principal uses is where we're probably having an issue. And it also does not
specify where the restaurant is in the property. It sounds like it's the whole property
the way it's written. I see. It's only the first floor.
The second floor remains the same. It's the first and the basement, right? Yeah, first and the basement.
Yes. Any other questions?
Question. How many seats are you planning to have
here? Is that what we're seeing on this plan here? That it's only
eight seats or how many seats are we talking probably no more than uh 12 um most of the the
business uh anticipating is going to be like doordash grubhub on you know online orders
pick up take out type of thing okay but you're asking for a sit-down restaurant here
just uh limited seating just for um folks who don't want to take it and go they have some
option to sit and um eat there all right just just along those lines so is there a public
restroom yes yes okay because i knew you said there was one restroom i didn't know if there
was public or for the employees and are you going to be serving food on disposable containers for
food on disposable containers for the people that are staying or you are going to have
the people that are staying or you are going to have.
actual dishes like a restaurant um that's something that we'll have to um talk about
but most likely um there's not going to be any waiter or waitresses i mean i think it's just
buying food and having an ability to sit there but uh you know that can be changed um based on
the business plan and this isn't great well you it's more seats than you're allowed to have for
takeout restaurants so some of the criteria just to clarify we're not asking exclusively for a
takeout i mean obviously we do i mean sorry sit down yeah well it's more seats than allowed for
a takeout so it pretty much has to be a sit down you do have the public restroom um sit down is
kind of fills in the gap for if it doesn't meet the definition of a prepared food shop or takeout
restaurant. So you're a little bit beyond the definition of a takeout. So I think that's
probably why Elle and I put you in a sit-down restaurant category. I believe that's correct.
Got it. Okay. Okay. Thank you. Questions from our attorney, Hillary Emerson?
I'm good now. Thank you. Good. Questions or comments from the audience or the virtual
audience. Here we have
Daniel Trubman with his hand up.
Okay. He should be coming back in as a
panelist.
Mr. Trubman, please unmute yourself.
Sorry, can you hear me now?
I can. Could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
Yes, my name is Daniel Trubman.
D-A-N-I-E-L-T-R-U-B-M-A-N.
And I'm just curious.
Oh, yes, I do swear.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
I do swear.
Could you turn your video on for us?
Yeah, one second.
mr tubman are you a neighbor uh no i'm not okay well what's your questions i just wanted to know
if the uh restaurant operator had any experience that we may have heard of or
run a restaurant or something well i i don't know that that's a zoning issue so but but you know
We're here to decide on the zoning.
I guess it kind of goes to the use, right?
Because that does not kind of go to if they're capable of using it.
But I just also was just curious about it.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Is there anyone else in the virtual audience?
Chair, we have Regina Tange with her hand up.
She's coming back in as a panelist.
hi could you please state your name and spell for the sonographer hi my name is regina tangy
um r-e-g-i-n-a tangy t-a-n-g-h-e do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth
nothing but the truth i do are you a neighbor i am please proceed okay um i attended the uh the
public hearing back in february and um there was only five of the residents that were there
yes and um apparently there were seven altogether which could be the owners of the restaurant i am
not sure who they were um some of the concerns that were brought up were already brought up about
trash um our concern is the need for trash and what they were going to do with the trash
because it's really not conducive to put trash outside of that building and in regards to
Franco Pizza he does have a bin under and it's stored underneath the steps so it's not really
visible to the neighbors and he has trash pickup every day okay five days a week because he was
at the meeting as well and expressed that concern. In regards to the trash our concern is we have had
over the summer and the beginning months rats a rat problem in our yards and we've been dealing
with that for a while so our concern with the trash would also bring more rats there is an
establishment directly across this diagonal from this property that is a store that runs from six
o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock at night and there is never one piece of trash out or
one piece of trash out or a trash can out for the visible neighbors to see.
a trash can out for the visible
In regards to the retail building that they were talking about recently,
I've lived on the block for 47 years,
and that retail building was a flower shop
where the woman would display her flowers in the front part
where the dining area would be,
and then um there would be the break where um the lunch um where she would do the flowers
and then her son lived upstairs so if you were saying it was a family owned yeah at that time
it was when it was built and it's been built probably i don't know how how long that building
is there there is no backyard for trash i think we had that as testimony thank you yeah and and
And that was, again, trash is our major concern.
The building itself is basically almost as big as a residential home.
So it's not really a big property to have what they are proposing.
So I voted against it while I was at that meeting, and I still vote against having that establishment there.
I wish the people well.
Also, I feel there should have been more information at the meeting and that we could have had another meeting prior to this only because five people came.
And the reason why is when the mailing came out, it came out as looked like trash mail that you get for people wanting to buy your property.
So most of the people ripped it up.
I forwarded the letter to many neighbors asking them to go to that meeting.
All right. Thank you very much for taking the time to call us. We appreciate it. Is there anyone else in the virtual audience?
