bedroom per dwelling unit no household living in basement i vote yes
michael johns my vote is yes with provisals
cheryl gaston my vote is yes with provisals
and i agree my vote is yes with provisals i went my vote is yes with provisals
thank you
thank you counsel
number 7
MI 2024
004-230-709
South Tevin 17th Street
Roger Perry is the attorney
there's a letter of support from
South of South Neighborhood Association
coming back in as a panelist
Mr. Chair
Mr. Chair
Good morning, Mr. Perry.
Oh, here I am.
Thank you very much.
I can share my screen.
Perry, could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
My name is Roger Perry.
You may adjust my camera a little bit here.
R-O-G-E-R-P-E-R-R-Y.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
Do you identify your client and their relationship to the property?
My clients are Jennifer Blaine and Michael Sussman, who are the owner-occupants of 709 South 17th Street through to Chadwick Street, and I'm representing them with regard to this application for a carport.
Our vice chair has a few questions.
Morning, counsel. Do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy?
Yes, I do.
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, I have.
Thank you, counsel.
Please proceed and share your screen.
Okay, I'm trying to, oops, Zoom, where am I?
Ah, it disappeared.
Okay, I have it, but you don't have it, right?
It has a zoom screen as post attendee, but I don't have the video. Can you hear me?
We hear you.
Okay. Well, I don't know why the...
Our tech person, please, William.
Yes, you don't see share at the bottom of your screen?
where's the center green button and what it came up is post attendee zoom and i just have a big
screen that says zoom i need to get to that back to my video and share screen i'm sorry say that
again you just see what i have a screen that just says zoom post attendee zoom close that
um if are you on windows or mac uh this is probably windows all right so along the bottom
do you see another along the taskbar do you see another zoom icon or do you see two zoom like
like if you hover over the zoom icon on the bottom do you see the the two zoom screen zoom
screens okay i have zoom support that doesn't do me any good now apparently on the zoom screen
let me close that okay i'm back to uh my exhibits and
And do you see your Zoom icon on the taskbar?
Do you see your Zoom icon on the taskbar?
All right.
So, Mr. Perry, you have two cases with us right in a row.
So what I'm going to do is I'm going to go past you and come back.
So see if you can get that straight.
No, that's fine.
I'll reopen.
I'll restart the Zoom.
Thank you.
All right.
I'm going to call you back because you've got two cases right in a row.
Number 12, MI 2024, 004-288-2848 South 12th Street.
Pascual Calavita is the attorney.
There's a letter of support and opposition from the South Philadelphia Community Civic Association.
Mr. Perry, we'll be back to you.
You're going to have to go out, okay?
Thank you very much.
Mr. Colavito.
Mr. Colavito.
Jason, do we see him?
yes he's coming back in as a panelist now chair oh thank you lakisha
good morning good morning mr calavito could you please state your name and spell for the
personographer. Sure. Pasquale Colavita, P-A-S-Q-U-A-L-E, C-O-L-A-V-I-T-A, attorney for 2848S 12th Street, LLC.
Are you referring to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
I do. Our vice chair has a few questions, sir.
Good morning, counsel. Do you agree to read the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy?
I do. Have you emailed in all the required documents or exhibits that's
needed to proceed with this case five days in advance of this hearing i have with the exception
of uh a document that i sent last night which were interior of plans we we had a um
understood i'm hearing about your screen thank you
As indicated, I'm the applicant for 2848 S 12th Street LLC regarding the property with the same address attached.
And what I will mark and move into evidence are exhibits A through K, starting with the deed, as well as the notice of refusal.
these have all been submitted uh with the exception again as um of exhibit f and i had
conversations with board counsel hillary emerson prior to this so this was initially a
application as you can see the d this was purchased in 2016 by my client
and the refusal it initially had two refusal had a dimensional as well as a use refusal
It's going to still have the same two refusals, but what we have done is in the proviso, what I can show is the architectural renderings.
And let's see, Exhibit G. After meeting with the local RCO, we had agreed to no longer do any construction on the property itself in terms of the previously proposed third story.
And the only thing that we're asking for at this point would be a two-family dwelling in a CMX1 zone, which is not permitted.
Also, the dimensional variance requested is due to a pre-existing non-conforming use.
as you can see this this is the actual property itself and it and it encompasses the entire
plot of the the deed
and we filed a so i guess the the hardship here is that we would have to tear down what it is as well
as if you look at what i'm going to do is i'm going to stop sharing this for one second i want
to go and share a different screen which would be the google view same exact thing but then
if you look at atlas this entire area is rsa 5 with the exception of the the two uh there's
three properties on i'll call it uh three blocks you got 13th street 12th street and 11th street
I'll call it three blocks. You've got 13th Street, 12th Street, and 11th Street. Between those two
between those two.
blocks, you have all CMX1. Across the street is, I forget what they have referred to, but
we used to call it Southern's Field. So, this is South Philadelphia High School,
their field right under here. And then you have Marconi Plaza to the west of it.
so what what uh mr bonforte the sole member of the llc is proposing is a two-family dwelling
right now presently on the previously on the first floor that used to be a a bar and that has
not been a bar for ages what mr bonforte also owns all of the green eggs cafes and he utilizes it
for storage of some of the equipment and like there right now to keep it in with the required use.
