commercial mixed-use zoning at this location.
The applicant's hardship claim is not supported, with evidence of unique physical circumstances
or conditions of the property.
We further believe that the proposed variance will substantially or permanently injure the
appropriate use of adjacent conforming properties, and so the City Planning Commission recommends
that the Board deny the variance.
Thank you.
MI 2020-003-442-1617 Falkrod Street, I vote no.
Carol Tenere, my vote is no.
Thomas Holloman, my vote is no.
James Snell, my vote is no.
Ishmael Shaheed, my vote is no.
Thank you. 1901 Gerrard Avenue, MI 2022-001-031.
attorney Hercules Griegos Mr. chair miss Melanie Lacey has been promoted to panelists fine
good afternoon mr chairman members of the board melanie lacy m-e-l-a-n-i-e last name l-a-c-e-y
i'm with claire harrison harvey in bransburg 1835 market street suite 1400 philadelphia ta
you swear a firm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
Could you identify your client and the relationship with the property?
I'm accompanied by Sherman McLeod, who's the president and CEO of Philadelphia Technician Training Institute.
And there are some other parties present as well who I'll identify shortly.
Our vice chair has a few questions.
Good afternoon.
Do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal and stipulate to its accuracy?
have you emailed the exhibit packet with proof of ownership tax compliance a copy of the refusal or
referral photos under plans of the property five days in advance of this hearing and have you met
with the rco and do you have a letter i do and i will share my screen if i'm permitted great you
may proceed. Thank you. Sure. I'm just, I apologize, I'm trying to share my screen.
here we go okay are you able to see it we are wonderful okay so as mentioned i represent the
applicant which is philadelphia training technician training institute and they are seeking to expand
an existing educational facility located at 1901 West Howard Avenue, and the proposed expansion
requires variances for special exception relief and variances as well as special exception relief,
which I will describe momentarily. So for context, Philadelphia Technician Training Institute,
which I will refer to as PTTI for short, is a vocational school that offers a technology-based
training environment that is instructor-led and hands-on and the
That is instructor-led and hands-on, and the programs include, but aren't limited to, welding technology, manufacturing and automation, automotive training and repair, and concrete masonry and framing.
programs include but aren't limited to.
And what we celebrate about PTTI is its track record of empowering Philadelphia youth with valuable skills at an affordable price and a pipeline to gainful employment with family sustainable wages.
and oh sorry and this is really a first-class operation that is changing lives in the community
so as mentioned i'm accompanied by sherman mcleod as well as um sandra farmer who is a director
of business development and hr at ptti i'm also accompanied by robert lynn from lynn architects
rondo mobley from rogerio plant engineering and all parties will be available to answer
any questions that you may have after my testimony. So to start, we met with the affected RCOs,
which include Celestial CDC and Brewery Town Shardswood on March 17. And we received
overwhelming support for the application as evidenced by the meeting summary and letter of
support. And we also received, this is a letter of support, we also received a letter from Gerard
Garden, which is an independently operated community garden that's also located on the
subject property, but run by volunteers. So now I'd like to situate the property, which fronts
on West Gerard Avenue, and it encompasses the entire block between North 19th and North 20th
Street, and it's bound by South College Avenue at the rear. So this next view of the property
identifies approximate lot boundary lines in red and the area where the proposed building
addition would be constructed in the yellow circle. So as mentioned, this is only an expansion
project. And as you can see, the building is an L, has an L formation alongside Girard Avenue and
North 19th Street. And the front entrance is right here on Girard, if you can see where I'm hovering.
And the building addition, like I said, is between the building and Girard Garden,
which provided that letter of support that I referenced a moment ago.
So here are some images of the property in the surrounding area. First, the southwest corner of
the property, there's a gas station on the opposite side of the road, I believe it's a
Conoco now. This is the corner of the property, northeast corner and south. Here's the front
of the property with some city bike racks available for rent, as you can see.
