Okay, very good morning to everyone is Wednesday 9th of October a little bit later than normal had a few There's technical issues to deal with but what I'm going to do now is run through all of the major headlines So we've had this morning going from Brexit to the Boris's hopes of this Delivery of a deal or threat of no deal and where we're at with that at the moment and how that's influencing the pound I'm gonna talk a little bit about the trade war still undeniably the main story in town moving global markets Then we can look at Trump an impeachment Jerome Powell a key speech he delivered last night And then we look at the calendar ahead and then Sam will have a quick run through of some levels as well So I'll try and keep this as as brief and concise as possible First off just having a look at the charts this morning. You can see that equity index futures I've managed to just claw back some of the losses following a lower close on Wall Street last night The Dow closed down about 113 points a significant loss that was seen in global indices actually in the last 24 hours and and all of this is derived from the renewed fallout between China in the US and this of course comes ahead of high-level talks About trade which are taking place in Washington starting tomorrow and also on Friday So with that kind of risk-off feel that lower close on Wall Street kind of fed through into the Asia Pacific session Slight about turn to get things underway as Europe has come in But as they say we're just mildly positive now an index stock futures But gold remains elevated albeit at a technically relevant area of resistance Which has held the price action from yesterday and just running into that same level resistance around 1515 And then elsewhere Bottom-right you can see the US 10 year has seen I already put a lips around it from a conversation earlier when I came in here Some exaggerated price movement last night at around hopper 7 PM London time on the back of drone power who did speak and made some significant comments And we're going to that as well. So let's jump straight in with Brexit. Where are we at the moment and? Brexit talks go on hold as leaders focus on pinning blame You probably saw the tweet from the European Commission president yesterday Donald Tusk Basically just direct.  So high criticism this of course comes after Boris told Angela Merkel yesterday That the deal is essentially impossible according to a source Merkel according to other Unidentified people apparently told the Prime Minister that he would have to accept the Northern Ireland would stay in the customs union forever And so Germany which was relatively open it seemed amongst the senior Officials within Europe to potentially looking to Construct some kind of concession or deal has now called a fallen back into line with the European fold And has now distanced themselves from any deal being cut What has this led to well? Few different things. I just want to quickly get up to speed on This is in the Guardian this morning and basically their sources are indicating that basically the EU officials are going to be Discussing and have been at the moment about the EU summit, which is taking place next week on Thursday and Friday. This was supposed to be the key one of which While the initial plans of the government was that a deal was going to be ratified so that then they could you know Push on with proceedings with Brexit But what's actually sources are saying is that the EU are now going to offer an extension to Brexit till the summer of 2020 So as much as I think that that's I don't think we'd get anywhere near that at least in the interim period without some kind of Significant political shake-up. I don't think Boris would survive that long if it was to be drawn out for that extended period But we know what Boris is planning and Boris knew all along from mid September When UK legislation changed with the Ben Bill that it was no way he was going to get no deal done and Brexit was going to get extended and The solution he has for Northern Ireland was never going to get over the line for many different reasons I'll say for a different video. So Brexit is getting delayed as far as I'm concerned And what does that mean? Well? I'm not the only one thinking this and I don't just make these kind of rash judgments of putting my neck on the Line without actually letting the market be my guide and actually if you look at the options market and you're looking at pound dollar One-week risk reversals Basically, you're seeing a large divergence between option positioning and the actual spot price of cable Now we haven't had this type of divergence to this magnitude You can see since August and what happened then after this period of when the options market did this the pound rallied against the dollar 2% and I think that this is exactly the same sort of thing. Well, actually hold on Headlines just come out. Are you ready to make a major concession by allowing a double majority in the Northern Irish Assembly to leave new Irish Backstop after Unspecified number of years the Times has just reported So just seen just putting the pound cable chart here on a one minute. You've just had a pop Just as I've been talking You just had a pop of 50 pips in cable in the last two three minutes So yeah, just to go over this again You ready to make a major concession by allowing a double majority in the Northern Irish Assembly to leave new Irish Backstop After as yet unspecified number of years because before it was a it's a four-year period Again a lot of this I'm not going to pass judgment on what does this mean and my interpretation of it without really reading more into it Because it does get quite complicated, but nonetheless just trade what you see and in that case the pound Accelerating to the upside adding to what already was a bit tone being seen so perhaps then Let's just have a look at the actual times article that's just come out Let me see if I can get it up for you guys now while I'm on the mic One moment This is the article that people have just put out is this one here The EU throws Boris Johnson a lifeline over the Irish backstop Just came out well actually came out nine o'clock But I guess Bloomberg probably snapped the headline which is why you've had such a more violent reaction the last three or four minutes So the Times has learned that the EU is ready to make major concession on Brexit deal by providing a mechanism for the Northern Irish Assembly to leave a new Irish backstop After a set number of years the diplomatic sources closer talk said European governments are prepared to concede a unilateral Revocation of the withdrawal treaty by storm and after a period of time And so on so yeah That's the latest Yeah, we'll see I'll have to have a speak to a couple people about their interpretation on the back of this But one of the things here that I was just going into and just to conclude my conversation here Is that the way of which the markets are sitting at the moment would be indicative that? expectations are that Either there's a deal or there's a delay the idea of a no-deal Brexit is not Priced into markets at all at this point So if you did have for whatever means that a no-deal Brexit there would be a significant and severe move in the market Now the other thing that a lot of people are looking at is this and this looks at the pounds terms structure and volatility surface This is what this is looking at and it's basically you're looking at various different things, but it gives you an indicative idea of the cost of ensuring against undue swings in a currency and It's the highest as you can see from the red part of this curve here And on a two-month horizon which would be indicative that people are not expecting there to be massive disruption at the end of the month They are expecting though disruption to happen In two months time so what that would be pricing in of course is the risk of a new general election happening Just realized as well. I've got Sam's name on the on under my face So I've just changed that now just to make make that clear So, yeah, that that's the ultimate part with with brexit at the moment I'm not going to spend more on this in terms of the the final parts on the subject is the any hope of a deal Particularly Northern Ireland, of course has been still