Okay, again, I'm going to ask Mr. Anastasia, what are the homes like on the block? Are they mainly three units or duplexes?
mostly duplexes there are a few on the other side of wing of hawking that are triplexes
and you know it's our position madam chairwoman uh that you know this property has been a blight
on the community for a very long time uh we believe more not less quality new newest you
know new construction uh uh household living is needed in the neighborhood and that's why we would
proposed three however that being said um and of course it's up to the board's discretion
um two units is is better than none um and it's certainly we could certainly make it work but we
would you know respectfully request the opportunity to breathe some new life into that property
uh and bring it up to speed and the owner would maintain the what would or could be the third unit
if it's empty say it again would the owner maintain that third unit if if it remains empty
the owner would maintain all the units of course okay
does the board of it does the board have any questions and then mr richardson um excuse me
this is sharon saletta i just wanted to say because there are no plans for this um proposed
use or requested to be legalized use it would simply be a proviso maximum two units right
thank you miss lena
okay does the board have any questions no no charles richardson
councilwoman supports the community and as such uh she will support a duplex but she will not
to support a tri-flex planning commission good afternoon madam vice chair members of the board
this the comprehensive plan recommends a single family use for this property we do not believe
that there is a hardship that would require converting the existing two-unit building into
three units we recommend granting we recommend against granting this variance thank you calendar
number one two zero zero eleven twenty seven west winga hawking street my vote is yes to two units
maximum yes for proviso can i add a provide can i add an additional proviso to store the trash
in the back i think with that list of requests that's probably the only one i can
asked to be enforced miss saletta is that correct um i'm sorry i didn't see the list of requests
um i think tina's tina someone said trash in the back property manager sure that can um trash to
be stored within property lines okay and trash to be stored in property lines but we can't force
the owner to participate in the neighborhood cleanup. Is that correct?
It's certainly our intention to be an active member of the community. So if that helps.
The owner said she would participate with the community effort to employ people within
the community which would reduce violence in that area as well she did indicate she would do that as
well yes she did but i don't think we could attach those requirements to a permit but
attorney soletta would probably know better no you cannot they are not enforceable by l and i
okay the only one that is maximum two units and trash stored in the back
excuse me verne would that be the rear yard where it will be stored
it can certainly be stored in the rear of the property yes okay thank you just so i get the
language right thank you okay thank you okay everyone's voted i don't think so i'll i'll
vote again. Yes for Proviso. Yes for Proviso. Okay. Thank you. Thank you.
okay thank you thank you calendar number 0322 1400 south 7th street
the attorney is michael phillips
good good afternoon uh madam vice chair members of the board michael phillips 1500 market street
suite 3400 philadelphia pa 19102 good afternoon do you swear or affirm to tell the whole truth and
nothing but the truth i do you also agreed away the reading of the refusal and stipulate to its
accuracy i do have you emailed the exhibit packet five days in advance of this hearing
and does it have the proof of ownership tax compliance refusal and referral photos and or
plans of the property, and have you met with your RCO, and do you have a letter?
Yes. This is a continuation. Chelsea Dalcy, who is the owner, was at a prior hearing in October,
but without counsel. All of the packet was emailed previously, and I re-sent it to Ms.
Soletta in the CBA earlier this week.
Okay, you may proceed.
And Michael Phillips here on behalf of Chelsea Dalsey, who is the owner of 1400 South 7th Street.
We are here seeking, I'm just going to share my screen.
we're here seeking variants solely for an addition above an existing garage on what is a two-bedroom
two-bathroom single-family home at the southwest corner of 7th and Reed Streets. Ms. Dalsy
purchased the property in 2016. This is a rendering of what the property would look like.
Here is a current photo of it here this yellow building on the corner. As you'll see there is an
existing garage that has been there since 1938 when it was installed by I believe there was
variants in 1938 to permit it. Ms. Dalsey is simply looking to build a one-story addition
above the garage and then remove her existing pilot house which is really cramped in and has
been causing significant issues with her roof and have a stairway leading from the second floor
up to a roof deck and this is a rendering of what it would look like in the future.
The refusal that we received is simply just for rear yard depth. Seven fees required,
none is proposed, as we are building directly above that existing condition.
