from the current rsa5 residential single family the appellant has not shown there are unique
physical circumstances or conditions that would prevent the property from being used in conformance
with the zoning code regarding use the planning commission recommends the board deny the requested
variance for multi-family use so alan you have the one that i'm holding i'll hold this too and
we'll go from the same time all right thank you very much and it's closed all right thank you thank
you okay number 15 mi 2026 003 003 997 3200 red line road um rachel pritzker is the attorney
that are recused
from this
yeah that's right
Michael Johns has recused
himself from this particular case
there's a letter of support
from Council Member O'Neill
and also
a letter of unanimous
from West Tarsdale
Morel Park
good afternoon
could you please state and spell your name
for the stenographer? Yes, Rachel, R-A-C-H-A-E-L, Pritzker, P-R-I-T-Z-K-E-R. Do you swear or affirm
to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth? Yes. Do you identify your client,
the relationship to the property? Yes, so my client is the tenant for the property, Kilbourne
Road LLC, doing business as Santini's Grill, and Paul Santini is here on behalf of. And you heard
you heard one I mentioned about the letters of support, right? Yes. Okay. And our vice chair
has a few questions. Sure. Good afternoon. Have you submitted your documents and exhibits 14 days
in advance of this hearing? Yes. And this is a special exception. So do you wait to read
your referral and stipulate to its accuracy? Yes. All right. Thank you. Consider your screen and
proceed. Thank you. Okay. Can you see my screen? We can. So this is the referral as mentioned for
3200 Redline Road. This is unit 35C. The referral basically is for eating and drinking establishment
Referral basically is for eating and drinking establishment takeout restaurant. It's located in a CA1 zoning district, so it requires a special exception, and this is just a single-use referral for a takeout restaurant and CA1 zoning.
takeout restaurant.
project information form or appeal the lease
this is the zoning map um right here is the parcel um the site was zoned ca2 until about 2021
when takeout was permitted by right and then it was rezoned in may of 2021 to ca1
which is the only reason that we're here for a special exception. The shopping center's
function hasn't changed and it's a long-standing existing shopping center surrounded by a residential
area. It's just aerial view. So this is the location of the site that we're talking about
in the shopping center. As you can see, it's right on the corner of the shopping center.
And what exists within it is the existing Santini's Grill, which is really just
a takeout restaurant. It's very small. I've personally been there, so it's really hard to
expand for what they want to do, which is an ice cream parlor without having more space.
But really, there's no room to kind of sit in the space. You kind of walk in, place
your order, go to the drive-through, walk-through window, take-out window, and that's it. This is
another view of the space. So on the left is the existing Santini's Grill, and then the right,
this arts and class studio and spa is the space they will be proposing to take up for
ice cream shop. As you can see, it's a really small space, so it's why it's for a take-out
restaurant with the takeout window. There's usually no room to have a sit-down portion of
this. This is the rear with the refrigerators, bathroom. This is just the existing. This is a
2022 permit for their existing space. Takeout restaurant in CA1 is only permitted by special
exception. That's why we're here. As mentioned, we met with the RCO back in September and they
issued us a letter of support. We sent out all the required mailings and we had unanimous support
in addition to support from the councilman's office. For the special exception, we have to
show that there's not going to be more harm than a permitted by right use. We believe that the use
of an ice cream parlor here with the takeout will not cause congestion. It's an existing shopping
center that's anchored by Acme, Fine Wine and Good Spirits, H&R Block with a shared lot,
multiple access points, scepter routes, and a significant amount of parking. It's not going
to cause any overcrowding. The use is staying inside the existing suite. As you can see, it's
very small. It's not going to be able to service a ton of people at a time. No impact on light and
air. There's no exterior changes proposed to this project just for the use. No burden on public
facilities since there is just a small expansion with an existing space. No harm to conforming
properties. It's consistent with all other commercial tenants. And this use, unlike a
child care center, which would be permitted by right, will generate less traffic than some of
the by right uses. No safety risks. We know open flame cooking or a fryer. It's ice cream, so
low intensity. And it's consistent with the comprehensive plan for the Far East District
plan, which calls for reactivating vacant and underused commercial spaces. So we do think we
meet the criteria. This is just a floor plan so you can see the space. So really just walk in,
there's the refrigerators to the back some sinks and prep space and again no fryer no um ovens
none of that it's just ice cream some just additional views um and that's essentially
our proposal um you have your client yes i think paul it should be here
Yes, I think, Paul, it should be here.
Yes, I'm here.
Sir, could you please state and spell your name for the stenographer?
My name is Paul Santini, P-A-U-L-S-A-N-T-I-N-I.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, not thinking about the truth?
Counsel?
Hi, Paul.
Have you heard my testimony today?
do you believe it to be true and accurate and do you adopt it as your own yes thank you questions
from the board yes i guess my question is um how um well maybe not question comment whatever um
um this is an awfully small um space for this was there any consideration to maybe
having just a window where people could come up in so there is a window um a takeout window
I'll bring back up the plans because you are absolutely right it's a very small
space. Can you see right here? Okay. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, sorry. I kind of breezed through that. But
yes, part of the plan is activating a takeout window. Because to your point, it's a really
small space. So people can come up to the front door. But the whole purpose is to use these
takeout windows. And also, obviously, it's seasonal. I think they'll try to do it as
much of the year as possible. Correct me if I'm wrong, Paul, but most people are not eating a ton
ice cream in the winter. I do, but I'm not everybody. Is there a plan to put the sliding
like typical takeout window into those window wells instead of using the traditional double
hung window? Paul, do you know if you've discussed in full transparency, Michael Johns is the
architect for the project, which is why he's recreating himself. So I'm not sure. That's what
I'm asking. Yeah, I'm not sure if he's able. Is he able to answer a question if he recuses
himself? Is that allowed? Oh, is he allowed? Yeah, like, can he answer the question? Yeah.
