Yeah if you go to the unit plans they should be on there. The one right
this one? Yes yeah so correct the the front porch on the the first floor plan you know it's
overlapping a bit with the the property line there but the plan is for the egress well to be
in the porch um so it'll just be you know a great at the porch level that'll still let light down
and egress out for that lower unit bedroom so the so the porch so explain that to me so the porch
can you go to the elevation so the porch is going to be just at the pavement level is that what
you're saying it'll be like a little bit lower than the first floor level um but the plan
It'll be like a little bit lower than the first floor level. But the plan with that, it'd be like a concrete slab that's elevated from grade and the egress will be a hatch and the porch.
And we'll see you next time.
Yes. Yeah. OK. OK. So. OK, go back to the plant floor planning.
So. Because a little weird. So if I just so this is the porch.
Something like that. Right. Yeah. Yeah. That's that's the porch area. And so this is just going to be some kind of great on the porch.
Yeah. Yeah. So it'll be a bit like a little bit deeper than the standard e-garswell, but maybe only by like a foot.
But yeah, they'll still be a great there. We just didn't want to put it in the pathway that goes back to the unit entryway.
Right. How are you going to prevent somebody from putting furniture on top of that?
That's more of like a property management thing, but we can, you know, I understand that the porch is for the upper unit, but that's sort of out of our jurisdiction.
Well, we provide an access panel that's to a porch. People can turn around, put a glider on top of it.
I think that's, I mean, yeah, but as the architects.
So that people don't put something on top of it.
again i'm not the property management company but i would assume as part of the lease
you know there'd be instructions in terms of maintenance of the property as well as
you know again just safety precautions which would include you know just reference to you know the
emergency egress you know out of the lower level for both the front as well as the rear yeah that's
just that's just a odd thing all right thank you you're welcome
yeah how many other uh i mean you may know this um i know you said there were multi-families there
but how many other multi-families that are beyond two units we're not that's all we are two units
No, I mean, you want two units per building, correct?
That's right.
All right.
So is there any other units on the block that are more dense than your project?
That's what I guess I want to ask.
No, I mean, really, again, let me just go back to my screen, but we mimicked properties on Edmund Street.
I think there's a pretty strong line of properties, kind of like ours, on Edmond Street.
Let me just go back there without making everyone nauseous, but let's see.
So let me start with this.
So you had 72, 26, 28, 30, 32, and then 24.
So we have a line of properties across the street on our block, which are similarly like a line of duplexes, just like ours.
That's what we mimicked, you know, after.
My questions, how many bedrooms are in the basement here?
There are two bedrooms in the basement.
and they're bi-level units they are both bi-level units so each unit is three bedrooms
the the lower the the lower level unit is three bedrooms three and a half baths around 1670
square feet the upper level unit which is the second and third floors is three bedrooms three
baths at 1780 square feet it was very attractive to the community to have like these bi-levels so
they're like little mini single families within a larger building structure like these lots are
rather large in nature and it's giving an opportunity for you know you know smaller
families or families in general to rent a nice nicer newer stock of housing but maybe didn't
want to deal with like a full single family home right what's the depth of the basement below
great and what's the height of the building uh the height of the building is 32 feet eight inches
and again we're set back on that third story too to kind of respect the fact that you know
the buildings there are not as high so that third story is not brick it's a little darker
um in terms of the height of the ceilings in the in the lower level the first uh basement level
Not the height of the ceiling, the depth of the slab below grade.
I think it's almost on grade, but I would defer to Justin.
Depth of the basement slab below grade.
oh okay uh yes i justin six feet eight feet uh justin i i don't know if i'm still on um yeah the
Justin?
Six feet, eight feet.
uh the grade does slope up but i think i believe that our slab is eight feet below grade so they
so the the bedrooms are eight feet below grade correct approximately
i always have a real concern with with with with living space that deep below
grade just that's a concern for me as you're like that's below the depth of a grave
you know yeah around anything below that seems excessive
and then you've got a porch on top of that which adds another
foot. So now you're probably nine feet, I guess, or something
below grade. So, all right. Thank you.
Any other questions?
Just real quick, and I can't tell in the drawing. Are these buildings connected in any way
besides that one portion that's going to lead?
Yeah, they're twins. So, again, kind of mimicking the
you know, how they're laid out in some portions of the neighborhood. So you got
you got, let me just, I think the rendering probably does it justice. Just pull that right.
