NLNA BOARD OF DIRECTORS MINUTES Meeting of July 7, 2014

 PRESENT: Matt Ruben, President; Don Phillips, Vice-President; Steve Richman, Treasurer; Janet Finegar, Secretary; Michael Coyne; Larry Freedman; Monika Kreidie; Dolores Lyons; Katrina Mansfield; Sharon Richman; Chris Somers; Anne Waginger; Logan Welde.The meeting was called to order by the President at 7:04 p.m.Motion: By Steve Richman, seconded by Katrina Mansfield:“To approve the minutes of the May Board meeting.” Passed 11-0-1President’s Report: Matt Ruben: written report attached and reviewed.There was a discussion about numerous recent complaints about trash at Liberties Walk and problems with management at both the Walk and the Piazza. Several suggestions were made about actions to take, both to resolve the trash problems and also to improve the situation for commerce in Northern Liberties.Motion: By Don Phillips, seconded by Steve Richman:“That the President of the NLNA write a letter to the governing body of the Piazza/Liberties Walk regarding trash and other issues at the properties and monitor the progress of resolving the issues over the next four weeks before taking significant further action.” Passed 12-0-0The question of revising the bylaws to allow for fewer general meetings and to loosen requirements for Board membership was raised. Suggestions were made that a Bylaws Committee be convened to draft recommended changes to the bylaws that will include reducing required general meetings to a quarterly schedule and eliminating requirements for Board membership other than being a registered NLNA voter. It was also suggested that the Committee consider ways to allow electronic voting. It was also suggested that, during elections, we should emphasize the NLNA's expectations for Board members' service.New BusinessA representative for Quality Park approached Larry to pursue the idea of establishing a neighborhood valet zone on 2^nd Street. His letter outlining the proposal is attached. The permit for the valet parking would be held by the NLNA; a system under this model is being used by Passyunk (possibly owned by the Business Improvement District or possibly the civic association). Larry proposed using a Zoning Committee meeting to vet the idea with neighbors. It was agreed that before that presentation we should talk with the neighborhood entity running this system in Passyunk to see how this is working for them and investigate the legal and tax ramifications of such a deal.Logan reported that his acquaintance, who is a third-party credit card processor, has offered to donate to the NLNA 10% of his profits from any Northern Liberties business who joins him as a client. It was agreed that Matt would meet with him to discuss the offer, and it was further asked if it might be possible for him to donate the use of a credit card machine for the June 14 Music Fest.Kat reported that a brochure for Project Clean Streets was made up last year and mailed out, but that there was very little response to the brochure because of the intervening winter and annual appeal. (The brochure is for businesses to make donations to Project Clean Streets that will be promoted through the www.nlna.org website.)

• She provided talking points to the Board to use when approaching businesses for donations for the Project. She also provided a list of businesses to be contacted and asked for volunteers to: a) make the contacts b) organize the effort.
• It was agreed that while it was fine to promote Project Clean Streets to residents, this appeal is to be directed to businesses, since residents' donations come through the annual appeal.Monika volunteered to organize the list as a Google doc and urged every Board member to contact four businesses by September and note on the Google doc who she has contacted.

