change that the South to South Neighborhood Association Architectural Review
Committee requested, and that was to change the dormer windows from a shed roof to a gable,
I'm sorry, from a gable roof to a shed roof. They made that change in the documents that are at
Exhibit 7, and if the Board approves this request, we're going to ask that the proviso be entered
for the shed roof instead of the gabled roof, which is an exterior change of the plans.
Here, Ms. Kaczynski is on a very small lot. It's an 800-square-foot lot. Under the code,
there's a 1,440-square-foot minimum lot size under the new code for a RSA-5 property.
So in order to have a livable space, which she can have as of right, up to 38 feet high,
we're requesting a modest variance to eliminate the front setback. And as part of the visual
element, we're adding the mansur roof. Now, just to get to the dimensions, and I'll bring up the
size a little bit. Here, the code permits people to build an RSA5 property up to 38 feet at the
roof line. As you can see here, the only the pilot house, the pilot house comes under 37 feet. It goes
up to 37 feet. The roof is actually at 27 feet or just shy of 27 feet. But because Ms. Kaczynski
didn't want to have something that was way out of whack with the rest of her block, she opted to
come down and bring down that pilot house, which is below 37 feet. So technically, she could put
on an entire fourth story at this height, but has chosen not to, and instead keeping
that as an access structure to the roof deck.
With that, I think it's a relatively simple issue.
I think that there is a good case for the hardship, and I know that there may be one
or two people appearing from the neighborhood, so I just want to cover some key points that
were in Saskia's letter, very well detailed and kind of goes into what was discussed at the RCO
meeting. I'll note that we were one of two projects with a third story edition that night
and there was some debate on the hearing prior to us about whether or not they wanted to have
a mansard on that one because it was on a block with various different types of roofs.
um and here again this was something that was uh proposed and um in accordance with uh what
sas has been requesting that people do um one the there were two near neighbors who showed up
um and and one and both expressed uh some concerns uh there's a gentleman immediately across the
street who um effectively said that he preferred a straight up and down building as opposed to a
answered um i took that as a as a um uh an approval of the uh zoning um of the zoning
variance that was requested because effectively what he was asking for was a design change but
um uh the opposition wasn't to um to the third story uh across the board and then two there was
another uh person who lived down the block uh who was concerned about their creating precedent
As I stated at the RCO meeting, and I'm sure the board will agree that each of these cases
is taken on a case-by-case basis, and certainly there's not just one size fits all as it comes
to a variance.
So with that, I think that those are the basic issues, and if I could ask Ms. Kaczynski
to virtually raise your hand.
is my client.
Ms. Kuczynski has been allowed to speak, sir.
Good afternoon, Ms. Kaczynski. Please identify yourself with a record, first and last names, by your last name.
Good afternoon, Ms. Kuczynski.
Please identify yourself with a record
first and last name, Spike.
Kira Kaczynski, K-A-S-Z-Y-N-S-K-I.
I'm going to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Thank you.
Ms. Kaczynski, did you hear the factual statements that I made in my presentation?
And were they accurate to the best of your knowledge?
Do you adopt them as your testimony?
Yes. Okay. And Chairman DiCicco, we'll try to keep this quick, but I believe that Ms. Kaczynski did bring a witness to speak in support of the project because I think Ms. Chacombo might be speaking in opposition if we could.
Ms. Kaczynski, do you know who else is on the Zoom call?
Yes, I believe a couple of neighbors from Cater Street. Stephanie Sesker.
Before you get to that, just excuse me.
I just want to ask, do the board have any questions?
Now we'll ask if there are any other witnesses who'd like to testify.
Now, Ms. Kaczynski, your neighbors, could please get on, identify themselves first and last name,
spell their last name, and I'll swear them in.
and if any of the witnesses could uh who are present could raise their virtual hand
okay mr chair i have a uh miss stephanie sesker i have allowed her to speak
good afternoon ma'am to be sworn in good afternoon ma'am please identify yourself for the record
spell your first and last name uh stephanie sesker s-e-s or stephanie s-t-e-p-h-a-n-i-e
sesker s-e-s-k-e-r tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth i do and what is your
address ma'am 1915 cater street thank you mr monroe uh good afternoon miss esker um uh thanks
for being with us um now so you live on the same block as miss kaczynski yeah my husband and i are
block captains and i've lived here for 20 years okay and um have you seen the the plans for uh
her house? I have. And as people who've lived on the block for 20 years,
would this application be in keeping, if it was built out, in keeping with the character of the
block? Absolutely. I would have to say that in all honesty, the block doesn't really have that
much character. There are several three-story houses, some with bump outs, all except one
goes straight up in the front there's a mansard roof being built right now um i i don't there's
really no consistency on this block and so um and uh i guess as far as the scale of this uh house
goes is it is it in keeping with the scale uh or or shorter than the other uh three-story homes that
are on the block uh it's shorter than quite a few okay and um and and i guess because it was uh
Cater Street used to be just an all two-story block.
