Street. So this is not a commercial avenue anymore. So no one wants commercial there.
In the neighborhood at the RCO meeting, they all understand and support the commercial activity on
american per the plan thank you um hillary we're going to hold this now am i correct
um yes we we still need a uh corrected refusal right everything else but planning but we'll
just otherwise we'll just hold it we'll just hold for the amended refusal and then we can vote um
after that because we've i believe we've taken everything today okay thank you and thank you
Vern, stay on a minute.
Please stay on.
Yep, yep.
65 MI 2024
511 6650
Germantown Avenue.
There's a
letter of support from Mount Airy
business improvement that Mount Airy did
and also a petition of
24 people.
What's going on?
mr chair yes is the vice chair going to ask me some questions
i'm sure i i i i thought you said you were holding up a minute
no no no no i asked you what was going on sure our vice chair please
yes do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy
i do uh you've emailed in all the documents already um so you can go ahead and proceed
thank you thank you very much mr chair members of the board vernon anastasio um on behalf of my
client, a new market design, and the Capuzano family, 6650 Germantown Avenue. We have a 119
page exhibit binder that we are not going to bore you with, all of it, but we'll get you what we
have to. The space is for a business and professional office. This property, as we'll
see in a moment, is an old historic property in Mount Airy on Germantown Avenue. The front
house will be used for business and professional offices, and the rear shed will be used for
storage. Is it designated historic? That's a good question. It very well might be. We're
preserving everything. My clients have been Mount Airy residents since 2006. The company that they
own has served the people of northwest philadelphia for over 20 years they are staunch believers in
conservation and here we are here's the property itself here's the main house
if it's not designated it certainly looks historic here's the main house and here's
interior courtyard and here's the carriage house now what we've asked to do is make this
They're professional offices where clients could come once they make an appointment, of course.
They could come sit down with the design build team and go over finishes and go over plans and all the things that a design team does.
Back here will be just small materials that would be used for part of showing the clients the types of materials.
I'm going to pull out briefly.
Okay, here we go.
Here's some interior layout of the office space itself.
As you can see, pretty standard offices, breakout rooms, conference tables, restrooms.
that's more similar more additional layout
and that's the top floor
here's the front facade property in question
This is the carriage house in the back, the shed.
Additional plans.
Here's elevation of the shed.
The rear of the property in question, and then the front.
right next to the front of the the front window is a gate that's the entrance to the front of the
property that's the public entrance again by appointment only
there's the carriage house again storing things like tile plumbing fixtures bathroom vanities
these light fixtures so that folks can get an idea of the different types of materials
that they could use.
As this shows, deliveries removed from trucks on Philolena, hand carted up an easement to
hand-carded up an easement to the carriage house.
the carriage house.
There's the main house, the carriage house,
the easement in question.
And that's where deliveries would emanate from,
Westville, Elena.
Here's an aerial view of the property.
The main house that'll be used for offices, the rear carriage house that'll be used for storage.
There's some photos.
That's the carriage house.
there's the front of the property again
some additional photos
here's some interior
offices will be open monday through friday
sorry monday through friday they'll be office closed at 5 p.m
the clients are dedicated to preservation of both buildings
And we've already talked about driveway and delivery.
There'll be no big box trucks or anything like that.
The deliveries will come mostly from cars.
Again, it's by appointment only.
And it's right on Germantown Avenue, which, of course, is a major transportation thoroughfare.
We've met with the community.
There was, I believe, unanimous support.
And we've also submitted.
Here's our letter that went to all the immediate neighbors.
Here are all the addresses that were mailed.
And here's proof of mailing.
79 individual households were mailed.
Here's our proof of posting right on that gated door.
Of course, the history of the property that we also move into evidence
shows a long history of commercial use we also move that into evidence in addition to that we
also have the signatures and the letters of support that we've already previously furnished
because my client has enjoyed the support of all of the immediate neighbors including the rco
because they're committed to the preservation of this property
and because their use will not adversely impact
anyone's quality of life.
We respectfully request the granting of the variance.
With that, I'd like to call Lauren Capanzano to the stand.
Lauren has been allowed to speak.
Hi, could you please state your name and spell for the court stenographer?
Hi, my name is Lauren. It's L-A-U-R-E-N, Campuzano, C-A-M-P-U-Z-A-N-O.
You swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
I do, yes.
Please proceed, counsel.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Ms. Campuzano, have you heard my presentation to the board this morning?
Is it true and accurate to the best of your knowledge?
Do you adopt it as your own testimony?
Yes, I do.
I have nothing further, Mr. Chair.
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.
Yes, Chair. Charles Richardson has a hand up and will be allowed to speak.
Morning, Mr. Richardson.
Mr. Richardson, can you please unmute?
Yeah, I am now.
Good morning.
