Any questions from the board?
Anyone else would like to testify in this case, please raise your hand.
Chair, we have Jill Saul.
You've been unmuted.
You please unmute yourself and wait for the chair.
that button by accident i don't have anything to say i guess really what i wanted to ask is if
you're hello hello hello you either are you testifying or not testifying in this case i
will i have a question is that well i need to get your full name and on the record please
sure my name is jill my last name is saw s like sam a u l l do you swear and affirm to tell the
truth the whole truth nothing but the truth yes thank you ma'am please proceed so um my my
My question actually is, if you're reducing the amount of units, will you be then offering
something other than just a studio and one bedrooms?
Would you have maybe some two- and three-bedroom options?
Ron, could someone answer that?
Mayor Wood or Logan, whoever wants to take that question.
i mean current currently okay i'm sorry one at a time go ahead mayor okay um so i mean we we do
already have two bedroom two bathroom units incorporated into this building how many of
how many two bedrooms four four and the rest are one bedrooms and studios so it was a mix
really you know we felt that it was you know important to have a good mix um okay so does
that answer your question ma'am um yes would there be an option to have at least one or two
three bedrooms for a larger family um unfortunately i i can't really say at this time
you know we we we reduce the unit count i mean i will say that uh three bedroom units just in
general are extremely, extremely difficult, uh, to get rented. Um, and, and that's probably why
with multifamily properties, you predominantly see, you know, studio ones and twos with the
exception of course, of a, you know, uh, uh, a duplex perhaps, or, or a single family. Um,
i'm not saying it's impossible it's you know you kind of have to see how the plans shake out
but i can tell you that it's it's it's difficult for it to be um feasible thank you um i would
like to just i'm sorry uh one other thing that i forgot to touch on is that okay mr chair
yes okay um i wanted to comment on the surrounding height of the property so in the exhibit you're
seeing right now the building directly across the street maple village is 51 feet in height
the ymca building to the left is 66 feet in height okay thank you you're welcome
thank you any other questions
chair we have alfred smith that's been unmuted
Good afternoon, sir. Please identify yourself with a record and I'll swear you in.
Yes, hi. It's Alfred Luke Smith, chair for West Central Germantown Neighbors RCO.
Do you swear and affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Please proceed.
Yeah, I'm not going to reiterate the entire contents of the letter, as always,
impacted with input from the near neighbors in attendance. I did just want to make a few points
in response to the presentation and flag one other issue that an architect on the committee
raised. First, the issue of... Can I just add a point of clarification? Are you testifying on
behalf of the RCO? Yes. Okay. What's your position with them? As I said, I'm the chair.
of the RCO. With respect to setbacks, the applicant's summary of the setback requirements
indicates that there is no setback required, if I'm not mistaken, for the front yard, and
uh based based on the 16 foot setback um
So based on the 16-foot setback for the nearest adjacent property, our understanding is that that would be something that needs another variance, because it should be a 16-foot setback, not a zero front yard setback.
I disagree, and I did not call it out.
That was not a refusal, right?
Right, correct.
Thank you.
okay that would have been a refusal i believe sir if your comments are accurate yes yep um so i just
wanted to to note that that on the record um and then second with respect to the letters submitted
by the applicant um i i wanted to point out that they appear to be mostly from uh far away
and commercial investor-type people, not near neighbors or residents.
So I would say it's generous to call them a mix of residents and business owners.
I think the ones that are in a close proximity to the subject property appear to be commercial tenants
or business owners on the commercial corridor there.
So I just wanted to point that out
for the board's consideration.
Yeah, sorry, I'm looking at the photograph,
the aerial shot.
And I don't know if you're seeing what I'm seeing.
Other than to the right, extreme right,
and down a little bit further,
I don't see what looks to me like
any single family residential.
And I don't even know if those that are showing up look like they're, the color of the properties are white to the right, Ron, if you can go all the way over.
Yeah, that right in there.
