Deanna, do you have any other witnesses?
Just Mr. Seabray, just to take us through the building.
That's fine.
Thank you.
Mr. Seabray?
Will you unmute yourself?
Thank you.
Mr. Seabright, will you quickly tell the panel what your position is with respect to this particular application?
Yeah, so I am the design professional, and we represent the Evolve Build.
We're the architects and developers, helping them put together the design and construction for the project.
Thank you.
Very quickly, by using your shared screen, could you just show the panel how it is that this building will be configured?
Yeah, so it's pretty simple. It will be a series. We don't have full design complete yet, but at this point it'll be, as you can see, the building is fairly massive. It's a little bit over, it's about 14,000 square feet.
It is divided up into essentially two homes. There is quite a bit of proper circulation in
the middle, both in the front and the back of the building, as well as this exterior
access to the street, and you have that on both sides of the building.
You have that same access over here that windows from any units in the basement will be able to
access the light and air as well as egress. This will be a refurbished stair tower that will be
rebuilt. Let me find the plans. So essentially there will be, each floor will contain four.
So the building is kind of in halves, almost like an old row home. So each unit will,
So each unit, each floor will contain four single room apartments with utilities, bathroom and kitchen areas in the central locations.
each floor will contain four single room apartments.
And it's pretty straightforward. And then there's circulation in the front of the building as well as the back.
It's actually easier to look at the pictures because it kind of shows it better.
this room this building here is which is part of the parcel will be developed into a rec center
as well as offices for the social service workers and potentially a community center for those in
the neighborhood wishing to meet the students or have kind of events and things like that
in the near future so yeah that's essentially what we're looking at again there's there's
four floors each floor will have four rooms on each floor with the amenities and then there's
two sides to the building, equaling 16 per building, 32 units per the whole building.
Thank you. That's all I have with this witness. And Mr. Chairman, I'd just like to
call Francis Dubrow, who's the property owner, to confirm the testimony of the other witnesses
here and accept that. Francis, will you unmute yourself, please?
please unmute could you state your name and spell it for the court stenographer please
francis you have to unmute
here we go
can i state your name and spell it please
Frances Dubrow, F-R-A-N-C-E-S
Go ahead, I'm sorry
D-E-B-R-E-A-U-X
Thank you
Frances, you're the owner of this firm
Wait a minute, do you swear a firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman
Frances, you're the owner of this property?
Okay, and you're also affiliated with Undivided Courage?
Yes, I'm the honor of under Vida Courage.
Thank you.
And you've heard the testimony that's been presented by the other witnesses here this morning?
Yes, I did.
Including me?
And do you accept and confirm the testimony that's been previously provided?
Yes, I did.
Thank you.
That's all we have, Mr. Chairman.
Mr. Yanov, do you have the RCO letter on your presentation?
I don't think it's up.
As I said, we got it last night, and I submitted it.
What's the name of the RCO? Could you just state for us the name of the RCO?
I can in a minute, sir. Let me see if I can find it.
Michael, I'll bring it up. One second.
Thank you.
Just give me a second. I'll pull my email. I just want to make sure it's proper.
It's the 51st Ward Democrat RCO.
And they're in support.
The letter says the RCO has adopted a position of support in the matter of the refusal for this effort.
That's right. Yeah. Thank you. Questions from the board? No, Mr. Chairman.
No, Mr. Chairman. No, Mr. Chairman. Questions from the, or statements from the virtual audience?
Mr. Chair, I have a Ms. I have a Minister Enoch L with their hand raised. I will allow him to speak at this time.
good morning chairman and members of the board how are you doing this morning
can everyone hear me could yeah we can could you state your name and spell it for the court
stenographer sir yes i'm minister enoch e-n-o-c-h do you swear or affirm go ahead i'm sorry
i'm in right now a-m-e-n hyphen e-l right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth
nothing but the truth. I affirm. Thank you. Proceed.
As I said, morning. My understanding, I am
with Earth Keepers, we're one of the affected RCOs in this matter.
This matter, there was an RCO meeting held on January 24, 6 p.m.,
which City Council, through Andrew Goodman, was present on this call.
The attorney for the applicant made it very clear that they did not send the mail-in notifications to any other community.
That was brought up after the end of the meeting.
After we had this long exclusive meeting, it was brought up because Andrew Goodman for city council made a statement to the applicant.
And it came up that they never informed the community of an RCO meeting.
With that being said, we all agreed that we were going to come back and reschedule the RCO meeting.
As of today, there has been nothing emailed to any of the RCOs as well as Earth Keepers indicating another date.
The community have not been informed of this.
The community have not been informed of this applicant's proposed project.
Coming this morning, check my email.
I have a letter of support.
I just emailed the 51st Board of Republic, which is Greg Benjamin, who's the chair, informing him,
how are we having a ZBA hearing when we agreed to reschedule the RCO and the developer was supposed to reschedule the hearing for the day.
At this point, we definitely ask the board to deny this variance, or not deny it, that it need to be postponed, because none of the communities know anything about it whatsoever.
Chairman, may I address that?
Sure. Thank you.
First off, I just want to correct one thing for the record that the minister indicated.
I was not present at the RCO meeting, so I made no representations concerning the meeting.
It was retained after that occurred, and I just want to make sure the record is clear on that.
But secondly, we've submitted a petition which has a significant number of names, all of which are neighbors to the property and which are attached to our presentation, all of whom indicated that they're in support of this application.