Chair, we have Michelle Gaffney. She's coming back in as a panelist now.
michelle yes hello hi michelle could you please state your name and spell for the
court sonographer yes my name is michelle gaffney spelled michelle m-i-c-h-e-l-e gaffney g-a-f as in
frank f's in frank n as in nancy e-y do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth and
nothing but the truth yes michelle are you a neighbor i am please proceed uh i live diagonally
behind this building on east hazard street 2327 east hazard street i'm the block captain of that
block i can verify the rat infestation issue that we have this year uh that regina was speaking of
i just wanted to know if um i know that the building does not have a backyard does it have
alleyway access i'm not um i did not see that on the drawings okay um just going to echo the
the trash concerns i was happy to hear that the um applicant is planning to have three times a
week trash pickup um but there were concerns that they were not looking to get a dumpster
they were looking to get large trash bins right i would just urge them to make sure that those
are airtight thank you very much for taking the time to call is there anyone else in the virtual
audience chair we have robin lord they're coming back in as a family how many more hands do you
have up. Robin Lord is the last hand chair. Thank you. Hi, could you please state your name and
spell for the stenographer? Robin Lord, please unmute yourself.
Hi, could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
robin lord r-o-b-i-n-l-o-r-d right do you swear or affirm to tell the truth the whole truth nothing
but the truth i do are you a neighbor yes are you for this project or against i'm against
okay for any reasons other than what we've heard um yes go ahead please proceed um
And if you look at the diagram and even the pictures of the layout as it currently stands, not the staged layout that was used to sell the building.
When you go in to the apartment, when you enter the building to get to the apartment, you enter on Huntington Street.
Yes, I saw that entrance.
Right. And you turn right to go up a flight of stairs.
And you turn right to go up a flight of stairs.
So if I rent that apartment.
So if I rent that apartment, I'm going to be walking into virtually the kitchen.
But the kitchen will be, it looks like flush to the stairs.
And I just think that the drawing does not convey that this does not have a private apartment entrance.
I don't know how they're going to privatize it.
regarding the basement, I think it would be helpful if we knew for sure that the trash could
be stored in the basement, or if it could not be because of the dry food or dry goods storage
they'll be using. I also think it would help if we knew exactly how they're going to store the
trash, no matter if they put it on the roof, how are they going to store it because of the rat
infestation. And also, I see no evidence or no indication that this will be an ADA compliant
business establishment. And I see no concern whatsoever to the existing neighbors. I'm here
almost 40 years. And I see no concern whatsoever that the purchaser has in any way tried to engage
this area in the plans and the planning for what is going to dramatically impact everyone who lives
here and who waits for a bus here and who comes here. So I would respectfully suggest that the
owners, the developers, the people who will be running this business and renting this apartment,
that they give us a little more information, and perhaps the, you know, this board could
consider postponing the vote on this issue until we as residents get more information.
Thank you very, thank you for taking the time to call us. We do appreciate it.
Council, before I give this to Plante, do you want to respond to any of this?
Yeah, I just want to address a couple of the comments and concerns. We did end up after that meeting, we did go out and got additional letters of support from the neighbors. I believe that was submitted about eight or nine days ago, part of our packet.
The other entrance that they're talking about to the department upstairs is going to be walled off. It'll be a separate entrance. We're not going to have people wandering through the kitchen. I don't think that that makes any sense. So that will obviously be a separate entrance, separate thing.
I don't believe right now that there's any issue with having the trash essentially stored in the basement until it needs to be picked up.
Again, we've been discussing three times a week.
And then just I wanted to say that the ADA concern, obviously, our building permit will be compliant with the ADA.
So that's the law.
Thank you.
Planning Commission.
Thank you, Chair Bergman.
And good afternoon.
David Fecto, F-E-C-T-E-A-U with the City Planning Commission.
Do you swear or firm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Yes, sir, I do.
Please proceed.
Thank you, sir.
Chairman and board members, the comprehensive plan recommends no change to the RSA-5,
residential single-family zoning at this location.
The city rezoned Old Richmond in 2017, and a community requested MAC change.
The zoning archive shows that this property has had use permits at various times,
starting in 1938 for a meat store, an ice cream shop, a flower shop, and a newspaper distribution
station. This property has been vacant since at least 2016. The proposed use would be more
impactful than the previous approved uses. The City Planning Commission recommends the Board
deny the requested use variance for a sit-down restaurant. Thank you. MI 2024-006-686-2579
Memphis Street. I vote yes
with provisos.
First floor and basement
only. Trash to be stored
in the basement. Michael Johns,
my vote is yes with proviso.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote
is no.
Tanetta Graham, my vote is yes with proviso.
Tywin, my vote is yes with proviso.
Ishmael
Shaheed, my vote is yes with proviso.
Thank you. Thank you, counsel. Thank you.
Thank you, board.
Number 16.
MI 2024-006-710-790 South Front Street.
Vern Anastasio is the attorney.
There's a letter of support from Queen Village
and a letter of non-opposition from Council Member Squilla.
Mr. Anastasio, if you're in the virtual audience,
please raise your hand.
He's coming back in as a panelist now, Chair.
Thank you.
afternoon mr chair counsel you've already been sworn just for the record state your name
yeah vern anastasio um could you could you identify your client the relationship to the
property yeah i'm here representing mr fred uh gohestani who is the owner of the property
in question our vice chair has a few questions for you sir thank you good afternoon council do
you agree to weigh the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy yes sir have you
emailed in all the required documents and exhibits that's needed to proceed with this case five days
in advance of this hearing yes sir thank you council please proceed and share your screen
thank you mr chair members of the board this is a 90 page exhibit packet it includes a letter of
support from queen village neighbors association uh very straightforward application here uh 790
south front street is a four-family dwelling it's a front house and a rear structure that has
three separate units uh it's been that way it was built that way 200 years and as is the case
in Queen Village. It went unnoticed for a very, very long time. My client purchased the property.