Oh, there you go. That's a good one. This one right here. So you, so you got two sets of twins
here, which again, mimics the architecture that you see in some parts of parts of the neighborhood.
And so we have four twins.
thank you you're welcome
alan just real quick and i you know i understand um michael's questions about the porch with the
escape hatch there and i understand you can work with the tenants what are you doing this modern
day that everybody has something delivered and the delivery man comes with a heavy package and
throws it on top of that i mean how do you how do you stop that um i'm not the architect i i would
think there's ways to like um maybe have a little lip created where you you you can't put anything
on there um i i don't know if it's any different than like if you have like a you know in the well
that's in the front and like center city philadelphia like people just throw stuff all the
time. I'm sure we can, you know, work with the property management
company. Again, I haven't been asked that question before, so
I don't know the answer.
Perhaps it wouldn't be such an instance if there was no bedrooms in the basement. So the urgency
could be if something is on top of that and the bedrooms in the basement, you know, that's just
less than someone's access to get out. No, I hear you. I think Justin was
going to give some type of potential workaround
from an architecture point of view maybe just yeah our architecturally we we can include in
our drawings that there's um you know like a metal guardrail around that so furniture packages don't
get on top of there um as alan mentioned like there's a lot of factors anytime that these are
out on the sidewalk that can really prevent those as well um this one is different you know i don't
think the streets code allows um balconies or like guardrails around those typical sidewalk
egress wells but since this is within our property we can definitely add that protection in um if
that's something that is uh is a concern here um like we said we just didn't want to put the egress
well in the side yard because that's like the main entrance to get into that unit um but that also
has its own yeah you know issues so alan alan wait wait one minute to to address uh maybe the
architect could finish one tonight is issue about why do you have the bad bedrooms in the basement
and not on the first floor yeah so i mean then we won't be talking about this yeah no i hear you
i mean maybe and i hear what the board's saying about the bedrooms in the basement is always a
concern i i think some people do like you know the you know this the silence of bedrooms in the
basement um i i know in law school i had the bedroom in the basement um but like it may be
what I'm hearing from the board is maybe like looking towards maybe some type of steps in the
back rather than the egress well. And if that's maybe preferable, I, again, this is just me
talking out loud and, you know, I haven't talked to my client about it, but if that's something
that's preferred by the zoning board in terms of safety measures, there, there may, I think there's
I think it's kind of hard for them to make a case for density. I mean, a hardship for your
density case here. That's my concern with it was the hardship for the density of the project.
What was the hardship for the density of the project?
Well, so again, you see that, you know, we're using high level materials like we're, you know, the architecture is very pretty.
You know, again, this is a tough environment to build anything.
You know, rates are high. Construction costs are high.
He wants to do something that makes sense for not just him, but the neighborhood.
And that's why he limited himself to two units.
he mimicked what was on that block already um i don't think it's so i don't think it's out of
character to have that density there and the only way that this project can be built is two units
he can't build these as single-family homes like it's not honestly hasn't even been used as single
family homes look at it right now it's a one-story garage on one of the lots and the others is just
open area so there this property has been that way for some time um we're hoping that you know
based on the community support overwhelming community support um we can figure out a way
to make it safe no one wants a story in you know the inquire where someone gets hurt right um we
we understand that but maybe there's an opportunity to maybe put staircase in the back that comes out
the ground instead of like you know with steps going up rather than the egress well and that's
something that the board would consider uh you know i could talk to my client about it obviously
it's an additional expense but you know we we think that this is a great project we think it's
pretty you know do that out the back for one right unless you try to change unless you change
completely the front my my concern because i don't necessarily have a big issue with uh
bedrooms in the basement my concern is the depth of the basement slab below grade because all of
your windows all of your light is below grade which makes it a very sort of dismal place unless
you've got seriously deep and wide window wells that make it you know some of the apartments that
are in new york where you kind of walk down and there's a sort of a below grade patio that's a
different story but when you're eight feet below grade you're just it's just a subterranean
you know environment that for me is is is not sort of the best thing for somebody to live in
we have five and a half feet of wiggle room here so we're 30 well five feet four inches we're 32
feet eight inches to the roof line maybe that's something that we can come back to and maybe
built up a little bit higher to kind of give those windows down in the lower level as well again this
is a really good project it's very pretty i know that obviously there's no perfect project um but
like you know i think this is pretty good and we would like the opportunity if the board feels so
inclined and they have reservations to maybe see about like looking at or hearing what the board
has to say taking a little bit more out of the ground dealing with some of their other
concerns is there any other questions from the board
questions or comments from our attorney
not at this time mr chair
so so hillary you know i i think i think allen's heard a lot from the board
why don't we consider a resumptive hearing and let him come back with different ideas
as a result of what they heard that excuse me that is fine mr chair are are you then
suggesting um that public comment in the recommendation of the planning commission
be held for the resumption hearing i i i think that would be the way to do it and that way we
can actually see everything that he comes up with okay so essentially a revised revised plans um
not necessarily for the board to stamp but at least revised plans that oh no that's absolutely
revised planning by the board concerns yeah yep okay alan yeah i appreciate that thank you for