I guess I think you can call your architect. Yeah, they have something like this in my
neighborhood in Fairmont, on Fairmont Avenue, and that's how they have it. I mean, you walk
up and you you know they have the they're expansive windows they're not little casement
type windows like this you're talking about fair amount flavors yeah good yeah you get your you
know you give them the order and then you wait and then they bring it there and that means that
the space is better utilized because it's only the employees who are working and they're not a
bunch of customers trying to so rachel will you go back to the architect and see if that's a
possibility for us yeah yeah also the client like i just i mean i know that architect yeah paul do
you have thoughts on the windows of having them yeah i just i i kind of just had those windows
uh put in um they slide up and down i can i guess have some kind of uh when it's up put some kind of
opening and closing device to
make it
serviceable, I guess.
Because it just seems like
that would be the best way
for this to operate
effectively.
And you've got wide enough sidewalks.
I mean, it's not like
you have
minuscule sidewalks where there
would be a lot of overcrowding.
It's just an idea.
i think the only other thing i would say is just in the area up against the fence just
because there's there's many of these in my neighborhood we have lots of like residential
ice cream water ice pretzel stands in my community and at one i think the wider
windows is easier for control when people are coming up and down most of the ice cream places
also have other dry snacks and like sodas and stuff i think two also making sure that there's
enough trash receptacles even if you're pulling them in at the end of the day because i think
ice cream has one of those i want it's drippy there's spoons the kids drop stuff all the time
there always ends up being a lot of debris right outside wherever the pickup windows are and like
it blows all over the neighborhoods so i think like those are like the two things specifically
for dessert shops that i would say and it was the same like in my neighborhood now cops creek
but it was the same when i lived in fairmount and i had to go to fairmount flavors there
just cups always everywhere and that was my next you know like question where were you planning to
put the trash receptacles i'm not seeing them on here but you're going to need them in the question
Those I'm not seeing on here, but you're going to need them.
And the question is, where are you going to put those?
Well, where would you put the receptacles?
Trash receptacles.
So is it that I can't answer anything or I can't answer anything?
I don't know.
No, I don't think I can.
So, Paul, do you know your thoughts on where to put the trash receptacles?
yeah there's there's a receptacle um existing one out there now if if i had to put um
additional i would of course and we have people cleaning up um you know throughout the day we have
staff okay all right thank you questions from our attorney no questions yeah we want to keep it clean
obviously it's good for business not at this time chair okay um planning commission good afternoon
liz fuselay on behalf of the philadelphia planning commission council initiated rezoning in 2021
and changed the existing ca2 zoning to ca1 both auto-oriented commercial districts with varying
allowable uses the appellant has shown that the proposed sit down and take out restaurant will
have no detrimental impacts beyond what might be expected the planning commission recommends the
board grant the requested special exception mi-2026-003-997-3200 red line road i vote yes
with proviso use limited to unit 35c
cheryl gaston my vote is yes with proviso tanetta graham my vote is yes with proviso ryan mcadams
my vote is yes with proviso i win my vote is yes with proviso
hey labibi my vote is yes with proviso thank you council thank you council thank you number 16 mi
2026 003 998 1101 to 33 south 9th street eileen quigley is the attorney
Good evening, members of the board, Chair Bergman.
Good evening. Is it evening? It's not evening yet. Stop it. We're going to be here at like
six o'clock or something. Good evening, late afternoon.
Could you please state your name and spell it for the stenographer?
Eileen Quigley, E-I-L-E-E-N-Q-U-I-G-L-E-Y.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Could you identify your client and the relationship to the property?
so the client is ecu steward llc they're the owner of the property i have representatives
here from their management arm scott hainer and rick young right and i have a letter of
non-opposition from passion square um and our vice chair has a few questions good afternoon
um have you submitted your documents and exhibits 14 days in advance of this hearing
I have
and do the way
the reason of your refusals
and stipulate to their accuracy
okay thank you
you can share your screen
and proceed with your case
thank you
second
do they have you in i'm on but i have to get into your um i have to go on sure on the on the link
right right because i don't see anything offering me the opportunity to um share somebody try to
help eileen here please oh yeah you do computers too oh my god i need a jack of all trades oh my
god computers too you know planners do everything no ian tells me that every day i think do i need
right i can't access it from here from the zba calendar
Oh, yeah, from the ZBA calendar.
That's usually how I see it.
It's usually easier, too.
Okay, I'll let you.
I'm good, right?
Thank you.
Thank you so much.
Well, hang on.
Thank you.
I think I have to fill in the whole thing.
Is she registered?
There I am.
Oh, thank you so much.
I appreciate the support.
She has been promoted to panelists.
so i'm going to pull up my documents oh there you go you're good now it's coming up