Anne noted that there is a Meet-and-Greet on June 19^th at the Community Center and that all board members who can should attend.Treasurer's Report: Steve Richman: written report attached and reviewed.Motion: By Janet Finegar, seconded by Monika Kreidie.“To accept the Treasurer's report as presented.” Passed 12-0-0Clean and Green Committee Report Logan Welde: Logan reported that he attended the Better Blocks meeting run by the Pennsylvania Environmental Council, which involved a proposal to make a bike lane along the center lane of Spring Garden Street, with trees, safety barriers, and greening to the sidewalks as well. In order to publicize the effort, they hope to convert a block of Spring Garden to demonstrate what the improved street will look like. Logan also reported that he has “circular-free” stickers available for residents, and that the Clean and Green committee is hoping to distribute them as a way to publicize Project Clean Streets in the neighborhood.Election CommitteeMonika Kreidie: Nominations for the two open board seats were taken at the May general meeting. Sasi Judd and Jennifer Baker accepted their nominations. Their statements will be distributed soon and a special election held at the June general meeting. Liberty Lands Committee Report: Janet Finegar: written report attached and reviewed.Zoning Committee Report: Larry Freedman; written report attached and reviewed. Motion: By Steve Richman, seconded by Anne Waginger. “To approve the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 838 N. American St., i.e.: 'Thank you for your presentation. This particular property represents an important part of Northern Liberties, and as such, we cannot consider this lightly. While we appreciate the variation in the facades, we do not support the project with 100% residential use particularly in light of the recent “N3RD Street” designation in this area. Please return with a new design that clearly accommodates commercial, light industrial, artists’ live/work space, retail, businesses, etc. along Poplar Street and 3^rd Street, particularly those buildings in close proximity to Ortlieb’s which will face a problem with bar patrons. We would also be happy to see a combination of houses and apartments.'” Passed 12-0-0 Motion: By Monika Kreidie, seconded by Chris Somers. “To approve the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 420 Fairmount Ave., i.e.: 'Thank you for your presentation. Please extend the commercial space to include units 1 & 2 as well as the currently proposed space. All balconies should not exceed an 18” depth. A letter of support will be issued after returning to the UDC with responses to their issues.'” Passed 11-0-1 Motion: By Steve Richman, seconded by Janet Finegar. “To approve the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 600 N. 4th Street, i.e.: 'Please go to the UDC to discuss the use of color and materials to individualize these single family homes. The Zoning Committee will need to see a redesign for the homes on Wallace Street which would include kitchen, dining and living space on the 1^st floor, even if this means losing some parking or having one less unit. Please discuss this at the UDC too.'” Passed 12-0-0Motion: By Steve Richman, seconded by Katrina Mansfield. “To approve the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 1036 N. 4th St., i.e.: 'We support the project as presented at the May 19, 2014 zoning meeting. A letter of support will be issued when we received signed and dated plans and a copy of the refusal.'” Passed 12-0-0Motion: By Monika Kreidie, seconded by Janet Finegar. “To approve the recommendations of the Zoning Committee in the matter of 823-25 N. Lawrence St. (to Leithgow), i.e.: 'Please return to the Zoning Committee with a redesigned basement unit to increase the light and air without infringing on the sidewalk.'” Passed 12-0-0Old BusinessDon reported that the Spring Music Festival will be on June 14 and that volunteers are needed to set up, clean up, and handle cash and carding.Chris noted that the 2^nd Street Festival will be on August 3^nd and many volunteers will be needed for that as well.Monika asked whether the survey about the NLNA's mission would be sent out. It was agreed that it would be.Katrina reminded the board that the planned fundraiser at Waterfront Square has been postponed indefinitely.The meeting was adjourned by acclaim at 8:55 p.m.Addenda:

President’s Report, June 2014

  1. PLANNING, DEVELOPMENT, AND POLICY

• Businesses – No update.
• Piazza/Liberties Walk – The third General Manager is gone; we are now on the fourth. We are currently working on trash/garbage issues, among other things. We’ll discuss at the board meeting.

2. EVENTS AND OUTREACH

• General Membership Meetings – The May meeting saw larger attendance than April, but still was sparsely attended. I would like to continue our discussion from last month about changing the schedule of meetings, the rules for board eligibility, and so on.

3. COMMUNICATION AND PUBLICITY

• Email List – No update.
• Twitter – No update.
• Instagram – No update.
• Web Forums/Discussion Board – The transfer is complete. Thanks to Don, Steve, Katrina, and Chris for their work on this.

4. OTHER ITEMS

• Board Polls – Ratification of any online or online board polls since last month’s board meeting.

TREASURER’S REPORT – JUNE 2014

  A. 2013-14 Budget: May Financials - tables attached

• For the eight months ended on May 31st income was $93,252; this was $13,035 more than projected. Expenses totaled $77,938, which was $2,092 less than anticipated. Net income was $15,314 -- $15,127 more than projected.

