please raise your hand. He's available. Good morning, sir. Please identify yourself
Now for the record, spell your first and last name, and I'll swear you in.
Matthew Huffman, M-A-T-H-E-W, H-U-F-F-M-A-N.
You're in the term to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
And you're interested in this case?
I'm the architect.
Okay, Mr. Whelan.
All right, Mr. Huffman, did you hear all of the representations and testimony that I presented in this matter?
I did.
And do you believe them to be true and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief?
And would you adopt them as your own?
I would.
Okay. So just one quick set of questions then, Mr. Huffman.
Did you perform an analysis of the neighborhood and housing types along Delmar Street in the neighborhood?
All right. And how would you describe the neighborhood and Delmar Street?
As you previously described it, you know, row houses, you know, twins.
I mean, obviously you can see it on the image you're presenting right now.
All right.
Thank you very much.
And just one final question.
You know, the question hasn't been raised yet, but may come up.
What would a buy-write project with single-family homes on these properties yield?
well if we were to do rsa3 we would uh you know eight units seven to eight units i'm sorry you
you believe rsd3 right which is what it currently i'm sorry yes okay so that would be seven or eight
units with uh meeting all the dimensional requirements and and whatnot correct correct
Okay. Thank you very much. And finally, in your professional opinion, does the redesigned project
meet all the criteria for the variance grant? You mean for the CDR or for the...
Sorry, under the Philadelphia Zoning Code, do we meet all the criteria for the grant of a variance
here to have our project approved as revised? Yes. Thank you very much. Chairman, I offer
up Mr. Huffman for any questions that the board may have any questions from the board no no okay
okay you have all your witnesses uh last witness uh Ms. Sunket if you could
Ms. Nancy Templeton should be raising her hand
she's available
all right thank you miss templeton uh sorry chair i'm jumping the gun
no problem miss templeton please identify yourself spell your first and last name and i'll
swear you in uh thank you nancy templeton ch planning uh that's t-e-m-p-l-e-t-o-n
we're in a firm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth i do mr whalen all right
uh if it pleased the board i'm happy to forego uh confirming miss templeton as a as an expert
she's testified numerous times if i would relate to that thank you thank you uh miss templeton
uh did you hear all of the testimony that i presented in this matter i did and is it true
and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief? It is. And would you adopt it as your own?
I would. All right. And obviously, Ms. Templeton, we've got time constraints today. So if you would,
you prevent, you, sorry, presented an in-depth planning report as part of this project, correct?
I did. Thank you. And that's incorporated in my exhibit package. So if you could,
could you just provide the conclusion that you made or came to uh at your report for the board
uh yes um i i do agree that the um the proposal
I do agree that the proposed project meets the criteria for zoning variance.
The Delmar Street block and the surrounding neighborhood have undergone significant change over the last 10 to 15 years.
Rowhouse and single-family attached development have become the dominant development pattern despite the downzoning of the subject property and other surrounding properties to RSD3.
the proposed development plan is consistent with the development pattern on the same and surrounding
blocks the plan has been designed to protect sleep steep slopes on the property provide
additional central green space introduce new pedestrian connections and provide a consistent
and complementary streetscape design along delmar street and uh miss templeton just for
clarification this was all your opinion is not with regard to the original plan but uh is specific
to the revised plan we presented today yes okay thank you very much um mr chairman i present uh
miss templeton for any questions or comments that the board may have thank you any questions from
the board for miss templeton no thank you tanya i'm going to need a date all right um just one
last thing that i realized i neglected to state for the board's benefit i'll show it on the screen
here. While the RCO was wildly opposed, the only adjacent neighbor that is opposed lives right
here. I believe he submitted a letter yesterday. We have support from all other neighbors,
all other adjacent properties that I'm circling right now. So those letters of support have been
there. And I believe that one of those members is actually, or one of those neighbors is actually
holding on the line so let me ask you this you said that the near neighbors except for the one
are in support they're in support of the revised plan correct uh the revised plan yes and how did
they come about to see that is that through a meeting or just conversation so i apologize i
was moving too fast um i can have mr di rienzo testify to this very quickly um mr di rienzo
spent extensive time going door-to-door. He lives there. He's gone door-to-door formally.
All right. We don't need his testimony yet. I just was curious how that came about. Okay.
Okay. All right. We have a date, Tanya? I can get a date. I have promoted Sarah Alderfer,
who represents the RCO. If you want to turn it, just put a record. But I can work at a date in
the meantime okay uh good morning mr chair members of the board sarah aldifer s-a-r-a-h-a-l-d-e-r-f-e-r
1500 jfk boulevard suite 800 philadelphia um i'm here today representing the coordinating rco rich
park civic organization um do you swear and affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the
truth i do please proceed um so mr chair um i understand that there's been discussion of the
continuance um so that the list can move on and um i can then present a full presentation
um i just wanted to note for the record that i have several objections to mr whalen's presentation
um and i was not able to participate until this time when i was promoted to panelists so i'd like
to preserve those objections for the record at this time, or if you like, I can discuss them at
the continued hearing date. I think it might be better at the continued hearing date. I wanted
to get Mr. Whaling's stuff all in, and the only thing I would encourage is I don't have the
authority, but I would suggest that your client, you discuss with your clients, at least have a
meeting uh with the applicant they can always still be against it but I don't I can't understand
why they refuse to meet that just doesn't add up in my mind so uh again I can't Mr. Chair if I may
um I would just like to add that this revised plan creates an additional refusal under table 14701-1
of the code so our you know in addition to you know the practical issues of the meeting there's
or procedural issue here of the applicant needing to obtain an amended refusal in order to proceed.
