that the person who will be running the business will be using.
This door will take you to the basement where the door will also be using
for the business the basement has a separate bathroom the basement has a separate bathroom
for the business.
The basement has a separate
um it has a separate entrance that'll need to be upgraded it's also a back door
um so as i go into like more of the units of the property um so this is the first unit has a
kitchen the doorway to the backyard um it's on a separate junction box just some of the bedrooms
i try not to be too invasive the property is occupied but this is a bedroom in a property
um this is also another bedroom in a property and i showed you the kitchen um
um and then on the third floor of the property there is another unit second so it's the second
unit on the third floor of the property this is the bathroom that's on the second that's on the
third floor of the property this is the second bathroom this is the kitchen so here is the couch
living room um again the property is occupied but this is the sink and stove and stuff like that
refrigerator and stuff in the kitchen
as well.
And then I also have a letter of support from the RCO
which was
I think this was NOAA, Overbook West Neighborhood Association.
We went out and presented this to the community.
They were aware that there are businesses on both sides of the property
There are also multiple family properties on the block as well, as I mentioned.
Notice that went out to the community along with their...
This was an in-person meeting that we had.
This is the proof of tax clearance.
And this is the proof of posting.
This is the door that's in the front of the property, which is here.
So it's just a zoom up of this door here.
um again this is a similar situation they'll have a business on this business what i understand
will be like a printing company so they'll make signs and flyers and stuff like that for people
um and the person will be running a business also occupies it so this is more so to have
the ability to hang the sign um we do have so this is this personal here this personal here
is the company that has a construction company or law firm that runs out of it this one may be a
construction company that runs on the first floor.
Most of the area is
multifamily homes. We pretty much walk the
area. So it's usually a lot of multifamily
homes up and down this block.
And a lot of them have commercial spaces
on the bottom as well.
So the request is
allow us to have a
multifamily home and to operate a
business on the first floor.
Devin, are you
aware of the proviso they recommend?
I believe it's related to the signs, right?
Yes, no signs.
Yeah, yeah.
So we talked about that at the community.
Temporary variance, three years.
Oh, yes, yes.
They said that they wanted us to come back in three years and talk to the community, yes.
For the business, am I correct?
Okay, thank you.
Questions from the – why don't you bring your client on?
I'm sorry.
This is the same client from prior.
She hopped off.
She had to go back to work.
So I'm hoping that the board will –
Okay, so most of the court will take your testimony.
Questions from the board.
Did you say that this is already being used as an office?
So it's the property is occupied by a person like that they're not for the business.
The property is occupied by people. Yes.
OK, but as a residence, correct?
Yeah, not as a business, as a residence.
I'm saying that the person who resides there will be the person who runs the business there.
And they're going to run it from the first floor, you said?
The first floor and basement. Yes.
okay and can i can i see these pictures of this first floor again
this is office space so like they use this as an office now um on the first floor um there's a
door to the basement the basement has its own bathroom and it's made it's not it's an unfinished
basement but it does have a extra bathroom um it's concrete flooring and stuff like that and
it just said we had to be remodeled is that the only picture you have of the basement in this
presentation uh yeah it was unfinished but i have other pictures of it just being unfinished if
helpful. Yes. I mean, I'm having problems. What I'm seeing is basically a living space.
i'm i'm having problems what i'm seeing is basically a living space uh i i'm seeing a
piece of a dining room table i'm seeing what looks like a so yeah so right now or whatever
i'm not seeing this this so right now they don't have it uh it's not like i guess they're gonna
actually renovate this property so it is not like the other property that we just saw that
when they acquired it, it was pretty much renovated as if someone was running their
business out of their basement. This is going to be
they want the permission to do it prior to going and doing like the renovations because right now
it's more like a home office situation.
So they're going to actually renovate it.
You said the person who runs the business
lives upstairs. In both floors he lives now and he wants
to make a duplex up there? Is that what you're saying? So, right now, there is the person who
lives there is going to run a business, and then she has a sister who lives on the second floor.
Okay, and she's going to live on the third floor? Yes. Okay. But she's not going to kick her sister
out. I mean, her sister probably helped her with the business, but she's not. The goal is to just
legalize how it was set up prior. Okay. And where is this, like, I'm not seeing context here. Is this
a it it looks like it's okay is this in the middle of the block is this at the end of the
it is this is it's not it is one over from the corner so this is this house and then it's this
corner lot here is um it's just it's the corner property i think that is it's not a rooming house
maybe like maybe i want to say it's like an apartment building or so
so it's one over from the corner if that makes sense and this business you're talking about
this printing business we're talking um trucks we're talking deliveries i'm sorry i cannot hear
and i just try to turn up you said printing business correct so you're gonna need the
machinery, you're going to need deliveries of the
paper and
whatever to do this. You're going to, there's
going to be distribution, correct, of the printed materials
to people? So I think from what I understood, it was more like... How's that going to work
in this, what looks like a pretty residential
area here? So from what I understood,
uh more like flyer printing and stuff like that and again this this property here
uh this property here is an apartment builder so and then this property has three business
that runs out of it and we had their support as well it's a law firm that runs out of it i think
it's two lawyers actually because we met them craig thorpe law firm runs out there it's another
law firm on the second floor and i think the third floor i forget which business it is but
But this is multifamily, I think it's an apartment building, and this one is a business that's
on the first floor as well.
