I got the message and he was going back over. He was going in as a panelist chair. I don't know.
He should be popping up hopefully shortly.
Okay. Thank you.
Uh-huh.
Good morning. I'm sorry about that. I had some technical difficulties on my email.
That's okay, counsel. Hi, could you please state your name and spell for the course stenographer?
Yes, my name is Zen Jin, Z-H-E-N-J-I-N, 1617 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, Suite 1838, Philadelphia PA 19103, here on behalf of the applicant.
You swear a firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Could you identify your client and relationship to this property?
Sure. My client is a tenant at the property, Gilmore Japanese Grill, Inc., and Mr. Hong Lee should be here today on behalf of the corporation.
Our vice chair has just a few questions, sir.
Good morning, counsel.
Do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy?
I do waive the reading.
It is a referral, but otherwise I would stipulate.
Thank you.
Understood.
Have you emailed in all the required documents and exhibits that is needed to proceed with this case five days in advance of this hearing?
We have.
Thank you, counsel.
Please proceed and share your screen.
Thank you.
I'm going to share with the board what was previously submitted as exhibits in support.
Can the board see the documentation I have on the screen?
I can. We can.
Thank you.
So we have submitted the referral notice, the RCO letter, photos, plans, business plan, and related documentation in support of this application.
This is an application for a sit-down restaurant, well, sit-down and take-out restaurant at the location, which is suite 21 of an existing shopping center.
It is Zone CA2, however, there's an overlay, neighborhood commercial area overlay in that area that requires that eating and drinking establishments shall only be permitted by special exception, and hence why we're here before the board today.
This shopping center has had previous uses very similar to this, and our use is really no different than another sit-down restaurant in this location.
Only primary difference for us is that we're fitting out a new space within the shopping center
for the use that we intend to do. What the space is, is that the shopping center has pet supply
and nails. We are the space between the two here on the corner in the photograph.
This will be fitted out to a Japanese sushi and also a hibachi grill, all-you-can-eat style restaurant, which is known as shabu-shabu.
I think it's a Japanese term.
Quite popular style restaurants in the U.S.
Currently, their sales, annual sales of this style restaurant can reach up to $38 billion.
The restaurant itself would be fitted out for a sit-down style.
You will have individual barbecue space in front of you.
You would sit in there.
You will be given the meats and the sushi, and it would be a buffet style.
As you can see, as of right now, the space is empty.
We want to make sure that the zoning is approved before moving forward with the renovations and fit out for the space.
The community had no issues with our proposal.
The use itself is very consistent to what is in the area.
This is the space within the shopping center.
As you can see, we're contained within the shopping center with plenty of parking, so
that would not cause any issue for the surrounding neighborhood.
This shopping center, again, with the location where we are, there would not be any trash
or fumes that would reach residential neighbors.
The shopping center does have its own designated trash areas that we would be required to use
per the lease agreement and they have delivery areas as well within the shopping center. Again,
we'll be following the requirements of the lease in all those aspects. The space fit out here is
the plan. As you can see, there are lots of seating with individual grills and it would
all be vented directly above and people would actually sit down and barbecue on the spot.
and people would actually sit down and barbecue on the spot so it is a special exception we would
submit that this particular use at this location would not cause a any hardship greater than what
would normally be expected of this type of use in this type of a location i'm happy to answer
any questions from the board we do have mr hong lee here with us to verify my testimony
and i can redirect to any other part of the exhibit as the board may desire thank you so
Counsel, why don't you have your testimony adopted?
Mr. Lee, can you raise your hand virtually to be identified?
Hong Lee has been allowed to speak.
Good morning, sir.
Good morning, sir.
Could you please state your name and spell for this stenographer?
My name is Hong Lee.
Spelling is H-O-N-G-L-I.
Right.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Please proceed, counsel.
Thank you.
Mr. Lee, did you see my presentation on your screen and hear the representation I made before the Zoning Board?
Can you verify what I have presented to be true and correct and adopted as your own testimony?
Thank you.
Questions from the Board?
No questions.
No questions, Chair.
I have one.
It says here that there were no near neighbors. You mean that this shopping center and where this is located, there's no one within 250?
No, no. There was no near neighbors who appeared for the meeting. We notified the near neighbors, but no one showed up at the actual community meeting for the 40 years.
