Counsel, please proceed.
Mr. Dima, were you on the call when I presented your project to the board?
If you had the opportunity to testify, would you adopt my testimony as your own and as true and correct?
And you were at the community meeting with me on Monday night, correct?
Yes. And then after that community meeting, despite the support of the people in attendance, you decided to refine the plans and that you need a few more days to get them complete.
Yes, that is correct.
All right. Thank you, sir.
Thank you.
Questions from the board.
What's the refinement of the plan? Is that what we're seeing? Is this the refinement?
No, because, Mr. Johns, I don't have those done yet.
Basically, the refinement is we're going to shrink the footprint of the house by about eight feet.
We're going to address the storage.
This was really too big, we thought.
We're going to just change that a little bit.
And then in the egress well on the rear of the property, there's sliding glass doors,
and it makes sense to put a spiral staircase in there for rear access.
Okay. What's the height of the proposed building?
33 feet.
33 feet. Do you have an elevation that shows it in context with the rest of the...
That's going to come with revised plans, too.
And this has a roof deck?
Yes, it does.
Accessible roof deck for all the tenants or just for the third floor?
Just for the third floor.
yeah I just want to like talk about the hardship one on this block it's mostly two-story
single-family homes this is actually one of the rare blocks in that entire neighborhood where
this is really the only vacant lot and it's the same size as the two-story single-family home
next to it. The lots are identical. So I'm trying to understand why the hardship exists to not put
back a single-family home on an intact block and to go up and add both height density and unit
density. Yeah, I mean, we looked at that situation, Ms. Wynn, and directly across the street, even
though it's not facing Mellon Street on Union Street, there's two triplexes.
The lot is extraordinarily big, and I grant you the house next door, which was constructed
in 2010, and it's an RDA property, is a two-story, but it just, you know, there's an economic
viability argument when you look for a variance for usage, and that's one of the reasons I
showed all the other properties and the assessments and
values as my last
exhibit. So it's
a large lot. It's adjacent to
a, I'll go back to this.
It's adjacent to a four foot wide alley.
If I can show that again. I mean, yeah, no, no. I understand
the like physical layout where it sits. I think that that still doesn't account for the fact
that it doesn't match at all the context of this existing block. The triplexes you're referencing
are technically facing a different street. It's a different street grid. The RDA properties next
to it that you're referencing also face again a very different street. That's Union Street.
to it that you're referencing also face again a very different street that's union street and
union has bigger houses and bigger lots facing union street but this house is neither it is it
is not facing it's facing melon and like it just to me this this current proposal doesn't fit in
this streetscape at all no and look i i hear what you're saying uh i mean the other way to look at
this, if someone were to build
a single family home, you're still going to have it
33 to 35 feet.
will dwarf it. I'm not saying
that's a reason that the board should
look kindly upon this, but
in terms of occupancy of the lot,
the structure
will still be a large structure
if someone thought it was viable
to even build that.
I hear
what you're saying. So we're not
voting today. Hillary,
are we going to make this a resumptive hearing um that that is up to the board if you feel like i
mean i think i think when henry comes back well whatever it is um you should have a chance to
respond to it and then respond to anything else we think it's appropriate so this resumptive
hearing date is the one we would use uh yes i believe so okay all right so henry this well
let's let's let's see if anybody in the audience has anything to say okay anyone in the virtual
audience vote comments rco yeah i have uh mark harris with their hand raised sure a lot of them
speak okay yes it seems that the i'm mr harris uh mark could you please state your name and spell
for the stenographer i'm having a hard time hearing you could you get closer to the mic
Harris.
Spell it, please.
M-A-R-K-H-R-R-I-N.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
I affirm.
Are you a neighbor?
No, I'm not.
Give me your comments about this.
You have two minutes.
My comment is something that seems to be that the developer is overstating the inconstability.
I said the family home in order to justify.
We're having a hard time hearing you, Mr. Harris.
mr harris are you a favor this practice or against let me guess it seems like they're
trying to justify more destiny you don't live in the area mr harris no i'm not too far away but i'm
immediately okay so my comment was it seems like we did have a hard time understanding
but i'm real clear you're not in favor of the project um so okay is there anyone else in the
audience do you not see any further hands but do you want to take a position now or do you want to
wait for their update now sure amy with the amy board with the planning commission the
comprehensive plan recommends no change to existing rsa 5 residential single family zoning
at this location the appellant has not demonstrated that there are unique physical conditions or
circumstances of the property that would prevent it from being used in conformance with the zoning
code the planning commission recommends that the board deny the requested variance for a
multifamily and occupied area all right henry we're going to have a resumptive hearing on this
2 24 26 at 9 30 a.m thank you very much mr thank you is there anyone in the audience whose case has
not been called from the two o'clock list you're not seeing your hands mr chair we're going to
take a five minute break and then come back and finish the list the three the 330 list
good afternoon everyone my name is bill bergman and i will be chairing this eba hearing
With me is our vice chair, Tanetta Graham.
Present, Mr. Chairman.
Our board secretary, Cheryl L. Gaston.
Present, Mr. Chairman.
Our board member, Michael Johns.
Present, Mr. Chairman.
Our board member, Ty Wynn.
Excuse my rant about the trash cans in Philadelphia.
Let me say this, and then the worst thing, it was in the picture.
Oh, yeah.
That was their picture.
And also, our board member, Ryan McAdams.
President, Mr. Chairman.
So here is our attorney, Hillary Emerson,
our zoning board director, Ane Haggerty,
and our board administrator, Lakeisha Dandy.
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Let's look at our list for this afternoon.
Number three, MI-2024-007-587-1408.
Mr. Chair, I'm sorry, if we could call number two first.
Okay, you want me, this is the no exhibits too, right?
So, MI, number two, MI 2024, 007-544-701-35 Castro Avenue.
We have a Portuguese interpreter, please.
Yes, Your Honor.
Sorry.
Could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer?
My name is Monica, M-O-N-I-C-A, Aguiar, A-G-U-I-A-R.
Right.
Do you swear or affirm that you will interpret accurately, completely and impartially from
English to Portuguese and from Portuguese to English to the best of your ability?
Yes, I do.
Thank you.
So what I need you to do is to call Daniel Silva, who is the listed applicant for us.
do I need to turn on the camera they should turn on the camera it's Daniel Silva that I should be
camera all right and uh ask him to please state his name and spell it for the stenographer
You can say your name and translate it to the esternographer?
I can.
What's that?
Daniel Silva.
Daniel Silva?
You have to translate it.
G-A-N-I-L.
i-e-l s-i-l-v-a all right and and i'm going to give him the uh
do you swear or affirm to tell the truth
a whole truth and nothing but the truth
yes all the truth okay all right so
we this is the second listing we have not received his exhibits could you tell him we have no exhibits
from him look this is the second list and we didn't have any evidence of your part
like what likewise like what no i like what so okay
Like what?
No, like what?
So, okay.
So there's a whole list of items that we would send him the list
and maybe he could see it, but we need pictures.
We need the whole gamut of things to show us what he wants to do.
And I guess the first question I have is this.
This is listed with Caster Gas LLC.
Is that him?
Caster L.C.
Look, there is a list of items that you need to send.
They are with photos and showing what you want to do.