no way interferes with any of the sidewalk or roadways that's why it wasn't i mean the the
plan itself with the window and drive
aisle was submitted to L&I with the
original application. Yes, and
I do see that. I also see this was a
change of use application,
which means it might not have been
reviewed. So I may just want to just
hold this for
a week and make sure that
this was put through
correctly, because
with it having
the takeout
window and the drive aisle and
And the drive-thru and neither of those being mentioned on the refusal.
I just want to make sure nothing was missed that needs to be there.
Right.
We are understanding, and again, I understand you would like to check with L&I, but our understanding is that we did ask for these with L&I.
And the main refusal point was because of the industrial and because the windows and everything is off of, again, off of the streets and sidewalks.
That's why we didn't get a refusal in any way for that.
But that's, again, I understand if you wish to.
Well, hopefully, Hillary, we're going to have this by next week, right?
Yes, yes.
No, I just, yeah, I just need a couple of days.
All right, good.
So we'll finish the process.
Questions or comments from the virtual audience?
Yes, we have one hand.
Jihad Ali has been allowed to speak.
Mr. Ali, just for the record, state your name, please, and spell it for the stenographer.
My name is Jahad Ali, J-I-T-G-I. That was an error. I apologize.
Swear, did the court reporter get that?
Mr. Chair, I am familiar with Mr. Ali, but I am having difficulty hearing him.
Okay. All right. Good.
Chair, I just want to put on the record that Esperanza is also aware during our meeting that a takeout window is asked for along with the drive-thru.
Thank you.
All right, thank you.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth, Mr. Ali?
Mr. Had?
Yes, I do, Mr. Chairman.
That was a mistake.
I apologize.
Okay, you're getting off?
Yes, I'm getting off.
thank you thank you thank you um planning commission
on love a car planning commission the comprehensive plan recommends changing
the zoning at this site from i2 to icmx which would allow commercial development at this area
therefore there is a hardship and pcpc recommends granting the variance
um mr zen we'll be back to you next wednesday at 2 p.m thank you and we'll vote down at two
o'clock okay and thank you very much appreciate it thank you number 13 mi 2024 002 517 6721 to 27
upland street henry clinton is the attorney no rco letter or summary but notice was sent to
nearby neighbors with proof of mailing provided on July 15, 2024, before the 40th Ward of Republicans.
2024, before the 40th Board of Republicans?
Mr. Chair, I believe we just this afternoon did receive the letter from the 40th Board of Republicans.
Is that Mr. Maldosian?
That's Mr. Maldosian.
So if he's still on, I believe he could speak to that.
Thank you.
All right.
Is he in favor?
I haven't even gotten to look at it yet.
All right.
Yes, Mr. Chairman.
There's a number of advisors, but he's in favor.
Okay, good.
Mr. Clinton, could you just state your name for the record, please, and spell it?
Henry Clinton, C-L-I-N-T-O-N.
Right.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, told truth, nothing but the truth?
Would you identify your client, the relationship to the property?
My client is Abdelmani Abdallah.
I'm going to spell that.
A is in Albert.
B is in Boyd.
D is in Dennis.
M is in Michael.
O, N as in Nancy, E as in Edward, I as in Isabel, M as in Michael, that's the first
name, Abdallah, A, B, D as in Dennis, A, L, L, A, and he is on the call.
Our vice sheriff has a few questions.
Good afternoon, counsel.
Do you agree to leave the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy?
I do wish it, Shahid.
Have you emailed in all the required documents and exhibits that is needed to proceed with
this case of these in advance of this hearing i would say 90 of the documents were sent in five
days in the last couple days we we have the letter of support from the community and a floor plan
thank you mr planton please proceed and share this one thank you very much
is that visible mr chairman it is uh good afternoon mr chairman members of the board
i'm here on behalf of mr abdallah who is on the call with us this concerns 67 21 to 27 upland
in the southwest section of philadelphia my table of contents containing exhibits a1 through a11
And also at the end, I've indicated there's a rental license for four units.
I've given also some historical perspective for the property from 1939 until 2012.
This is a proposal.
I'll get the refusal.
So let me do this first and I'll go backwards.
So this is a proposal for concerning a large parcel of grant, about 17,000 square feet.
and it's nestled in between other automotive-related uses.
My client's property at one time was automotive-related uses,
but over time, it has morphed into more of a residential use.
We are zoned RSA 5, but we're surrounded by ICMX,
as well as the railroad tracks box us in on the north side of the property.
Historically, the building in the front,
and I'll give you closer perspectives of the building as well as the floor plan,
And the building in the front historically has been four apartments.
When I went back into the zoning records, you'll see at one time it was one family, then four family, then three family.
But I think the zoning, whoever asked for those variances, they never really converted the apartments into single family because I have photographs of four heaters, four hot water heaters, five meters.
So, and my client has had a rental license since he's owned the property, and I'll show you that.
So that's the first building.
