I'm here, Chair.
Could you? Our vice chair has a few questions for you, Mr.
Yes, sir.
Good evening, Councilor. Do you agree to weigh the reading of the refusal or stipulate truth accuracy?
I do, sir.
Have you emailed in all the required documents and exhibits that is needed to proceed with this case five days in advance of this hearing?
I have, but not five days in advance.
I think Ms. Emerson can back me up.
We've come sort of a long way on this.
There was a request from the RCO.
Sir, Ms. Emerson has said this is fine.
Let's proceed.
Share your screen.
And just for a point of information, Esperanza Housing and Economic Development has a letter.
Yes, please proceed.
Share your screen.
Can you see that, sir?
Okay. Sir, we've outlined a cover letter just to sort of map you through this. We represent Leah Lotus. Originally, and I'm going sort of way back, there was designed to have a business that would have had a liquor license attached.
We scrapped that.
Candidly, we went to a zoning, an RCO meeting, and the temperature was not good with regard to that project.
We then scrapped that.
We met again with the RCO in October and November.
uh and we were looking to do consistent with our application uh a prepared food shop at the
property the rco expressed some reservations about that i think believing that they wanted
to ensure that there would not be any beer sales sales at the property uh we tried to explain and
and I respect their position immensely, that in order to do that with the PLC, there'd be certain
requirements that we could not possibly meet and had no intention of meeting. So the RCO then
requested that instead of seeking a use permit for a prepared food shop, that we amend our appeal
to seek a use permit for a grocery store with accessories, prepared foods for takeout.
We had been in touch with Ms. Emerson, who graciously advised us I had not come across
that issue before of a last-minute amendment, and Ms. Emerson...
of a last minute amendment. And Ms. Emerson very, very wonderfully explained to us what we need to
do and do that. And we will do that. And I think with that said, the RCO supports what the amendment
would be in its support letter. And it took us some time to get there. This is a property
zoned as RSA3. Mr. Griffin, why don't you start showing some photos of the property so we can
Sure, sure. As I move forward, and I think the cover letter sort of explains it,
we submitted an exhibit packet and then we amended that probably about a couple of hours ago
to attack some photos uh coming up are photos of the outside of the property we have two
um there is the proof of posting right there uh these are two photos of the property
uh right there on the outside uh this property i think has been abandoned for about eight years
There hasn't been really any habitation in there. This is another view of that property, a little bit lopsided there.
Excuse me. We don't have photos of the inside because there's really nothing inside. It's just a vacant area.
um also uh there were some things we needed to get done with the tax clearance um the accountant
for this property did all that today we have been advised that we should have a tax clearance by
friday we will forward that um as soon as we received and i think as miss emerson may have
advised before the start of the hearing uh there's only really so far we can go today
with our presentation because we have to seek that amendment mr griffin mr griffin listen i
i thought when you went to the photos there was some plans on what you want to do with the building
yes well why don't you go back and show us the plans and what you want to do with the building
All right. So I think I think you're referring chairman to the site plan.
Yeah, that's fine. See what you what you want to do here.
So essentially what we would do and I'll defer to Miss Garcia, I think she can probably say it better than I do.
But the entire inside of the building and here's what we're referring to will be just completely built out.
There's nothing there.
So if we build out, it'll be a typical grocery store.
There will be no seating.
That was at the specific request of the RCO that we have agreed to.
This area is in need of this.
Um, uh, this is a, uh, a lower, uh, income area that our feedback was, uh, they need stores like
this that are not perhaps beer delis. Uh, so we have sought to avoid that. Um, so this goes on
the second, what, what goes on the second floor? Um, I don't really know. I think I can ask Ms.
garcia to address that for you chairman but there were two floors right there there were two floors
that's correct i will i will ask her that when i when i get there so where were you going to go
next with this well i was going to complete uh the finishing of showing of this uh i think it's
all there uh sort of of record and uh what i'd like to do is perhaps call miss garcia to explain
that. Sure, thank you. Bring Ms. Garcia on. Ms. Garcia. Hello? Hi, Ms. Garcia, could you please
state your name and then spell it for the stenographer? Uh, Debbie Garcia, D-E-B-B-I-E,
Garcia, G-A-R-C-I-A
Affirmed, tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth
Please proceed, counsel
Ms. Garcia, before we get into some different areas
Chairman Bergman had a question about this site plan
Am I correct? It is essentially abandoned inside
uh abandoned inside there is nothing there am i correct uh yes there's nothing there inside the
There is nothing there, am I correct?
um the first floor the second floor would eventually be it's a an apartment okay so
explain to the explain to this board what you would do with the first floor and what the plans
are for the second floor can you enlarge those plans for me please
any better ma'am
sufficient
Ms. Garcia if you could respond to that question
please
as you go into the grocery store
their concerns were that on
one wall
I had seating previously
and they were opposed to that
because what they really
the community really wanted was
more of a grocery store selling goods that you can purchase at your corner grocery store so i
eliminated that and put up more shelving so to provide and sell those goods and in the back it
would be a kitchen just to sell um you know hot and cold sandwiches and also fritters and within
this community since it's um it's basically mixed and a lot of hispanic people i would sell
you know certain little spanish critters that would that they're interested in having
miss garcia if i'm not mistaken you're you're sort of a child of this area am i correct
Yes, I grew up, was born and raised in this area around the corner on Franklin Street. So I'm fully aware of the transition and and everything that the building has went through.
this building has been abandoned for over 20 something years. When I came in to purchase it
in 2018, my intention was to start fixing it up. I saw that there was a need in having a grocery
store there at that property, which previously was a grocery store 23 years ago. But ever since then,
it was closed and abandoned and um i've talked to people in the community and they said it was
needed so therefore that's what i'm trying to bring back and revitalize the neighborhood but
it's been abandoned for many years yeah miss garcia if you could comment on that second floor
which was a question from chairman bergman what what are the thoughts with regard to that okay
Okay, that would be an apartment.