So that's part of the calculus as well regarding a new meeting.
Okay. All right. Mr. Chairman, I would simply just, you know, strongly object the revised plan,
which was presented to zoning council and walked through and accepted as a proviso plan,
does nothing to change any refusals that were granted. And in every way, shape, and form
brings the plan more into compliance with any and all requirements of the zoning code it is it is a
dramatic lessening and reduction of what we are seeking and asking all right and we'll
and reduction of what we are seeking and asking all right and we'll we'll we'll we'll let you
folks argue that at the continued hearing excuse me this is sharon slutt i would have one question
for miss aldifer um are you requesting that mr whalen bring his witnesses back for cross-examination
yes i am okay thank you okay tanya do we have a date
or do you want to so we can actually do next tuesday let me just make sure
i have a feeling it may be a little bit lengthy uh let's uh take that into consideration
next tuesday at 2 p.m okay mi2020-001205209 delmar street is
continued to chairman if i if i may um miss alder for i'm not sure if this affects you as well
uh maybe the planning commission can confirm since i don't have it up in front of me i believe that
november 10th is um uh whatchamacallit the next cdr date and i believe i have three projects going
before cdr starting at one o'clock on that day yes november 10th is a civic design review meeting
the planning commission meeting is november 17th okay um so if i may be so bold and rude as to ask
could we push our meeting to the following week uh the 16th through the 20th that will also give
us the opportunity if the rco changes its mind uh to meet with us next week um either informally or
i guess not formally but informally
do we have a date for that week
if not we'll have to do it a week later we'll do december 15th at 3 30
okay so mi2020-001205209 delmar street is continued to december the 15th at 9 30 a.m
no 3 30 i'm sorry 3 30 p.m
okay okay next case thank you um chair before you move on to the next case um we have had
we've had a request on one of the add-ons that you heard earlier um mi 2020 001280 260 to 262
Giger Street. Mr. Notkinson contacted me to request that the board revote this with a proviso
clarifying that the existing previously approved uses are to remain. This would be consistent with
the plans that were submitted and I believe what was submitted to the RCO. It would simply
clarify what was approved when he attempts to get permits at L&I.
why don't you since you have that information why don't you put that out there for the record
and then uh do we need to revote it yes please all right mr mr chair and uh miss saleta i i thought
that that uh might need me but i think that we are completely done and yes yes you and sarah thank
you okay thank you very much for your time today and good luck with this long list
thank you i apologize if i interrupted you no no you're you're you're right sarah thank you
so geiger street right geiger geiger geiger i should also say that i had this on the add-on
it is also on your regular hearing list i saw that yeah but i put that aside so we don't have
we already heard that right right so it is do you want me to read please please do sure it's
MI 2020-001280, 260-262, Geiger Road.
All right, and what was the language?
The requested proviso is
existing previously approved uses to remain.
So that would be the proviso for MI 2020-001280,
260-62, Geiger Road.
my vote is yes with the proviso
that's just been read into the record by Ms. Saleta.
Yes with proviso.
Yes with proviso.
Yes with proviso.
Address it?
Is that the way
we're okay with that, Sharon?
Yes, thank you for re-voting it.
Okay, thank you.
Hold on,
Professor, hold on one second, I'm sorry.
How's our stenographer doing?
You need a break?
We have quite a few cases.
i'm okay sure just give me a signal when you're ready all right thank you okay all right sorry
I'm okay.
Just give me a signal when you're ready.
All right.
Thank you.
All right.
confessor please proceed i'm sorry could i um ask about the case that we moved aside
all right say that again the case that we moved aside
yes okay i was want me to call that one in yes yep that's the one we were looking to see if we
got the exhibits, correct? Correct, correct. As I believe it was. Okay. MI 2020-001209 1519 West
Benango Street. Okay, and Lajon, is that? Yes. Is that how you pronounce your name? Yes, Lajon, yes.
Okay. So unfortunately, the requested documents were not submitted timely. Therefore, this case
will have to be continued. Okay. And we do apologize for that. No worries. But if you
look at the documentation that was sent to you, there's a number of different emails that those
documents should go to. Planning Commission, Sharon Saleta, the attorney of record for the
zoning board and to the RCO ZBA. And when you're continued, those exhibits have to go to those
boxes in order to go forward with your hearing, you will be notified of your new hearing.
Okay, thank you. Thank you, Chair. Thank you. So MI 2020-0012091519 West Venango is continued.
Next one up, MI 2020-00193, 214 West Oxford Street.
This is Sharon Saleta, the attorney is Sean Ward and Mr. Ward has submitted revised plans, two pages.
did i miss frankfurt
frankfurt avenue's uh number eight on our list 39 45
maybe i got lost where are we at confessor we're number four okay thank you 214 west oxford
mr ward
i am here good morning to all please identify yourself sir good morning
good morning mr ward please identify yourself for the record
okay good morning mr chairman john ward on behalf of the applicant joseph mcafree mr mcafree should
be on the line too. I would ask it this time that he raise his hands so Tanya can at least
identify his location on her board. My name is again Sean Ward, S-H-A-W-N-W-A-R-D, attorney
for the applicant. My address is 331 East. You're kind of, something's wrong with your
kind of freeze and we can't
hear you and then you're back in. You're fading in
and out.
So this
could be, Mr. Ward, a problem
because of the
video. So if it's okay
with you, I'm going to stop your video.
It might allow your
connectivity to work better
or internet service and let's try to
go that way.
Mr. Ward?
Am I back?
It's still happening.
You're fading in and out.
I stopped my video.