Board approves expansion of Saint John Street family childcare to group home, conditions parking drawings

The Zoning Hearing Board approved a special exception for Paulino Segundo Tejada to expand a family childcare at 118 Saint John Street into a group childcare home, but required the applicant to provide a scaled drawing showing three code‑compliant off‑street parking spaces and to surface those spaces as required by the zoning office.

Paulino Segundo Tejada testified that he and his wife operate a family childcare at the residence and have operated since February 2021. Tejada said the property currently has two paved parking spaces in the rear and additional unpaved space; he told the board he applied for and received a crossover (curb‑cut) permit from the Bureau of Engineering on Feb. 24 to extend the rear parking area by about 8 feet.

Zoning staff cautioned that, although the crossover permit increases the likelihood the lot can accommodate three spaces, the city’s record lacked a definitive sketch showing whether those three spaces would meet dimensional requirements; staff suggested conditioning any approval on providing a scaled drawing and surfacing the spaces so the zoning office could confirm compliance. Staff also noted the special‑exception criteria require that the home be a single‑household dwelling and that the applicant hold appropriate licensing and staff levels for the expanded operation.

Tejada told the board expansion to a group home would add one outside employee (in addition to his wife) and that operating hours would remain Monday–Friday, roughly 6 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Board members said they saw no evidence of negative impacts and that the lot’s rear width (measured at about 29.5 feet in the record) could accommodate three 8–8.5‑foot parking spaces across the rear. A board member moved to approve the special exception subject to the applicant providing the required licensing/permits and a scale drawing to show the additional three code‑compliant parking spaces (and surfacing them as required); the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote.

The board’s approval is conditioned: the applicant must submit the scaled drawing and obtain any necessary permits and authorizations from the zoning office before proceeding with physical work; the board advised the applicant to present the plan to staff before undertaking paving to prevent rework.