WEST PASSYUNK NEIGHBORS ASSOCIATION
ZONING MEETING MINUTES
August 28, 2014
A public zoning meeting
hosted by the Zoning Committee of the West Passyunk Neighbors Association (the
“Association”) was held at 7:00PM at the 1st District Police Station, 2301 S.
24th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19145. In attendance were committee members
Peter Curran, Jennifer Harrison, and James McMillan (the “Committee”), the
applicants Hoa Duong and Su Hoa Hoac (the “Applicants”), the applicant’s
representative Ken Chan (“Representative”), and members of the public.
The issue addressed was
consideration of the zoning application concerning 2001 South Opal Street.
The application was for a change of zone from mixed-use commercial to
single-family residential.
Committee member Mr.
Curran began the meeting by introducing the issue and noting that attendees
present must live within the Association’s boundaries to vote on the
issue. He then opened the floor to the
Representative and Applicant.
The Representative began
by stating that the property had previously been used as a dry cleaning
business. Due to the operator’s not
feeling well and the requirement to register new dry cleaning machinery, the
applicants want to convert the property into a single-family dwelling where the
owner can reside. He also stated that
this would be better for the neighborhood, since there would be brand new
exterior siding and windows on the building.
Initially they thought upgrading the dry cleaners would be easy but it
cost a lot of money. He then presented
pictures of the property for viewing. When
the Representative had concluded his presentation, questions and comments from
the Committee and then the public were heard.
Mr. Curran asked if the
applicants had sought another commercial tenant in the past. The representative stated that they had for
the last three or four years but had been unable to find one.
Ms. Harrison asked if
the requirement to replace dry cleaning equipment was because of
perchloroethylene. The applicants confirmed
this and presented a letter from the city regarding the requirement. They stated that the machine was costly and
unwieldy to purchase.
A citizen asked if the
applicants would only use the building as a single-family dwelling. The Representative confirmed that they would.
A citizen inquired why
the applicants would not just rent the top floor and put a restaurant space on
the bottom floor. The Representative
responded that the conversion of the bottom floor into a restaurant would require
major renovations including a large bathroom and handicap-accessible
facilities, which would be very costly.
A citizen asked when the
construction would take place. The
Representative answered that, assuming the Zoning Board approves the
conversion, the Building Department already had the plans and should take about
20 days to be approved, after which construction would begin.
A citizen commented that
the residents of 1909 McKean Street did not receive notice of the meeting. Mr. Curran acknowledged that Mr. McMillan had
done a brief survey of addresses in the notice range and had discovered that
some had received notice of the meeting from the Applicants while other
residences had not. This was attributed
to a misunderstanding on the part of the Applicants.
A citizen asked if there
would be and major construction or demolition, expressing concern for children
that play in the neighborhood. The
Representative stated that there would not be major construction, such as
demolition of exterior walls. They will
go through the Streets Department to do some work around the exterior of the
premises, but would likely put siding on the exterior walls and would not tear
down any walls.
No further questions or
pertinent comments being forthcoming, ballots were cast by eligible members of
the public present on whether to support, oppose, or remain neutral regarding
the Applicant’s application. The results
of the public vote were three supporting, one neutral, and none opposed. No further business
being required, Mr. Curran adjourned the meeting. After the meeting, the results of the
Committee vote were all three supporting.
__________________________
James McMillan,
Secretary
West Passyunk Neighbors
Association
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