◦     It is important to note that about $5,100 of this amount is due to lower than anticipated spending for property taxes ($876 spent vs. $6,000 budgeted). Depending upon the final outcome of our appeal we may yet have to pay the full amount. More likely, however, based on our success in the first level review, our tax bill for 2014 will be around $3,400; this would be a budgeted savings of $2,600. ◦     Another $3,000 of the positive balance is attributable to receipt of an unanticipated $3,500 grant from PTSSD. ◦     Finally, about $4,000 of the positive balance is from fundraising activities (and slightly lower than assumed expenses) for project Clean Streets. Both the PTSSD and Clean Streets funds are restricted.

• Income from our Annual Appeal has now surpassed budgeted expectations. The total amount received is $13,805 vs. the budgeted estimate of $12,000. On the other hand, Operation Santa fundraising fell well short of expectations -- $720 received vs. $2,500 budgeted. Taken together, we collected $14,525 vs. a budgeted amount of $14,500.
• Income from Individual Donations has now exceeded budgeted estimates – by almost $1,500. This is entirely attributable to the receipt of almost $3,100 from the United Way in April.
• Net income from the Plant Sale totaled about $3,400. This was $400 higher than budgeted for this event.
• Our recycling initiatives have been very successful. To date we have collected $1,530, slightly more than the budgeted amount for the entire year. Similarly, we have already received $4,540 for Project Clean Streets, which is $2,500 more than the annual budgeted amount. In February we received $1,500 for Project Clean Streets from Waterfront Square and in March the Variety Show generated $1,875 for Project Clean Streets.
• Other significant variations from budgeted projections through May were:

1. Income: +$1,900 from the Fall Fest; +$1,550 from community center rentals; -$1,000 from candy sales.
2.  Expenses: +$3,800 for communications -- $3,500 of which was for the purchase of the northernliberties.org website; +$1,000 for equipment, largely from the purchases of a water heater and DVR; -$2,870 for administrative support; -$1,865 for program expenses (Madison Park, Clean Streets, tree planting).

Liberty Lands Board Report    June 2014

• Sunday there was a concert/memorial/benefit for Antonio, the neighbor and long time cook at Johnny Brenda's, who was killed on his bicycle at 2nd Street. Although the music was loud and some neighbors were bothered, it seems essential that the park is available for this kind of community need. Antonio's family and friends were very happy with the memorial and JB's raised $5,800 for the family in the course of the day, so on the whole it was a success.
• We are going to put in a bollard at the north-east corner, where it looks a whole lot like a driveway into the park, to keep it from being used that way. Several recent events have driven into the park through that access, and it's a serious safety hazard.
• We've evaluated the damage to the stage, and it looks like it's more a matter of rot from accumulated water and debris than termites. It does not seem to extend beyond the area right around the faceplates, so it looks like repair can be done without complete rebuilding. Seth has a plan that will fix the design flaw that lets water and debris accumulate, and while the top is off the stage and the faceplates are being replaced, we'll replace and fix the outlets, which have never worked properly or reliably. The new design will cover the outlets with metal doors so that they're not so visible and the stupid plastic boxes – which break immediately – aren't used. We are asking for funding from PTSSD for this, and also to build a shed to hide and protect the electrical panel.
• Also about the PTSSD grant – we are not going to ask for the water fountain as originally planned because of complications with messing with our water line. We will probably ask for a major grant in another cycle to upgrade the whole water system. We are asking for money for the stage repairs  including fixing the electrical system, new benches, and a number of small repairs and improvements around the park. The grant also asks for money for cleanup around Northern Liberties and Liberty Lands – dog poop bag stations, new public trash cans, and designing recycling bins with lids.
• The early May workday at the park was quite successful, although didn't have the huge turnout of some of our workdays, probably because of the weather. Many jobs around the park were done.
• The off-leash dog issue maintains a low hum: an off leash Great Dane known around the neighborhood for other negligence by his owner jumped on and frightened, although only mildly injured, two teen boys last week.
• Jen's been drumming the gardeners into shape to make sure weeding and maintaining plots (and doing required park work hours) happens better this year. Several plots have changed hands.
• Jim Brossy, our “honey-do” employee, is working out beautifully. We are delighted to be able to have small things get fixed more quickly than volunteers could ever get to them! He's also a great help with the City Harvest plots, which donate fresh produce to Bebashi (a local soup kitchen).
• The rubber mulch is starting to disappear: it's now listed on Craigslist as a curb alert, so people are taking a little at a time and getting it gone. Hurrah.
• There will be a First Friday art installation at the park on Friday, and the Spring Music festival will be next week (the 14th of June). Movies start on the 28th – they will be on Saturdays this year.
• After some delays in literally getting the mower out of storage, the park got mowed this week and looks much better. We really are going to try to mow more often this year.
• Lots of parties, Soccer Shots, yoga and other exercise classes on the stage, Weeder's Club still meeting weekly, tons of people just using the park. It's summer!