There's three businesses actually in that building.
But a law office is a little different than a business where you're talking about, you
know, distributing materials.
I mean, it's a bit more of a burden, I would say.
on the neighborhood that's just my uh read of it but okay how has this woman been in this
business for a while or is this a new business or what is her experience here to run this type
of business yeah i think she worked in the industry prior um but this she doesn't currently
have this business now she's worked in it before i guess um yes a new and fledgling business for
her correct as a super party yes yes okay all right thank you all the questions on the board
yes so uh consumer traffic um i guess the customers would just place their order and
come pick it up or i think that's the plan or if you ship to them yeah place the order and they
pick it up or if you ship to them i mean i think a lot of stuff is like ship via like amazon ups
guests and stuff like that. But yeah, I doubt it would be more foot traffic than the businesses
next door. But yeah, a lot of it is just place your order online and then it's shipped to you.
Other questions? Yeah, my question is for the entrance into the building. It goes right into
where you're planning an office, correct? Yes.
where you're planning a an office correct yes um as far as is there a separate entrance for the
third floor or the second floor they get without going through the office so they plan to build it
um because you can technically get to the office from an exterior door but their plan is to like
renovate all of that and just make it a separate entrance and use that separate door because i saw
on the picture that we have of the first floor there there is a set of stairs in the middle of
the floor correct correct so that would go up to the second and third floor so you would have access
coming in the front door to go to the bedrooms per se
yes currently yes prior to renovation there would have to be like a floor plan to add a
steps in another
location? No, they would use the
exterior door. So in the renovations,
there's another back door that they would use and build
out. Okay.
So the plan is to include the
basement and the basement
and our office space as well. So you would come in through
the exterior door, the other exterior door.
Is the basement
going to be used for storage?
Mainly, yeah. For the office or
actual office
storing equipment or actual
use of the equipment business operating um i would assume so i'll be honest i'm not
well versed in like printing company equipment but i know that the goal is to use the basement
and the office space entirely for the business but i i don't i don't know the types of equipment
that like um they're expect i don't know if it's going to just be big printers or like
with what all what all type of equipment that is out of my expertise i guess i'm saying
Okay. Questions from our attorney, Hillary Emerson.
Yes. So the refusal in this case says business and professional, presumably referring to business and professional office.
But what you're describing here is business support, which is a different use category.
So if that is what your client is pursuing, then the refusal needs to be amended to reflect business support as the use.
You need a variance for either business professional office or business support in the RTA1 zoning district, but the refusal needs to indicate the correct use that you're applying for.
And so, honestly, until I saw the RCO letter, I didn't realize that business support is what you were really asking for.
So, you know, we can finish out the hearing today, but if your client is pursuing business support, then we need to have an amended refusal before we can vote.
So just to clarify, the current refusal says business and professional, but because they're printing flyers, you see that as business support?
So a business and professional office is like a law office, architect, like an office, you know, administrative offices for a business.
But if you go to look at the definition of business support in the code, which is under the commercial services use category, it specifically says copy and print shops, which is that's what it sounds like this is here.
Questions or comments from the virtual audience?
Yes, Chair.
I have a hand up by Gregory Allen.
I'm going to promote them to penalties.
hello yes sir i could could you please state your name and spell for the sonographer
gregory allen g-r-e-g-o-r-y last name a-l-l-e-n do you swear or affirm to tell the truth told
truth nothing but the truth i do please make your presentation thank you chair and board members um
I am the chair of the RCO committee for Old Brook West neighbors. And as such, I am the person who recused himself by voting non-opposition. I have a decade-long relationship with the owner.
Having said that, the neighbors understand that the homes on this block, the properties, have largely been mixed use, rental, the property next door that Mr. Upta, Attorney Upta refers to.
The property next door that Mr. Upta, attorney Upta refers to, the two attorneys, the third
property, the third space is a construction service company called T. Savage Construction.
So we didn't have an issue with that.
We wanted to be clear that what many of you have already spoken about is that the waste
was taken away. I envisioned this more as a design company, not like a Kinko's or I guess
I'm dating myself like a FedEx UPS store, but that the waste was taken away, that the only
commercial use that would be allowed was for this, because without knowing, I tried to understand
that other commercial uses could be applied for.
So it would be solely for this.
And then the family said they had no intention
of renting the other spaces.
So the family was clear that they intended
to live in the property
and operate the first floor as a business.
Thank you very much for taking the time to close.
We appreciate it.
Anyone else in a virtual audience?
there are no other hands at this time too uh planning committee sure sorry yes sir just to
clarify the owner is not able to get on but they text me i said can you clarify that business