therefore
and our
you're breaking up
hi Darwin this is Tanya
would it be okay to turn your video off
maybe that might help
alright
I'll do that
so are you
I'm sorry
your video not the
presentation
are you
are high all compliant with an rm1 zoning classification and result when we present
this to the community the community accepted our use and supports the project and as a result
the councilwoman also supports the project um given the technicalities i just want to call up
Mr. Michael Thorpe
at this time.
Mr. Thorpe?
Mr. Chair, I do not see
him in the audience, in the virtual
audience. Anybody with their hand
up at all?
No, sir. No hands raised.
Darwin, I think we understand what the issue is here and what you're trying to do. So you're an officer of the court. We'll accept your testimony. Questions from the board?
No, Chair. No, Mr. Chairman.
No, Chair.
Questions or comments from our attorney, Ryan McShurry?
No, Mr. Chairman.
Questions or comments from the virtual audience?
again no answer planning commission
good afternoon chair peter bernard for the planning commission
the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the existing rm1 multi-family residential at this
location we feel the applicant hasn't demonstrated dimensional hardship and that the commercial
parking lot is not an appropriate uh setback for establishing the required setback at this location
accordingly the planning commission recommends the board grant the variance thank you so mi2023
004 915 843 north 40 street i vote yes thomas holliman my boot is yes james snell my vote is yes
Thank you, counsel
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
Take care, everyone
Okay, number four
MI2023
006-621
1919 North Oriana Street
Alan Nockamson is the attorney
There's a letter of support
from the Nara Square
Community Alliance
and the applicant provided three form letters
from the 1900 block of North Oriana
they're coming back in as a panelist okay it's a chair
good afternoon mr chair members of the board alan knockamson a-l-a-n last name knockamson
n-o-c-h-u-m-s-o-n do you swear for him to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
i do could you identify your client their relationship to the property
Yeah, my client is Ibika Singh, the owner of the property, and she should be in the virtual audience.
And our vice chair has just a few questions, sir.
Good afternoon, counsel. Do you agree to waive the written of a refusal or stipulate towards accuracy?
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?
Oh, yes, we have.
Thank you, counsel. Please proceed and share the screen.
Alan, did you have the proof of tax compliance?
Yeah, you know, I realized after the fact that I forgot to put it in there, so I updated it, and I just sent it.
All right, thank you. Appreciate it.
You're welcome.
Please proceed.
I was like, come on.
This is not our first time at the rodeo here.
All right, so I'm here to present – I don't know why I can't go full screen mode, but that's so big – 1919 North Ariana Street.
so from the outset my client's not a developer she owns the property next
So, from the outset, my client's not a developer.
She owns the property next door in 1921.
She lives there.
And she, you know, for safety purposes and just honestly for convenience, she owns 1919 North Ariana, and she wants to use it as non-accessory parking.
And so, we'll go through our presentation packet.
There you go.
Where we'll review the notice of refusal.
And, you know, we're here just because of this non-accessory use.
on an RM1 property, which is undersized at 605 square feet of lot size. We'll then review the
letter of support from the Norris Square Community Alliance, where there was overwhelming support
within the community meeting. My client also got letters of support from the nearby neighbor,
the one that's next to where this non-accessory parking would be, and the person most directly
impacted, where they're in support of this project. Again, she's a neighbor, my client's a neighbor.
you know she's lived there a few years and she just wants this non-accessory parking and we have
a few letters to support from people across the street then we have maps of the area you know we
have a zoning map but i don't think it matters here we're not trying to change the density of
the property in any way we just want to show you that this is an arm one property that's undersized
to 605 square feet and we are in the north square section of philadelphia aerial view of the
property you'll see just in the aerial view it's hard to see but other people are using their lots
as off-street parking not legally we're trying to do it legally and we're parking on the sidewalk
not legally and we're trying to do this legally photographs of the property in the surrounding
area our plans are drawing very simple like we're just showing you like there's a good turning
radius every you know we comply in all respects uh with regards to uh parking regulations um our
RCO meeting notice. Again, a pretty well-attended meeting. Again,
overwhelming support. Our application for appeal that we filed
on Ms. Singh's behalf. Her deed to the property, and most
importantly, the certificate of tax clearance. And then at the conclusion of my
presentation, I would ask that Ms. Singh virtually raise her hand
and be sworn in, and now I'll have a few questions for her.