ZONING COMMITTEE MEETING    Monday 5/19/14

ZONING COMMITTEE MEETING – Monday 6/30/14Members present: Larry Freedman (chair), Charlie Abdo, Anthony Bottenfield, Beth Emig, Kyle Koenig, Melissa Magness, Joe Mikuliak, Sharon Richman, Michael Simons, Ira UpinMembers absent: Ken Grono, Chris Issacson, Tim McDonald, Jonathan Sher823-25 N. Lawrence St. (to Leithgow) – ICMX – Nino Cutrafello: A return visit with a proposal for 2 duplexes.[ February Motion (Joe) - 2nd (?): Vote 9-0]Thank you for your presentation. We want to have homes that have “eyes” on the street and adds parking spaces not removes them. Please return with plans for housing with doors and windows on the first floor of Lawrence, 30% open space, and 1:1 parking that is entered from Leithgow.  Please maintain the 38’ height.[March Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Jon): Vote 4-2-1]Thank you for your presentation.  Our motion is to reaffirm the previous motion. We want to have homes that have "eyes" on the street and add parking spaces. Please return with plans for housing with living space on the first floor of Lawrence St, 30% open space and 1:1 parking that is entered from Leithgow. Please maintain 38' maximum height.[April Motion (Mike) - 2nd (Joe): Vote 8-0-1Thank you for eliminating the garages on Lawrence Street.  Please return with a redesign that: provides for 30% open space for all houses, even if it means that there are fewer units. Also, reduce the projection of the bump out to no more than 9” on Lawrence Street.][May Motion (Joe/Mike) - 2nd (Tim): Vote 9-0]Please return to the Zoning Committee with a redesigned basement unit to increase the light and air without infringing on the sidewalk. The window well will be 7’ wide and 3’ deep. It will be finished with wood and stone accent and not the typical metal wall.  The top of the well will be covered with a translucent material that can be popped up for egress.Discussion: There was concern regarding the additional steps out onto the sidewalk if the basement floor was raised.  Neighbors adjacent to the project asked questions about the maintaining the integrity of their foundations during excavation.Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Mike): Vote 9-0 —Thank you for your presentation. We support the project as presented.  A letter of support will be issued after the Zoning Chair receives a copy of the signed and dated plans as presented to the ZBA, a copy of the refusal and a list of the materials called out.1142 O’Neil Street – Chris Sincavage – RSA5: A proposal for a single-family dwelling (short on open space).This is a 3 bed/2.5 bath home that is 36’ high with a roof deck on the back of the house.  The roof top storage area on the front of the house has an oddly sloped roof.  There is a rear cantilevered area off the second floor which triggered the open space refusal. Dark brick is proposed.Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Ira): Vote 9-0—Thank you for your presentation.  Please go to the UDC with more complete sectional drawings that clearly show the detail of the cantilevered area and the slope of the 4^th floor roof line.  Also provide a complete list/explanation of all proposed façade and roof materials and colors, as well as a photo of the house that clearly shows it in context with the adjacent homes.  A letter of support will be issued after receiving the UDC recommendation. 420 Poplar (lot behind Poplar through to Lawrence) – Rodney Allen: A proposal for a single-family dwelling with off street parking (lot size/rear yard refusal).A 4-story 3 bed/2.5 bath house with a garage is proposed.  The height is 42’ (8’ in basement, 10’ for each of the other floors.  The adjacent house is 38’ high.  An 11’ wide bay extends 1’10” over the sidewalk on floors 2-4. The front of the house is actually on Lawrence Street. No drawings were brought that shows this house in context with neighboring houses.  The façade would be brick on the front and stucco on the back.Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Ira): Vote 9-0—Thank you for your presentation.  Please return with plans for a building that is not more than 38’ high with no off-street parking and a redesign that has 1^st floor living space with “eyes on the street”.  Also provide a façade drawing that shows this building in context with surrounding buildings and an explanation of the materials and colors for the façade. 460-74 N. 2^nd Street – Robert Palladino – I2:  Proposal for a day care center with accessory food preparation and service in the same building as an existing social Club.The day care would be located on the second floor of a “club” that operates on Friday and Saturday nights (usually gearing up at 2 a.m.) and sometimes on Thursday nights.  