Carol Tenere, my vote is yes.
Professor Plaza, my vote is yes.
Thomas Holliman, my vote is yes.
Thank you.
Before I call the numbers off on the next cases, I'll call the first one and then we'll have a conversation with Mr. Klein.
MI 2021-004015, 1431 North 25th Street.
mr jared klein is the attorney of record on this case and eight other cases but we'll have a
discussion before we proceed mr klein if you can spell your full name i'll swear you in
you're breaking up jared jared jared you're breaking
yes jared you're breaking we can't hear you're breaking up
can you hear me now uh try that again can you can you hear me now yeah yes
your screen your screen freezes and then it's then it goes it opens up it freezes
jared i'm sorry jared can you turn off your video first yes let's see if that worked at all
yes just turn off your video and then use your audio only let's see if that'll work
excuse me maybe you could oh there you go
yeah i i can hear and see all of you can you hear me
can hear you now we can't see you but we can hear you okay well we
We can hear you now. We can't see you, but we can hear you.
Okay. Well, we've solved problem one of two then.
Chair.
Jared, spell your full name and I'll swear you in.
Sure. It's Jared Klein, K-L-E-I-N from Blank Rome, 130 North 18th Street in Philadelphia, 19103.
Do you swear a firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, I do.
All right. Before we proceed with the list of cases that you have, we had a conversation earlier in our executive session that there is still no RCO letter. Is that correct?
That is correct. We are scheduled to have the formal meeting with the RCO on Thursday evening.
there there have been there have been five prior meetings generally with the community as this
project went through but the formal rco meeting is scheduled for thursday i believe you had spoke
you spoke with ms saletta about doing a hear and hold that was our initial uh thought though we
would also be happy to do it as a resumption if that is easier for the board we can do i
i'm sorry this is sharon i believe that what um we decided was if it is to go forward today
that there would be a resumption hearing that limited to feedback from the um feedback regarding
the rco meeting and that if that is to be scheduled for a date within the next couple of weeks
that it would be limited to a certain amount of time maybe 10 minutes if it if Mr. Klein expects
it would go past that then we would ask that he would um he would let the board know in advance
so that it could be rescheduled thank you thank you does that work Mr. Klein it does yes thank
you Mr. Chair all right so there's a number of properties uh they're not all in succession there
are a few of them uh how would you like us to proceed should i read off all all nine cases
yes so the these cases are all part of the same affordable housing master plan
so i have one exhibit packet and can take the board through all nine at one time okay so i'll
begin now read off the nine cases case number three on our list is mi 2021-004015 1431 north
25th street parcel e as in edward case number six mi 2021-003380 2422 harlan street h-a-r-l-a-n
street parcel d as in david case number seven on our list mi 2021 that's zero zero four zero two
zero 2433 harland street
parcel d as in david is that correct
yes there's two two parcel d's okay i see it's a different address i'm sorry all right case
number five on our list MI 2021-004-018-2401 Stewart Street. Case number nine on our list MI 2021-004-019-2406
harland street parcel b as in boy case number 10 mi 2021 dash zero zero three three seven nine
2401 harland street number 11 on our list mi 2021 dash zero zero four zero one seven
2401 master street parcel is that l i believe it is i believe it's leonard thank you mi 2021
that's 004 388 2408 sharswood street and case number 13 on our list mi 2021
21-004-364-2408-Stewart Street, Parcel L, as in Leonard.
I believe I read all nine of your cases off correctly.
I believe so.
Thank you.
Excuse me.
This is Sharon again.
Before Mr. Klein starts, I would say that though you would not usually proceed even with a first hearing
before the RCO meeting, Mr. Klein informed me that the RCO actually has no objection to it.
Mr. Klein informed me that the RCO actually has no objection to it being handled this way. Is
that correct Mr. Klein? Yes it is. We have had email communication with them where we let them
know we were going to proceed this way with the explicit understanding that we were scheduled to
come back in two days. The RCO was okay with it and they understand I can explain to the board
the reason that we're in a bit of a time crunch has nothing to do with pending abatement or
construction tax, as many developers, this project's being financed by low-income housing
tax credits. And so if we don't meet a certain closing date in December, we would have to
reapply and pay some substantial fees to change those credits around. So the RCO is trying
to work with us to meet that deadline. Other than the Brewery Town, Sharswood
Community Civic, is there any other entity that was going to be weighing in on this?
As an example, maybe the district council person or something like that?
uh we do not believe um that the district council person has anything specific um his office has uh
been involved in our conversations with the rco but they did not indicate they were going to appear
but there has been communication with the office of the district council yes we spoke we actually
spoke to them earlier today uh they were trying to representative come on and confirm that they
were okay with this uh resumption hearing also okay thank you so please proceed
okay thank you i'm going to share my screen and hope that does not
break my connection can everybody see that
not yet
dig out what's happening jared you're breaking your voice is breaking up
jared this for a second do you think it would help also if he went out and tried
coming back in? Jared, can you hear? Yes. We're getting that echo again once you start ready to
share. Try saying something right now. Can you hear me? Yes. Yeah, right now you're clear. Okay.
I'll try not to touch anything. Okay, thank you. So, I don't know, with me or my end, Jared.
You're breaking up again.
You're going to have to go out, Jared, and come back in.
Yeah, it's an internet problem that I see.
Sign off and then come back in.
We good to go.
Is that okay, Tanya?
We told him to sign out.
Yes, Chair.