Okay. All right. I'm reading the summary wrong. Okay. Thank you.
That's okay.
Questions or comments for our attorney, Hillary Emerson?
Not at this time, Mr. Chair.
Questions or comments from the virtual audience?
Planning Commission.
Thank you, Chair Bergman, and good morning.
David Effecto with the City Planning Commission.
Chairman and board members, the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the CA2 commercial auto-oriented zoning at this location.
The appellant has shown that the proposed takeout restaurant will not cause detrimental impacts to the neighborhood beyond what normally might be expected.
The City Planning Commission recommends that the board grant their proposed special exception for an eating and drinking establishment takeout restaurant.
Hillary, do you want me to mention the suite?
I believe it's already part of the refusal, so I don't think you need to mention it.
Thank you very much.
MI 2023-007-155-2401 Aramigo Avenue, I vote yes.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote is yes.
Sonetta Graham, my vote is yes.
Tyowin, my vote is yes.
James Snell, my vote is yes.
Ishmael Shaheed, my vote is yes.
Thank you, counsel.
Thank you.
Have a good day, everyone.
Number eight, MI-2023.
Mr. Chair, the staff have been working with Ms. Palullo, trying to get her on.
Yes, I believe there's someone with their hand raised that may be her.
I think she was having technical difficulties previously.
Okay, sure.
Thank you.
They have been allowed to speak.
Please unmute yourself and wait for the board.
Okay, give me one minute.
Ms. Palullo, Palullo?
Okay, there you go, you're up here.
Hello?
Hi, is Gloria there?
Ms. Palullo, you've been allowed to speak,
please unmute yourself.
yes i'm sorry chair she's on the phone number and on the um computer
hello can you hear me i i can't all right but could you can't we can hi could you state your
name please and spell for the sonographer oh yes gloria polilo p-e-l-u-l-l-o right you swear
affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth i do could you put your
video on please so we can see you uh oh i don't know how to do that i'm not see if what's that
miss dandy they want me to put my video on so they could see my face well i wouldn't you would
Well, I want you to have to make your. Listen, listen to me. You're going to have to make a presentation, too.
have to make your present listen listen to me you're going to have to make a presentation
Excuse me, Chair. Miss Palullo.
Yeah. You have to be a panelist in order to present.
And the option doesn't allow you to be a panelist or to be on camera.
Well, we're going to start.
My husband's speaking with Miss Dandy and she's walking him through this.
here we're getting this did you raise your hand okay
oh good can you see us now yeah they can see us hello no we can't see you
We're up in the corner.
Miss Dandy, they can't see us.
Yes, Gloria, we can see you.
Oh, you can?
Yes, we can see you and your husband right there on camera.
Please share your screen.
I'm going to go to the bottom of the screen and hit share your screen.
Share your screen.
Oh, my God, this is like, how's that?
So, my husband's going to do this presentation here.
Is your husband Lawrence?
No, no, no.
Lawrence is my brother.
He is...
Hold on, hold on, hold on.
Hold on, wait, wait.
Well, Hillary, we can't do that, can we?
Well, hold on.
So, sir, what is your name?
My name is Neil Palullo.
Lawrence is my brother.
Originally, the building, well, actually, the owners were...
Gloria Palula Real Estate Investors.
The title is Gloria Palula Real Estate Investors.
My brother has signed over the building to us, I don't know, 20 years ago.
Okay, so you are one of the three partners in the partnership that owns the building?
Correct.
Okay, all right.
That's what I...
really my brother's not no longer an owner but right and we did receive the letter that you
provided from him saying that um that Gloria could could represent and we we weren't clear
what the status of of you were as the third partner but that that is fine that you can
that you can present the chair will swear you in all right sir could you please state your name
and spell for this
spell yes my name is
Neil Pellulo
that's N-E-I-L-P-E-L
U-L-L-O
right do you swear or affirm to tell the
truth the whole truth nothing but the truth
could you please put your video up
your screen
share your screen
the green button at the bottom
the green button at the bottom
share share screen yeah this keeps coming up there i don't know can you minimize it i'm sorry we're
just having so much technical problems and we've been working with this since october so thank you
for bearing with us here it comes are there we there now i see zoom yes and just i'll bring up
your documents. Bring up the documents.
Right there.
There.
Yeah, you know.
Okay, so tell them.
We say, listen,