The daycare would be moving from a spot next to Union Transfer. Currently the daycare facility operates 24 hours/day, but is considering only operating Monday-Friday from 6 a.m. – 2 a.m.  They are licensed for a maximum 108 children with 21 employees. There is a refusal for use.Motion (Larry) - 2nd (Anthony): Vote 9-0    Thank you for your presentation.  We support this use, however we have some concerns.  There should be a separate entrance for the daycare that does not conflict with the Club entrance and its line of patrons waiting for entrance.  There should also be adequate soundproofing to prevent noise and vibration from escaping into the daycare facility.  Daycare operation hours will be from 6 a.m. – 2 a.m., Monday through Friday. At least 10 spaces will always be available for employee parking and adequate off-street spots will be available for parent parking while picking up children. Valet Service – Lavi Shenkman – NW corner of 2^nd and Brown:  No zoning required.  This is a proposal for a valet service, with a trial station at the NW corner of 2^nd and Brown, to handle cars coming into the neighborhood destined for restaurants, etc.  The service proposes to alleviate those cars from taking spots on the street and to encourage potential patrons to shop and eat here.  There will be lots for the valet cars to park.Quality Park would be the valet provider.  (They provide valet service for North Bowl and Amada.)  They would start with one pick-up zone at 2^nd and Brown with the potential to increase to 2 or 3 pick-up zones if this project is successful. A  pick-up “zone” would be identified by a sign and uniformed attendants with an umbrella over a podium.The business plan is to divide the cost of the annual permit ($2500) between the local businesses that would benefit from this service.  Patrons of those businesses would pay a reduced or discounted parking price.  Because more than one specific business is using the valet service, the NLNA would have to “hold” the permit. According to Lavi Shenkman, “NLNA would be fully insured by Quality Park”.Additional costs include $1700 for start-up (uniforms, podium, tickets, etc.), $234 + $186/month for required insurance, $71/month for workers compensation, as well as tax in the amount of 20% of gross receipts.Mark Squilla supports the project here as well as in the Passyunk restaurant area where valet service has been successful.Discussion: There is concern about the constant running of attendants running up and down streets to the parking lots.  There was also concern about safeguarding our legal and financial responsibilities. A trial period of one year is suggested to accurately assess usage during every season.Motion (Group): Vote 9-0   Thank you for your presentation.  We are interested in this project, but require more information before we proceed.  Please return with specific information regarding logistics (e.g., parking lot locations, actual pick-up zone location, local business involvement, start-up date.) ZONING COMMITTEE MEETING – Tuesday 7/1/14Members present: Larry Freedman (chair), Charlie Abdo, Anthony Bottenfield, Ken Grono, Chris Issacson, Joe Mikuliak, Sharon Richman, Ira UpinMembers absent: Beth Emig, Kyle Koenig, Melissa Magness, Tim McDonald, Jonathan Sher, Michael Simons600 N. 4^th Street – ICMX – Kevin O’Neil:  A return visit.  Last proposal was for (10) single-family dwellings – revisions to Wallace Street.[February Motion (Sharon) - 2nd (Jon): Vote 9-0]     Thank you for your presentation.  Please return to the Zoning committee with a detailed design for single family homes that are more compliant with all residential (RSA5) zoning requirements (e.g. height, open space, etc.).  Please include plans with room dimensions and photos of nearby buildings in context with this project.[April Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Ken): Vote 9-0]    We have seen 2 versions of 10 tall houses on this industrial lot and they do not meet the residential requirements of rear yard, open space, height or lot size.  This property may be able to be developed with fewer homes that more closely meet residential zoning requirements.  At this time, the present ICMX zoning presents no hardship and is more preferable to neighbors than the 10 homes proposed.[May Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Mike): Vote 11-0]    Please go to the UDC to discuss the use of color and materials to individualize these single family homes.  The Zoning Committee will need to see a redesign for the homes on Wallace Street which would include kitchen, dining and living space on the 1st floor even if this means losing some parking or having one less unit.  Please discuss this at the UDC too. The following changes were made to the project based on the previous ZC meeting:

