So my client is Neil Campbell of Global Taste, Inc., who owns Ray Street Cafe, but this
property is located.
Okay. And our board secretary, Cheryl L. Gaston, has a few questions.
Good afternoon, counsel. Did you submit your exhibit packet five days in advance of this hearing?
And do you waive the reading of the refusal and stipulate to its accuracy?
Yes. It's a refusal and a referral, just to be clear.
Oh, I'm sorry.
But yes.
Do you waive both?
Fine. Then you can share your screen and begin your presentation. Thank you.
Thank you. And if we could identify, just for efficiency, Ryan Salomeo from Harman
Deutsch Architecture, just so when ready he can go through the plans.
Okay. We'll have him ready.
Okay. Can you see my screen?
We can.
so as mentioned um this is 160 to 64 uh north 2nd street um this is a uh refusal oh my apologies
this is a refusal the other project that i did the same time i had a refusal and a referral so
my apologies this is a refusal yeah i was looking at i did two of these other referral yes my
apologies i did a two of these at the same community meeting last week back to back so
i think i just have that confused but um this proposal is for a new one-story edition it's
a pergola with a roof detached to an existing six-story structure for use as a sit-down restaurant
um detached to an existing six-story structure for use as a sit-down restaurant in the same lot
with other uses as approved this is the race street cafe um on second and race and we're doing
basically an expansion of just the rear of the property to do a pergola for additional outdoor
seating race street cafe is an existing long-standing sit-down restaurant in this
neighborhood so um some of the terminology here sounds like we're doing more than we are
but we're just doing a pergola, which we'll show on the plans. That's why we have this
max occupied area refusal, which is 5%, which is due to the pergola. And then we do have a
refusal for the sit-down restaurant, although we already have a sit-down restaurant in the space.
But given, I believe, the overlay, it triggers a refusal.
This was our application.
As mentioned in the appeal, sit-down restaurant isn't permitted, and it's only allowed to
use 80% of the lot.
We're proposing 85 and some change, again, expanding an existing longstanding sit-down
restaurant and adding a pergola in the rear of the property as well.
tax clearance um it's worth noting that we have an easement with the adjacent um owner as well
um just for access and use so we also were um informed to just get um the those different
unit numbers um their tax clearance so that's why you're seeing um so many um on the um screen
This is the deed.
Oh my goodness, more paper.
Go through all this.
Here is the zoning map.
It's a CMX3 property on the corner.
again of 2nd and Ray Street and it's high density CMX3 so without the overlay we would be permitted
to do the sit-down restaurant. It obviously already is a sit-down restaurant and the pergola
is again causing the additional lot coverage. Aerial photos of the property.
Same thing.
This is just from the corner.
Same thing.
Zoning posters.
This is the exterior of the back of the property where we're going to be having the additional space.
It's not a lot of space, but it does help this restaurant have additional revenue,
have additional guests, and makes use of sort of a non-used exterior space.
This is the inside of the restaurant, if you've not been there before.
So it's not a very large restaurant currently, so this will allow for some additional seating
and more patrons and customers to be served.
This is a view from the front of it towards the back.
again this is the rear space
same thing here this is just where in the code we don't comply as already mentioned
um we did have a community meeting with the old city district
project. And we have a vote of support from them. We sent out all the required mailers.
And as mentioned, they had a vote of support from all of the attending RCO committee members
and then four people, I guess, abstained. This is our letter of support or non-opposition
from councilman mark squilla and then as mentioned letters of support from the surrounding your
neighbors and the community um with that i'm uh if we could bring up ryan salomeo just to go
through the plans that would be great rachel could you do we do you have a photo or a drawing
of the pergola yeah ryan has all that on the plan okay okay yeah absolutely okay all right brian
brian salomeo r-y-a-n-s-o-l
ryan solimeo r-y-a-n s-o-l-i-m-e-o um swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and
nothing but the truth i do please proceed counsel let me just share my screen
okay um some of these images you've seen before um in the middle here this is actually the front
of the ray street cafe as as rachel said it's a pretty small restaurant some of the same interior
photos um basically where this um where their draft list board is now our menu board we are
going to be adding a opening that rear wall up and that's how you will access the new rear seating
um these are similar photos that rachel just showed showing what it is used for currently
um so here is kind of a sorry
sorry um and this shows that back space in relationship to the race street cafe and then
the egress along the side of the building and then here is a plan this is the existing inside
of the restaurant we were previously looking back along this way this is where that chalkboard is
on the wall so there'll be a double set of doors there that'll walk out and utilize that patio
space that will be at the same level as the existing restaurant and then here's a kind of
sample of the table layout for that space and then here's kind of a section through
we'll be building up a small platform to make that even with the current race street height
and then it will be sort of a metal kind of open air pergola then and then we'll have a wood fence
along the back and the the one side so it'd be a composite deck um with a metal awning over it
that will just provide some shade and some cover um and then our zoning drawings
and i think that's pretty much it
Rachel, you want to have someone adopt your testimony?