is and will remain the main sticking point You've obviously just had this times article about potential EU concession about how to deal with the mechanisms on the backstop and Johnson meets with his Irish counterpart veradka on Thursday and Friday of this week So probably more to come I'm sure the other point here though Just to be aware of that I was stressing to the other guys is that Boris has got some internal pressures happening if he does pursue a no deal even though he just tweeted that exact Mantra about five minutes ago from his account Is that Johnson is now facing an internal cabinet revolt over no deal? And so the people in question here being the culture Secretary probably the biggest hitters are the actual northern Irish minister Junien Smith the health minister Hancock and of course attorney general Jeffery Cox Jeffrey Cox are all on the resignation watch list if he continues down that road The reason why they're unhappy is that they feel that the person driving the government ship at the moment From a strategic or strategy point of view is basically an appointed advisor i.e. dominant Cummings And not MPs or the cabinet as should be the democratic case And they are so dissatisfied with that that they're threatening to resign All right, few other headlines just so you're aware china Obviously, this is still the main focal point for markets and I would expect more source comments to come As we go through the day because we're one day away from the recommencements of the face-to-face high-level talks in Washington But china says stay tuned for retaliation over u.s. Tech Blacklist now what has happened this morning is that china have come out and said they may restrict u.s. Visas with anti-chinese links and strongly opposed the u.s. Opposition in position of visa restrictions that they did about the The way of which certain muslims are being treated In one province of china in a in a break of human rights issues. And so that's the latest One thing I want you to think about though with this is that nearly every time we've gone into top-level talks between the u.s In china typically what happens is the u.s. Makes quite a firm posture by taking this type of proactive More more assertive approach to negotiating table very different here a little bit as china's retaliated But generally speaking what happens then is the markets in such a state of depressed expectations Just any glimmer of hope of any type of progression in talks tends to be met by quite a meaningful response And that's that trade war cycle that we refer to before and so definitely that might kick in again once more It would not be that surprising Um This is that article. So I've just mentioned that we'll skip over that The other thing with trump, of course at the moment is he is still facing an impeachment probe The one thing that's happening here that's most evident is that trump is just not playing ball or cooperating at all What can happen here? Well, congress does have various different powers House democrats could threaten to cut funding block new laws unless trump starts to cooperate with the impeachment inquiry Obviously trump doesn't want to Um cooperate because that would show some kind of implicit nature that he knows of what was going on and things like that So he's doing I guess has would be advised the right approach so far Because the democrats probably have very little political appetite to start start cutting funding And restricting the passage of new bills because that reflect bad on them going into a political campaigning period So that's the latest there. That's not so much a market mover right now The trade talks way out and supersedes this as a as a topic for for trading at the moment The other thing was juror in pow pow has Uh gave a major speech last night in summary said that the central bank will resume purchases of treasury securities In an effort to avoid a repeat of recent turmoil in money markets Now what he's referring to here is this This is the feds balance sheet of which hit its maximum Kind of swollen size at the end of the commencement of the active purchasing of the third round of quantitative easing That was when the the feds balance sheet in terms of total assets hit four and a half trillion That increments quantitative tightening through 2018-19 until we've had this latest episode of uh of economic downturn Which has put a block on that and then we've had these pomos which have been taking place to address them This is liquidity squeeze now. Obviously, there's lots of different things the timing of corporation tax being paid Um treasury government funding being settled in in the fixed income market But also the fact that they were withdrawing Overall some of the liquidity in the in terms of tightening of the balance sheet So what he's basically said is that they're actually going to start repurchasing um Repurchasing government securities, but they're going to be focused in treasury bills for those not familiar with terminology bills is very short-end duration In bonds so this would be typically Can be anything up to two years whereas anything two five seven ten 30-year bonds they would be notes And so specifically looking to address this repo issue which has Come to the forefront of market's attention of the last few weeks He was explicit to say this is not To be confused with large-scale asset purchases i.e qe And the other thing he did say was a quite a firm hint towards the probability or possibility of an interest rate cut at the end of the month And expectations now federal funds rate futures are priced at 86 for an october rate cut um final things to have a look at Um, this was that earlier article that we've just seen the use throwing that lifeline from a calendar perspective What we're looking out for today We had a mixed api infantry report last night basically conflicting signals between the headline crude and the gasoline figure The latter being quite a large drawdown But we'll go over that later as that's the main kind of figure scheduled release for today Given the lack of other than that real distinctive Points of interest until later this evening when we get the fmc minutes Powell is speaking again at 4 p.m. London time But i'd just be keeping an eye out for any rebuttal to the time source report We've just had on brexit and then any further and i would anticipate there to be the case more China-us related comments to come All right, let me hand you over to sam quickly. He can run over a couple of other points of interest as well from a technical perspective Yeah, hi guys Bring in the the pound to begin with I'm just pushing higher as you'd expect of that Initial comment. It's always a risk trading the pound after a spike like that because we always know With a comment Is usually the way it's been going anywhere the last few weeks a denial to come So just be a bit careful looking to to get long on Then this push to the upside already. We've just broken through this morning. We're talking earlier during the first part of the The briefing about this the importance of this pivot from a technical point of view and And you know the reaction we had there was was great and then obviously this is that spike that comes through So technically it has actually behaved itself quite well. We're now Through of course on the spike quite an important zone looking here between 84 and 89 So from a technical point of view, that's that's pretty significant The high that we got to was also a bit of support from yesterday early morning Is well, so some technical levels working quite well for the pound um Just be aware that of course if you do get the other side and denials of all of these Major concessions it has to come back down and below that pivot it starts getting relatively Ugly again, shall we say but it's important? You know areas to consider just above the spike from the the high also would be looking to get in You know a trend line around that mix which also comes in to today's high That's a break of that then. Yeah, we can push on a bit At its highest point. We were actually then, you know over the last two days actually up for the for the days However, we are just drifted down a bit from from the highest training now 123 another market which obviously would have spiked from that is the euro and at the time of