Questions from the board?
Not a question, just a comment.
This is I, too.
It's not there, anything.
Anybody?
I don't understand why we need to have, you know, I mean, if the type of use
that you would have in that i too we completely we are aligned yeah yeah but they want to come
here right that's right that's just a question to the choir i'm sure but questions or comments
from our attorney no questions questions or comments from the virtual audience
virtual audience no hands chair planning commission good evening liz fuselay on behalf
of the philadelphia planning commission comprehensive plan recommended a change in
zoning from i2 medium industrial to i1 light industrial and was rezoned in a council supported
map change in 2017. the proposed use does not align with the district plan effort to be reserved
for employment generating uses the applicant has not shown that granting of a special exception
will align with the comprehensive plan of the city the planning commission recommends the
board deny the requested special exception for the proposed use of junk and salvage yards and
buildings. Thank you. MI 2026-004-145-6745-95 New State Road. I vote yes. Michael Johns. My vote
is yes. Gerald Gaston. My vote is yes. Teneda Graham. My vote is yes. Ryan McAdams. My vote
is yes. Ryan Wynn. My vote is yes. Layla Beebe. My vote is yes. Thank you, counsel. So everybody
We're going to take a five-minute break, and we never take more than five minutes.
We have two more cases left here and then one case on the 330 list.
Thank you.
Number 18, MI20260041975728FlorenceAvenue.
Joseph Consul is the attorney.
Joseph, have been promoted to panelists.
Thank you.
Hey, Ward.
Mr. Council, you've been here several times a day, so you don't have to be sworn.
Just for the record, state your name.
Joseph Council.
Could you identify your client and relationship to the property?
Yeah, my client is Mr. Wayne Tompkins.
He's the owner of the property.
And so you have unanimous support from the 51st Democratic Ward RCO.
Yes, we do.
The vice chair has a few questions.
Good evening.
Have you submitted your documents and exhibits 14 days in advance of this hearing?
Yes, we have.
And do you weigh the reading of your refusal and stipulate to its accuracy?
All right.
Thank you.
You can share your screen and begin.
All right.
All right.
We are here on 5728 Florence Avenue.
With me on the call is the owner, Wayne Tompkins.
Let me get to the refusal.
Here it is.
Two-family household living prohibited in the RSA 5 residential zoning district.
This property has been in my client's family for a couple of generations.
He inherited it.
And I'll go through everything, but in the 1940s, was approved and built as a two-unit.
in the 1990s, I believe 1997, the owner, which is his great aunt, applied to down zone it to a
single family, but she never changed the inside of it. It was her and my client and his family
living in the two units. And so just to avoid it being a commercial property, it was down zoned in
1997 technically and so in order to get approved uh for a two-family again because now my client
owns it and he's going to seek to rent it out he needs to get the approval from the board
so that's that's the the gist of it i'll now go through my documents
the application
looking at the records going back to the 1940s the approval 1949 for two units
there's several documents
that mention the two-unit approval
two families
plumbing for two families approved 1949
Plumbing for two families approved, 1949.
Actually, there's 1997, but I think in 2013, it was also approved again for a single family.
So maybe I had that year wrong.
In 2013, I guess it was down-zoned.
Apologize for that.
Oh, wait, nope, 1997.
Two to one.
At that time, zoned RM1.
The deed to my client from Wayne Tompkins.
My client, also Wayne Tompkins.
We have unanimous support from the 51st Democratic Ward RCO.
Me and Mr. Tompkins met with them.
It was a good meeting.
People remember his family and support the project.
Proof of mailing.
I put that in there twice.
Proof of posting.
We'll get to the photos.
all right property photographs external
rear that does have one parking space
that's not the most attractive photo
there was only one meter
as I understand it from my client
that was just part of
when they down zoned it
they went down to one meter
in the 90s
some external photos
we'll get to the two internal units
there's the entrance
showing the entrance to both units
first one's on the left
and the second one's up the stairs
on the lower level, lower level kitchen, kitchen, kitchen, kitchen, hallway,
one of the rooms.
Downstairs, bathroom.
Is that the second floor with a kitchen, too?
