©2006 The Chestnut Hill Local

CHCA requests revocation of Commerce Bank’s permit
By Kristin Pazulski

A week after the city Department of Licenses and Inspections approved Commerce Bank’s zoning permit application, the Chestnut Hill Community Association is requesting that the permit be revoked.

“The CHCA feels the permit was issued inaccurately,” John Capoferri, the community liaison with Commerce, said last week.

In a letter to L&I — signed by the out-going vice president of the physical division, Sanjiv Jain, and President Maxine Dornemann — the CHCA states that it believes that a variance is needed for the new construction. Members of the physical division committee, have also told the Local that they suspect political influence was active in pushing the permit to approval.

The letter questions the permit’s use of “existing bank” for the property’s building because it was previously a Gap. But L&I Zoning Examiner Adam London, who reviewed all of the Commerce Bank applications, told the Local on Monday, May 15, that the words “existing bank” in the permit are accurate. The wording of each permit is based on the most recent permit issued at the time of the review. In the case of the permit issued on May 1, Commerce’s August permit was the most recent issued and so, London said, the property was an existing bank.

Another concern was that the size of the building — which was larger than allowed under the zoning code because the Gap obtained a variance — would remain the same, despite the fact that Commerce demolished part of the structure in the fall, exceeding its permit at the time. However, London said that because of that demolition, Commerce lost the Gap variance and had to either conform to the C-2 zoning code (essentially, re-erect a smaller building) or apply for a permit with a variance.

Commerce’s attempts to reapply for a permit with the larger building use was denied, and its latest permit dictates that it fall within the C-2 zoning.

However, because the bank exceeded the first permit, the CHCA is distrustful of Commerce and wary about the bank staying within the permit’s limits.

Deputy L&I Commissioner Eileen Evans said that a building inspector would monitor the site during construction, as is the normal protocol, and that she was confident the CHCA would be closely monitoring the construction as well.