I don't know what the board's position would be with respect to that.
I appreciate Mr. L's request that the matter not be denied if the board would be so inclined.
We would ask that the board vote in favor of this application, but if the board is inclined not to go forward based upon Minister L's comments, then we would ask that the matter be continued and we will come back and make this presentation again.
We just don't want this to be denied and have to make us go through the process of appeals and the rest of that.
So what we really prefer to do is have this voted on favorably based upon the testimony and the presentation of the petition that you now have before you.
And if the board is not so inclined to do so, then we ask that the matter be continued to another date to give us an opportunity to get a full RCO complement together.
Honorable Chairman, I'd like to respond to that.
I agree that this should be postponed.
However, the rules does not implement that a petition gets signed in order for a variance to be approved.
it must meet the burden of proof it has to follow pursuit according to the law and that is you have
to inform the community of a public rco meeting and that has not been done so just to go around
to to convert the law and go around to sign a petition where the petition doesn't even state
if you look at this petition it doesn't even state what's going to be done in that community
So I'm requesting this Honorable Court to postpone this hearing, to give the community an amp time to find out what is about to take place in this community.
What the developers are proposing to do is, I agree, it is a good concept.
However, because of what type of proposed project, the community has to support this.
Well, the community, not so much support, the community has to be aware of what is about to be erected in the middle of a residential community.
There's nothing like this, nowhere around this kind.
And it's only right that the chairman allow the community to have an opportunity and not have their constitution rights waived.
I'm asking that this be postponed.
Mr. Adam, thank you. Thank you, Minister. Are there any, is there anyone else in the virtual audience that wants to make comments?
um mr chairman this is tanya sunkett yep the administrator um as you wish i could um schedule
this as a resumption um allowing them to meet which is required and then be able to put on
record at a later time the feedback from the community but it's always your call sir i i
understand i just want to tanya at this point i want to see if there's anyone else in the virtual
audience okay all right thank you mr yanoff we will bring this back for a resumptive hearing
Is there a date, sir?
Tanya?
Give me one minute.
Thank you.
We can do March 2nd at 930.
Let me just make sure.
I'm just going to make sure that my calendar, sir, just make sure that I'm available, but I think I am.
yes i can do march 2nd at 9 30 at that time chair if you wish we can have a letter from the rco or
Yes, I can do March.
we have a letter from the rco already tanya the one i thought this was why i'm sorry we have a
letter from the RCO. I think what the minister said is the RCO met, but there wasn't a larger
community meeting, that there wasn't a mailing to the community. But we do have a letter of
support from the RCO, but we can still have a resumptive hearing. Okay.
Mr. Chairman, at that hearing, I assume the only thing that will be discussed is the RCO response.
Is that correct?
Well, I think it would be the RCO response, and I think where what the minister said, there wasn't a mailing to inform people relative to what was going on and a possibility of a meeting.
I do know that you, listen to me, I know that you have a petition, and I know where the RCO stands.
The minister disagrees where the RCO is, although I think, I'm not going to put words in his mouth, he said he thinks it's a good concept, what he would want is a mailing to let other people know about it.
Mr. Chairman, I will take care of that mailing.
Okay, Tanya?
Sounds good, Chair.
March 2nd at 9.30 a.m.
Thanks for the testimony from your witnesses, and thank you, Mr. Yanoff, and thank you, Minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
Thank you, members of the board.
Have a good day.
I'm sorry, Chair.
This is Tanya again.
Mr. Yanoff, may I request that you post the property again?
typically we don't in resumption but because of the confusion if you reach out to our office we
can give you new posters to post the property I will take care of that I think Mr. Yanov dropped
off but I'm the uh the architect we'll take care of that no problem at all thank you Mr. Seabright
thank you there was uh Miss Tanya Tanya yes there was a question in the audience that I was watching
come through I don't know that she wants to speak still or not she raised her hand with Katrina
i don't know if that matters now that we're continuing yeah she would have to put the
question inside the q a okay thank you so much i saw her as well very good thank you take care
case number three mi 2021 003787 1244 ellsworth street passion square civic association letter
of non-opposition, Councilman Squall, letter of non-opposition, Ulam Cam.
I promoted them to panelists, sir.
Sir, could you state your name and spell for the court sonographer?
Unmute yourself, please.
1244, can you land?
Live at 1244 Ellsworth Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19147, Philadelphia.
Mr. Lam, spell your name for the court reporter.
Yes, K-A-M-Y-U-L-A-M.
Right. I don't know if I swear or not, but do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Could you answer a few questions from our board member, Mr. Holloman, please?
Sir, according to our records, you have submitted all the required documents. Is that correct?
Please proceed.
okay mr lamb are you going to make a presentation and put your presentation on the on the computer
oh i don't know how to do that i thought i sent everything on the online okay all right wait one
minute tanya um yeah we're gonna have to continue you sir hold on hold on can you see am i yes but
can you put your information that you submitted to the RCO box on the screen and scroll through
for us to see it? My information? Yeah, I think we will have to continue it because
Sir, yes, this is what we're going to do. We're going to continue. And Tanya, could he contact
the office and figure out how
what he should be doing?
what he should be doing.
Yes, he should send an email.
He should send the email
and if
And if not him sending an email,
my staff will be in touch with you
as long as we have the correct information.
You can move on, Chair.
Thank you very much.
So we have another day, another, other.