I'm not sure if they're single family or multifamily or what.
Outside of that, I don't seem, doesn't seem to me, at least within that block from Germantown going, I guess it would be going south or whatever.
It doesn't appear to be any single family homes.
yeah so let me i i did want to address that um there i believe there are there is one or two
uh single family homes on that specific block here um if someone else uh i i can't swear to
that but uh if if someone else on the phone that is council i'm sorry council for the applicant is
pointing out there or yeah they believe that it may be over here there looks like there were two
over here the other side of the church all right yeah and and then the the the parallel street that
you were looking at i do believe that is densely populated with single family residential but the
other point i wanted to make um is further up this so we're talking about rittenhouse street
and if you if you this is my first time seeing the letter from that that planner but it it speaks in
terms of this block, quote unquote. So if you count the block to be from Germantown Avenue to
McCallum, which is the little street that kind of tees into Rittenhouse, then it is predominantly
not single family residential. But I think most people in the neighborhood count the block to be
between Germantown Avenue and Green Street, which is the next kind of major thoroughfare
and intersection. And there are a large number of single-family homes there who were adamantly
opposed to the development. And this is a one-way street. And so those properties would
certainly be affected um at least in to the extent of parking overflow and uh additional
traffic congestion trash trash trucks um they're on the topic of trash trucks that that came up
um at the the public meeting as well um there there's there doesn't seem to be a great plan
for that um from the place where the dumpsters are stored uh they would need to be hauled out
to some accessible location for the trash truck and that would be through a shared right away
that the tenants would be using for their vehicular traffic. And then Rittenhouse itself
is quite a narrow street that is already heavily trafficked. And so that was certainly a concern
that came through. John, could you show us on your exhibit where the trash containers would be located?
your exhibit where the trash uh containers would be located
so uh the trash of course would be private haulers uh the truck will come into the property
and remove i believe in here is the um is that correct logan yeah i was gonna say ron if you
actually go to the bottom lower right hand corner so we've got the we've got the trash yep got the
trash room back there um and then as far as you know getting it out to the front um it's either
through the the area where the the cars are at or as well as the um that hatched area you see along
the side is also a um you know an open essentially a breezeway or or you know pseudo side yard out
so just to be clear there's no dumpsters or or carts being placed on rittenhouse street
The truck's not going to stop and block traffic.
It's all going to be done on site.
That's really important.
Correct.
Thank you.
It looks like three-quarters of the way back from the entrance, maybe even further, right?
It's not three-quarters of the way back.
All right.
Thank you.
Excuse me, Counselor.
Do that truck go into the parking lot under the building?
Will it fit?
Logan?
Yeah, I mean, it's really contingent upon the type of vehicle a collection agency uses since it's going to be a private trash collection.
But I believe, can you zoom in there, Ron?
I'm just trying to think what the lower clearance was there for the ground floor.
We have it set at least at 10 feet, I believe.
so the trash hauler basically has different size vehicles and would obviously send a vehicle in
right that would be able to traverse the driveway area and under uh the development correct yeah i
mean it's going to be something where there's going to be obviously some some human involvement
from the collection agency i don't want to say it's going to be that you know fully automated
but there there will be um you know some sort of you know transportation from you know the trash
where it's held versus the vehicle that's taking it away but again all of that would be done on site
which we can control correct on site okay okay thank you thank you any uh other questions
uh yes i did have a few more points to make if that uh is directed to me your honor um i'm sorry
Chair, I just wanted to mention that we did have six other hands up for this case, just so you're aware.
Thank you.
So, sir, if you could be brief, that would be helpful.
I will do my best.
And then I don't know if the extent to which those other people are repeating what I'm saying.
Maybe they can elaborate if I'm brief.
And I'm sorry, excuse me, who's speaking?
This is Luke Smith.