the input thank you thank you okay we're going to go move on here now
5. MI 2024-006-035-6632-Lime-Kill-Pike.
Alec Sokoloff is the attorney.
There's a letter of support from the 10th Ward Democratic Committee with an enforceable proviso, hours of operation.
Alec Sokoloff has been promoted.
Good afternoon, Chair Bergman, members of the board. Oleg Sokolov here on behalf of the applicant.
Good afternoon, Chair Bergman, members of the board, Oleg Sokol.
Mr. Sokolov, could you, just for the record, spell your name out?
Sure. Oleg, O-L-E-G, Sokolov, S-O-K-O-L-O-V.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Mr. Sokolov, could you identify your client, the relationship to this property?
Yes, my client is Star Consulting Group, LLC. On the line is Mr. Raymond, star member, sole member of the entity.
And our vice chair has just a few.
Counselor, do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal or stipulate to his accuracy?
I do, Mr. Shahid.
Have you emailed in all the required documents and exhibits that's needed to proceed with this case five days in advance of this hearing?
I have. I'll describe it in a little more detail as I go about my presentation, but there was some confusion with the particularities of the RCO letter of support, but I'll get into that.
And I actually just emailed Ms. Emerson something from Mr. Wyman-Cardio.
Okay. All right. Yeah. Please proceed and share your screen.
Thank you very much.
Members of the board, everyone, are you able to see my screen here?
Yes, sir.
Okay, thank you, everyone.
So what we are looking to do is open a sit-down restaurant or cafe, more of a coffee shop on the first floor, and just a commercial space to be used as both storage and office.
On the second floor are an existing RSA 5 lot. As you can see here, the refusals are both for two uses, as well as the restaurant being prohibited in an RSA 5.
So this is, as you'll come to see, a bit of a unique lot. It is a corner lot located at the intersection of Lime Kill and Wine Code Avenue, which is a triangular lot.
As you'll see on the refusal and from the zoning file, this property was previously used as a barbershop that had two curb cuts on either side of the triangle allowing for parking.
Our proposal is to, excuse me, demolish the existing structure that's there, get rid of the on-site parking, and put barricades along the street creating and get rid of the curb cut and create additional parking along the street for this property.
So Mr. Starr and Starr Consulting Group purchased this property in March of 2023, as you'll see here from the deed.
this is our tax clearance some of these pictures I don't have the exact times and dates and Mr.
Stark can testify to it a little further but you know we we knew prior to the RCO meeting that
obviously parking could be an issue so we wanted to just show at various times this these were
taken at Monday mornings Saturday afternoons to show that the area has ample parking on the street
And we would, in fact, be creating, I'll have Mr. The Architect testify about exactly how many spots we think will be created along the adjacent to the parcel itself.
Once we take get rid of the curb cut, it looks like it should be about 10 to 12 spots in total would be created on the street.
So that would be not only a benefit to the restaurant itself, but a benefit to the neighborhood in general.
So these are just some use of the neighborhood.
This structure here, the blue structure, that is the previously used barbershop, which is currently unoccupied and is just a vacant property.
And once again, this is, it used to be these parking spots here were used for the barbershop, but our proposal is to get rid of these curb cuts, put barricades along, as you'll see from the zoning plans, but this is the property here.
So, and I'll get to the plans in a moment, but roughly stated, we're looking to demolish this existing blue building, build a structure that goes out a little bit farther than the existing building, and then a non-covered, open, outside seating area.
So let me do this in reverse order here.
So this is what we are envisioning in terms of the edifice itself.