keystone entrance for the main school
the daycare entrance would be directly to uh the left which is not shown in this image but it's
right on your left hand side yeah i believe this daycare actually came to us earlier this year
am i you are correct and we actually had to revise the application um that's when we did
the leave to amend yes good memory you're correct and then i thought when they testified when they
came before the drop off and pickup location for the daycare was happening in the common parking
lot like it was sort of like a designated loading zone is that still the case there's one parking
lot um which is in the center of like right in front of the main building um david are you able
to respond really if you can see here there's one parking lot you see on the screen yeah there's
one parking lot yeah I feel like there was a photo of like just it was almost like it was off the
drive aisle and the cars were just going to pull over and the kids were going to get out but I just
I guess my main question it doesn't really matter where it was in January what where is the current
daycare loading and drop-off zone and how does that relate to parking our walkways related to
the medical facility both their employees and their patrons or their patients
so the plan for the daycare as i understand it is that they're they're not going to be utilizing
any parking save for their employees right because people are just going to be dropping
off their kids so it's like you said they can either uh come and and stay on the street itself
and just you know there can be individual employees outside ready to come and pick up the
kids and bring them inside or they can pull in there's a drive-in and a drive out if you
see um there's like kind of like a center arrow pointing to the left just below it you can see
kind of visually that there's a drive-in and a drive out um so people can also come and drop
off their kids that way.
I guess it's, you know, up to the daycare
how they're going to set that up.
Any other questions?
Questions or comments from our attorney,
Questions or comments from our attorney,
Hilary Emerson?
Hilary Emerson?
Not at this time, Mr. Chair.
Questions or comments from the virtual audience?
I see no answer, Chair.
Planning Commission?
Madison Matera, Planning Commission staff.
The comprehensive plan recommends no change
to the RSA-5 residential single-family zoning
at this location.
The proposed personal services in Child Care Center
are complementary uses that one would expect
to find in an active school.
The City Planning Commission recommends that the board grant the proposed use variances for a child care center and personal services.
MI 2024-006.
Sorry, Mr. Chair, I just want to clarify for the record that the refusal was amended to the uses for a child care center and group medical, dental, and health practitioners.
So we're going to do per amended refusal.
Correct.
I just wanted to clarify that for the record because planning may not have seen the amended refusal.
Thank you.
Thank you, Hillary.
Okay, so MI 2024-006-181-6649 Tulip Street, I vote yes with proviso for amended refusal dated 1-28-25.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes with proviso.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote is yes with proviso.
Tanetta Graham, my vote is yes with proviso.
Ishmael Shaheed, my vote is yes with proviso.
are you there
my vote is yes
okay thank you
thank you counsel
number 11
MI 2025
000455
Mulberry Street
Jeffrey Stacy is the attorney
there's a letter of support from
Frankfort Neighborhood Advisory
Committee and a letter of non-opposition
from council member Lozada. Jeffrey Stacey has come back in as a panelist chair.
Good evening, Mr. Chairman. Hi, good evening, council. Could you please state your name and
spell for the stenographer? Yes, Jeffrey Stacey, J-E-F-F-R-E-Y-S-T-A-C-E-Y. Do you swear or affirm
to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth? I do. Could you identify your
client the relationship to the property? Client is Mastery Charter School Smedley Elementary and
it's an equitable owner by virtue of a license agreement from the school district of Philadelphia
who is the actual owner. Okay our vice chair has just a few questions. Good evening counsel do you
agree to either read another refusal or stipulate to its accuracy? Yes. Have you emailed in all the
required documents and exhibits that's needed to and required to proceed with this case five days
in advance of this hearing yes thank you counsel please proceed and share your screen
and then can you able to see my screen so when you're done this you'll just stay on
because we have a second one for you too right yes okay thank you we see it uh great thank you
So as stated, at 5199 Mulberry Street is the Mastery Charter School, Smedley Elementary.
And the proposal is for some signage above the front entrance here, as well as some signage on the left-hand side of this building frontage.
Just by way of background, the school serves students in grades kindergarten through sixth grade, about 760 students.
We have 10 exhibits in our package that we submitted.
The first is their refusal, dated December 11th.
The school is located in the RSA 5 zoning district, and signage is prohibited in that district.
um we filed our application for appeal on january the 10th which is provided here as
well as the project information form as i said at the top my client's ownership interest in
this property is equitable it has a license agreement from the school district of philadelphia
And this will also apply to the next case as well. The School District of Philadelphia, I believe in around 2010, began the Renaissance Schools Program, where it sought proposals from charter school operators to take existing school district schools and, quote, turn them around.
So Mastery Charter Schools applied and was awarded the contract for this.
and was awarded the contract for the Smedley Elementary Schools.
So we have a copy of the license agreement.
Under that agreement, we need the school district's permission.
That's been provided in the packet as well, and that's shown here.
And then lastly, March 27th, 2025, all of the projects that Mastery Charter Schools is performing
at its various campuses were recognized by the school district as donations to the school district
because they are the owners of the property. So as set forth here, the work that has been done
and will continue to be done through this particular application is valued at about
$3.6 million at this Medley Elementary School. And the school district had also made a statement
that, you know, these building enhancements, including the signage, will enhance the inclusive,
engaging, and supportive school environments for all Philadelphia public school students
in alignment with the school district's mission.
