Anyone here for a chance?
Is there an attorney? I'm sorry, Chair.
Go ahead.
Is there an attorney or owner for this property? I see that we have
the architect with his hand up. However, we would request an attorney or the actual owner.
Excuse me, this is Sharon. Mr. Brutonini did submit the exhibits. The owner's name is Theodore
Cox, and we have a letter of non-opposition from Councilman Squilla on this one, and an RCO letter
in support. Okay, I've promoted Mr. Cox. Good evening, Mr. Cox. Please identify yourself with
the record. Well, my name is Theodore Cox, or Ted Cox, and I'm the owner of 2534 East Somerset.
Thank you. Swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth?
Thank you. Please proceed.
Sir, have you emailed an exhibit packet with the required documents, proof of ownership, proof of tax compliance, copy of the refusal, photos, and plans five days prior to this hearing?
I believe my architect has done that, yes.
Okay. Have you met with the RCO and have a letter?
Thank you.
We did a Zoom meeting a few months ago.
And what was the result of the RCO meeting?
From my understanding, it was unanimous approval.
Okay, thank you.
We have a copy of that, right, Sharon?
We do, and a letter of non-opposition from Councilman Squilla.
Okay, Mr. Cox, please proceed.
And if you can summarize, we'd be very thankful for that.
oh um and this is my first time ever doing this i mean what should i be uh just doing just give
it tell us a little bit about what you're what you're intending to do with your property
oh um i would like to add an addition to um the back portion of my property which would
was on on the garage portion which would be um in the back will be on seltzer street
put an addition there for a bedroom and then have a deck on top of that so I could have a view of
the bridge and the city skyline. Do you have any exhibits you can just
share with us just quickly? I was understanding my architect would have that and I don't know
if he's there or not. Excuse me, this is Sharon. Can Mr. Brutonini share the screen just to present the exhibits?
share the screen just to present the exhibits.
He's been promoted to a panelist.
Thank you, Ms. Sunke.
okay can can you all hear me yes in your name yes uh anthony brutiniti
spell your name spell your last name sir b as in boy r-u-t-t-a-n-i-t-i and you're
swearing for him to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth yes i do just
please give us a brief overview of what your client is uh proposing to do with his property
okay um the existing property is a legal two-family dwelling on the first floor which is this floor
plan right here is the existing uh residence of ted cox who you spoke with earlier on the second
floor is their daughter lives upstairs in this unit here what we're looking to do is to take
this portion, and I'll show you a photograph. This portion is a one-story former garage,
and we're looking to add a second story to that for the first floor dwelling, for the owner.
And then on top of this addition is to put a roof deck. Let me show you some photographs that would
give you a better view of the neighborhood. I'm sorry. Okay, so here is the house.
Does anyone see these photos?
can you see all i see is there yes we can see it okay because something i'm going to leave and
come back so go ahead continue please okay uh so the first floor this is this this is uh the belgrade
street view um is the uh owners of residence right here upstairs is their daughter where they live
um i wish you down further to the back
There. So this is the two story existing structure and then this is the one story garage where we're looking to put on a second story addition with the roof deck.
Now, if you notice from some of the other photographs, behind on Bellgrade here, we
have a vacant property across the street, and then we have the train trestles on the
other side.
So really, there is no impact with other neighbors on this back corner.
In addition, let me go to the elevations.
So this is the existing elevation with the one-story garage, I'm sorry, it shows the
two-story addition with the addition on here and the roof deck.
So even with the addition, it is still below the existing two-story structure because the
land really drops coming down so it actually makes the addition uh even lower than the existing two
story um we have i'm trying to move this along very quickly for you behind the structure again
there's the trains and then we have seltzer street uh which is behind the property so the deck and
and the new addition really doesn't impact any other neighbors or blocking their air or light.
I think we get the gist of it. Thank you.
I was going to say, I'll open it up to any questions you have.
Thank you.
Any questions from the board?
Anyone else would like to testify in this case?
If so, please raise your hand.
no hand thank you planning commission this is uh ron bednar city planning
the property is indicated for residential use uh in the city plan given the existing site context
we have no objection to granting advance thank you very much mi 2020-001191
2534 East
Somerset Street. My vote is yes.
My vote is yes.
My vote is yes.
My vote is yes.
Thank you.
Confessor, would you mind reading the next one?
I just somehow
screwed up all my paperwork.
Dash 001187.
I'm sorry. Pardon me. Could we just pause for one second, please?
I'm sorry. Pardon me.
Could we just...
I have to get the court reporter back.
I'm sorry.
No problem.
These names keep moving.
Okay, we got the court.
We put it back.
We can continue.
Confessor.
