Rec area, living room
slash family room,
entertainment area.
Your plan is to finish that
so that it's actually a finished basement?
Yeah, it will be finished basement.
Completely finished basement.
Completely finished, so you're going to do
insulation?
Insulation, all of it. Yes, completely
finished.
Questions or comments from our
attorney, Hilary Emerson?
not at this time mr chair questions or comments from the rcos i see no hands chair district
council representative i see no hands anyone else i see no hands planning commission
thank you chairman uh let me turn on my camera sorry
thank you chairman and good morning dave vecto with the city planning commission
Chairman and board members, the comprehensive plan recommended that this property be zoned RSA 5, residential single family, prior to the creation of the RSA 6, residential single family zoning district, and a 2022 zoning map change.
The city changed the zoning of this property to RSA 6 by community request.
There is no unique physical condition or circumstance of this property to prevent it from being used in strict conformity with the zoning code.
Despite the presence of several duplexes, this is a primarily single-family block face.
The City Planning Commission recommends the board deny the proposed use variance for two dwelling units and the proposed dimensional variance for maximum allowable height.
MI 2025-003-644-5114 Ranstead Street, I vote yes.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes.
Carol Gaston, my vote is yes.
Tanetta Graham, my vote is yes.
Ryan McAdams, my vote is yes.
I win. My vote is yes. Thank you. Zen? Yes. Could you, I think you have one more case this morning. I believe I have two more. Two more? Yes. Okay. Yes. Okay. Why don't we just leave you here and then we'll get to the next one in the next. Okay. So number 10, MI20250036563314H Street. Just for the record, state your name.
Yes, Zen Jin on behalf of the applicant.
All right.
Could you identify your client, the relationship to the property?
My client is, the corporation is 3314 H Street LLC.
Mr. Guillermo Verona is the representative of the LLC.
And we do have a letter of support with unenforceable provisos from Impact RCO.
Our vice chair has a few questions.
Good morning.
Have you submitted your documents and exhibits five days in advance of this hearing?
And do you waive the reading of the refusal and stipulate to its accuracy?
Thank you.
You can begin your case.
Share your screen.
Thank you.
I'm going to share with the board what was previously submitted as exhibits.
Can the board see my screen on theirs?
We do.
we have all your exhibits. Thank you. Good morning. This is an application for a use change at
3314 H Street. This is a RSA 5 zoned block. My client proposed to have this property used as a
duplex. The property itself is located on the corner of the block. And when it was first acquired,
first acquired. I'm going to use the photos to show the property. It's better to see it from
I'm going to use the photos to show the property.
that, the photos itself. So when my client acquired the property, it has gone through a few
hands. It was originally owned and then it was taken back by Didian Liu. Then it was sold to him
in a rather dilapidated condition. At the time he acquired the property, it has been separated
into two units with a exterior stairway leading to the back second floor unit. The stairway
itself, our plans will show that we intend to make a change to put the stairway on the inside
as those exterior stairways are rather dangerous. But the essential problem is that the property
was converted to some degree already into two separate units. My client acquired the property
And as you can see, the property has been partially framed out.
And that is the condition it is in now.
The proposal is to change the property layout according to the plans.
The exterior would be kept the way it is.
This photo shows a little bit about how the property actually looked when it was some time back.
this is a stock photo from a while ago and then the there was work done to kind of update the
exterior and then now our proposal is to complete both exterior and interior renovations so it would
be used as a two two unit with regard to one being a bi-level both units actually being bi-level
units. The first unit would be accessed from the front on the main street and H Street. And then
the second unit would be accessed from the side on Cornwall Street. The upper floor, as you can see,
would be the back half would be the part of the second unit, while the front half would stay
as a part of the first unit. So you would have your access living kitchen step up to the upper
floor, which contains essentially a living room and master bedroom with a smaller bedroom in the
lower floor. The back unit would be access through the side with the living room kitchen
and the upper floor would be the bedroom. These are not densely designed units. They're meant
to be one bedroom or two bedroom at the most. And this is a layout that I believe would be much
better as a duplex than the existing layout with an exterior staircase. We met with the community.
they do they're aware that this is a corner property they're aware of its history
and they did provide us support given that the property would be fully renovated and put back
to use so with that i believe my client is here to verify my testimony and i'm happy to take any
questions from the board what's your client's name please it is uh jermo
and he should be
I don't want to mispronounce the first name
Guillermo
can you raise your hand virtually to be identified
I believe I filmed your client
they have been promoted to panelists
thank you
Mr. Verona, can you
unmute and also turn on your
oh, I see you on the other, okay
Good morning, sir. Good morning
Could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer
Guillermo Verona, first name
G-U-I-L-L-E-R-M-O
and last name Barona, V-A-R-O-N-A.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth,
the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Please proceed, counsel.
