vehicle repair and maintenance. Third is a personal vehicle sales and rentals. And fourth
Third is a personal vehicle repair and maintenance.
is a paint finishing shop. So if we look at the refusal,
it's both a refusal and a referral. So two of the uses are requested to have special exceptions.
It's the personal vehicle repair and maintenance and personal vehicle sales and rental.
And there's two of the requested variances, commercial vehicle repair and maintenance and vehicle painting.
The other issue has to do with the fact that we're in an ICMX district.
If we were in an I-2 district, which is directly across the street, all of these uses would be by right.
uh vitalia currently operates an auto auto repair shop uh in the grace ferry neighborhood he's
looking for more space and not only for outdoor parking but also for interior uses we did meet
with long crest community association and the motion passed 40 to 0 not to oppose the granting
of the variances. So I want to, I have a lot of photographs here to show you, just to give you
some perspective of what we're trying to do. So this is Godfrey Avenue. Newtown Avenue runs
along the train tracks. The building is situated between this large building, which used to be a
bond bread for those who remember bond bread baking facility. So it lies between the baking
facility and the railroad tracks. There's an American Legion Hall, Taddy Corner, and there's
other automobile replaced, automobile repair shops right off of Newtown within striking distance of
our project. A closer view of the building sits back. There's a lot of overgrowth, and some of
the additional photographs I'll show you, we'll show you this has all been cleaned up by Vitale,
And I think that's resulted in the overwhelming support from the community.
This is the old bond-bred facility.
This is Godfrey Avenue, which would dead end into our project.
More photographs showing you the adjacent automobile commercial repair shop directly adjacent to our property.
This is further down Newtown,
as shown you sometimes it becomes a dumping area.
And again, Vitaly has cleaned it up.
Some more photographs.
This is the rear of the building.
There's a cyclone fence around the building.
The community group asked that the cyclone fence
be covered with screening,
which Vitaly has done since the meeting.
This is the entrance off of Godfrey
and left to right is Newtown Avenue.
Just more photographs showing that the debris
and the overgrowth has been cleaned up
along the side of the building on Newtown Avenue.
Now that we're in the interior of the fenced-in area,
we have a large parking area,
could probably fit 15 to 20 cars on the outside.
And then the building itself is about 50 wide by 70 deep.
This is what it used to look like.
My client just bought it within a year, and he's not decided to move his facility on Grace Ferry Avenue into this until he's able to do some interior repairs.
So right now, it's just a blank space open on the inside.
There's a small office area, which I believe he will maintain.
and he really hasn't laid out
what he's going to put inside.
I think he'll have three or four lifts
and then he also will have a painting booth
which we have photographs of
which he is basically transporting
from his shop in Grace Ferry
until this new facility.
It's a cinder block structure
about 15 feet high.
Proof of the posting of the notices.
We just have one plan, which is showing you the location of the building as it's situated on the triangular-shaped parcel.
The railroad tracks are to the rear, and Newtown Avenue is to the front.
I wanted to show you that his existing facility at 3101 Grace Ferry Avenue has been certified by the City of Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspection.
And also, he has industrial fire suppression systems.
He has industrial fire suppression systems.
Again, he's going, I'm showing you this because.
Again, I'm showing you this because you're going to bring these same systems,
this new facility, which it'll have to go through a whole separate process
to get approval to do especially the painting.
So this is the paint booth that all painting would take place in.
It has air filtration.
It's also going to have to be vented through the roof as the existing paint booth is.
And that's why I wanted to note to the board that the facility is away from residential structures and basically surrounded by commercial and or industrial uses.
This is the appeal forms, the application, indicating though taxes are due, or zoning map.
So this is the pie-shaped, excuse me, pie-shaped slice of the property, all ICMX up and down the block.
Across the street is the railroad tracks and the I-2.
As I said earlier, if this was in the I-2 zoning district, all the uses that we're proposing would be as of right.
But unfortunately, we're across the street from the I-2 zoning district.
This is the deed indicating he just purchased the property in 2024.
Our notice letter to everyone within 250 feet of the property.
And because it's such a heavily commercial and industrial area, there's really only 21 pieces of mail that had to be mailed out to the neighbors.
So that is the presentation.
My client is here to adopt my testimony.
Just in summary, we have a situation where this property was once used.
We believe, although the zoning records don't reflect, it was one used as auto.
And from the items that were remaining in the building when Vitaly purchased it, there were some automobile uses of the building.
He believes the Lawn Crest community is certainly supportive that with their letter of 40 to 0 non-opposition, we're not danger to public health.
We're not impacting the light and air of any adjacent property, nor the development of any adjacent property.
We're in harmony with the code and certainly in harmony with the wishes of the neighborhood and the neighborhood community group.
With that, can Mr. Vitale be sworn in, Mr. Chairman, to adopt my testimony?
Sure. Why don't you get him closer to you?
Mr. Vitale, can you move on?
Sir, could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
Vitaly Ignatovitz, V-I-T-A-L-Y-I-G-N-A-T-O-V-E-T-S.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Please proceed, counsel.
Vitaly, you sat here while I presented the project to the board.
If you had the opportunity to testify, would you adopt my testimony as your own, and as true and correct?