• - living space was doubled on 1^st floor on Wallace Street;
• - more glass was added in the living space;
• - 1 of the 2 garage parking spaces of the end units was deleted;
• - garage doors were pushed back 2½ feet to improve turning radius;
• - white band on façade was changed to a bronze color;
• - a gate on Wallace was added to Unit G to allow for pedestrian traffic for Units G & H;
• - another pedestrian gate was added to Green Street.

The following changes were made to the project based on UDC recommendations:

• - metal siding will no longer extend down to the sidewalk (brick will replace several feet at the sidewalk level);
• - one of the two lights next to each doorway was removed;
• - canister lighting will shine up and down the columns;
• - utility boxes will be hidden behind a metal gate;
• - they agreed to replace the Belgian blocks back onto Wallace Street if they are removed for utilities or construction purposes.

The Streets Department approved everything as presented (curb cuts, steps, plantings, courtyard, etc.).Other Items:

• - interior courtyard will be brick and wood with metal and stucco above ground level;
• - ground level planting at 4^th and Green Streets will be removed as requested;
• - they will try to get a variance for an 8’ high fence instead of the 6’ allowed by zoning rules;
• - entire project will be built at once and not staged;
• - Wallace Street will only be closed for utility work;
• - all units will be owner occupied and not rented;
• - they agreed to sign an informal agreement with NLNA to patch and re-patch Green Street holes as needed when utility work is done until the permanent repair is completed by the Streets Department;
• - a steel gate on the drive aisle will slide to the side - a swinging gate will be used for pedestrians; and,
• - garage doors will have frosted glass.

Motion (Ira) - 2nd (Kenny): Vote 6-0-1    Thank you for your presentation.  We accept the project as presented with the following provisos:

• - all Belgian block will be replaced if removed for street work;
• - the same materials used for the exterior facades will be repeated on the interior courtyard façade.

 413 Green Street – ICMX – Kevin O’Neil:  A proposal for 10 single-family dwellings.Four houses are on Green (3 standard homes and 1 carriage house) and 6 on Wallace.  The entrance to the interior courtyard parking is on Green under the carriage house. The houses are 38’ high, 16’ – 18’ wide, 45’ long, with 3 beds/2 ½ baths, and a partially finished basement.  The homes on Wallace have a carport under a 2^nd story deck.  There is also a roof deck with pilot houses.  The entrances on Green have 5 stairs to the front door which extend 4’ onto the sidewalk.  On Wallace Street the sidewalks are 4.9’.  Façades will be cast stone, brick and wood.  The gate entry to the parking needs to be addressed.  Their ZBA hearing is scheduled for August 6.  This project has a use refusal as well as a street tree refusal on Wallace.Discussion: Six houses on Wallace are too dense on such a small street.  Five houses would be better with no garage and 1:1 parking. Roof decks should be eliminated.  Neighbors preferred a more traditional row house design and materials than those presented.Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Ira): Vote 7-0    Thank you for your presentation.  Please return with detailed plans that include measurements for:

• -  4 homes on Green and only 5 homes on Wallace with a more traditional row home design and materials;
• -  1:1 parking in the interior with no garages;
• -  no roof top decks (no pilot houses);
• -  a plan for hiding utility meters; and,
• -  a swinging gate to the parking entrance.