This is the northeast corner on South College Avenue. And finally,
the parking lot at the rear. And you can see that its landscape is quite manicured,
and there's a sidewalk running along the perimeter of the entire property.
Here are images of a proof of posting, and here is the zoning map.
So the property is zoned RM1, which, as you know, stands for Residential Multifamily,
but it's located across the street, like I said, from that Conoco gas station.
There's also several ground-level commercial spaces on the opposite side of this portion of Westward Avenue,
And you can see that there are CMX2 and CMX3 zoned properties in close proximity.
So finally, here is the site plan.
So it shows the proposed changes with the expansion being the orange portion.
The expansion involves a two-story building with a basement and roof deck.
and the addition has a gross floor area just under 10,000 square feet. There's landscaping
that includes that's included along the front of the building here this green portion
which is consistent with existing conditions. There's a patch of grass running along the front
of the building all the way around and also plantings would be installed by the existing
parking lot. And you can see there's one curb cut on the property right here at the back
on South College Avenue. And the existing parking I'll mention adequately accommodates
parking needs, particularly because a portion of the student population has historically
used public transportation or bicycles to commute to class. There's also five bicycle
racks or parking spaces, proposed in this area that I'm hovering over by the new plantings.
In addition to those city bikes located at the front of the building, that's
In addition to those city bikes located at the front of the building that I showed you earlier.
So here are the building elevations.
I'll note that the facade of the building will match the existing building, which is predominantly brick, with steel paneling around some of the windows.
And here are some 3D renderings of the property where you can see the proposed roof deck.
So I'll highlight that the proposed roof deck is for educational purposes only. It's a valuable
part of the construction trades program, which would allow coursework and HVAC and carpentry.
therefore it would give students exposure and familiarize them with working in elevated
environments. So this is hands-on immersive learning experience that I mentioned before
is central to PTTI's mission and it's a conventional roof surrounded by a 42-inch
high brick parapet railing and accessed by walking up the enclosed stair tower that I'm hovering over
here that opens, um, has an opening, uh, to the top landing. Um, I'll also point out that the
building height at two stories is consistent with the surrounding buildings. So here is,
I feel a little load. Okay. Here is the refusal letter and I'll walk you through what exactly
we're seeking. So we filed a zoning use permit for the proposed expansion and received this refusal
letter on December 15th of 2021. As you can see, there are four refusal items. I'll zoom in.
First, the proposed expansion includes a roof deck for a non-residential use, which isn't permitted
in the RM1 zoning district. As mentioned, this portion of West Gerard Avenue has ground-level
commercial properties in the RM1 portion, and it's surrounded by CMX2 and CMX3 zone properties
close by. And I shared with you the reason for the proposed roof deck, which is educational
purposes only and not recreational. Second, the setback distance of the proposed roof deck
requires aberrance. So I'll note, and I'll actually go back to
the rendering so that you can see that there is an existing setback, which I'm hovering over.
The building itself is set back from the roadway. There's a sidewalk, there's
grass. So it already has a setback, but not at the top of the building.
And going back to the refusal, the third refusal item is the special exception relief for the educational facility in the RM1 district.
I'll clarify that there's already a permit in place for this use, but the proposed expansion requires us to seek ZBA approval.
And finally, we are seeking a minor parking variance to permit 29 spaces where 33 spaces
are required. Again, this relates to the existing parking lot that I described earlier, and the
variance relief would be de minimis. And there's also multiple alternate modes of transportation
with the city bikes up front, the bike spaces near the parking lot, and public transportation
on Westward Avenue. So that summarizes my testimony on the application. I have my client
Sherman McLeod present to adopt my testimony, so if you would promote him, he can be sworn in.
Mr. Sherman McLeod, are you in the audience?
I believe you need to raise your hand, click the raise hand feature.
Mr. McLeod has been allowed to speak.
Would you state your name and spell it for the court reporter, please?
could you state your name please
mr mccloud can you unmute yourself okay can you hear me now we can could you
We can. Could you state your name and spell it for the court reporter?
state your name and spell for the court reporter yes my name
Yes. My name is Sherman McLeod, S-H-E-R-M-A-N-M-C-L-E-O-D.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Yes, I do.