Thank you very much.
Henry, just out of curiosity, how long has he been in
Gray's Ferry, in that shop? Since 2011
2011? Yes. Okay, thank you. Questions from the
board? Questions or comments
from our attorney, Hillary Emerson? Not at this time
Mr. Chair. Questions or comments from the audience or the virtual audience?
Mr. Chair, I do not see any hands. Plenty of commission.
amy boy with the planning commission the comprehensive plan recommends a change in
zoning at this location from the existing icmx industrial commercial mixed use
sorry no change from icmx the plan has shown that the proposed vehicle repair maintenance
sales and rental will not have detrimental impacts beyond what would reasonably be expected
however they have not demonstrated their unique physical conditions or circumstances
of the property that would prevent it from being used in conformance of the zoning code
for commercial vehicle repair and maintenance and vehicle paint finishing shop.
The Planning Commission recommends that the board grant they requested special exceptions
for personal vehicle repair and maintenance and for personal vehicle sales and rental,
but deny the requested variances for commercial vehicle repair and maintenance
and vehicle paint finishing shop.
Okay, thank you.
MI-2025-000-591-5598 Newtown Avenue, I vote yes.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes.
Tanetta Graham, my vote is yes.
Iowyn, my vote is yes.
Thank you, counsel.
Thank you very much.
Ishmael Shaheed, I'll vote for a yes.
Ishmael Shaheed, my vote is yes.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm sorry.
It's okay.
We didn't forget you.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman,
members of the board.
Thank you.
Number four.
MI 2025
515 4600
Hal Street.
Alec Sokoloff is the attorney.
So, why don't
we do this? We wait for Mr. Sokoloff.
he does the presentation okay and then we'll call you up he'll call you up all right mr sokolov
yes good afternoon chair bergman members of the board oleg sokolov on behalf of the applicant
sport master just for the record could you spell your name please sure ol oleg o-l-e-g last name
sokolov s-o-k-o-l-o-v right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the
tooth i do chair um mr sokoloff do you have a um have you received your rco letter yet um i believe
mr riley has a letter i'm not sure it was submitted as part of the original packet but our understanding
is that the letter of support was received okay i would say an update on that mr chair um we did
receive a letter from council member um driscoll indicating support and that there was a letter of
support, but we haven't seen the actual letter from the RCO. Okay. Our vice chair has a few
questions, Mr. Sockloff. Yes, sir. Good afternoon, Mr. Shahid. Yes, yes, we do.
why don't you proceed i think he's breaking up a little bit uh yes i'm for for the record my
the required documents needed and required to proceed
uh despite not hearing it i believe so you have all your documents in on time
yes and you agree to the waving of the refusal and you agree
Thank you, Mr. Shaheed. My client is Sportmaster Bait and Tackle Incorporated. The representative is sitting before you today, Mr. Joe Reilly, along with his wife, Colleen, and son, Brady.
This is a request to use the subject property. And let me just start sharing my screen here.
for the purposes of retail sale of commercial, of consumer goods, excuse me. This is quite simply
just a request to use the property for a bait and tackle shop. The property is certainly unique,
as you'll come to see members of the board from the pictures of it. It's certainly not any sort
of residential property. Its last use was a daycare. This property was purchased by
the entity and Mr. Riley in April of 2024 and swiftly undertook the
variance process in order to obtain a permit to use it for this purpose.
So here's the subject property here.
Just a side view of the property.
It appears from the zoning record or just generally that this was at one point also a house of worship of some sort and then most recently was used, as you can see from the pictures here, as a childcare facility.
This is a picture of the existing condition.
they started doing a little interior renovation here, just preparing basically a shell space
for the use. Once again, some more interior pictures.
A picture of the notice poster for today's hearing. And of course, it will not allow me
to zoom in and not move.
Just another picture of the posters for today's hearing.
The deed to the property, as you can see, as I stated, purchased in April of 2024.
Receipt of mailing to...
Receipt of mailing to both the registered community organization as well as to nearby residents.
And this was a letter prepared by Mr. Riley, the RCO notice letter itself for a meeting
on March 25th.
Tax clearance or application for appeal.
there's absolutely no change to the envelope of the building anything on the exterior in any way
project information form and then if I may just go through a few more pictures
here's our zoning map here
once again another view of the property
This is the previous condition of the property, so you can see based on its quite colorful interior that this was, as I said, a daycare prior to this proposed use.
And then once again, some pictures of the renovations undertaken.
and mr riley did some just calculations and just some information about parking spaces in the area
um but there are many nearby parking spaces that the rate of cars coming to to the shop and the
kinds of uh customer traffic that he expects both on average days during the spring and summer where
as the board can imagine it's the the height of time to buy bait and tackle and various fishing
equipment and then also just peak during the the prime um fishing season if i may at this time
bring on mr riley just to answer a few questions and adopt my testimony sure
thank you chair mr riley you can take a seat and just pull the microphone as close to you as you
can, sir.
Hi, could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
My name is Joseph Riley, J-O-S-E-P-H-R-I-L-E-Y.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Please proceed, counsel.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Mr. Riley, could you give the board an idea of what kind of products you'll be selling
there and the general layout that you would like to see within the property?