Okay, hold on.
Just a second.
I'm sorry, Leonard.
I wanted to pause so that you can get this matter done.
No, that's okay.
I appreciate that.
Thank you very much.
Leonard has another appointment.
No, that's okay.
I appreciate it.
So anyway, this, as you're probably aware, the Zoning Board passed a regulation or adopted a regulation back on June 22nd.
That was the regulation that essentially reopened the Zoning Board and also allowed for certain timings with respect to RCO meetings
and whatnot to take place so that regulation expired so we need to basically adjust some of
the language so that we can move forward again with it and I'm just going to read it into the
record and I'm seeing that unfortunately there's a typo here but I'm going to read in read it in
with the correction and make sure that you have that so it's zoning board of adjustment emergency
regulations regarding public hearing notice requirements for zoning hearings and other
related matters. On March 22, 2020, as part of a series of emergency declarations and orders,
the mayor and health commissioner issued an emergency order temporarily prohibiting operation
of non-essential businesses to prevent the spread of COVID-19, quote, emergency order, unquote,
which was approved as a regulation of the Board of Health on March 26, 2020, effective March 27,
of 2020 as this next paragraph is part of a series of emergency declarations and orders
the mayor and health commissioner determined on may 29th 2020 that philadelphia could move to
the commonwealth's yellow phase with additional philadelphia specific restrictions that would
apply in addition to restrictions established by the governor including limitations on outdoor dining
and to implement that decision executed an order entitled emergency order allowing limited reopening
of businesses advising philadelphians that they are safer at home and establishing safety measures
to prevent the spread of 2019 novel coronavirus, COVID-19.
Yellow phase of reopening to become implemented,
that decision effective on the date determined by the governor
and the city of Philadelphia should move into the yellow phase on June 5th, 2020.
On June 22nd, 2020, the Planning Commission adopted an emergency regulation
regarding public meeting notice requirements for zoning hearings
and other related matters.
Pursuant to its powers is set forth in section 8-407 of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter and subsection 14-103 sub 4 sub B of the Philadelphia Zoning Code.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hereby amends its June 22nd, 2020 emergency regulations regarding public meeting notice requirements for zoning hearings and other related matters as follows.
uh affected period quote so what we're doing is uh this is an aside we're we're amending that prior
uh regulation by changing some of the dates um so affected period in quotation marks
means this is section one of that regulations being amended so affected period means the period
beginning on march 13 2020 through january 31st 2021 unless further extended uh by the zoning board
January 31st, 2021, unless further extended by the Zoning Board.
So that previously ended September 30th, so that's what we're basically extending to January 31st, 2021.
The Board's emergency regulation of March 18, 2020 is hereby repealed and replaced as follows.
For all matters where the appeal deadline would have fallen between March 13, 2020 and June 22, 2020,
notwithstanding the board's emergency regulation of march 18th 2020 the deadline for filing an
appeal is deemed to have been july 6th 2020 so yeah but last time there was a whole thing
the night we went to use it it was gone i'm sorry that was someone who unmuted themselves
okay you can continue uh for all matters where the appeal deadline falls on a date on or after
June 22nd, 2020, the appeal deadline shall be a set forth in the zoning code, and that's the end
of the sentence. We had given them an additional 14 days, but since June 22nd, which is when you
all basically restarted, there's no reason to give people that additional time. So everybody is now
on the same timeline that's set forth in the code. Based on the mayor's March 11, 2020 declaration of
extraordinary circumstance that allows regulations related to addressing the pandemic
to become effective immediately upon transmission to the department of records this emergency
regulation shall be effective immediately so i'm gonna
if you have any questions just let me know i'm gonna fix the typos but uh i read those in
the way they should be read in i think that leonard do we does the board need to take a vote on this
yes okay so we're going to we're going to vote to adopt yes the was that the resolution or
it's a regulation it's a regulation amending a prior emergency regulation yes all right so i
move that we the zoning board adopt a regulation that had been previously correct me from wrong
leonard um previously adopted yes this would be an emergency regulation um
um uh regarding uh you know the you could just say we move to adopt the regulation just read
into the record by mr just read into the record by yeah that would work yes all right all right
so i move that the board adopt the regulations that have just been read into the record by
leonard reuter of the law department
i get a second i second second favor aye all right we're adopted
uh thank you leonard thank thank you very much and i'll make sure that sharon also gets the
typo corrected copy so thank you very much thank you thank you uh before we begin with
this hearing I'm going to reach out to the stenographer again would you like to have a few
minute break um yes okay all right everyone we're going to take a 10 minute break
if you're back if you're back before 10 we'll start don't rush take your time
Take your time.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Thank you.
I'm ready.
Although other people may not be.
okay uh are we back on yes is everyone ready to proceed
thank you and uh yep again uh i understand there's still a number of people who want to
want to be heard we appreciate their waiting and their patience we just ask and i repeat this i'm
sure after everybody speaks that you uh something new and different um so we'll begin i think the
last person who was on uh I don't know Todd you probably have a better handle I know it was uh
was it Miss Fidelli um I don't see her Mr. Oaday we already heard from Mr.
if you want to be you want to be heard please raise your hand
i have um susan o if she could be heard next because she has a conflict
sure good afternoon ma'am please identify yourself with the records by your name and
and give us your address
okay miss o your zoom is not compatible at the
Okay, Ms. O, your Zoom is not compatible at the moment.