Can you please take your name and spell for this stenographer?
Yes, Charles Richardson, R-I-C-H-A-R-D-S-O-N, Office of Councilwoman.
yes charles rick it's an r-i-c-h-a-r-d-s-o-n office of councilwoman cindy bathroom 501
uh that's it you swear a firm to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth i
certainly do please proceed sir please uh councilwoman has no opposition to granting
the variance for this property thank you anyone else in the virtual audience
there are there are no hands chair any commission
amy boyd with the planning commission the comprehensive plan recommends no change in
zoning at this location from the existing commercial mixed use cmx2 the absence of
off-street parking is a common condition the surrounding properties there are unique physical
circumstances or conditions of the property that would prevent provision of off-street parking
The proposed storage is accessory to the proposed business and professional office and will not cause such environmental impacts to the surrounding properties.
The Planning Commission recommends that the Board grant the proposed variances for no off-street parking and no accessory parking and grant the requested variance for equipment and material storage with proviso inside existing structures.
MI 2024-002-511-6550 Germantown Avenue, I vote yes.
Michael Johns, my vote is yes.
Cheryl Gaston, my vote is yes.
Senator Greenham, my vote is yes.
Iowa, my vote is yes.
Ishmael Shaheed, my vote is yes.
Thank you, counsel.
Thank you all.
We're going to move to number 11, and Mr. Shaheed will take over.
Sure. MI-2024-002-513-3232 Henry Avenue. Eric Boosin and Peter Kelsen.
Eric Bowden has been promoted to panelists.
Good morning, Mr. Vice Chair. Eric Bonds in my room.
Good morning, counsel. How are you?
I am well.
This is a useful office business professional and group medical dental health practitioner
and takeout restaurant and existing structure.
Do you agree to, let me swear you in, excuse me, I haven't done this in a while.
You swear to tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.
Yes, I do.
Can you please tell us who your client is?
Yes, my client is New Cortland and John Unger is here on behalf of New Cortland.
Subject property is 3232 Henry Avenue.
And do you agree to waive the reading of the refusal or stipulate to its accuracy?
Yes, I do.
And you emailed all your documents in prior to the 5Bs.
Yes, I have.
Please proceed and share your screen.
Thank you.
Can you see my screen, Mr. Chair?
Mr. Vice Chair?
we do please proceed thank you members of the board i am here on behalf of new cortland regarding
3232 henry avenue the subject property has been before this board several times recently you may
recall my colleague peter kelson presented to you uh just two months ago and uh i'll try and
be as brief as Peter this morning. As you can see, the subject property is a large and rather
confined triangular site. It is bounded by SEPTA Railroad tracks to the south, Roosevelt Extension
to the northeast, and Henry Avenue to the northwest, and it is surrounded by several
institutional uses. The property itself is, in fact, the former Eastern Psychiatric Hospital
Institution, and in 2017, this board approved of New Cortland's large-scale adaptive reuse
of this property as a senior living complex of more than 300,000 square feet, which, as you can
see consists of two structures. The brown tower building in the foreground is about 232,000 square
feet and the white pavilion building behind it is about 110,000 square feet. This mixed-use complex
is about 110 000 square feet this mixed-use complex is anchored by new cortland's life center
which provides daytime care for senior adults as well as 176 dwelling units 40 of which are senior
housing finance through tax credits and the other 136 are market rate units all of which has been
previously approved by this board property also includes previously approved shell space for
commercial use, including the InnoVage healthcare offices that this board approved back in July,
as well as the small supportive and accessory commercial spaces that are the subject of today's
hearing. Here are additional aerials of the site. Here are street level views of the site.
Here are interiors of the commercial shell space, and we can provide additional photos and have
provided them in your exhibits. Here is the zoning map. As you can see, despite the long-standing
institutional uses of this and surrounding parcels, 3232 Henry Avenue is still in the RSA5
residential single-family zoning district, and for this reason, New Cortland has returned to this
board on several occasions to modify and update its original approval. Here is the refusal.
As I mentioned, the subject application is to activate commercial shell space on the first
floor for use as professional and medical offices, as well as a coffee shop for staff,
presidents, and visitors. The refusal is for the professional offices and coffee shop in
the RSA 5 district. I showed you pictures of the two shell spaces. Here is a photo of where the
coffee counter will sit with self-contained seating in the front, no commercial equipment
or ventilation, trash and recycling stored in the rear of the property serviced regularly by
the building's commercial trash service. As a mission-driven provider, New Cortland is looking
at all local operators of each of these small and accessory commercial spaces.
On May the 18th, New Cortland met with the coordinating RCO, the RAH Civic Association
to share plans for the offices that this board approved in July, as well as the additional
space that is the subject of today's hearing.
As you can see from the support letter dated May 21st, 2024, the RAH Civic Association