the briefing as well We're talking about how that was finding some very strong resistance on one 10 16 you can see the significance of that that gets the break through And of course yesterday morning's lows as well Which in the mix sorry that this is the area we're talking about Which would behave pretty technically as well now also up at these highs the significance of this area Let's put this onto a 240 minute. You can see that low the what was the 24th morning Area of the 25th just so significant. So if we can you know at some point maybe today Try get a number you know test of all that area and break break through be pretty significant for the euro As well however, as we know this year any euro pushed against the dollar as we met with a decent break to The downside at some point So don't get too carry away is what I would say trend line from those highs worth mentioning Here as well, you can see that over the last few training sessions going back to the fourth Just above the high of the day got the r1 got some resistance from yesterday So pretty key level for it to get through before we start getting carried away around one 10 50 As well s and p worth bringing on here just on the daily chart that trend nine That we broke through but couldn't close The beginning of the week that again is coming to play Just bringing that here you can see almost reaching out in the early hours of this morning hitting the further september Loan we have pushed higher since then putting it back to a 60 minute chart and just putting the pivots on for a bit more Direction worth keeping an eye around the pivot just for Some nice support. We had there. Yes. They before that breakthrough above there as well 29 25 Which over the last few weeks has also been a key level And also to the upside if we were to have a super day 29 35 a level But what would really interest me to the downside is a break of the third of september low Yes, this morning's low and that trend line and getting a close and we could really push down As well just above 29 100 trading for now as well So for the moment stocks having a decent day after a bad one yesterday You can see the Dax which has broken through its resistance that we were struggling on during the briefing Earlier we now above that at that point as well. So I would say the next level For the Dax from a market point of view anyway around 12,056 So you could expect some resistance there also are one as a zone looks pretty important Again here looking on that 60 minute chart to the downside if stocks were to Push down in Europe. We mentioned that trend line in the s&p I'd also have one here for the Dax as well Can we potentially get to to that near that double bottom from overnight and this morning as well Below there and things could really go down as well quick look over at gold to to wrap it up You know, even though we saw a bit of effectively dollar weakness there as money flew into the euro gold couldn't quite push on We had this trend line drawn on earlier From yesterday's highs again, not quite making that today Also putting this onto a 240 you can see just the significance If we at any point come back down to 1492 every time we come to it. There's something going on Really is one of the best levels in markets at the moment to keep an eye on Actually lying in the sand for the gold quite significantly above there at the moment And also to the upside I probably have this as a bit of a zone as well 15 19 15 22 Some nice price action around there So more intraday taking it back to 60 minute A break above those trends a break above our one then fine You know that 1492 area looks quite distant Um, but if that was to to hold as resistance then obviously That could come into play 1500 obviously a key point as well before we would get there along with some of those loads from yesterday Afternoon, but certainly that's the key level going forward. We'll go through oil later on. Of course, do we's out In their usual slot 3 30 so we'll cover them as they come through just keep an eye obviously on the pound As we know these comments aren't a guarantee that price is going to continue In this case to the upside so to speak the way I have that score on you can see already from the high It's come down 22 Let's test my maths here around 40 50 ticks as well. Hope you'll have a good trading day And I catch you in the chat


Welcome to Teens on Topic. I'm your host Emma Arnson and today I'm joined by Eric Aguilar and Zoe Poppingay. We have a very interesting topic today But before we get into that let's hear what the people of Davis have to say about it Do you guys think that cosmetic surgery as a positive or negative impact on our society as a whole? I think it depends because in some cases cosmetic surgery for like for say a burn victim might be good But then when you have it meet like certain beauty standards, it gives like false ideals and impressions to like the masses of society But I think it just depends on circumstances sometimes I think nowadays you see it more in a bad way for like the beauty standard versus the more the helpful way that work Where it should be needed for sure. Thank you. Do you have any thoughts? Yeah, I think sometimes it just depends on like the person what they want like if they want something They should have it and if it's cosmetic surgery then it like they should go for it Yeah, it's simple-minded. I mean it's Some people who have undergone a say traumatic Action or something and they they can't go outside because everybody looks at them and say well They feel like a freak and we've got now we can take that face We've got the ability to remake that and you can't even tell they've had it Absolutely sure That's the same thing that is saying well, you know if a little child is born With a cleft palate you should never change it, you know because you know or that's terrible. Well, it's not terrible Basically love So you think that like for non-cosmetic reasons more reconstruction type things cosmetic surgery should be Allowed and it helps our society in that way. Well, sure. I mean, what you know, it's that's why we live here rather than Russia You know now well, I read in the paper a while back that There's one those little countries that didn't believe in any kind of cosmetic surgery and if you did it you got killed So all that stuff goes together, you know Yeah, all that stuff, you know, I mean we That's that's what that's why it's called progress and I'm old enough to know that Do you think cosmetic surgery for purely cosmetic reasons is beneficial to society and why I Don't see much benefit society like in terms of society But I do think people have the personal choice to get cosmetic surgery I currently don't see the benefits because I'm not a part of that industry What do you think economically there may be some benefits, but in terms of just like societal benefits I don't see a societal benefit to cosmetic surgery Yeah And I think another like more interesting question to ask is like why have cosmetic surgeries like come into existence And I think a lot of it has to do with our understanding of like what's the proper way to appear and like proper way to age in addition to like how like capitalism has developed and commodified beauty practices I Really think it depends on why the cosmetic surgery is happening And I feel like you don't really need it to look like everybody else or a weird ideal But if you need it because you've been in an accident, then yeah, please go for it. I think it's both I think that some surgeries can be like for like cleft-lipped and for like burn victims I think that works, but I think also like cosmetic surgery like women are beautiful the way they are and don't need it So yeah, I pretty much agree with that Good question, I don't I don't think not to my opinion if not that because it's like It's only like too much insecurity in the world and too much kind of hate in my opinion, so Just be who you are just love yourself who you are awesome. Thank you so much Well, it seems pretty unanimous What the people said around Davis? What do you guys think about? What the people of Davis had to say about it? Um, I think I definitely agree with this statement if it's helping if the cosmetic surgery is to reconstruct like burn victims or possibly When someone has been in abuse and they