When I moved here, it was all two stories except for one old house, right?
That was three-story.
And since then, there have been a lot of additions.
Some of them go way out in the back.
Currently, there's being one built with a huge pilot house in the middle of, you know,
that basically interrupts everyone else's view.
The construction is not very uniform.
Let's put it that way.
And is it fair to say that this one doesn't do that?
this one looks uh like it fits very well with the more modest third editions on on the block
okay great thank you thank you for your time i appreciate it okay thank you ma'am anyone else
to testify please raise your hand
uh mr kumba i'm sorry mr kumba wanted to testify but i put her hand back
down until it was time. Matt, do you have anyone else? I don't know. Kira, is there anybody else
on? I think John Black should be on. Okay. Mr. Black, if you're there, please raise your hand.
Mr. Edward Black had his hand raised. I have just allowed him to speak.
Good afternoon, Mr. Black.
Please identify yourself with a record, name and address.
My name is Edward John Black, Jr.
People call me John.
My first name, Edward, is spelled E-D-W-A-R-D, last name Black, B-L-A-C-K.
And I live at 1924 South Street in Philadelphia.
Do you swear to the firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Please proceed.
Thanks for being with.
Thanks for being with, oh, I'm sorry, that didn't mean to interrupt you, Mr. Blackheart, just to ask you a couple of quick questions to try to get to the point. How long, so you live on the same block as Ms. Kaczynski?
Oh, I'm sorry.
That didn't mean to interrupt you, Mr. Blackheart, just that we can see that at
Correct, but on South Street.
Oh, I'm sorry, but on South Street, so at the rear of the property. And have you seen the plans for Ms. Kaczynski's property?
I have.
And tell me, I guess, what is your interest in this property on the basis that you're
at the rear of the property versus at the front?
Well, again, it will be obstructing my view, potentially.
So I wanted to make sure that the building was appropriate in size and structure, and
I believe it is, compared to the house three doors down that is now being built with a
huge bump out in the back, as was previously noted.
this this house is more fitting this construction is more fitting for the block great and so and
I don't know if you heard in the testimony that under the zoning code people have the right to
build up to 38 feet but in this case and so Ms. Kaczynski could build a four-story building up
to 38 feet but the pilot house which only occupies a portion of the roof is going up to 37 feet which
is less than the absolute height and then the remainder of the property is going to be open to
light and air um did you did you hear any of that uh information or testimony or you see that
previously in the plans yes i did and um how did that factor if at all into your uh opinion on this
property well again i think that the the size of the pilot house is appropriate given the size of
the house so i have no objections okay great thank you for your time mr black thank you thank you
anyone else who wishes to testify please raise your hand I think uh Jenna Marcolina might be
able to talk she might have had to hop off if she's there uh she may have a second
hi good afternoon can everybody hear me yes ma'am please identify yourself for the record first and
last name spell your last name and uh provide us with your address sure it's Jenna Marcolina
1933 Cater Street
Spell your last name please
Oh spell M-A-R-C-O-L-I-N-A
Thank you
Swear and affirm to tell the truth
the whole truth
nothing but the truth
Please proceed Mr. Monroe
Good afternoon Ms. Marcolina
and thank you for being with us
How long have you lived on the block?
I have lived here since 2014
And you saw the presentation earlier. I guess, can you tell me what you think about this?
How, if at all, does the design of this home impact the character of the block?
In reviewing the design, I think it is a reasonable proposal. I think it keeps in character
with the existing look and feel of the block. And I appreciate all of Kira's efforts to keep
per project within the size and scale of similar houses on Cater Street.
Great. Thank you very much. Thank you. Okay, Matt, do you have anyone else?
No, I don't think so. Is that it, Kira? That is all. Thank you.
Okay, anyone else to testify in this case, please raise your hand.
excuse me chair i know that um miss sunkett has mentioned this but i know that madeline
is trying to um get on to testify if she isn't able to um connect by her zoom link would it be
possible for you to wait for one minute so she can call on my cell phone and testify the speaker
thank you okay all right can you hear me hear you now please identify yourself with a record
spell your last name madeline shakumba spelled s-h-i-k-o-m-b-a did you swear and affirm to tell
the truth the whole truth nothing about the truth yes i did humble please proceed okay first of all
um we had a there was a meeting held concerning this matter and the letter sent in by sasner
was the letter of the pharaoh because most of the people there were opposed to what she wanted to
build she has now come forward with people who i don't know if they were at the meeting or not
because uh she they couldn't have been because she comes forward with them now