Notice of refusal. Again, this is an RM1 property. We're trying to
have uh non-accessory parking uh two parking spaces with a roll-up gate um and we're here
you know for that particular purpose because this is a residential property uh letter of support
uh from the north square community alliance as you can see support um you know for this project
uh you know again we had overwhelming support there and then you know more importantly the
people who are most directly impacted by this use are in full support of this use of the
property. 1917, North Ariana. 1914, North Ariana. 1916, North Ariana. And then maps
to the area, again, you know, we always try to give the board an idea of where we are
in the neighborhood and what zoning classifications we're dealing with. And again, you know, we're
between Berks and Norris, and, you know, we're on Oriana, which is between 3rd and 4th Streets
North. And then just aerial view of the property, and you can see here that there are cars parked
on different lots here, not legally, I suspect, but it's not out of character to have such off-street
parking. We're trying to do it legally. And then photographs of the property, my client kind of
jumped the gun. She found out that she couldn't just put a roll-up gate there, but there was no
ill intentions here. And once she realized what she needed to do, you know, she hired Harman
Deutsch, a well-known architecture firm in town. And then, you know, we're here to assist in this
endeavor as well. But again, this is 1917. They're not against this project. And then, you know,
this is just the only picture my client gave me was a picture of her dogs, like running around
in this area but this is used for par and then just again the orange notice poster so everyone
knows what's going on here and then here are pictures so left and right on north ariana
and then our plans and drawings again very straightforward uh you know and by the way i made
a misstatement here uh 1917 is to the right of 1919. i did the inverse facts so um but we just
roll up into this parking spot or
hopefully parking spot or parking spots. There's two of them.
What we're trying to do is what many people do in this
neighborhood, unfortunately, illegally. We met on March
13th at 6 p.m. This is proof that we emailed that notice a few
weeks beforehand and showed proof of mailing to
121 addresses. These are the addresses we actually physically
these are the addresses we actually physically mailed it to and then the proof of mailing to
mailed it to and then the proof of mailing to those after
those addresses our application for appeal on missing's behalf
her deed to the property and the certificate of tax clearance as you can see i think this is the
last time i'm going to be able to say it for at least this tax year but you know technically taxes
are due. Well, they've chosen a rare age of 1280.82, but technically they're not due until
April 1st. So, you know, we're cleared from a tax perspective. Ms. Singh, can you virtually
raise your hands? Is there parking on that block, counsel? Yes, that's what I'm saying. Yes, there
are other people who park on that block. That was their point. In the street, they can park,
what I'm saying, are they parking in the street there? Can you park in the street? Or is that
yeah it's a small orion is between third and fourth streets so it's a it's a it's not that
it's not a street that you know people would pocket of course all right good thank you you're
welcome yeah they've been allowed to speak i could you please state your name and spell for
the court stenographer hello my name is ambika sang it's spelled a m b i k a s i n g h right
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Please proceed.
I guess, Ms. Singh, you heard everything I had to state to that.
And is it true and correct?
And do you adopt this as your own testimony?
Thank you.
Mr. Chair, I just wanted to confirm.
I did look at the pictures when just confirmed what I stated was correct.
There is no parking.
That's true.
That's right.
Okay, thank you.
questions from the board no mr chairman questions or comments from our attorney
ryan mcsherey no mr chairman questions or comments from the virtual audience
i don't see any further hands mr chair hi planning commission
good afternoon chair peter bernard for the planning commission
the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the existing rm1 multi-family residential
at this location we feel the applicant has failed to demonstrate a hardship that would prevent the
property from being used in conformance with the code accordingly the planning commission recommends
the board deny the variance thank you mi2023 006621 1919 north oriana street i vote yes
Thomas Holloman, my vote is yes
James Snell, my vote is yes
Ishmael Shahid, my vote is yes
Thank you, counsel
Number six, MI 2023
005047, 209 West Chestnut Hill Avenue
Adam Laver is the attorney for the owner
David Feynman is also, should be
will swear David Feynman into. He represents
Protestants. There's a letter of support
from the Chestnut Hill Community Association with a
proviso. There's a letter of support from the Chestnut Hill
Business District. The applicant provided 10 letters of
support from neighbors, along with four form letters of
non-opposition. Chestnut Hill Landmarks
provided a petition and letters in opposition.
Mr. Laver, could you state your name
and spell it for the court stenographer?
Good afternoon, Chairman Bergman and members of the board.
Adam Laver, L.A. V.S. and Victor, E.R., Blank Rome, 1 Logan Square.
Do you swear a firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Yes, Mr. Chairman, I do.
Could you identify your client, a relationship to this property?
Certainly.
Blank Rome represents Greylock Development Partners, LP,
the owner of 209 West Chestnut Hill Avenue, the subject property. With us today is its managing
member, Lavi Schenkman. Okay. Our vice chair has just a few questions. Thank you. Good afternoon,
counsel. Do you agree to leave the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy?
Good afternoon, Mr. Vice Chairman. Yes, I do. Thank you. I'll have you emailed them all the