have been hurt in some way but I actually kind of Disagree that it shouldn't be allowed because I Think it's an entirely up to the individual in most cases It's it's different when someone has body dysmorphia That is it that is something a mental issue that needs to be fixed and that cannot be fixed with cosmetic surgery It has been proven that that doesn't help fix it at all It's about total that's about total dissatisfaction of something else Which is an entirely different problem But if someone has the money and the time to maybe get to get their nose their chest their bite I think that that's it's good for them that they are able to do that. But my problem is when Cosmetic surgery is expected or people have gotten cosmetic surgery are seen as Beautiful people to look up to like that money and Photoshop got them there like the Kardashians I don't know if I'm allowed to if I should or if I should be putting out names, but they're known for being They're known for putting a lot of money into that industry And the fact that they have the money and the time to do that good for them But it's when people say wow what a beautiful person they are what a beautiful family that are it's It's really sad because they didn't get that way naturally and I don't think that that should be the expectation Yeah, I agree with you. It's the choice of the person They give you want it want to go for it But as you say that the Kardashians will affect you use your money for other ways to benefit I guess other people could have so much money, but like you know That's their choice, but like I burn victims of south another one that helps them a lot. I guess yeah Yeah, I think most people agree that the Not that when something is when someone is disfigured or something and that they have that to make themselves feel more confident That's definitely a beneficial aspect to it I think personally, I think if you want to do cosmetic surgery and You want to get like your lips done and your nose done then more power to you as you said I think that it only becomes a problem when either you Are doing too much big because I know a lot of people go like overboard and they like you know It's don't really even look like people anymore afterwards like clowns Yeah, and then I Think also, I keep hearing these stories about people who go to foreign countries get really really cheap like boob jobs or different cosmetic surgeries, and then it just works out terribly for them. So I think That is definitely a danger of it that people would feel the need to do that but not feel Like they should do it in the United States or at least when it's a more Safe procedure. Mm-hmm. Yeah, it's like this raise the prices on the surgeries because they're like Like they're good, but like they're kind of Not useful, you know Most parts. I know I know what side of the US Well, yeah, cosmetic surgery is definitely a worldwide thing South Korea is really famous for parts of I know Brazil Is it Brazil? I think they're very famous for cosmetic surgery And I think some people feel that it's a necessity to get like I said before and that's when I find that it's more harmful It's like when you go They they expect you to get all these things done or you will not be good enough to You'll not be good enough to function. I remember watching a documentary about it was skin bleaching and Surgery in South Korea and it was they they had all these ads in campaigns shoved in your faces get these surgeries Shave your jawline get that nose fix and pale your skin or else you will not be beautiful and you will not succeed and that is it's so incredibly harmful and also and Also when people can't get safe procedures done they'll go to a cheaper place They'll go to a more dangerous place and what that's when you see Iris implants. That's another cosmetic surgery, which is not FDA approved in any way she performed and It's one of these plastic surgery people exploit their customers Not every not every surgeon does that but some do and that's where I think where the problem is Yeah, there's like some people out there like surgeon time thing I don't know in the US but like other countries. I just tell you that's good for you To get money out of you and people just fall in the trap and trap me like they gave these surgeries and end up like Not working like harm them Yeah, I know that I hear a lot of stories about people who get implants that it's not What they were told like it's not silicon. It's not I'm not an expert on the type of Influenced they have but I've heard stories of that it was like cement or Stuff like that that it just doesn't work out I think I definitely agree with you when the campaigning goes as far as saying you need them or even Just to say that you would be beautiful if you got these surgeries is Harmful and I think that's definitely adding to a society that puts too much value on beauty and I Think if if a nose job is going to make you feel that much more confident about yourself like more power to you But like it's not going to make you feel better on the inside. Really. I Don't know that makes sense. I was just a show of love yourself who you are because there's only one person that is you So you just find a way to love yourself and how you are it was out with all this extra stuff Well, thank you very much for joining me Next week we'll have another exciting topic as we always do


Ladies and gentlemen, please take your seats. Today's ceremony will be simultaneously interpreted. Korean speakers, please don your headsets at this time. Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. On behalf of General Paul J. LaCamera, United States Forces Korea Commander, welcome to the Eighth Army Change of Command Ceremony. We would like to welcome the following distinguished guests, General Charles Flynn, Commander, United States Pacific Command, Command Sergeant Major Scott Burzak, United States Pacific Command, Command Sergeant Major Jack Love, United Nations Command, Combined Forces Command, United States Forces Command Korea, Lieutenant General David Iverson, Commander, Seventh Air Force, Deputy Commander, United States Forces Korea, Miss Joy Sakurai, Deputy Chief of Mission, United States Embassy, General Shin Chul-Kong, Deputy Commander, Combined Forces Command, General Shik-Soon, Commander, Ground Operations Command, General Retired Ho-Yong Lim, President, Korea-United States Alliance, Foundation, Former Deputy Commander, Combined Forces Command, General Retired Jong-Hwan Park, Former Chief of Staff of the Republic of Korea Armory, General Retired Byung-Sook Ahn, Former Deputy Commander, Combined Forces Command, Chairman Kyung Shik-Soon, Chairman CJ Group, Scholar Yeon-Soon Ha, President Kum-Gak Foundation, Mayor Jong-Soon Jong, Mayor Pyong-Tek, Mayor Kyung-Hui Park, Mayor Ah-Sun, Mayor Kwan-Jae Lee, Mayor Oh-Sun, Commissioner General Gi-Hyeon Hong, Commissioner General Gyeonggi Nam-Bu Police Agency, Other distinguished guests, families, friends, and soldiers of 8th Army, today the 8th Army bids farewell to Lieutenant General Willard Burlson and formally welcomes Lieutenant General Christopher Leneve. During today's change of command ceremony, Lieutenant General Burlson will relinquish duties as the 8th Army commander to Lieutenant General Leneve. Providing the music for today's ceremony, the Combined Forces Band comprised of the 8th Army Band commanded by Chief Warrant Officer 3 Richard Chapman, the Republic of Korea Navy Symphonic Band commanded by Major Lee Duk-Jin and drum majored by Sergeant First Class Reddentor Elladia. Represented on the field today by their colors, from left to right are 8th Army Headquarters and Headquarters Battalion led by Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Gardner and Command Sergeant Major Deshaun Hamilton. Second, Rock U.S. Combined Division led by Major General William Taylor and Command Sergeant Major Kenneth Franco. Nineteenth Expeditionary Support Command led by Brigadier General Frederick Christ and Command Sergeant Major Alfonso Green. First Signal Brigade led by Colonel Christopher McClure and Command Sergeant Major Nicholas Curry. Thirty-fifth Air Defense Artillery Brigade led by Colonel Kevin Stonebrook and Command Sergeant Major Richard Piles. The United Nations Command Color Guard under the direction of the 8th Army Command Sergeant