Okay, and that would be above the grocery store, is that correct?
Above the grocery store, which they would have their own access into there, which was previously there.
So they have their own access.
And then obviously the basement would be storage for the grocery store.
Now, you mentioned about the history. In our cover letter to the board, it was at one time DeLeon Mini Market, Rick's Mini Market, and then you mentioned many, many years ago, Rio's Mini Market. Is that your understanding?
Yes, yes.
Now, your hours of operation we've represented would be Monday through Saturday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Is that correct?
We've also represented that you would have surveillance camera system in the interior and exterior of the property with those cameras to be registered with the police department. Is that correct?
Yes. My my understanding also is that you will have a contract with a an exterior dumpster company that will be located in a secured fencing area for whatever waste comes out of the business.
And there would be daily pickups on Monday through Saturday. Am I correct in that assessment?
Yes, definitely.
Now, if the board were to eventually see fit on this approval, you're aware and you have advised this, that you will be monitoring the license through the Philadelphia Health Department and you'll be able, you'll be required to apply for the food preparation and serving licenses from the department.
You understand that, is that correct?
Yes. And I believe there's also federal regulation that may come with the serving and processing of food. Am I correct?
And I believe there's also federal regulation that make.
Yes. OK. And you were present at the different meetings with the RCO originally back in June of twenty three and then more recently, October and November of twenty four.
And you have essentially acquiesced to their request and admittedly a strong request that you change what you are targeting to do and make this into simply a grocery store purely for takeout without anybody being able to sit in and eat items.
Am I correct?
And you are in agreement with that. Am I correct?
Okay. And I know this was a bone of contention with them. And I think we just want to make sure
it's clear. So we have live testimony. There will be no, N-O, no alcohol sales at all,
nor will there be an attempt to have alcohol sales through the transfer of a liquor license
at this property during the entire ownership that you will have am i correct yes okay um
now uh you were present uh live during my uh presentation of this am i correct
yes and you heard what i said in my representations um were they indeed true and accurate
yes if you were to testify again as you have been now uh would you have adopted my uh discussions
and my testimony to the extent that was separate from what you just testified would you have
adopted that as your own in this case uh yes okay chairman i have no further questions thank you sir
well hillary this refusal is only for the store am i correct so i was actually going to bring that
up in in my comments um because seeing the pictures and seeing that there was a yeah second floor um
and there's a proposed use for the second floor it may be worth adding that to the current
application as well because this is an rsa3 property so there'd be a requirement for parking
which there doesn't appear to be parking so you need a variance for that the single family use
in and of itself would be permitted by right but but but you would need a variance for parking
um so that's something that could be added um to the the current um application if if the applicant
would like are we are we we're not voting today am i correct no we are not we're going to hold
for an amended refusal and it's up to the board whether we close the record except for the amended
refusal and then just vote with it or we come back for a resumption hearing. Questions from the board?
So let me make sure I understand what you're trying to do. You were trying to do a
takeout, like, restaurant, but you're changing this now to be a grocery store?
Is that what I'm hearing?
Yes, ma'am.
And we're doing that at the specific request of the RCO, and we have agreed to do that.
so the part of the space will be used for i guess grocery type items which may be there
but you're also planning to do this the food that the the takeout food as well
uh debbie can answer that but yes okay yes and and and this will be just certain items you're not
it's like sandwiches yes your is and some other go ahead oh it would just be like your hot
sandwiches cold sandwiches something small that basically your corner store in the neighborhood
where you can just get something real quick you know maybe some french fries you know something
like that something easy not nothing like a three-course meal do you know what i mean like
nothing big something just small for a store and then your basic grocery items that you can get
your basic grocery items that you can get from the corner store.
from the corner store okay
Okay. And, and you're going to have a fryers or how is this going to work?
Is this going to be like a full kitchen or is this going to be a,
uh, like, no, not a full kitchen. No. Okay.
So you're talking like some fryers and things like you're talking French fries,
you're talking like fryers and things like that, or a grill.
like a sandwich machine a sandwich little grill things like that okay all right and then the
second floor would be an apartment yes okay all right thank you questions from the board
you have a question i'll go ahead mike i just want to ask when was the property acquired
in 2018 so that property as you saw those pictures it looks wonderful now not how
it looked when i purchased an image from google 2021 so it looks like it looks it looks like it
was redone yeah we were you know as we went along we started trying to rehab it and make it come
back to life and make it look better but when i received it and purchased it it did hadn't it
was not looking it did not look like that right and what's the use of the the the building in the
back that one story what does that use it was a garage it's a garage back there and so what are
you going to use that for um basically storage if anything where is the dumpster going to go
with as you see there's like a wooded fence gate there the um the dumpster can go inside there we
would open the gate and put it there is that between that one story and the the building itself
is that yes between that garage building and yes and the building itself yes
that way no one from the neighborhood can go dumping their trash in there
it would be gated up
thank you
questions for the board
that actually answered my question
do you have anything extra
not at this time
not at this time Mr. Chair
Mr. Griffin if you have further questions
about the amendment process
just let me know
I will Hillary
But I really want to thank you. You were you were very informative as to I had not had that issue come up at the last moment and what we needed to do.
So I appreciate your guidance on what we need to do.