Ms. Dalsey and her prior representative did meet with the community back in October.
The individuals in attendance voted one to nothing in favor,
but Pashank Square did ultimately oppose the granting of the variance.
I was not at that meeting, so can't attest to why they voted that way,
but Ms. Dalsey is here and will be able to testify as to her hardship.
We'll just zoom in on the proposed plans.
Again, this is the existing first floor layout.
Now, Ms. Dalsey, as I mentioned, purchased the property in 2016.
She had a new roof that was put on with stucco work, and there was significant damage done by the contractors to the roof as a result of the way the pilot house existed.
It was really cramped, wasn't really roofed in correctly, and it caused significant damage to her home.
So her entire roof needs to be rebuilt at this point in time.
and due to the size of the house we're talking about a 680 square foot lot she wants to
both include a bedroom so it becomes a three bed two bath and she can eventually have a family
here in the home and also make this condition with the existing pilot house safer
for her. In terms of how it would impact the surrounding properties, you'll notice that
her property fronts 7th Street. The neighboring property over here fronts Reed. So this is a
party wall here. There's no light that it would or windows that she would be impacting. Any windows
would be on a party wall. There is an existing three-foot alley right here. Also the neighboring
uh alley right here also the neighboring property here at 1402 already juts out um beyond uh miss
property here at 1402.
dalsey's and again uh with this uh parapet right here we're talking about about five and a half
feet that she would go above that and then um would just connect uh here um so uh with the
rebuilding of the roof and you know currently the the property is vacant and been gutted um
Ms. Dalsey is living elsewhere right now while she's awaiting the renovations to the home,
and then she intends to move back and live here as her primary residence.
Again, this is the proposal of what it will ultimately look like.
Here is the home at 1402.
Here is the Reed Street property that fronts Reed.
And again, this is going right over the existing garage, only to the second floor.
We're not proposing to go all the way up.
We would eliminate the pilot house that is currently right here, and she would access the roof through the outdoor stairs.
And this is the third floor bedroom.
That's the master bedroom that she would exit out to lead up to the roof deck.
So Passing Square is a no?
The individuals in attendance, it was only a one-nothing vote.
I believe Passing Square went five to two on this.
Again, I was not at that meeting.
I did not represent Ms. Dalsey at the time, so I cannot attest to why they voted that
There were questions about the legalization of the garage and whether that was a legal
garage, and it was legalized in 1938 and has been there ever since.
Have you met with the councilman?
No, the councilman sent a letter just to the same effect of the community, just following
what the community said.
Opposing it?
I would like Ms. Dalsey to be able to put some testimony on the record about the proposed change.
And again, I don't see why this would be controversial given the real minimal impact this would have both on any neighboring properties and the small scope of relief that's being requested here.
And she would be permitted to do this if there were, I guess, setbacks seven feet, but due to the fact that we're at a 680-square-foot lot size, she really doesn't have much square footage to work with here.
And making this a three-bed, two-bath would allow her to eventually raise a family here and make this her forever home.
Can you ask your client to raise your hand?
Chelsea, can you raise your hand?
Ms. Chelsea, you can unmute yourself
and wait to be sworn in.
Can you hear me?
Chelsea, I'm just going to swear you in.
Ms. Carroll?
Do you swear or affirm to tell the whole truth
and nothing but the truth?
Chelsea, you heard my testimony a moment ago. Was everything I stated true and accurate?
Absolutely. Okay, and do you agree to adopt my testimony as your own?
Yes. Okay, and can you just explain for the board in your own words the current condition,
what happened with the contractors and the need to replace your roof, and why you're here seeking
uh this variance uh for the uh the second floor addition and roof deck sure um when i bought the
house in 2016 um i guess the previous owner had put on what was supposed to be a brand new roof
um and what we found out when the building inspector came through was that they were
scammed basically and there was an extra roof put on but not a roof replacement and removal
so the first thing i did after i bought the house was completely rip off the roof and have them put
back on they left the pilot house in place which had been done by those previous roofers who also
installed a really steep incredibly dangerous staircase inside the house to get to the roof
through that pilot house um just when i had this roof collapse and we pulled everything back and we
saw that the pilot house was part of the problem um and i already put we've gone through two roofs
in two years so far um you know the idea of making one flat roof that i could put a safe roof deck
above and not have to worry about this for a while because i intend on i love this neighborhood i love
the house or what i'm hoping the house will be um and i want to stay you know i don't have to
worry about this going forward so um the fact that the house is completely gutted from the
water damage and it's been sitting like that um also made it a great time to if i was going to
put an addition on which is something i was hoping to do um when i had a family i realized this might
be the best time to do it.
And that was really where the motivation was for all of us.
And that was really where the motivation was for all of us.
Mr. Phillips, if I can interrupt, I apologize.
I was having audio problems.
I wanted to ask a couple of questions.
The party wall of the first house on Reed Street.
It appears that there's an air conditioning unit.
Is that air conditioning through the wall or is it through,
is that a window air conditioning unit?
would you happen to know that from here it looks like it may be in a window
and i'm wondering if that that if it is a window which it appears is that window facing
the rear of 1400 or 1402 south 7th street so i believe in chelsea correct me if i'm wrong i
believe it is a window would be an illegally constructed window because that is right on the
party line if it is with the air conditioning unit coming out I believe it is more so like
it straddles the line between 1400 and 1402 but Chelsea if you can just speak to that briefly
yeah that is a window it is there's one that's that whole side is solid except for in the rear
and then that one window that's it literally is kind of in the middle so I don't I can't even
tell you exactly where it falls on the line but it's it almost falls slightly on this on my third
we're a little bit off because they have a raised basement or their basement ceilings are higher so
it's like a little bit on the third floor and a little bit on 1402 but it is some of the faces
my property yeah i'm somewhat familiar but there is an alleyway so it's really not in a budding
party wall yeah all right you got the alleyway uh the depth of the deck uh not the top roof uh
coming out of the second floor what is the depth of that deck as it goes out to the property line
sure so that depth uh out to the property line uh is uh 13 uh approximately 13 feet
i'm just trying to maybe i i don't know if there's anybody else who's testifying what the
objection is i mean it's not unusual roof decks are i mean i live a couple blocks away so roof
decks are everywhere in that neighborhood i'm just curious of what is driving the opposition
and if there's anyone on i'd like to hear what the opposition is
i didn't mean to get in front of you carol but i that's okay audio was down again
so is there anyone else to testify in this case i don't see any hands here
all right planning commission good afternoon david effecto city planning commission mr chairman
members of the board this comprehensive plan recommends this property for single family use
we do not object to granting this variance okay thank you uh mi 2020-000-322-1400
or South 7th Street. My vote is yes. My vote is yes. Good luck. Thank you very much members of
the board. Calendar number 2748 1731 West Hunting Park Avenue. There are no exhibits with this case.
this was mr jared case he's coming back in as a panelist
carol this was one earlier we there was a problem with the uh
exhibits being sent and we said we'd like we'd we'd overlooked that because of extenuating
circumstances okay you've already been sworn in yes i have thank you very much uh good good
afternoon again members of the board Jared Klein from Black Rome on behalf of the applicant the
opportunity services center I'm going to share my screen and as I mentioned earlier this application
has some broad-based community support and I know the board has a long agenda so I'll endeavor to
be as brief as I can the application is for 1731 West Hunting Park which is on the corner of Hunting
Park and Clarissa Street and the application is to erect a new detached structure that's
going to be used as 41 age-restricted senior affordable housing units with 14 off-street
parking spaces. The refusals that we got are for the use, the number of parking spaces,
and for the structure height. I'll show some more contextual images of where the site is
located in in a moment um but it is located near the wayne junction septa station and a variety of
But it is located near the Wayne Junction SEPTA station and a variety of walkable retail areas that we think works well for having a parking variance granted.
I'll jump right to the conversations we had with the community association and then walk through the plans.
There are a variety of letters of support in the materials that I submitted to the board.
This one is the Nicetown CDC, which notes that they extend their full support to our efforts to bring safe, quality and affordable service-enriched housing.
We have a letter from the 13th Ward RCO, which was the coordinating RCO that had a vote of 7-0 in support.
And we also have letters from, bear with me, the Vice President of the Boys and Girls Club of Philadelphia,
which has its location close to this property, as well as a letter of support from the Mastery