Major Command Sergeant Major Robin Bulmer. Sixty-fifth Medical Brigade led by Colonel Lee Burnett and Command Sergeant Major Eric Price. Five-o-first Military Intelligence Brigade led by Colonel Lisa Winiger and Command Sergeant Major Gary Bouchard. Four-eleventh Contracting Support Brigade led by Colonel Anthony Rogers and Command Sergeant Major Nikia Harris. Four-o-third Army Field Support Brigade led by Colonel Henry Brown and Command Sergeant Major Cedric Harvey. Third Battlefield Coordination Detachment led by Colonel Jeremy Linney and Command Sergeant Major Artie Herald. Fourth Army Garrison Yongson Casey led by Colonel Lloyd Brown and Command Sergeant Major William Fritzinger. United States Army Garrison Humphreys led by Colonel Ryan Workman and Command Sergeant Major Monty Drummond. United States Army Garrison Degu led by Colonel David Henning and Command Sergeant Major Asgar Kamaluddin. The Salute Battery for today's ceremony is provided by the Third Field Artillery Regiment Third Cavalry Colonel Kurt Nodler. The Honored NCO, Eighth Army Pacific Victors Chapter of Sergeant Audie Murphy Club Member, Sergeant Karen Nguyen of 176th Financial Management Support Unit 19th ESC is presenting a bouquet of red roses to Mrs. Cindy Burleson. The roses are in full bloom, which symbolizes our love and respect for her devotion and loyal support of Eighth Army soldiers and their families. The Honored Junior Soldier, General Pike Sunyup Leadership Award recipient, Catoosa Sergeant Choi Hyo-Joon of 11th Engineer Battalion, Second Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade, Second Infantry Division is presenting Mrs. Kimberly Leneve, a bouquet of yellow rose buds on behalf of the officers, non-commissioned officers, and soldiers of Eighth Army. Yellow is the color of joy and friendship and symbolizes the relationship between Eighth Army's soldiers and families. Shortly, the rose buds will blossom, as will the friendship that will blossom in his time with Eighth Army. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the invocation delivered by the Eighth Army Command Chaplain, Chaplain Sun Lee. Please join me in prayer. Our Heavenly Father, we invoke your blessings upon this change of command, those who are participants and those who are gathered here to witness the passing of the colors. As Lieutenant General Willard Burleson come to the end of his tenure as a commanding general of the Eighth Army, we thank for the leadership here to demonstrate to us and for the example he has set us for the follow. Lord, we bless him and his family in your name and ask that you prosper their transition to the new phase of life and enrich their future with happy successes. Lord, we ask you to grant our incoming commander, Lieutenant General Christopher Leneve, the gifts of wisdom, courage, and strength. May his time of command be one of the blessing for him and all the soldiers of the Eighth Army. And to you, Lord God, be honor and glory forever. Amen. Please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the left side of the formation. There you will see the adjutant, Colonel Aaron Lummer, who will initiate the ceremony with sound attention. As the Eighth Army Band, a cornerstone of military tradition and musical excellence joins forces with the Republic of Korea Navy Symphonic Band to perform sound off. This is a remarkable fusion of history, honor, and international camaraderie. This performance, especially during the significant moment of the Eighth Army Change of Command ceremony, symbolizes more than just a musical collaboration. It represents the enduring alliance and shared values between the United States and the Republic of Korea. Originally constituted in 1916, the Eighth Army Band has a storied legacy, beginning as the band section for the 35th Infantry Regiment. Through its reorganization in November 1950 as the Eighth United States Army Band in the Republic of Korea, it has stood the test of time and conflict. Notably during the Korean War, the band have distinguished itself, earning the meritorious unit commendation and two Republic of Korea presidential citations for its exceptional service. In April of 2022, the band was further recognized with the Army Superior Unit Award, highlighting its continued excellence and dedication. Today, comprised of 41 highly skilled soldiers, the Eighth Army Band is the only musical unit west of the international dateline and represents both Eighth Army, the Usurpak Theater Army in the Indo-Pacific region. The sound off, a call to arms and a prelude to ceremonial proceedings, carries with it centuries of military tradition. It serves not only as a signal for soldiers to gather, but also as a display of the discipline, precision and spirit of the armed forces. The rendition of sound off by the combined forces of the Eighth Army Band and the Republic of Korea Navy Symphonic Band for this change of command ceremony is historic. It marks the first occasion a combined band has performed for such an event showcasing the depth of cooperation and mutual respect between our nation's military forces. This collaboration is emblematic of the ROC-US Alliance's strength and the profound interoperability of our two militaries' intersection of decisive land and naval power in integrated deterrence. Over the last three years, these units have demonstrated their collective capabilities through numerous performances, each time reinforcing the bonds of friendship and alliance between our nations. Today's joint performance is not only a celebration of musical prowess, but a public affirmation of our shared commitment to peace, stability and prosperity in a free and open Indo-Pacific. As we look towards the future, the alliance between the Republic of Korea and the United States stands as a beacon of international partnership. It is a relationship built on mutual respect, shared values and a unified vision of a peaceful and prosperous world. The combined performance of the 8th Army Band and the Republic of Korea Navy Symphonic Band is a testament to the enduring alliance, one team serving as a symbol of a strong alliance and a mutual commitment to defense in the most consequential theater in the most consequential time in our shared history. At this time, the commander of troops for today's ceremony, Colonel Scott McClellan, the 8th Army Chief of Staff will take his place on the field with the 8th Army Staff, which includes Colonel Aaron Lummer, G1, Colonel Paul Stahaley, G3, Colonel Joseph Greenlee, G4, and Colonel Leslie Thompson, G6. Ladies and gentlemen, please stand for the arrival of the official party and remain standing for the presentation of honors. As a reminder, as the band plays honors, all military personnel will render a hand salute. The official party consists of General Paul J. Le Camera, United States Forces Korea Commander, Lieutenant General Willard Burleson, the 8th Army Commander, and Lieutenant General Christopher Leneve, incoming 8th Army Commander. For today's ceremony, General Le Camera has deferred honors to Lieutenant General Burleson. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. At this time, Captain Lincoln Malinger of 2ID, Davarti, is presenting Lieutenant General Burleson with a salute casing from today's salute battery honors. At this time, the official party will take the field to conduct inspection of the troops. 