Mr. McHugh.
Mr. McHugh.
Yes, sir.
Could you please state your name and spell for the stenographer?
Joseph, J-O-S-E-P-H, McHugh, M-C-H-U-G-H.
Do you swear or affirm to tell the truth, the whole truth, nothing but the truth?
Please proceed, counsel.
Joe, you've been sworn and your testimony here today is under oath.
Are you testifying truthfully and honestly today?
Absolutely.
uh could you please identify uh where your property is uh with respect and location to the subject
with respect and location to the subject? My property is the official address is 7248
my property
Walker Street. I'm adjacent to that property. There's an alleyway that divides us. So
I basically face the rear of that property. How long have you been a property owner
on Walker Street? 41 years. And you are well familiar with the property located at 4242
Cotman? Yes, sir. In your experience, all right, strike that. Let's back up. Joe, you provided me
a copy of a letter dated, or an email dated January 9. And to whom did you send this email to?
I read this letter at the community meeting, which was chaired by the Taconi Civic Association.
and i think i may have given it to joe the attorney also i received i received the one
the photo uh mr mccue but not not a copy of your letter yeah i did read at the meeting yes sir okay
joe joe console uh you acknowledge receipt of mccue's uh yeah at least a picture of his email
correct oh no no it was a just a picture of two cars parked at the property
Okay, I'm sorry. Do you mind if I interpret this?
I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I keep forgetting that we're translating.
I thought I spoke fast
My God. OK. Why don't we concentrate on your witness here now, Joe?
OK. Back to Joe McHugh. All right, Joe, you're well aware of this application.
And could you please describe for the board in your own words to get to the point as to what you observed at this site?
And we'll address the at least the four items raised in your email dated January 9.
Mr. Chair, I will upload a copy of that letter
and I would ask a board counsel to accept it as one of our exhibits
as I was just retained an hour ago in this matter.
All right, Joe.
Joe McHugh, I would advise you
speak slowly
take pauses
so the translator can
translate your words
into the
required language
for the applicant
对 请你一点一点讲
现在是让我讲
然后有空间让那个翻译员翻译
Sean, why don't you have your client start testifying, please?
Joe McHugh, back to you.
All right.
So basically, 41 years residing at the property.
You showed a really nice picture in the beginning of the property, which don't exist today.
I have photos, and you saw some of the photos that were shared, that were downloaded, and they scrolled pretty quickly.
And I'll put some pictures up also.
Also, there is steps that lead from the doctor's office to the kitchen area of the first floor.
They've been there forever.
Now, if they took them out, I can't help that.
But I've been in that property more than once.
They were my neighbors.
They were my friends.
They gutted that first floor doctor's office in the cover of darkness, I don't think with any permits.
And they also installed electrical panels for meters in the cover of darkness.
Thank God no one was injured.
And today there's one meter with three open holes for additional meters that are covered with cardboard, which is.
uh holes for additional meters that are covered with cardboard which is an absolute atrocity
because someone's going to be end up getting injured
object to that just in the sense that there are electrical permits on file that are public
for the public to view yeah but they're for inside not the outside all right joe joe pause uh
mr consul pause so the translator can
So Mr. Ward, if you would,
Could you focus in on why your client doesn't want to see this happen?
I mean, I think that's where we should be with it.
Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Joe McHugh, as suggested by the chair, let's get to the point.
What is the history of this property and why are you opposed to it?
I'm going to bring them up now.
He's been one of the reasons they think it's so good to get the run.
Counsel, do you have these photos?
I have one photo of two cars parked in the back of the property.
I received the top photo at the RCO meeting.
Right.
Right. So that's that's the problem we're having with his clients parking.
The renters already started parking on the sidewalk blocking the highway.
And also you can see additional pictures of how they're maintaining the property.
They're absentee landlords. The back door of the doctor's office has been broke for probably over six months.