So I'm going to stop sharing this again, go back to our PDFs, and so this, again, is the proposed use.
This is what the second floor presently looks like, and the first floor is going to be proposed to be a single-family dwelling with the basement as existing for storage and utility and mechanical use only.
We did meet with the community group.
We did post, as required, on both sides of the property, being a corner property.
within the requisite time. We received a letter of support from the community group,
and as indicated, it keeps in character with the neighborhood. The entire neighborhood is,
in essence, their single-family homes, as well as if you go a couple blocks down,
there are some multifamily dwellings on corner properties and the like, but it is a residential
area to change it to to require it to be cmx and go back to say a bar was not a desire of the
neighborhood or the neighbors in in the area and it will the the i guess the bigger thing here is
that with this he'll be doing construction we'll be upgrading its look cleaning it up obviously
And again, just ask that this board approve this for it again to to one of the hardships here would with respect to the dimensional aspect of it would be that it would have to cut into the rear yard.
It's been there. I lived in the neighborhood for ages. Mr. Bufforte lived in the neighborhood for for quite some time.
I think it may be his whole life. As far as I recall, that property covered the 100%. This is
nothing that had occurred that was caused by Mr. Bonforte. He did not do any construction on the
property, nor did the previous client, I'm sorry, the previous owner. And the reason I state that
is because one of my other clients sold this property to him. So this property has been
in that condition and built in that way for multiple decades. Again, as far as I can remember,
I'll go back to the age of 10. So we're talking about at least 46 years that it was in that
condition. I used to play at the park right across the street. But again, just ask that this board
take that into consideration when making their ruling.
Can you bring your client on, please? Sure. He may be, it's either under William
Bonforte or it may actually be under my name also, because my secretary assisted in registering him.
Do we see his hand? I've been about to speak.
Could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
Yes, good morning, Board. My name is William Bonforte, W-I-L-L-I-A-M, Bonforte, B-O-N-F, as in Frank, O-R-T-E.
Do you swear or affirm that tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Please proceed, Counsel.
Good morning, Mr. Bonforte. Did you have the opportunity to hear my testimony this morning?
I did.
okay do you agree to its accuracy and truthfulness yes and you if you were to testify would you have
Yes. And you if you were to testify, would you have adopted it as your own?
adopted it
I would. OK.
Questions from the board.
Just just a comment aside from the bit of a conflict between the entrance door to I believe it's the first floor unit.
Nicely laid out unit. Thanks for putting in furniture. Looks good in terms of a layout for two one-bedroom units.
Other questions or comments from the board?
I have a question about the basement access. I know you said it's retained that both the units are going to have access to the basement.
And how are they accessing the basement?
i i did not state that but mr um because i i honestly i don't know the answer to that question
mr bonforte can can discuss that portion of it thank you pat um there are existing
is an existing entranceway from the outside into the building that we will make available
to the tenants, individual secured space for storing some personal belongings, along with
a segregated area for the fire alarm and mechanical systems and heating systems, and also some
common space for some, like, bicycles and or some trash storage area.
It currently has a set of bulkhead doors with entrance.
And just to be clear, because I'm looking at your plan, those are that bulkhead entrances off Bigler Street through the Bilco doors?
That is correct.
Okay. And then the first of the confirming the first floor unit has two separate entrances.
The second floor unit only has the one entrance with the stair.
Yes, the second floor entrance is existing.
We are going to add, as I believe co-chair had expressed, a wider, unencumbered entrance for furniture, leaving the corner unit door there, so there could be a little bit of use of that front area as a bit of open space for the first floor.
Thank you.
Other questions from the board?
Questions or comments from our attorney, Hillary Emerson?
Just briefly, Mr. Chair, in terms of the changes that have been made to the project since it was originally proposed, I do not think we actually need to stamp revised plans.
I think the changes can be addressed via proviso, indicating that the maximum number of units is two and that there are no changes to the existing structure.
Thank you. Questions or comments from the virtual audience?
I do not see any further hands, Mr. Chair. Planning Commission.
Thank you, Chair Bergman. Sarah Bond with the Philadelphia City Planning Commission.
In 2019, the zoning map was amended to CMX1 at this location in accord with recommendations from the comprehensive plan.
The proposed use of dimensions will not cause detrimental impacts to the neighborhood beyond what normally be expected.
The City Planning Commission recommends that the Board grant the variance.
MI 2024-004-288-2848 South 12th Street, I vote yes with proviso.
Maximum two dwelling units, no change to existing structure.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes with proviso.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote is yes with proviso.
Teneda Graham, my vote is yes with proviso.
Iowa, my vote is yes with proviso.
Ishmael Shaheed, my vote is yes with proviso.
Number 15.
Thank you.
Thank you, counsel.
MI 2024-004-297-4807-61 Westminster Avenue.
William Kerr is the attorney.
They're coming back in as a panelist, sir.
There is a letter of opposition from Mill Creek Advisory,
But Councilmember Gauthier has taken a position of support.
Mr. Kerr.
Yes, good morning, Mr. Chair.
Can you hear me okay?
I can.
Could you please state your name?