8th Army activated at Memphis, Tennessee on June 10, 1944, and deployed to the Southwest Pacific from December 26, 1944 until August 15, 1945. Collectively, the five Victor operations launched by 8th Army will result in the liberation of the southern and central portions of the Philippine archipelago from February 19 to April 3, 1945, 8th Army units conducted 14 major amphibious assaults and 24 minor landings. During this 44-day period, 8th Army averaged an assault landing every day and a half. Subsequently, it earned the nickname Amphibious Eighth. With the surrender of the Japanese Empire on August 15, 1945, 8th Army led the Army of Occupation into Japan. On December 31, 1945, 8th Army assumed the expanded role in the occupation of disarmament, demilitarization, and democratization. With the outbreak of hostilities in Korea on June 25, 1950, 8th Army would face another major challenge due to the tactical situation that existed during the first six weeks of the Korean War. Lieutenant General Walton H. Walker ordered his command to withdraw behind the Nakdong River and established defensive perimeter around Busan representing a defining moment in the Korean War and set the stage for the UN counter-offensive. The breakout from the Busan perimeter and the amphibious assault at Incheon on September 15, 1950 resulted in the collapse of the entire North Korean People's Army. On October 19, the North Korean capital of Pyongyang was captured and 8th Army began its end of the war offensive. On November 25, the intervision of the Chinese People's Volunteer Army changed the character of the war and forced 8th Army and Tencor to transition to the defense. With the advantage of surprise and numerical superiority, the CPVA launched multiple attacks that expelled friendly forces from North Korea and on January 4, 1951 Seoul would change hands for the third time within a six-month period. On March 15, 1951 Seoul was recaptured for the fourth and last time. By the end of the month, 8th Army reached the 38th parallel and three weeks later established defensive positions. By the spring of 1951, both opposing forces had concluded that the issue of achieving a decisive military victory was no longer a viable option. However, the Chinese communists were determined to launch one last major effort to capture Seoul. Once this was achieved, they would advocate a ceasefire. With the capital of South Korea in their hands, the communists would be in an enviable position to negotiate an armistice favorable to their own terms. The fifth-phase Chinese offensive, April 22nd through July 8th, 1951 qualified as the largest ground action of the Korean War. During this two-phased campaign, the Chinese People's Volunteer Army failed miserably to achieve its primary objective and sustained catastrophic losses in the process. By the summer of 1951, the situation on the ground had developed into a holding action and initiation of peace negotiations began. The history of the Korean War truce talks began on July 10th, 1951, and after two years of dialogue, an armistice was finally consummated on July 27th, 1953, formally suspending full-scale hostilities on the peninsula. As the post-armistice period began, 8th Army assisted the Republic of Korea in relief and rehabilitation efforts and supported the common defense of South Korea. Today, there is no evidence to suggest that North Korea has abandoned its choice of unifying the peninsula by force of arms. To enhance and sustain mission accomplishment, the force structure of 8th Army has transformed multiple times during World War II. It fought in the Pacific Theater of Operations as a field army. In the immediate post-World War II era, 8th Army served in Japan as an army of occupation. During the Korean War, 8th Army served as both a field army and theater army, and throughout the preponderance of the Cold War, it remained primarily a theater army. On 20 November, 1954, it was merged with U.S. Army forces Far East as the major army command in the region. On 1 July 1957, Army forces Far East was discontinued and United States forces Korea was officially activated. Thus, 8th Army was consolidated with USFK and the United Nations Command with headquarters in Seoul. On 7 November 1978, General John W. Vesse Jr. assumed command of the newly established U.S. Combined Forces Command while serving concurrently as the commander of UNC and USFK and as the commanding general 8th Army. On 1 December 1992, 8th Army reverted to a 3-star command billet and was separated from UNC-USFK-CFC. On 13 March 1998, 8th Army was designated as the Army Service Component Command for USFK. This status was discontinued on 23 January 2012 when 8th Army was re-designated as an operational level field army headquarters. 8th Army headquarters completed its transition to Camp Humphreys on 11 July 2017. Until an effective and enduring mechanism is secured which will guarantee a lasting peace in the land of the morning calm, 8th Army's mission will remain the same to deter North Korean aggression against the Republic of Korea and to prevent a renewal of hostilities. Should deterrence fail, 8th Army will defeat in detail any external threat directed against South Korea. We're now seeing a movement known as Colors Center March. This activity stems from early Roman days when the leaders laid down their weapons and shields and came forward to their Emperor. By doing so, the leaders signified to the Emperor that the officers of their command were loyal to him. In early American cavalry tradition, it was used to give troops special instructions prior to going into battle. Ladies and gentlemen, please rise for the playing of the national anthems of the Republic of Korea and the United States of America. Ladies and gentlemen, please be seated. Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, the official party will take the field to conduct the passing of the 8th Army Colors. The colors represent not only the unit, but also the unity and loyalty of its soldiers. They are the commander's symbol of authority, representing his responsibilities to the organization. The change of command ceremony is a military ceremony that is rich with symbolism and heritage, dating back to medieval times. Soldiers often carried staffs or standards into battle that identified them as a unit. Throughout military history, unit colors have marked the position of the commander on the battlefield and served as a rallying point, whether attacking or rallying, soldiers would follow the standard or guidance of their leader, most often found at the forward edge of the battle. In more recent times, the colors represent not only the heritage and history of the unit, but also the unity and loyalty of its soldiers. The colors are the commander's symbol of authority, representing his responsibilities to the organization. Wherever the commander is, the colors are there as well. The passing of unit colors represent the transfer of authority and responsibility from one commander to another. The command sergeant major is the keeper of the colors. As the senior enlisted soldier in the unit, he is the spokesman for both the loyalty and concerns of the soldiers and is the principal advisor to the commander. The passing of the colors from command sergeant major Bulmer to Lieutenant General Burleson signifies his last act of allegiance to him. Lieutenant General Burleson passes the colors to General Acamera, signifying that the unit is never without officer leadership. The passing of the colors from General Acamera to Lieutenant General Leneve signifies the passing of his trust and also the responsibility for the unit and its soldiers. In accordance with AR 600-20 paragraph 2-5, the undersigned assumes command of 8th Army, effective 5 April 2024, signed Lieutenant General Christopher Leneve. Ladies and gentlemen, General Paul J. Lacamera, United States Forces Korea Commander. Good morning. I'm going to try and sum up 36, 40 plus years in uniform here in the next couple of minutes. I don't possess the vocabulary to do that. Good morning, fellow general officers, senior enlisted leaders, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, most importantly to the Burleson and the Leneve families. Thank you for joining us in this momentous occasion as we recognize the lifelong service of an amazing commander, soldier, warrior, father, husband, and friend. We also have the unique pleasure of welcoming the new commander of the 8th Army and the Chief of Staff of the Combined Forces Command. I wonder which hat you'll want to wear. To the soldiers who stand before you, but more importantly, you stand ready to fight tonight and defend our way of life. Thank you. Bravo Zulu. Sir Major Bomer, they look great. Please join me in a round of applause. The title commander carries with it the inherent responsibility to lead and care for one of our nation's greatest treasures, the sons and daughters of our countries. Not all the winter service will have this opportunity to carry the mantle of this title. And few will do it as well as General Bill Burleson. From Rifle Platoon Leader to 8th Army Commanding General, he wore green tabs both on and off the battlefield. We can also do what we do because of our amazing family support and our family support structure and