Additionally we will need to see façade drawings from all directions with all dimensions clearly marked.  The drawings should be in context with adjacent structures.  Please also provide 11”x17” copies of these documents for all committee members.  708-12 N. American & 701-05 N. Bodine St. – RSA5 – Michael Armstrong:  A proposal for a 3 single-family dwellings and 3 condo units.Condo units are proposed for the American Street side.  They wanted ZC and neighbor input for the plan.  This lot has an existing 20’ wide curb cut.  One option involved saving the structure on American Street.  The residences are for sale, not rent.Discussion: A neighbor on Bodine Street thought that because the street was very narrow, a 38’ high structure was not desirable.  The buildings on either side of the proposed project on Bodine are different heights.  Neighbors preferred a more traditional look that “fits” the street for any new construction.  Two options were proposed.  Group discussions developed a third option.Motion (Ira) - 2nd (Joe): Vote 7-0    Thank you for your presentation.  Please provide drawings of the interiors that include dimensions and copies for all zoning committee members.

• - Keep the house on American and rehab it.
• - Have 3 condo units over parking on American Street.
• - Have 3 houses on Bodine which are set back to match 707 and 709; max height of 35’.
• - If there is a roof deck, it should be set back 8’ from the street.
• - The façade should be traditional brick in a traditional color like surrounding houses.

 1019 N. Randolph St. – RSA5 – Eugene Sawicky:  A proposal for a single-family dwelling with street side garage.The existing empty lot is 17.5’ x 72’.  The house is 17’ x 50’.  There is a garage in the front.  (No curb parking is permitted on that side of the street.) The house façade is brick with stucco in the rear.  There is a roof deck with pilot house on the top of the house, a deck off the rear of the 2^nd floor and a backyard (that covers 33%).  The height to the cornice is 28’6” and the top of the pilot house is 38’.  There are two steps to the front door.  There are no “eyes” on the street.Discussion: The neighbors did not object to the garage.Motion (Joe) - 2nd (Chris): Vote 6-0    Thank you for your presentation.  Please return with a plan that shows utility meter location and how it will be concealed; glass in the garage door and more glass in the front to have “eyes” on the street; color and façade drawings for the front and back of the house.  Also bring copies of your plan for the Zoning Committee members, a copy of the refusal for the garage, and the architect to answer questions. 931 N. Hancock St. – RM1 – Alex Duller:  Previously approved as part of a project with 938 New Market.  Now being proposed for just the Hancock Street side with 5 residential units.CANCELLED. 

New Business

May 19, 2014To:                  Larry Friedman and the Northern Liberties Neighborhood Association (NLNA)Subject:         Proposal for Neighborhood Centralized Valet ZoneDear Mr. Friedman and the NLNA:Quality Park Management is pleased to provide this summary overview for a proposed Northern Liberties centralized valet parking zone. We feel strongly that this will benefit the Northern Liberties neighborhood and community in many ways, and hope that our ideas and thoughts below will serve as a starting point for its’ creation.In this proposal we will present several variables for the NLNA and the community to consider.  Included will be the benefits to the neighborhood, potential locations for the valet zone, potential parking lots, costs and more.The principal owner of Quality Park Management, Lavi Shenkman has been living and working in the Northern Liberties community for the past eight years.  Additionally, Quality Park has been managing valet parking at North Bowl for just over one year.  Through our companies collective experiences in Northern Liberties over the past decade we have experienced first-hand the parking challenges which afflict residences, businesses and visitors to the neighborhood alike.  Night after night the same scenario plays out at North Bowl when events are staffed - the same cars pass by multiple times, circling the block looking for a parking space.  Eventually they ask how much for valet parking, but unfortunately we can only accept cars for the event and destination for which we are hired.  Parking patrons then have no choice but to park blocks away from their destination on residential side streets and oftentimes in poorly lit, unsafe areas under I-95.  This scenario causes different problems for everyone in the neighborhood.

