10/14 Zoning Committee Meeting

Virtual meeting (via zoom, details below) at 8pm

UPDATE:

The Zoning Committee Meeting was held October 14th beginning at 8pm. The meeting opened with 5027 Spruce Street. There were approximately 10 members of the public in attendance. After the presentation from the applicant, questions from the committee, and comment from members of the public, the committee conducted a poll. Following the public poll, the Zoning committee held a closed session for discussion of the application and conducted a committee poll. In keeping with former practice, votes from the members of the public and members of the committee are kept private, ensuring that people feel comfortable voting in a public setting alongside their neighbors, friends, landlords, etc.

The polls were conducted asking people to respond, do you support, oppose, or not oppose the project and the two variances as requested, which are for a multi family use in a single family zoning district, and for provision of no parking where one space is required per unit.

The results of the two polls are

Public Poll - 6 support, 1 oppose, 2 abstain

Committee poll - 10 support, 1 oppose

These results will be summarized for the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) in our letter. The ZBA is responsible for making all final determinations for zoning variance requests.

As always, if you are interested in receiving email updates from the Zoning Committee, or are interested in joining, please email Zoning@GardenCourtCA.org

The original post continues below:

This month, we have one variance case (meaning the proposal does not comply with the zoning code and needs relief from the Zoning Board of Adjustment) before us - 5027 Spruce Street.

Proposal/Variance summary: This proposal requires two variances from the ZBA: 1. Multi-family housing in RSA-3, a single family zoning district; 2. Providing no parking in RSA-3, a district requiring one parking space per residential unit. This project does not involve any new construction. 5027 Spruce Street was a vacant lot prior to construction in 2016. In 2014, the owner received relief from the ZBA to build a 4-story building, with one 2-bedroom unit on each floor and no parking provided - the 2014 zoning permit is linked here. The applicant is now seeking to add a fifth apartment - a studio in the basement level; no parking is being proposed.

Meeting process: The applicant was required to notify neighbors of this meeting, per rules established by the city of Philadelphia; Garden Court Community Association voluntarily supplemented this notice by posting these details on our website, emailing our distribution list, and distributing flyers. The applicant will present their proposal. Members of the GCCA zoning committee and the public, at large, will have the opportunity to make comment and ask questions. After this period, we will poll present members of the public, asking if they support, oppose, or don't oppose the project as proposed. GCCA will, in closed session following the meeting, discuss and vote whether to support, oppose, or note oppose the project, including any conditions - the result of that vote will be posted here by the following day. Meeting summary, including the results of the community poll and committee vote will be provided to the ZBA. ZBA will hear the case on a date to be determined.

Reminder: GCCA Zoning holds the community meeting required of the applicant and may take a position, but the ZBA makes all final decisions regarding variances. GCCA's position considers the collective interests of all current and future neighbors and takes into account trade-offs between equally valid individual interests, but is non-binding on the ZBA.

Agenda for the Whole Meeting:

• Presentation: 5027 Spruce Street

• Report: by-right permits granted this month

• Report: any status updates for ongoing projects of significance

• Public Comment

• Committee Closed Session

Details for Joining the Meeting:

Time:  Oct 14, 2020 08:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Direct Link: https://upenn.zoom.us/j/99832947031?pwd=L3NjV25jcEpZemN6aFJERUlmYTREdz09 or dial in to: +1-646-558-8656 or +1-301-715-8592 additional numbers at: https://upenn.zoom.us/u/ahHOJpCyM Meeting ID: 998 3294 7031 / Passcode: 5027Spruce

Public participants will need to "raise their hand" to be un-muted and ask questions or make comment. GCCA Zoning's regular rules of decorum will apply.