MI 2020-001-187-1504, Wanton Street.
i have promoted attorney roger perry good evening mr perry please identify yourself
for the record spell your first and last name and i'll swear you in
can't hear you you have to unmute yourself okay can you hear me there you go mr perry please
identify yourself with a record? Roger Perry, attorney for the applicant
in this matter, 734 South 4th Street, Philadelphia, PA
19147. P-E-R-R-Y, correct?
P-E-R-R-Y. Do you swear in the firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing
but the truth? I do. Thank you. Confessor? Do you agree to wait the reading of
its refusal and stipulate to attackers? Yes, I do. And I should be
here with the owner, David Lowe, if he's available.
have you emailed an exhibit packet with the required documents proof of ownership proof of
tax compliance copies of refusal photos and plans five days prior to this hearing yes we did and i
can put it up excuse me can i interrupt for one minute mr perry did you copy me on that email i'm
not finding your basic exhibit packet yeah that would have been over a month ago probably okay
i'll check again but if if i don't find it would you mind resending it after the hearing
Absolutely, and I'll put it up right now.
Thank you.
Did you meet with the RCO and have a letter, sir?
Pardon me?
Where am I?
Okay, the...
Mr. Seppery, I'm sorry.
Before we proceed, Secretary Confessor has questions that he read.
Did you meet with the RCO?
Yes, we did.
Thank you.
We met with...
Thank you.
Yes, East Point Breeze. There's a letter in the package, which you may not have, but I can, if I, can you see the exhibit?
No, not yet.
Okay, share under S.
Where?
Oh, how do we share it? I have it up on my computer.
So you click the green button below in Zoom, hit that, and then click on your document.
There they go, coming up now.
And here's the East Point Green Neighbors Association.
We met with them.
They issued a letter September 22nd.
The zoning committee supported us five to nothing.
There were three people in the neighborhood who were opposed, primarily on the issue of parking.
Let me give a little background, try to summarize it as quickly as possible.
1504 Wharton Street is a block off of Broad Street.
This is a property approximately 16 by 64 feet.
The application here is to put in three newly renovated single-family apartments, one per floor with a roof deck.
Because this is a single-family area, it got a refusal for multifamily use.
The refusal is attached, the deed's attached.
And I'll scroll down to the photographs, which will give you a little better idea of what we're talking about.
the deed is in my client's name, which is Rock Realty Group. David Lowe is the owner. This is
the posting. This is the property in front. The intent is to completely rehab this property
with one single family, one single bedroom apartment on each floor. This is in a
on each floor. This is in a sort of a mixed-use neighborhood. I've taken pictures of across the
sort of a mixed-use neighborhood. I've taken
street and down towards Broad Street. The corner properties tend to be the traditional
mixed-use commercial on the first floor with multifamily apartments up above. Same on the
corner here, commercial on the first floor with mixed apartments upstairs. This is across the
Street, another multifamily apartment. Across the street on Wharton Street is a school and a parking
lot and garages. Here is a brief look at the plans with, I don't know how to blow that up.
Okay, the deck and three one-family apartments with separate entrances for each apartment
once you enter the newly renovated property and so forth.
They're going to be about 800 square feet.
It's got a backyard and has a basement for storage and so forth.
what Mr. Lowe who's the representative for the group that wants to do this renovation and
owners of the property has indicated at the RCO meeting and they were happy to discuss this
is that he wants to provide affordable essentially one-bedroom apartments most of the people that he
is involved with in terms of rentals are commuters they take public transportation
down at Broad Street. They work in Center City. They may work at the hospitals or at Temple
University, for example. And this just provides an access for affordable housing in this area that is,
you know, relatively in demand. But this particular block has a very much of a mixed
youth with, you know, schools and other commercial properties. So the East Point Breeze Zoning
committee felt that this was a very nice opportunity to get the building completely
rehabilitated and provide affordable housing in the neighborhood. These are not condos. These
are going to be rental apartments. Mr. Parry, on the second floor, third floor, are they rear decks?
I don't believe so. I believe that the only deck is a roof deck.
where do where do uh the tenants on the second and well third floor can use the upper deck i
guess where does i don't know that they would the only i think the only access is going to be for
the upper floor and a rear yard for the uh first floor i don't believe the second floor unit
has access but i don't know are you david are you on the zoom
I've lost David, so I don't know. But my understanding is that the access would be for
the upper floor for the deck and the rear yard for the first floor. The second floor I don't
believe has exterior use for the deck or the yard. David is available. He just needs to
unmute himself. David, can you unmute yourself or click on the video where it says open video at
bottom well no actually all you have to do is click on your mic david you put your hand down
so don't use the hand feature click on okay okay i got it thank you here we go uh thank you thank
you very much did you hear the question about hold on hold on roger yes sir i need for you
to identify yourself spell your first and last name yes my name is david d-a-v-i-d last name
L-O. I'm in management for this
road building. I'm sorry, what's the spelling
of your last name? L-O.
L-O, okay. Do you swear and affirm
to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, Chairman. Please proceed.
Thank you.
David, have you heard my
presentation today? Yes, I'm
listening. Okay, and
is it true and correct, and you can adopt
it as a statement of the
facts that I presented today?
Yes. And there's a