It just swings back and forth in the wind
And all you hear all night long
Is banging from the door
Joe, let me interrupt
Let the translator go
And then I have a question
对,就是我反对的原因
就是首先两个车停在那里
就是首先两个车停在那里
然后挡着那个高速公路上的那条路
然后挡着那个高速公路上的那条路
然后另外就是
你没有好好的管理你的那个房子
然后另外就是你没有好好的管理你的那个房子
到处都是数月
到处都是数月
然后而且后面那个办公室
然后而且后面那个办公室
就本来是医生办公室的门
就一直没有关好
就一直打打打
那些风吹来的时候造成很多的噪音
你没有好好的管理
Joe McHugh
Yes, sir
Let me direct your attention
and it is requested by the board chair.
You are the owner and occupant of the property
directly behind this property, correct?
I would like to ask you,
is he the owner of the property behind the property?
He said yes.
During the doctor's tenure of ownership and occupancy of that property,
What has it been used as?
Pause.
Translator.
This has been a doctor's office from the day I moved in, 41 years ago.
That would be the ground level, correct?
And what were the upper floors used as?
That's where the family of the doctor lived.
That's where the family of the doctor lived.
So, Sean, I think I understand that.
Could you go back again and focus on why is it that he doesn't want that here?
I know the reason.
Joe McHugh, what is the opposition to converting the doctor's office into
What is the opposition to converting the doctor's office into an additional dwelling unit?
为什么你反对呢?改建?
To begin with, we have no parking on the block.
They want to put a total of five or six bedrooms total in the place.
um septa just put in front of the property on cotman avenue a no stopping bus only that
encompasses four houses and all the people on cotman have to park elsewhere so this is what
we're living and dealing with they they they i've never saw this owner at the property you can see
to the condition that it's in, you want me to pause so they can translate?
Okay, yeah, first of all, he was talking about the停車 problem, he just said that there was a problem.
And then he said that he hasn't seen you there, he hasn't seen you there,
he hasn't been able to take care of your house.
I've been there, but when I was there, he didn't see you there.
No, you can't say that.
All right, all right, Joe McHugh, back to you, in your opinion and in your experience,
is there any reason this corner property cannot be occupied as a single family dwelling?
Well, we continue to have pest problems there. We've never had...
Joe, Joe, please answer my question.
In your opinion and your experience
As an adjacent property owner
Do you see any reason
Why this property cannot be occupied
As a single family dwelling
In accordance with the zoning code
And other adjacent properties
刚才他就问他那个原因是什么
他说有那些虫的问题
但是那个人又问他
你可不可以直接讲
为什么你反对他改建
It never has and should never be
Which was going to create more parking issues in the neighborhood
And the current renters are total disregard to the community
There's trash everywhere
因为一直以来就是从来都没有这样改建
一直我们都是这样用的
然后如果你这样给它改建的话
会造成停车的问题
然后另外就是这个现在这个拥有者
从来就没有很好的去照顾这个地方
你可以讲讲到底现在你的经历是什么
你要不要讲一讲
不是你 是他
uh we've never had issues with trash we never had issues with mice uh roaches and you could see
the photos i have taken versus the photos from the initial um display that joe the attorney put
on those bushes don't even exist anymore they cemented the front area took the brush out now
Now it's cemented area.
That's what they're leaving their trash.
It's just, it's creating havoc to the neighborhood.
For 41 years, this has been a nice place to live.
Right, pause.
Okay,对,就是主要的原因就是我们从来没有看过这么多垃圾,
然后有老鼠,有蟑螂,就是那些地方本来应该要放垃圾的,没有放,
然后到处都是乱糟糟的,41年以来都是很好的地方居住,
Now we're going to make a very bad situation.
Thank you, Mr. McHugh.
Mr. Chairman, I would just have some summary comments regarding applicants' burden and based upon the feedback from the community.
Questions from the board.
I have a question.
This is for Joseph Council
And I was just wondering
Council, could you have your client
Share what their plans were
With the property
When they purchased it in 2023