those who quietly serve and rarely get credit for their sacrifices. Please join me in a round of applause for our families. Cindy, Matt, and Beth, thank you for all you've done and continue to do to support your husband and father. Your sacrifices often go unnoticed, but you should know how grateful I am and we all are for your resolute and selfless service and sacrifices that made Bill's service possible. Matt, you have big shoes to fill. Burleson 3.0. Thanks for traveling from your duties in Europe to celebrate this very special day. Please join me in a round of applause to recognize the distinguished Burleson family. Colonel Douglas MacArthur once said that a true leader has the confidence to stand alone and the courage to make tough decisions and the compassion to listen to the needs of others. He does not set out to be a leader but becomes one of the equality of his actions and the integrity of his intent. It's my belief that this describes the life and the career of General Burleson. Bill, from the time you were a young military child through the ceremony today, you've been an amazing example of honor, courage, duty, integrity, and sacrifice and professionalism. You should be proud of your distinguished career and your leadership will be felt as an enduring legacy in the United States Army, the Combined Forces Command, and in the Heath Army. From our families to yours, you and your family the absolute best as you begin a new chapter of your life which I believe involves you opening a bakery or something. Best of luck to you, my friend. We've patrolled the same ground before but never at the same time. I'm lucky to have conducted this last patrol with you. I'm on Freedom's Front here. I said, Vic-Victors, Rangers lead the way to the top. We say farewell to Lieutenant General Burleson and we have another outstanding leader taking the colors today. General Chris-Leneve is no stranger to leading our nation's best and brightest. I would like to welcome him and his wife, Kim and his children, Caitlin and Chris, both of whom are currently serving in the Army. Chris, you are an inherent and exceptional team of warriors who represent the United States and Korea with extraordinary pride. It is through your leadership and actions that this team will continue to excel. My charge to you is simple. You must accomplish your mission and take care of those you lead. The only thing they deserve is great leadership and I know you will provide that in more. Thanks again to the 8th Army who made this magnificent ceremony to honor General Burleson in his lifetime service successful today. May God bless our alliance or great nations, 8th Army, or fallen and their families. Pacific-Victors fight tonight. At this time, we would like to invite Lieutenant General Burleson and his spouse, Cindy to join General LeCambre at the front of the reviewing stand. Lieutenant General Burleson was commissioned in the Army as an infantry officer in 1988. Over his 36 years of service, he has served in various leadership positions including platoon leader, company commander, battalion commander, brigade commander, division commander, culminating as the commander of 8th Army. In recognition of his retirement, General LeCambre will present Lieutenant General Burleson the Distinguished Service Medal. The citation reads, for exceptionally meritorious service to the government in a position of great responsibility over a 36-year career culminating as the commanding General 8th Army and Chief of Staff Combined Forces Command Republic of Korea. Lieutenant General Burleson's patriotism and unparalleled service leave a lasting legacy and his distinctive accomplishments reflect distinct credit upon himself, the 8th Army, and the United States Army. He will also receive the certificate of retirement from the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, which states, this is to certify that Lieutenant General Willard Burleson III, having served faithfully and honorably is retired from the United States Army on the first day of June, 2024. And he is also receiving the flag of the United States of America as a faithful service to our nation. Lieutenant General Burleson and his wife, Cindy, have been married for 34 years. Throughout these many years of marriage Cindy has displayed unwavering support for the soldiers and families of the United States Army. For her years of dedicated service, Mrs. Cindy Burleson is awarded the Distinguished Public Service Medal. The citation reads, for outstanding public service supporting the soldiers, civilians, and families of the 8th Army, United States Combined Forces Command, United States Forces Korea, and the United States Army Garrisons in the Republic of Korea. Mrs. Burleson's distinctive accomplishments over 36 years as a dedicated volunteer to the military community are in keeping with the highest traditions of public service and reflect great credit for her 8th Army, the Republic of Korea United States Combined Forces Command, United States Forces Korea, and the United States Army. Mrs. Burleson is also receiving a Certificate of Appreciation from the Chief of Staff of the United States Army, which reads, This is to certify that Mrs. Cynthia A. Burleson on the occasion of the retirement of your spouse from the United States Army has earned grateful appreciation for your own unselfish, faithful, and devoted service. Your unfailing support and understanding helped to make your spouse's lasting contribution to the nation. Thank you, Ms. Kendra Burleson and Cindy Burleson for your service to our nation. And thank you, General Burleson and Mrs. Burleson. Members of the 8th Army Pacific Victors Chapter of Sergeant Audie Murphy Club will now present Lieutenant General Burleson with the encased 8th Army colors. Ladies and gentlemen, the former 8th Army commander and soon to be retired Lieutenant General Willard M. Burleson. General Cameron, thank you very much for your, I know Cindy and I are both grateful for you and Teresa's friendship and leadership. I would also like to send General Flynn and send our best to Kathleen. I also do want to recognize and appreciate the friendship of the former Chief of Staff of the Army and the Republic of Korea Army General Park Jung-Wong and his wife Kim Eun-soo, thank you very much. But I really want to thank all of you in attendance today. Your presence here is a demonstration of your strong commitment to our ROC-U.S. alliance and I'm also glad that you're here to welcome Lieutenant General Neve and his wife Kim. There are a great couple who I've known for many years and Lieutenant General Neve's focus on training and caring for people will continue to increase our combined readiness here in the Republic of Korea. There are a number of leaders and friends here today in attendance. Too many of you for me to mention, but thank you all for your friendship and your professional commitment to our ROC-U.S. alliance. This past week I was reminded of the Battle of Osan just down the road from here. And if you all remember June of 1950, the United States Army sent Task Force Smith here to stand alongside the Korean Army to defeat aggression. But in that first battle in Osan, Americans learned the price of unpreparedness. We paid for it in blood and treasure and over the course of three years of fighting many American, Korean and United Nations command hives were lost. But in the end we prevailed. In the ROC-U.S. alliance that we have today stands as a testament to the sacrifices of those who have come before us. Those that gave their lives and the thousands that are still missing they must be remembered always. Now almost 74 years after that first battle the group of soldiers that you see here out in front represent the nearly 35,000 American and Korean soldiers and civilians that are part of 8th Army today. 8th Army came in 1950 and never left.  