The second building was supposed to be a storage facility for the automotive uses on the building.
It was built, I gather, in the 1990s.
It's a cinder block structure, which I'll show you a close-up view.
And we're asking for two dwelling units to be located here.
the four existing garages are here i've been in existence since 1939 the garage over here since
1939 and these three garages so the game plan is to take this structure this whole parcel and
basically remake it and make it pave it 17 parking spots also have landscaping around the perimeter
and also some storage for trash.
So that's the nutshell.
That's the overview.
I'll go backwards and then come forward again.
So the refusal is, again, this is an RSA 5 zoning district
surrounded by ICMX and the railroad tracks.
And the refusal addresses, because it's RSA 5,
we have more than one principal use.
We have uses of a four apartment unit building,
two units, as well as seven to eight garages and 17 parking spots.
So this is the RCO letter, which we got from Mr. Mitolozian hours before today's hearing.
hours before today's hearing. And we've had numerous discussions with him, as well as
And we've had numerous discussions with.
other RCOs. And there's about three or four RCOs in the Southwest Philadelphia Consortium.
And basically, we do have support with a number of provisos. One, landscaping design. We do have
to complete that in accordance with PCPC design parameters. We will have trash containers.
We will have two trash pickups.
We do already have, my client has a professional real estate management company.
It's Nova Real Estate, located at 70th and Dix in Southwest Philadelphia.
There will be no automotive repair uses, rentals, or storage.
There's a big concern, as you heard in a previous presentation, with auto repair outfits and
companies setting up shop in Southwest Philadelphia and really driving down the neighborhood use
and residential use.
Because this historically was that type of use,
we are morphing away from that and making it residential,
and the community is in support of that.
And we're also going to have public safety lighting from dusk to dawn
and also have CCTV system registered with the police department.
These are the various RCOs in the Southwest Consortium.
This is the original photograph I showed you now.
Some closer-up photographs.
This is looking from the north to the south.
Again, these are the garages that have been in existence since 1939.
This is the four apartment buildings in existence.
This is the proposed two-family dwelling.
A photograph from the street, Upsil Street looking in, Upland Street, excuse me, looking north.
Again, this is the building where we have four units.
you can see there's five meters each meter for one of the one bedroom
apartments and one for the common space those things basement shots indicating
four hot water heaters some of the heaters
but this is the the best shot right here of the four heaters there's one in the
background there it didn't show very much on the photograph and here are the
three heaters. We have some interior photographs. The units are occupied, so it was difficult to
get inside and ask the residents really, could we take pictures of the inside units? They felt
uncomfortable, but we do have photographs of the hallways and one historical photograph of
the interior of one of the units. This is the overall plan. We have two plans. This is the
plan that's been stamped by the streets department and again we're we're narrowing uh the parking
spots we're going to have landscaping around the entire perimeter trees shrubber used to bring some
greenery into the area at one point there were about 25 parking spaces because of landscaping
we've cut that down to 17 including one handicapped spot right here in the front we're also going to
have some landscaping in front of the existing four dwelling unit and then the trash enclosures
are probably going to be, not probably, they're going to be located along
the back wall here where there's another building existing on the other
property. This is the streets department
approval. And this is a floor plan. If I could,
I'll just change this view.
In the basement, there's no use of the basement by
any of the apartment dwellers. They're all utilities down there. The electric meters are
posted on the outside of the wall. We do have, as I said, four heaters and four hot water heaters.
These are all one-bedroom apartments. There's actually three one-bedroom apartments
and one studio in the rear. The rents are very attractive. They range from $500 to $650.
My client has tenants from the neighborhood who are very happy. Each of the tenants are allocated
at two parking spots. So that's four times two, that's eight. We have a request for two additional
units. That would be two parking spots per unit that would bring us up to 12. And then there's
other parking spots for people who may have to use garages. I just want to emphasize to the board
and to any of the RCOs or Mr. Medlosian who's on the call that this property is not going to be
used for automobiles in any way, shape or form. And we're going to be, my client's going to be
putting a lot of money into this project and he doesn't want vehicles that without license plates
with motors hanging out. It's just not going to be a good look for the people who'll be living
there as well as for all the improvements that he's putting in. It's just not a way he wants
to go. And he can actually adopt that when we ask for his testimony. This is the tax certification,
Actually, a printout from the Philadelphia Tax Center indicating no real estate.
Actually, a printout from the Philadelphia Tax Center indicating no real estate taxes are due.
And this is an instructive zoning map.
Again, our area is the shaded area, 17,000 square feet, RSA 5.
Arguably, if you had each property parcel, if we had enough width, you could put maybe 15 single-family homes on this property.
It really doesn't warrant that.
It would be an overuse of the property.
So we're still using a residential nature of the property for uses for, again, moderately priced, if not low priced units for people in the neighborhood.
The purple is the ICMX and as well as a railroad traction and across the street is McCreish Playground and the SPPO section.