Okay, thank you.
yeah please proceed okay so another major concern was parking uh there is the neighborhood is
inundated with high density development and um minimal parking and uh although
it the surrounding properties are vacant at the moment a lot of them are by right uh cmx 2.5 and
it's very clear uh that that development is coming soon some of those properties um i understand are
owned by the applicant in this case and although he was uh he declined to share plans for those
properties in the context of the meeting on this particular matter which you know is his right uh
from a neighbor perspective it seems relevant as we're assessing the overall um you know impact
and on density and parking they weren't final at the time
uh and then with respect to the the the zoning is rsa 5 as we all know there was a lot of
discussion about um potential remapping and i would just point out that that is uh not guaranteed
and uh the the the adjoining properties on the corridor are of course cmx 2.5 but this property
is on Rittenhouse where the properties are RSA 5 and so of course we should be treating it as
as RSA 5. And I guess the last thing I would say is that you know we we were earlier on willing to
discuss potential compromises with the applicant in terms of scale and density and and parking but
there was not a willingness on the part of the applicant to uh to to make any compromises so
to make any compromises, so that didn't go anywhere. Obviously, this is the first time
that didn't go anywhere obviously this is the first
we're hearing about the 26-unit proposal, and I can't speak to whether that is something the
neighbors would support, but I suspect not, since it's not that much of a reduction. And if there
were a chance, the applicant likely would have, you know, brought that back for another meeting.
I object. That's speculation.
It is speculation. Well, to respect, it is speculation. Thank you.
fair enough okay that concludes my remarks thank you thank you for your time anyone else
to testify in this case please raise your hand here we have suzanne you've been unmuted
hello good afternoon ma'am please identify yourself with the record first and last name
My name is Suzanne, S-U-Z-A-N-N-E.
Last name is Ponsen, P-O-N-S-E-N.
Are you swearing the firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
I do, sir.
Please proceed.
I live at 5915 McCallum Street.
Do I have access to this zoning map now or no?
That picture.
Like, can I move it around?
Or only you can.
oh okay okay you can all right i live on in the 5900 block of mccallum street 5915 and i'm right
about uh you know like six houses in from rittenhouse street and that is up if you can
keep continue up it's about there it's about no down down down down yeah about there a couple
doors from the church? I am. Okay. Okay. Now, first of all, I'd like to say I've lived in the
neighborhood for close to 40 years. So I've seen a lot come and go and a lot of developments. And
anyway, I am not necessarily opposed to commercial development in Germantown. In fact, I look forward
to it. What I am concerned about is the encroachment of it onto residential and neighborhood streets.
I'd like to point out a couple things that Mr. Patterson mentioned and the architect as well,
you know, one thing is that you yourself said it is a Rittenhouse is a one-way street
with parking only on the one side, on the south side, and it's a narrow street. That's one thing.
Number two, there are four single-family homes at 29, 33, and 49 West Rittenhouse Street,
as well as the one at the corner, which actually the entrance and egress is
at the very corner of McCallum and Rittenhouse, but it is designated as the address is 5901
McCallum Street, but the house faces Rittenhouse Street. So there are four single-family
only houses on that street, on that same side. Number two, or I don't know, the next thing,
I have not had a chance to read over and examine the letters that the attorney has presented in
support, and I would be very curious to get a chance to look at those. The only residents that
on Germantown Avenue are living, they're kind of transient apartments above commercial buildings
on Germantown Avenue. Those are the only residential residences that, as far as I can tell, he
would have been able to perhaps have access to. So I'd really like a better look at that
petition the petition letters and letters of support um the other thing okay so now that's
that's just in in relation to the um the things that were mentioned today i have a statement of
three separate points that i that i need to address um first of all i know you don't want
to hear about parking. I realize that that's a constant clamor, but I have.
I realize that that's a constant clamor. But I have to say to you that over the past two years,
since Germantown Square Apartments was built, and it has 38 units and 16 parking spaces,
it was built by Wright at 45 West Haines Street. Now I can see it, well I don't know whether it's