Proceed, counsel.
Sherman, did you hear my testimony that I provided to the board this morning for afternoon, I should say?
Yes, I do, and it's factually correct.
Thank you. So you affirm that it's factual and correct, and you adopt it as your own?
Yes, I do.
Wonderful. So is there anything that you would like to share very, very briefly
on how PTI has been an asset to the community?
Yes. PTTI over the last seven and eight years have been able to get people in the community of
Philadelphia jobs in order to schedule for, can you hear me?
Yeah, we have been able to get jobs for people over $25 an hour in the community, which the people have been able to get jobs in order to make sure that they are able to
Fulfill jobs over skilled labor and whether or not it's people who are able to qualify for jobs over the ability and an ability to be able to for jobs.
that that they are able to um and uh whether they were incarcerated or not
and being able to be incarcerated they don't need to qualify for any other opportunities other than
skilled labor
thank you chairman so that concludes our presentation and we'd be happy to address
questions questions from the board no mr chairman no mr chairman no mr chairman
questions from the virtual audience
you know i have mr chair planning commission good afternoon david fecto city planning commission mr
chairman members of the board the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the residential
multifamily zoning at this location the application for expansion of a school matches the character
of the block the applicant has shown that the expansion of a school will have no more of an
impact than a school expansion would be expected to have and of course that's the standard for
granting a special exception and neither the roof deck its placement nor four fewer parking spaces
than required will impair the use of adjacent properties so the city planning commission
recommends the board grant the special exception and the use variances thank you david mi2022
zero zero one zero three one 1901 west rod avenue i vote yes carol tennari my vote is yes thomas
Solomon my vote is yes. James Snell my vote is yes.
Thank you. Thank you. MI 2022 000 393 202 Rifka Street Mr O'Brien.
William O'Brien, attorney.
Mr. O'Brien, O'Brien has been promoted to Panama, sir.
Thank you.
Mr. O'Brien, state your name and spell for the court reporter.
uh good afternoon mr chairman my video apparently is not functioning
um would you uh need some time to try to get it together and we'll call you a little later
uh yes that would be great thank you we'll put you off to the end okay thank you all right
MI 2022-000224-2460.
0-0-0-2-2-4-2-4-6-1-Gall Street, and I believe MI-2022-0-0-2-2-6-2-4-5-9-Gall Street can be heard together.
Rachel Pritzker's firm.
Mr. Severn has been promoted to panelist now.
Good afternoon.
My counselor, how are you?
Could you state your name and spell for the court reporter?
Brandon Saverin, B-R-A-N-D-O-N, S as in Sam, A, V as in Victor, R-A-N.
Right.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Could you identify your client and the relationship to this property?
The client is Keen Property Group, LLC, spelled K-E-E-N, and they are the owner of both of the properties you referenced, Mr. Chair.
And you can handle both.
You're going to handle both at the same time.
That'd be preferable.
Our vice chair has a few questions.
Hi, Mr. Saverin.
Do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal and stipulate to its accuracy?
Yes, we do.
Okay. Have you emailed the exhibit packet with proof of ownership tax compliance, a copy of the refusal or referral, photos and plans of the property, five days in advance of this hearing, and have you met with the RCO, and do you have a letter?
Yes to all of the above.
You may proceed and share your screen. I keep thinking I have it all memorized, but I don't.
It's a long list.
It is.
okay uh one moment while i share my screen here
i'm sorry one more second here
oh bear with me i'm very sorry i'm having a um it it's gonna work it just wants me to um
change a privacy setting here you go allow the
um i'm very sorry i'm i'm going to um i'm going to have to ask that you come back to me it's not
um allowing me to share my screen and i think let me do sorry this is tanya hi tanya we have
Ms. Prisker with her hand up, maybe to assist? Yes, I'll be back on in 10 seconds. It just