of a five-year expiration. That five-year has since
expired, but the property has continued to be used by
Why Not Prosper for that use. Why Not Prosper is
a 501c3, originally founded in 2001
to support formerly incarcerated women. Since
2006, when it started owning
the property, when it acquired the property, based upon the
deed here, which we'll scroll down to.
since it's owned, the property has been using the property to assist women that were recently incarcerated.
In the virtual audience today is Reverend Michelle Simmons, who is the founder and CEO of Why Not Prosper.
We're really not asking to do anything to the exterior or interior of the building
it to continue the use of the building for the for the transition transitional care and
transitional living of of our recent incarcerated women i'm showing you some exterior shots of the
building and some interior shots of the building and where properties located in the cmx2 zoning
And we're properties located in the CMX 2 zoning district, which does not permit for the transitional use that that we're discussing here.
So, again, we're just merely asking to continue the historic use of the building for the charitable purpose.
Want to bring your client on? Yes. Reverend Simmons, do you want to come on?
Okay, excuse me, they have been promoted to panelists to be rejoined shortly.
hi could you please state your name
and spell for the stenographer
yes my name is
Michelle M-I-C-H-E-L-L-E
last name
Simmons
S-I-M-M-O-N-S
do you swear or affirm to tell the truth
the whole truth and nothing but the truth
that is correct I do
please proceed counsel
Reverend Simmons
good afternoon
And did everything I say in the introductory and presentation, is that true and correct?
Yes, you did good.
I'll just add one little thing to it.
Yes, we're just asking for the same use.
We've been in this location for 20 years.
Matter of fact, yeah, 23 years.
And every five years when I first came to zoning, when we first went in 06, they said it was provisional, like to see what we was doing.
because of the population and make sure we've been you know okay and then we continue to have
to come back every five years so this is like our standard come back in five years however
COVID hit us this year and I didn't do the reapply thing um and so they made us start over
from scratch but we've been a beacon in this community for 23 years and we have support
of the community and support of the councilwoman um and and our hayward our state rep um so i think
everything is absolutely the same um so i there's nothing else i could add about the use it's the
same thing we've been doing since we move in here and we do have two other matters um i wish they
could all be brought up today we have uh 56 16 and 56 24 um which is all why not prosper all the
same purposes i think it's on the docket for 330 um so yes there's no changes there's no construction
um and i just want to request that we don't got to keep coming back every five years i don't know
if i get to request that um and then also that we could bind them all on the same um
docket which may be too late to do that right um council you have anything further no i mean
you know as as uh reverend sims pointed out uh uh we'll be back before you at 3 30 this afternoon
for another property yeah questions from the board can we see any interior pictures of where the
the residents would actually be residing?
Oh, I don't think we have.
That's the kitchen.
So it's a shared kitchen?
Uh-huh.
For 717.
What's happening on each floor of the building?
Okay, so the first floor was the community floor.
You see, with the balloons,
where now this is the second floor,
which is a kitchen.
That's community.
This is kitchen.
Keep going.
and upstairs is just uh two bedrooms and how many people are gonna how many beds are in each
bedroom uh when we first went they gave us a total of seven but um we are also licensed by the state
so there's no bunk beds allowed so we just have five that's the only amount of people we could
hold in this space it's two bedrooms and the uh perter square footage two go in one and three go
in the other okay and then so it's shared shared bedrooms and bathroom facilities yes it's uh two
bathrooms uh uh it's two full bathrooms and two bedrooms correct ma'am okay and then in terms of
just like living space are they able to occupy the first floor when it's not in community use
yeah it's their space uh anyway but we just call it the community room
and then are there staff on site 24 7 yes ma'am
and then are there staff on site 24 7 yes ma'am i have a quick question uh so in the time that
you had the uh the last uh variants has there been any incidences um um from the community
perspective any complaints at the community no we haven't had any instances um the only one thing
we did have a young lady had a seizure that was medical but the community love us we give our food
twice a week um from shop right give us meats and breads and so the community absolutely love us it
was 30 community members at this rco meeting so we haven't had no instances with the letters you
know why not prospect uh heaps of type ship bar as point systems and violations or rules and things
of that nature so like i said we've been here 23 years and we've graduated uh thousands of
women's from this house.
Other questions
from the board?
Questions or comments from our
attorney? No, Chair.
Questions or comments from the
virtual audience?
Yes, Chair.
I have a hand up from Charles Richardson.
I have allowed them to speak.
I'm Mr. Richardson.
There will be
rejoining as panelists shortly.
Mr. Richardson
There we are
Mr. Chair, hi, Charles Richardson
Office of Councilwoman Cindy Bass
Room 508 City Hall
Councilwoman is
supportive of the
granting of the variance
Thank you
Anyone else in the virtual audience?
I do not see any free of our hands, Mr. Chair.
Planning Commission.
Ron Bednar, City Planning.
While the property is currently indicated for commercial mixed use on the city plan,
there are insufficient social services to meet residents' needs in this area.
Therefore, the City Planning Commission has no objection to the granting of the request of variance.
MI 2024-007-253-717 East Cheltenham Avenue, I vote yes.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote is yes.
Tanetta Graham, my vote is yes.
Hi, Owen, my vote is yes.
Thank you, counsel.
See you this afternoon.
Thank you.
Is there anyone else in the audience?
No, Chair, do not take any further of their hands.
All right, thank you.
See everybody at 2 p.m., except our counsel, probably.
I think so, yes.
good afternoon everyone my name is bill bergman and i will be chairing this meeting of the
philadelphia zoning with me is our board member charlotte l gaston present mr chair or board
member tenetta graham present mr chair our board member michael johns present mr chairman our
board member tya winn as it mr president is hillary emerson our attorney and our board
director, Ian Haggerty. Also, here is our board administrator, Lakeisha Dandy. Recording in this
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number four mi 2024 zero zero three nine two seven fifty three forty four
5344 ray street this case is continued it will be continued to 9 10 25 at 2 p.m number six
MI 2024-004-374, this case will be, Vern Anastasio will come in and request a continuance.
Vern Anastasio has been about to speak, Mr. Chair.
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair.
Fern, you've already been sworn.
Could you give us an update, please, on 1427 Diamond?
Yes, Mr. Chair.
We are in the process of negotiating with the RCO.
We're very close.
We have one more meeting, so my apologies to ask for yet another continuance.
But I do need to do that to button this baby up.
Thank you.
So 1427 Diamond Street will be continued to 9-10-25.
Thank you.
Right.
And then number 10.
MI 2024-006-066-1921 West Norris Street. This case has been continued to 9-10-25.
Are there any other requests for continuance?
Good afternoon, Mr. Chair. This is Jason Handel.
be your calls for the session. I do not see any hands raised at this time for continuances.
Thank you.
We're going to our add-on list. MI 2024-006-883-219-25 Cecil B. Moore Avenue.
I vote yes with provisos. Her refusal dated 3-14-25. Revised plans, two pages,
stamped by ZBA, March 26, 2026. Maximum 15... Excuse me. I'm sorry, Mr. Chair. That should
have been April 2nd since today's April 2nd, 2025. Oh, okay. On April 2nd, 2026. 25. 25.
Okay. Maximum
15 dwelling units. The new min overlay district
applicant acknowledgement form must be reused by the planning commission
prior to the permit and interior trash storage for both
commercial and residential uses.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes with provisors. Cheryl Gaston,
my vote is yes with provisors. Tynetta Graham, my vote is yes with provisors.
I win. My vote is yes with Proviso.
Number two, MI 2024-007-329-1102-204-East Columbia Avenue.
I vote yes.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes.