The stairs almost line up exactly.
The idea is to have limestone around the first five feet.
The rest will be brick facing on 27th Street.
Then when you get on Oakford Street, this is the entrance to the unit on the first floor and lower level.
And again, a lot of brick, which Grace Ferry likes, red brick, complementing the rest of the block.
We don't have any issues with height, open space, or rear yard, and there will be a rooftop deck.
So, in effect, you have open space for unit one, the rear yard, and open space for unit two, which is upstairs.
We will plant a tree in the front if approved by streets as well as trees on Oakford Street.
I'll move on to the floor plans.
So on the lower level, you'd have two bedrooms, two baths.
You would enter that unit by, as I said, coming through the side door to Oakford Street,
the kitchen, bedroom, and the front, and living.
And then you would go around the kitchen downstairs to the lower living area.
To access the second floor, you would come in through the front door, which is on 27th Street, go upstairs.
Immediately, the kitchen is there, your living area in the back, bedroom in the front.
And then you would negotiate the steps up to the third floor.
And you have a bedroom in the front, bedroom in the rear.
And there's even enough room for an office and then.
And then the access to the rooftop deck is through a stairwell on the third floor.
So this is the zoning map.
So this purple area is the subject property.
is the subject property so cmx2 you can see surrounded by rm1 right across the street cmx2
So CMX2, you can see surrounded by RM1.
that's where the store is this property is residential it's cmx2 those three properties
that i showed you one of which was approved in 2020 they're all cmx2 but again they're residential
across the street cmx2 residential the corner residential and residential so i think back in
the day, the idea was, you know, you would have corner stores at the intersections of the corners
for lunch meat, rolls, bread, whatever. But now the commercial districts have moved out of the
neighborhood and are really on Washington Avenue and Grace Ferry, as I mentioned. This is the deed
to the property. Again, this is a court appointed conservator through Act 135, and then it was sold
to my client. And there are docket numbers with the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas bearing
this out. The remaining documents, these are my letters notifying the surrounding neighbors,
sent out 219 pieces of mail. All the addresses, 27th Street, Manton Street, Latona Street.
And then these are the zoning records, Mr. Chairman and members of the board.
I pointed, I had an aerial photograph where I pointed out a number of properties were
two-family dwellings. This is reflective of the dots on that aerial map that I showed everyone,
and I can walk through this if the chairman wants me to or the board wants me to.
12-32, two-family. This is 12-20, two-family. Right here, two-family. This is the one I had
appeared before the board in December of 2020 with the same architect and same floor plan.
Uh, this is 1226, two family, a little hard to see, but basically over here, these are
condominiums, two condominiums.
I can blow it up for proof, uh, condominium, two units.
This is 1230 South 27th street.
And this is 1254.
That was one toward the end of the block.
Again, this is condominium, uh, two units.
um this is excuse here's another one 1256 two-family household living that's on a corner
and then this is the demolition permit for the subject property 1231 indicating that in 2022
the city of philadelphia demolished this dilapidated building
So, in conclusion, looking for the board to look kindly upon this application in that it was a former residential property.
I don't have any photographs.
I don't have any public records to show you that.
But my client can testify that he lives nearby the property, has walked by the property and driven by the property for at least six years.
And it was a residential property.
and I think it was recognized by some of the members of the community group when they were
on the call. But again, the errors of the prior owners could not be found, and I can't find any
photographs to actually prove that. But we know it was not a store or a commercial nature of any type.
The property is basically going to be in harmony with the rest of the block,
which is heavily residential, many two-family dwellings. We are not impacting anyone's light
air, we're not impacting the development of any adjacent properties, and we're in conformance
and in harmony with the code and with the community groups.
So with that-
What was the vote of the RCO?
It was unanimous.
Only six people showed six to zero.
Thank you.
So if Mark Clinton could unmute himself, I'll ask him without my testimony, Mr. Chairman.
mark clinton is allowed to speak or could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer
yes my name is mark clinton m-a-r-k c-l-i-n-p-o-n where or from to tell the truth
the whole truth, nothing but the truth. I do. Please proceed, counsel. Mark, you heard my
testimony about your project, correct? Yes. And one of the things I said was that this property
used to be residential. Can you verify that? Yes. And how do you know that? Do you live nearby?
Yes. I live about six blocks away. And have you passed by this property over the last
the six seven years yes and can you just describe the condition that was in and
Yes. And can you just describe the condition that was in and what what the use appear to be?
Yes, the use appeared to be residential. The condition was, you know, it was vacant and dilapidated there.
The property was receiving violations for that going back to 2016.
And then you acquired this property through the conservatorship Act 135?
Yes, I purchased it from the conservator.
Okay. And if you had the opportunity to testify, would you adopt my testimony as your own and as true and correct?
Thank you. Nothing further.
Questions from the board.
Yeah, I have two questions.
My first question is, for trash storage, is it intended to be under the stairs like the unit adjacent to it, or do you have a different location for trash storage?
Yeah, we have a different location.
It's going to be in the rear yard.
We're not going to put it under the steps.
Thank you.
And the other question I have is, would the owner be amenable to be moving that basement-level bedroom?
Well, there are egress wells there for egress front and rear per code, and it would make
it, you know, you would still have living space down there.
So we would like to keep that hopefully.
Well, I would ask for no basement living.
I just understood that being no bedrooms in the basement to net up.
Um, all the questions from the board.
Questions or comments from our attorney, Hillary Emerson.
Not at this time, Mr. Chair.
Questions or comments from the virtual audience?
There are no hands, Chair.
Questions or comments?
I'm sorry, Planning Commission.
This is Ron Bednar, City Planning.
The property is currently indicated for commercial mixed use on the city plan.
I recommended zoning change to CMX1, which permits residential use on the first floor, was sort of in the plan.
We recommend that the request of variance be granted.
MI 2024, 002514, 1231 South 27th Street.
I vote yes with proviso.
No bedrooms in basement.
Mr. Chairman, can I make a comment?
So I always be...
Senator Graham, my vote is yes with proviso.
He wants to say something first.
Go ahead, Henry.
I didn't know you were going to start voting. So in my presentation, I did show the board.
And again, past history, obviously, there's no indication of where the board should go
in future instances. But I was before the board in December of 2020 with the exact same floor plan,
the exact same architect, and the exact same layout, Joe Serritor. And there were bedrooms
in the basement with egress wells front and rear and we did obtain full approval at that time
again i understand a new board new situation but just wanted to bring that to everyone's attention
henry i appreciate that and i'll start to vote again mi2024 002 514 1231 south 27th street i
I vote yes. Proviso, no bedrooms in basement.
Cheryl Gaston, same. My vote is yes with Proviso.
Senator Graham, my vote is yes with Proviso.
Iowyn, my vote is yes with Proviso.
Mr. Clinton, could you please stay on?
So MI 2024-002-518-520-North Preston Street.
letter of support from West Pounton's Saunders Park RCO
based on revised plans, 15 in support, 6 opposed.
Applicant also provided a petition of support
signed by 14 neighbors, 4 from the block.
um mr clinton could you just state your name for the record sure you've already been sworn
Mr. Clinton, could you...
and could you identify but talk about that could you identify your client relationship to the
property sure my client is roberto zaccarini z-u-c-c-a-r-i-n-i and he is a sole member of
the LLC. You stipulate to the reading of the refusal and agree with the accuracy. I don't.
Why don't you share your screen and start your presentation?
Thank you, Mr. Chairman, members of the board. Henry Clinton, on behalf of Zuccarini LLC,
Roberto Zuccarini is in the audience. And is that visible, Mr. Chairman?
It is. This is 520 North Preston Street. This is my
presentation table of contents A1 through A10, as well as zoning records of other properties
on the block. This is a request for a three-family dwelling in a block that's zoned RSA 5,
but as I will show you, there are multiple three and four family dwellings on the block. In fact,
the four-family dwelling adjacent, and we have overwhelming support from West Palatin, Saunders
Park, RCO, and from the near neighbors. Here's the refusal. As I said, it's RSA 5. The request
originally was for four units because the home next door has four units. These are rather large
lots. And that's why I think you see so many multifamily, over 90% of the structures on this
block are multifamily. We met with the community. They did not like the number of bedrooms nor the
number of units. So we shrunk the project from four units to three and we shrunk the bedrooms
from 12 to eight. We came up with the trash plan. We have trash storage in the rear and we have
trash disposals in each of the apartments. And we also have storage in the basement and the
first floor unit is going to be a handicap accessible unit. We do have an RCO letter of
support. I don't know if the tabulation was incorrect, but the letter indicates 21 people
present, 21 people agreed to support the project. But I believe Ms. Andrews may be on the call
and she'd be able to explain that. And this is the history that she goes through,
that we did have two meetings. We came back a second time. And while the community was in full
support of a multifamily. They just didn't want four units and the number of bedrooms that were
originally proposed. These are the signatures. And as chairman pointed out, there are four
from the block and one adjacent neighbor at 522, Preston. Photographs of Preston Street,
one side, because the other side really doesn't have any homes facing this direction.
So this is the layout of the land on this particular side of the street.
Three dwellings, three dwellings, three dwellings.
526 is two adjacent to our property.
And 522 is four.
Then there's three, three, and three.
So as I say, these are very deep lots.
The homes go back very far.
There are two single family homes on the block, but the remainder are multifamily.
And I think there was a recognition by the individuals at the meeting that they are in need of and support multifamily to bring more affordability to the neighborhood.
But again, if Ms. Andrews is on the call, she can speak to that.
This is an existing property, two-story.
It was a single-family property at one point, but it's in need of total demolition and rebuilding.
What's unique about the property is we have a side alley that we're going to be able to maintain.
And in the rear of the alley, as I'll show you on the site plan, there are going to be trash enclosures, one for each unit.
More photographs.
And in the front, we were asked to obviously tidy up the garden.
These are older photographs.
have some plannings here
and if permissible
have a street tree
in front of the house also.
this is the site plan.
I'll start on the right hand side.
This is a three story property
three-story property, all brick on the front. We do intend to install a handicap ramp for access
all brick on the front.
intenuance
to the first floor apartment, which will be two bedrooms. Second floor will be three bedrooms.
Third floor will be three bedrooms. But this is an accessible bathroom on the first floor
with an additional bedroom. This is the side alley that I showed you in the front elevation,
leading down along the side of the house into the rear, where there'll be three trash bins
in an enclosure, and then each bin will have its own self-closing top.
I'll work right to left.