Yeah, it is looking for Neil.
He's on the call.
Neil Campbell.
Neil Campbell, if you're in the virtual audience, please raise your hand.
He's coming back in as a panelist now, Chair.
Thank you.
hello can you hear me i can could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer
neil campbell n-e-i-l-c-a-m-p-b-e-l-l do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and
nothing but the truth yes i do please proceed counsel neil have you heard my testimony today
do you believe it to be true and accurate and do you adopt it as your own yes i do thank you
questions from the board yeah just a quick question how does the shipping container
yeah i was wondering that's next door yeah the shipping container is on the adjacent lot that
fronts on second street there i believe there is another project that's being proposed there
um so that that will move but that just happens to be sitting on the edge of the property line
currently okay well i thought that was a new design or something there that was
When you said corrugated roof, I thought you were trying to sort of fit into the, you know.
So how many seats are in the restaurant now?
And how many more will we be adding with this pergola and extra?
It looks like deck space, but I don't know.
Ryan, is that you or me?
Do you know how many you have existing in the space now?
I think we have about 60 interior seats.
Okay, and we're adding approximately 30 with the current layout that we just showed.
Yeah, that's a suggested layout.
I think that there will probably be more green space out there, so it might not be quite that much seating.
Okay, and then the stairs that I saw, so you're going to, the patrons go through the restaurant to get to this exterior space?
yeah most of the yes most of them would come in and out through the through the restaurant space
the stairs that you saw are a second means of egress that is through the shared alley so the
back does have two means of egress but it would mostly people would be coming through the restaurant
space okay and then presumably there's already some venting going on at the restaurant and how
will this additional seating affect that or um since it's a one story
additional seating affect that or um since it's a one story the the venting goes directly up so
we won't have any um adverse effect we won't be won't be adding any additional um venting
or anything needed for this i guess i was just wondering how it might affect the amount of
seating and the comfort of those who are going to be using that seating in terms of um where
or how high up the venting goes.
I think that's more my question.
If you're speaking to current kitchen exhaust venting,
that stuff is on the roof right now and won't be changing.
It's a very high roof in that building,
so it's considerably above that new proposed dining area.
And the new dining area does not have a permanent roof or sides to it,
so there will be plenty of airflow in that space.
Okay, and am I missing, okay, can I see this pergola again, or did I not see it before?
Yeah, show it one more time.
Can we see it again?
Ah, all right, okay, okay, yeah, I missed that part of things.
Oh, okay, all right, thank you.
Any other questions from the board?
Questions from our attorney, Hillary Emerson.
Not a question, but just a comment, because those last renderings I don't remember seeing in the exhibit packet,
so if you could just have those included.
I don't know if that was a separate presentation by the architect, but I'll just have those included with the record.
Please submit them by close of business tomorrow.
Thank you.
questions or comments from the virtual audience
i see no hands chair any commission amy boyd with the planning commission the comprehensive
plan recommends no change in zoning from the current cmx3 commercial mixed use the proposal
for a sit-down restaurant is in harmony with the surrounding neighborhood which includes other
eating and drinking establishments on the block the requested relief for occupied area is de
The Planning Commission recommends that the board grant the requested variances for a sit-down restaurant in an occupied area.
Thank you. MI 2025-003-645-160-64 North 2nd Street, I vote yes.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote is yes.
Ryan McAdams, my vote is yes.
Ireland, my vote is yes.
Thank you.
Thank you. Thank you.
Is there anyone in the audience who their 2 p.m. case has not been called?
I see no hands, Chair.
We're going to take a five-minute break before we start the 3.30 list.
Good afternoon, everyone.
My name is Bill Bergman, and I will be chairing this meeting of the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment.
With me is our Board Secretary, Cheryl L. Gaston.
Present, Mr. Chairman.
Board Member Michael Johns.
President, Mr. Chairman.
Board member Ty O'Wynn.
President, Mr. Chairman.
Board member Ryan McAdams.
President, Mr. Chairman.
Also here is Hillary Emerson, our attorney, our zoning board director, Ian Haggerty, and our board administrator, Lakeisha Dandy.
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