Bully, yeah, that appears to be the second floor.
My client can confirm, but yeah, looks different.
Living room.
Now we're up the stairs.
Oh, actually, no, that's the second-floor kitchen.
You can tell it's a little more modern.
Kind of got a blue motif.
Sideways photo.
Let's see if I can flip it.
All right, go.
Here we go, here we go.
I wonder if that's a little different.
Dancing on the ceiling.
Alright, here's the upstairs bathroom
Yeah, it definitely has a different motif than the downstairs
I'll get it going again
Closet
Someone in my office is going to get fired
For making me work too hard
Here's the kitchen
Let's check the floor kitchen, right?
Yeah, it's got
But yeah, you can tell it was like more of a modern vibe
and the whole upstairs and the tax clearance.
So with that, I'll call my client.
Wayne Tompkins, could you raise your virtual hand?
He's coming back in as a panelist, isn't he?
Good evening, everyone.
Good evening, sir.
Could you please state and spell your name for the stenographer?
state and spell your name for the stenographer sure will wayne tomkins w-a-y-n-e t-o-m p as in
Sure will.
Wayne Tompkins.
park k-i-n-s little initial t as in tom do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth
nothing but the truth i do counsel uh good evening wayne did you hear my testimony just now
i did uh i know that you messaged me and said that i i misspoke that your intent is to get the
rental license and and sell the property eventually is that accurate i don't want to misspeak for you
um yes that's accurate okay uh besides that do you agree with my testimony and do you adopt it
as your own i do okay nothing further open questions for the board joe before i give it
to the board uh it looks to me like you were stored they're storing a trash in the front
front of the property i i mean i think you might want to think about how you can correct that
Wayne did you have a thought on trash storage
It's just a regular
Explain a little more when you say trash storage or trash in front
Before I answer well often oftentimes the neighborhood does not
Prefer to have trash stored on the street when it's not you know the evening before trash
Day that that sort of thing and so
Agreeing to keep the trash storage inside or out back or something like that is
is um you know potentially all right you look okay i think you look at the trash can that was
in the um right there okay that's inside the gate okay yes that trash can will be up up on the um
on the porch all right questions from the board yeah is there a basement yes it is
and what's what's happening with the basement is uh it's a finished basement with uh with a bathroom
So who has use of the basement?
Is it the first floor?
And what can they use the basement for?
You know, washing clothes, going to the bathroom, storage, anything like that.
Is it a full bathroom in the basement?
No, just a toilet.
Thank you.
Is there a garage in the back?
There is a garage.
there is a girl and who has access to the garage just the first floor unit is that
yes that's correct
other questions
um our council please uh no questions at this time mr chairman comments from the virtual audience
i see no hands chair planning commission good evening liz scusely on behalf of the philadelphia
planning commission this property and the surrounding neighborhood were rezoned as rm1
rm1 until 2019 when it was changed to rsa5 residential single family attached
this property may have been used as a two-family home in 1997 and converted
to a single family attached home in 2013 the granting of the variance is in harmony with the
purpose in spirit of this zoning code the planning commission recommends the board grant the
requested variance for two-family residential use at this location mi 2026 004 197 5728 of
florence avenue i vote yes with proviso interior trash storage michael johnson my vote is yes with
proviso cheryl gaston my vote is yes with proviso tenetta graham my vote is yes with proviso ryan
mcadams my vote is yes with proviso i win my vote is yes with proviso layla baby my vote is yes with
proviso thank you thank you uh uh council thanks guys have a good night
good afternoon council could you please state and spell your name for the stenographer
good evening andrea solomon a-n-d-r-e-a-s-a-l-o-m-o-m-o-n i do you swear or affirm to tell
the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth i do um could you identify your client
the relationship to the property yes my client is a s a a llc doing business as harlem shake
uh the tenant for the subject property right and you have a letter of unanimous support from
washington square civic and a letter of non-opposition from council member squilla
Our vice chair has a few questions.
Good evening.
Have you submitted your documents and exhibits 14 days in advance of this hearing?
We did.
And do you weigh the reading of your referral and stipulate to its accuracy?
All right.
Thank you.
You can share your screen and proceed.