1. Residents whom do not have off-street parking are negatively impacted.  You can only imagine that if potential business patrons are circling over and over, then the resident that works until 11 pm on Saturday night is probably doing the same thing.  The constant hunting for parking spots causes traffic congestion and leaves residences with less appealing parking options further from their homes, especially on the weekends.  A centralized valet zone will help to divert visitors’ vehicles to designated parking lots and free up more on-street parking spaces for the residents who need them.
2. Business owners are negatively impacted by the situation as well.  Every time a “driving” visitor to the neighborhood experiences difficulty finding parking, it is factored into their equation for choosing a neighborhood destination going forward.  Neighborhood businesses will only benefit from visitors’ having more convenient parking options, as they will not have to worry about losing potential customers who decide to frequent other neighborhoods where parking is not as challenging.  As a side note, many businesses would love to have their very own valet zones but cannot justify the expense.  A centralized zone will solve this problem.
3. Finally you have the customers themselves.  They want to enjoy the neighborhood but the parking factor can be a major deterrent for reasons of safety and convenience.  Northern Liberties has so much to offer visitors from other parts of the city and beyond.  We need a parking plan that supports all of the work that has gone into creating a destination neighborhood.

We believe that a centralized valet zone would catch on quickly with neighborhood visitors.  They will spend less time searching for parking and more time frequenting our businesses.  It will translate into more on-street parking spaces for residents on our side streets away from Second St.  Neighborhood businesses will be able to assist in promoting the new valet zone, and will likely see an increase in business from driving patrons, especially on weekends and evenings. And lastly, convenient parking will benefit neighborhood visitors and ultimately lead to an increase in repeat business.We have identified several locations on North 2^nd Street which may be suitable for a central valet zone.  In selecting a valet zone, primary consideration must be given to the safety of the customers and the valet attendants during the transaction, as well as traffic concerns.   We also looked for central locations that would not eliminate any existing on-street parking spaces in the neighborhood.  It should be centralized so that it benefits as many of the businesses as possible.    Here are some possible locations:

• 800 N. 2^nd Street, directly in front of Rita’s Water Ice.  There is a “no parking” zone in front, so no additional spaces would need to be eliminated.  This location allows the valet’s to service two cars at a time while being safely off the street and should have minimal to no impact on traffic.  It also serves as a safe, central location in the commercial section of the neighborhood.

• 193 Brown Street, would require additional signage so patrons would know to turn left onto Brown where the valet stand would be.  The largest drawback to this location is that it would result in a loss of two public parking places.

• There are certainly other locations on North 2^nd street and in other parts of the neighborhood which can be explored.  Ideally the NLNA would play a significant role in identifying strategic valet zone locations.

We have also identified several parking lot locations for valet cars and would have to follow up with parking lot owners to explore further:

• 100 W. Allen St, next to the Immaculate Conception Roman Catholic Church.

• 67 E. Laurel St, where Laurel intersects with Front St.

• 624 N. Beach St, which intersects with Fairmount Avenue next to the Lukoil gas station.

All of these locations are just a few blocks from the proposed valet zone and potentially available, pending further discussions with their respective owners.Based on our observations, parking challenges are the greatest on Fridays and Saturdays.  We think Friday and Saturday evenings should be the initial focus for a valet zone.  We would propose operating both nights from 5:00pm to 1:00am, priced at a competitive rate of $18.  We believe this rate is low enough to attract patrons while allowing enough room to cover related expenses.There are numerous expenses related to the valet operation.  One of the biggest ones will be the valet zones annual fee to the PPA.  The proposed zone will be in the Delaware Avenue Entertainment District and cost $2,500 annually per space, or $5,000 a year for the two spaces required.  Additional costs include insurance, signage, the valet stand, supplies, parking lot fees and payroll.  A budget can be developed relatively quickly.There are many short- and long-term benefits to the neighborhood from having a centralized valet zone.  Whether you live here, own a business here or just like to come and hang out, it is easy to see that the current parking predicament requires an outside-of-the-box solution.  A valet station will not eliminate the parking challenges but will help greatly.  And if done right, it will also make for a unique amenity to make Northern Liberties an even more appealing place to live and play.  We look forward to your feedback and welcome the opportunity to discuss this in a more collaborative setting.Kind regards,The Quality Park Management Team