The Mayfair Civic Association reviewed three zoning applications and changed the boundaries of its coverage area during its bimonthly meeting on Nov. 21.
In one zoning case, members voted to allow a residential property owner to convert a garage into a commercial kitchen. The site is at 2000 McKinley St. and had been a topic at two prior MCA meetings in November 2014 and May 2015. In both cases, the civic group approved the applications but the city’s zoning board rejected them.
The owner of the property, Alonzo Coates, told residents that the property is at the end of a row of homes and includes a triplex residence in the front and a 500-square-foot garage at the rear. Bustleton Avenue runs alongside the property.
Coates’ business concept is to convert the space into a modern kitchen that he will rent by the hour to outside caterers, who will prepare food there and ship it for off-site consumption. There would be no consumption or sales on site.
After the zoning board rejected Coates’ last application, he moved the entrance from the rear to the Bustleton Avenue side, added an ADA-compliant ramp and moved all signs from the rear of the property to the Bustleton Avenue side.
MCA members approved the application only on condition that the newly remodeled kitchen cannot be used for any other business purposes, such as on-site food service.
The civic association postponed a vote on a second zoning application in which the owner of an end-of-row duplex at 7907 Fairfield St. wants to create a third rental unit in the basement. During a public comment period, several neighbors complained that the plan would bring too much density to the block, would exasperate a parking shortage and would set a bad precedent for other similar properties in the neighborhood.
Other neighbors complained that the applicant, Jay Ulitsky, did not notify nearby property owners properly in accordance with the zoning code and that he failed to bring photos or schematic drawings to the civic meeting for public review. Ulitsky said he would notify the appropriate neighbors and bring more documentation to the next Mayfair Civic meeting on Jan. 23.
In a third zoning case, the owner of an auto sales lot at 6824 Frankford Ave. wants to legalize on-site auto repair and maintenance. Under the commercial zoning designation, car dealerships are generally not permitted to work on cars.
A zoning hearing in the case is scheduled for Jan. 17, but will likely be postponed so that the neighbors can review the case again and vote on it during the civic association’s Jan. 23 meeting.
In an unrelated agenda item, MCA members voted unanimously to cede a portion of the group’s coverage area to the neighboring Wissinoming Civic Association. Specifically, Mayfair Civic plans to vacate all territory south of Harbison Avenue so that Wissinoming Civic can adopt it, providing the changes conform with the city’s regulations for Registered Community Organizations. ••
