Zoning board denies 724 Court Street conversion request after neighbor complaints and flood‑zone concerns

The Zoning Hearing Board denied a request from Mohammed Abdullah (dba Bella Wholesale Inc.) to convert a two‑unit building at 724 Court Street into four residential units and an office/storage area.

Abdullah said the property, a large older house on a corner lot, had previously been configured with multiple rooms and that a conversion to additional rental units was necessary. He presented a site plan that, he said, would create four off‑street parking spaces in the rear and described prior demolition and work to the property.

Neighbors and witnesses disputed the applicant’s account and described ongoing code compliance problems, parking pressure caused by multiple work vans and cars at the address, rodent and trash issues, and instances of work without clear permits. One neighbor said rooms upstairs had been rented individually for small fees and that living conditions were poor.

Board members and staff noted additional constraints: the site lies in a mapped flood zone, and the city’s floodplain rules require that substantially improved or rehabilitated residential structures meet elevation standards (raising lowest habitable floor above base flood elevation) or demonstrate compliance through floodplain permitting. The combination of flood‑plain compliance requirements and neighborhood code complaints weighed in the board’s deliberations.

After hearing testimony the board voted 3‑0 to deny the conversion request. The board encouraged neighbors to continue reporting possible unpermitted work to code enforcement through the city’s online system and identified code enforcement as the proper channel for active compliance complaints.