Thank you.
Mr. Barona, did you see my presentation
and hear my testimony before the zoning board?
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Can you verify what I have represented
to the board is true and correct
and adopt it as your own testimony?
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
Questions from the board.
Can you go back to the second floor plan?
I just want to say something.
Okay, so.
okay so on the second floor on the front unit you've got this yeah i'm sorry i'm trying to
make the zoom a little better here you go no that's okay i just want to see how that uh so
the living room one for the first front unit is on the second floor essentially yes two full
bathrooms okay just a little odd okay all right thank you that was it can you go back to the
first floor plan, please? Sure.
And then just a question I have is
I'm looking at the actual physical conditions of the property
and it doesn't look like you've accounted
for the existing egress stairwell
on the exterior of the property that seems to go to the second
floor unit.
He's taking it out. That's going to be removed.
You're taking the existing stairwell out.
Yeah, so there will be an internal stairwell built for access to the upper floor.
I understand that.
It's a heavy metal stairwell that looks like it was recently installed.
So I was trying to make it make sense.
And then what's the plan for the basement?
There is no basement.
Mr. Rona, is there a basement?
Because there's currently, it looks like a walkout egress well.
There's a basement that had an existing access, but that is just to put the mechanical units and the water heaters and things of that nature.
So there's zero plan.
So who's going to have access to the basement and how will you retain access to that basement?
Is that going to be through?
I'll have the access.
From where?
Like how?
Are you going to come in through the central?
From the outside.
Yeah, there was an existing, I don't know what those double gates are called.
Belco doors.
Belco doors there that were kind of dilapidated.
I'm going to be the only one with access down there because it's essentially where all the mechanicals for the basement.
No, I understand that.
I understand what you're saying.
I'm saying that your plans currently do not show how you would get to that basement.
And there's an existing, there's three access points to the basement.
that already exists and they're all shown on this plan with so i'm trying to just understand
how this is changing because right now based on your plans i would assume that the only things
that is new construction is the red and it looks like things are being removed that already exist
and some things look like they're staying yeah there's not going to be any access to the basement
from the inside of the property.
It's only going to be from that exterior
access point.
You have which exterior access point?
It's on the side of the property.
Can you point to it on the plan?
Because you have two shown...
Sorry, there are three current accesses
to the basement in real life.
You have eliminated two of them in this plan.
well this just is this this access point here is it where so that's that's not a bill code door
which is why i was asking so you're retaining the exterior staircase and the walkout to the
basement and you as the property owner is going to retain control and access to that to that
basement space yes ma'am okay um all right i understand now i will say these plans are
interestingly laid out i think you have a lot of spaces that don't make a lot of sense i think the
dining room passageway to a bedroom when you've now put the living room on the second floor makes
absolutely no sense i would have moved the bedroom upstairs and left the living room downstairs and
done two bedrooms upstairs i also think your new bedroom that is seven feet five wide is insane
because you have almost no place
where a bed would fit in that space.
So I do think I would highly suggest
you reconfigure and look at this,
but I at least understand a little bit better
how this is trying to work out.
I agree completely.
There you go.
Questions from our attorney?
Not at this time, Mr. Farron.
Question from the coordinating RCO?
no hands chair questions from uh anyone else there's no hands at this time planning commission
thank you chair and good morning david fechto with the city planning commission
chairman of board members the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the rsa 5
Chairman and board members, the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the RSA-5,
residential single-family zoning at this location.
The city rezoned this neighborhood in 1973 in a council-supported map change.
A prior owner appears to have converted this property to two dwelling units without the benefit of permits.
City Planning Commission recommends that the board deny the proposed legalization of two dwelling units.
MI 2025-003-656-3314, 8th Street, I vote yes.
Uncle John's, my vote is yes.
Carol Gaston, my vote is yes.