I will promote you to panelists.
Good afternoon, Ms. O, please unmute yourself.
Hi, please spell your name for the record.
Can you guys hear me now?
My name is Susan Oh, spelled S-U-S-A-N-O-H. I live at 108 Nihon Avenue.
And you swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Thank you. Please proceed.
So I guess I just wanted to start because we are the adjacent lot to 106.
I have three very young children, so my concerns are, you know, just to start, such a long extended demolition and upheaval construction site period in such close proximity to our home, with my kids,
and also the seven adjacent lots and neighbors that would be affecting us for a very long period
of time. The noise, the dust, the debris, the heavy machinery. These are all things that pose
different levels of threat to not just our livelihood, but our day-to-day lives.
Over at best, a very optional construction. None of this is mandatory or necessary.
And myself, our block captain, many neighbors, we've over the past two weeks since we had our community meeting October 7th with the architecture firm, we've been going door to door and it's a pretty, it's a unanimous voice that we just really want this variance denied.
Thank you.
and um you know we we just have lots of we wonder why such um radical development projects
are rarely seen in our very close neighbors in chestnut hill even closer two blocks west where
there's far more land and i understand that with all due respect we're actually need this we need
to focus on this proposal not compared to other neighborhoods i understand thank you for bringing
back um and i'm able to share my screen because i just want to show everyone
please advise what you're sharing um this is the current view of pleasant street
and this is a lot of the we don't have it yet
they're just they're photo of the current street
um oh am i not able to share
um so this is a lot of the tree canopy and green space that we would be losing to an optional
construction decision um as you heard i'm not sure if you heard from kelly's presentation but
the philadelphia minimum tree canopy for each neighborhood is 30 east mount airy is already
way below the minimum of 19.1 percent and this would just be
um a devastating loss of tree canopy and green space on our street that is very little left as it
is oh are you the picture you're showing now are you to the left or to the right you're to the left
i'm to the left yes okay thank you and we did already discuss all the um just the dangers of
during construction and also after with the driveway we have a very busy pedestrian street
lots of children um and the traffic would be due to residents not even living on mehant on our street
which we don't see
why that should even be.
Mr. Softee truck again.
All right.
I'm sorry.
That's okay.
So we do see these as very imminent threats to many, many people during construction, after construction.
So we do see these
as very imminent
These would be permanent devastating damages to us as a community just within our block.
So I'm only speaking on behalf of me, Anne.
and uh we're really really asking unanimously as a as a street to please
deny this variance i understand you
you're about to say oh no that that was it thank you could you actually announce
one more time how to raise your hand through your phone um no you can contact us for that
information miss uh tanya real quick uh are there more uh people to testify yeah position yes we
think this case been uh we've been hearing this case for over an hour i think in the limit was
an hour if i'm not mistaken yes you're correct chair and we have that goes to show how important
Susan, please do not speak unless directed by the chair.
Thank you.
I think our best bet is to probably continue this case.
I actually had a sidebar, not to interrupt your confession, with Sharon about that.
I just think there are a couple of things I'd like to get done before we do.
I think we may have to continue this.
I'm not sure.
i uh could rachel could you pull up the uh artist renditions showing pleasant street again please
the the artist rendition well the rendition i'm sorry the uh oh scott can you pull up
the renderings no it's okay artist rendition all right i need a break no i yeah all right
so you got one two three four nine nine houses here correct eight here and one on mehan nine
counting mehan correct uh what was the reason why you decided to use the property on mehan street as
the driveway into the rear of these properties on pleasant as opposed to as an example
taking maybe
this property here to the left
not building on that
and making that the area of ingress and egress
to get to the rear
if that's feasible
Sure, Scott can
Yeah, sure
I can see that a little bit more
And you can still build a house on Meehan Street
But you wouldn't have the driveway
and that's what I'm trying to figure out
So Meehan
is a one-way going this way. Pleasant Street is a one-way going this way, and then Musgrave
is here, so we're about three in from this direction. Let me actually pull up. It's a
little bit easier if we see it through this. John, if you can speak a little more clearly
into your microphone you're a little sorry um so a lot of uh vehicular traffic uh if you will
most likely is coming from the commercial corridor on germantown ave um and or the other main artery
which is through the neighborhood is uh you know gorges lane so coming down through either mehan
or Gorgas to Musgrave and then into development made the most amount of sense with the vehicular
traffic getting in and out. That was our rationale in putting the drive aisle on this side specifically.
It just seemed like the better location. There was also more curb cuts on Meehan than Pleasant
Street. So Pleasant Street, there's really no curb cuts at all on the block. And there seemed
to be a more substantial parking issue on the Pleasant Street side than there was on Meehan
Avenue. So our rationale was that the curb cut would be better served on a block that had more
curb cuts, as well as it has less of a parking issue on the street. I can appreciate that. I'm
just again what is the width of the 106 pleasant and the driveway combined 28 feet 28 feet
28.09 for 28.09 all right um
Tom anybody have anything to say on the board no I have a concern you say that
no i have a concern um you say that the uh basements is 70 percent in the ground
correct correct and we we pushed them down a little bit further because there's a there's
a height concern that was brought up by the neighborhood um initially but yes currently
they're they're about 70 into the ground you happen to know what the water table is
the water table level?