We have our tax compliance certificate.
And then to give you an idea of the actual proposal, we have some elevations here.
So where my mouse is hovering is that front entrance, which I believe is on Bridge Street,
and then some signage over here on the left-hand side of the facade where the mastery name will be displayed.
Moving forward to photos, this is just simply a map view of the site.
Here's an aerial view. Where Bridge Street is is the entrance where the projecting sign will go
over the front entrance and where my mouse is hovering that sign on the left side of the facade.
Another shot of the entrance.
These are some shots of the side of the building. We posted the notices. There are shots in the
packet from several points throughout the last three and a half weeks or so since they were
posted the um rco meeting was held april the 10th um where is our approval letter uh and that was
the the frankfurt cdc or formerly the cdc the frankfurt nac now who on april 11th confirmed
that on april the 10th they had approved uh the project that we were proposing uh in that area
In addition, Councilperson Lozada has expressed her support.
And unless there are any questions, I'd like to invite Omar Robinson, who can adopt my testimony.
Jeffrey, just for point of information, could you show the front sign over the door?
I mean, maybe a close up of that.
That's what it looks like.
Yeah. You mean the front entrance?
Yeah, sure. Yep.
The existing or proposed?
oh well the proposed sure
right here could you make that a little wider no hard to say but
and that's science projecting right that's correct okay bring bring your um line on please
good afternoon can you hear me i can mr robinson could you please state your name and spell for
the court sonographer yes my name is omar robinson o-m-a-r robinson r-o-b-i-n-s-o-n
do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
i do please proceed counsel omar did you hear the statements i made to the zoning board
this afternoon yes and was everything true and correct to the best of your knowledge
information and belief yes it was and would you adopt those statements as your own testament
yes i would uh mr chairman i don't have anything further questions from the board
questions or comments from our attorney hillary emerson
not at this time mr questions or comments from the virtual audience
i see no hands share planning commission madison matera planning commission staff
the planning commission recommends no change in zoning at this location from the existing
rsa 5 residential single family the property is a school and the proposal is to replace
The property is a school, and the proposal is to replace an existing sign with a new sign.
an existing sign with a new sign
See you next time.
The Planning Commission recommends the board grant the requested variance for projecting signs.
Thank you. MI 2025-000455-5199 Mulberry Street, I vote yes.
Dallas, my vote is yes.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote is yes.
Tanetta Graham, my vote is yes.
Ioan, my vote is yes.
Ishmael Shaheed, my vote is yes.
Thank you, counsel. Here's the next one. So MI2025, 000456, 3715 to 33 North 19th Street. Yeah, you were in the counsel. We know who your client is.
There's Proviso here.
Okay. Do we have a letter from an RCO here? Am I missing it?
we do have a letter from the 13th ward yes there's a letter of unanimous support
okay good thank you all right please start counsel
okay um so the the property at 3715-33 north 19th uh is uh operated or is occupied by
mastery charter school grover cleveland elementary um it serves students in grades
kindergarten through eighth grade about 750 of them there is a proposal by the mastery charter
schools to erect some signage on this building as well a canopy sign and a wall sign both accessories
to the existing use we have an exhibit package with 10 exhibits
which includes the refusal
which was dated December 11, 2024
our application for appeal
with our project information form
and tax compliance certificate
and what is being proposed here
well strike that
the ownership arrangement is similar to that
at Smedley Elementary School
they occupy via license agreement and the improvements as proposed as well as additional
ones that have occurred have been recognized as a donation by the school district of philadelphia
what is being proposed here
let me go to the revised plans um so this this project required uh the the team to get to make
a presentation to the Science and Streetery Commission, or committee rather, of the Art
Commission. I believe that occurred in August. They had some feedback, which included removal
of some redundant words and some comments about various sizing of lettering. That feedback was
incorporated into a revised submission that was submitted to L&I, I believe in November,
And you can see that here. I'll zoom in a bit. So what we have is, you know, essentially a marquee over the entrance on 19th Street, along with a sign that goes sort of straight up.
And as opposed to Smedley, which sort of spelled out mastery, this would have the Mastery Charter School logo on the top.
as i mentioned there was a visit to the science and streetery committee and in our packet we have
the document from the art commission that decided you know this should be approved upon
receipt of approval by this board
we have various photos including a map view an aerial view
This is the entrance as it currently exists now on 19th Street.
It's kind of nondescript, doesn't really alert, you know, passers-by to, you know, where exactly the entrance is.
There's additional photos contained in the packet as well.
We posted our notices on April the 15th, and they've been up continuously ever since that time.
There was a meeting with the 13th Democratic Ward on April the 24th, and here is our notice for that.
And the RCO provided us with a letter saying that they support the project at Mastery.
saying that they support the project at mastery.
Unless there's any questions,
I'd like to bring Mr. Robinson back on
to adopt my testimony.
Why don't you bring Mr. Robinson back on?
Good afternoon.
It's been unmuted and allowed to speak.
Hi, Mr. Robinson.
You don't have to be sworn.
You've already sworn in.
Just state your name for the record.
Omar Robinson.
Please proceed, counsel.