That's very well.
And I agree, Ms. Sunga.
I think that he might be having some internet issues.
I would have had a problem once before a few weeks ago the same thing.
Can I be heard now?
You're breaking up.
Mr. Klin, are you in an area that you usually receive like internet issues?
In the area where it usually works very well, unfortunately.
can can everybody can can anyone hear me now or or no it's just we can hear you clearly now
okay okay if i if i could just interject the thought what's going to happen is once you
try to share your screen it's going to cause another problem um i'm not sure pauline how
would you suggest we handle it um i would say either one of two things i don't know if someone
else could share their screen for him and then he can speak to it. Or I don't know if there's
another Wi-Fi network you could try connecting to. I can get that. So you're breaking up. Maybe what
we do is, Pauline and or Tanya, we can go ahead with a couple other cases while we're trying to
work out these technical problems. Sure and Mr. Klein like I said if you can get someone if that's
okay with the board to show your screen while you speak to it that would work or if you try
connect okay you could do that. Yeah I do the board would like to take another case I'll get
one of my colleagues with better internet to share their screen. Without any objection we'll do that
Okay, we'll go to case number 14.
Okay, MI 2021-003-382, 2520 Grays Ferry Avenue.
Henry Clinton is the attorney of record.
South of South Neighborhood Association sent a letter of support.
South of South Neighborhood Association sent a letter of support.
I understand there may be revised plan, one page.
So, Mr. Clinton, if you're out there, please identify yourself and I'll swear you in.
Please raise your virtual hand, Mr. Clinton, if you're available.
Please do not raise your hand unless you're here to present this case.
Thank you kindly.
He's been promoted.
hi henry please spell your full name and i'll swear you in good morning mr chairman henry
clinton 1313 south 33rd street photo ppa 19146 we're affirmed to tell the truth the whole truth
nothing but the truth i know thank you ms tenere has a few questions for you good morning do you
agree to waive the reading of the refusal and stipulate to its accuracy? I do. Have you emailed
the exhibit packet with the required documents consisting of proof of ownership, tax compliance,
refusal referral, photos, and or plans of the property five days in advance of this hearing,
and have you met with the RCO, and do you have a letter? Yes, to all of the above. Okay, great.
You may proceed, and yes, you may share your screen. Good morning.
is this visible enough you can make it just tiny bit larger that'll be helpful there you go that's
good thank you good morning Mr. Chairman my members of board Henry Clinton on behalf of
the owner of Mark LaCourse who's on the call with me as well as your architect Tom Wiedemann
Mr. Clinton, I'm sorry.
This is Tanya, the ZBA administrator.
May I just request you maximize your screen?
Thank you, Tanya.
Thank you, Kylie.
Is that good, Ms. Sunke?
Thank you.
Thank you, Tanya.
Perfect, Mr. Clinton.
Thank you.
These are my table of contents, exhibits AA through 810, which will have to be admitted.
This is my appearance statement.
This is a refusal.
So this is an RM1 zone, but this is a single-family house.
And what we're asking for is the addition to the third floor of a very small addition, which will then match the home next door.
And the photographs will tell the whole story as I walk the board through this presentation.
But basically, refusal concerns the fact that when I appeared in front of the board back in 2011,
there were four or five new construction homes built on Grace Ferry Avenue,
all with front-loaded garages and all with very, very, very small rear yards, and you'll see that.
And at the time, some of the homes were built with the third floor setback, and some were built straight up.
So we're asking today that our house match the house next door.
we have we do have a letter of support from SASNA we met with them we made a couple minor changes
and if the board looks kindly upon this project we'd ask that it approve it with a proviso form
and one page of a plan that has been revised but basically this is a letter of support there's the
tally these are photographs so this is Grace Ferry Avenue you're looking to the Naval Square
project behind us, but my client's house is right here. It's the third black two-story bay.
The adjacent neighbor already has a roof deck with a pilot house, and basically, as I said in the
beginning, our project will mirror what is next door. These are just some context photographs
showing looking east to center city and then looking west out toward Grace Ferry Avenue.
this is probably the best and the clearest picture again here's my client's property
here's the the home next door and you're looking out to Penn's campus
this is the rear of my client's property my client's property is just to the right of where
I came down the middle of these two buildings this is the home next door and basically what
we want to do is make our third floor the same in terms of depth and height as the addition next
door. Although frankly, this house was built with a full third floor. Ours was not, or my clients
was not. This is a photograph I took looking down into the rear yards. This is my client's rear yard.
This is the home next door with an actual smaller rear yard. And these are the homes,
the rear of the homes on Christian Street.
And this is a good pictorial of what we're trying to do.
The green space is what we want to fill in.
Again, some more aerial shots to give the board perspective.
And these are the proviso form as well as a revised plan.
and these are the proviso form as well as a revised plan and this is the zoning plan so
basically we are taking the existing property and adding a third floor addition on the rear
of the property we're eliminating the outdoor deck with the spiral staircase to to the rooftop deck
and in lieu of that the spiral staircase we're going to have a pilot house which basically
matches the dimensions of the
pilothouse on the adjacent
property at
So that's
really it in a summary
fashion. I
can entertain any questions from the board.
I can have my client adopt a testimony.
Why don't we get your client on?
Mr. Clinton, why don't we get your
client on? I'll swear him in.
Mr. LaCourse, can you
raise your hand, please?
of course that's been allowed to speak yes good morning sir please spell your full name and i'll