But tonight can't be just the same. It must be achieved through tough, realistic and standards based training day and night. Readiness is perishable and I want to thank all of those leaders out here to my front but also the many others who ensure that we're able to maintain our readiness here in the Republic of Korea. As I mentioned previously there's just too many people to thank. So I do want to thank all those in the United States Forces Korea 8th Army and Combined Forces Command. Thank you for your ensuring commitment that we are ready. I also want to thank those of my personal staff past and present who even though I've now retired and not out of command are probably helping me keep me organized those responsibilities will still fall only to send me. Most importantly, Commence Armander Boomer out there, you represent all our great nine commission officers for the years. And I'm honored for you to be my last surgeon. Lastly, God has blessed me of many things, a supportive family. Cindy and two great kids my son here today my daughter and Dallas both of whom I'm very proud of. Cindy and I were married 34 years ago this month and I'm so grateful for all that she has done for soldiers and families. She supported me but also been there for others during years of combat and deployments. I want to conclude by my remarks saying that I'm proud to be an American soldier and my service here in the Republic of Korea has been the honor of my life. Pacific Fixers, catch and capture on topside of that. Ladies and gentlemen, the commander of 8th Army Lieutenant General Christopher Lanieve Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Kim and I sincerely thank all of you for attending and sharing part of your day with the 8th Army. I'd first like to thank General McCammer and General Flint for your leadership, your mentorship and this incredible opportunity to command and support the missions of the United States Forces of Korea and the U.S. Army in the city. General McCammer, I truly appreciate your words and I welcome and you're welcome to the Republic of Korea. I look forward to serving again with you. It's truly a unique opportunity to take command from a longtime friend, mentor, and leader that I have the utmost respect for. I'm deeply grateful for the warm reception you've seen giving Kim and I and the team you've built. I will work hard to maintain the momentum you've established for 8th Army and CFC. But with Matt continuing to serve and he looks just like you there's no doubt that the Burlesons will continue to do great things for our Army in the future. Thank you sir, Godspeed. I'd not be here where I am today without the grace of God to introduce Kim, the inspiration of two amazing children, Captain Caitlyn Eve, the First Lieutenant, Nick Laneve. Thank you for your love and continued support. I'm humbled and very honored to join the ranks of this storied Army formation, the Pacific Victors. I welcome this opportunity to serve with our rock allies and give my full effort the support of our ironclad commitment to the alliance between our nations. It's our major and we look great today. God bless both of our great nations and the people who defend them and the families who support them. Godspeed to the Pacific Victors.


18150 is a request for a two-foot variant of the Mekka Park and Reconciliation District design requirement of the 10-foot building separation to allow two structures to be eight feet apart. How we can't imagine would Homes LT, Property Address, 329 Bermond Avenue, Sonning, MF 33, and CTC, Small to Family Mekka Park and Reconciliation District. Here is the location map. The Yelpicant is building a single family home on the subject property and seeking a variant to allow the house to be eight foot from the edging centre. The subject property is located within the Mekka Park and Reconciliation District, which requires 10 feet of building separation between structures. The Yelpicant states that the previous structure was demolished due to deteriorating conditions with the intent of constructing a new home in its five feet away from the west property line. While the property is proposed to be five feet away from the west property line, which means to setbacks, the non-performing neighboring property on the west is only three feet away from the property line, forcing a seven foot setback from the subject property. Here is the site map. We will be looking at the west part of it. Here is the subject property, the property and neighboring project. There is one street scape to the west, and one street scape to the east. Several months ago, all of the variants in A18 were picked based on the public funding. The variance is contrary to the public interest in that it may detract from the character of the community. The male 30-year-old is the subject property located within the boundaries of the Mekka Park and Reconciliation District. Reconciliation District standards is a process in which the property owners within the neighborhood who are working to create an NCD work with steady staff on creating those standards. When this one was adopted, it was sort of like a joint venture, if you will. Our job as a city is to uphold those standards, enforce those standards, and only when there are huge conflicts or legal aspects, if you will, would we or that the design would meet the intent and spirit, do we change our recommendation? In this case, just to give you a great background, there were a couple of NCDs that we have worked and they run us on in the last year to update, to address some loopholes and inconsistencies and help provide clarification. Mekka Park is the third one that we are currently working on. And so, this is one of the standards that we had started to talk about and discuss with the task force, letting them know of the potential to be punitive to a property owner where there is on either side of that property not conforming structures. So, we tabled it from the proposed revision language to it and we hope to address it at the next meeting. We have been meeting monthly with this task force that is made up of property owners within the Mekka Park neighborhood, but we haven't finished the discussion on that. So, I just wanted to give you a brief background, but this is one of the standards that is currently under review. So, it does be premature to hear this case? No. I mean, the standard is still in place today and the developer has a time clock that he needs to move forward with, so that's why he is trying to variance. So, essentially what they've done is they've polished one home, are they planning on moving two homes on the same log? So, the developer is here to help answer that. Okay. And the plan that you're discussing, that this investigation and cooperation, are you giving us a notification by this denial of what is expected to occur? So, in the staff report, we put that again, we tabled it. So, another word when we got to this, there wasn't a consensus to keep the language as is. There was a consensus to come back and revisit it to address the fact that there are non-conforming structures on either side of property owners' lives. Alright. So, a couple of questions. The NCD came out in 2009, correct? Yes. Okay. And is it common for this neighborhood to have homes three feet long, or does this happen to be an outlier? Yes. No, it is common to have properties within the same three feet long, because again, they were built when site setbacks were about three feet. And so, with the 25 foot, this is only a 25 foot wide log, and he would have to build a house that was built 13 feet wide. Okay, thank you. Any other questions? No. Go ahead. Sure, I'm clear. So, the neighboring house is less than the five foot site setback. That's correct. But it doesn't appear to be a whole house from previous codes or prior to the five foot setback code. Is that a new home? No. So, I think if you go to the pictures showing one, that is, it's that one on the, if you're looking at it, it's on the west side, the west side. Okay. So, the large green home is the existing home that is... That is nonconforming. I was looking at the right side, and that was my confusion. Okay. Thank you. Any other questions? No. Roger. Sure. I would say that, I believe that site was where the bulk of the house set. I'm going to draw that down. It is fine. It did them. No, no. Is that the code? Thank you. Any other questions? No. Thank you. Would the app come forward, please? Sir, for the record, we need your name and address, and the reason why you're requesting this. My name is John Grythamon of Imagine Homes, address 11467 Heapy Road, sweet 225-7230. We're here today to ask for a two-foot variance from the Mankey Park and CD section 3.1.1, which required the 10-foot separation and the request due to the nonconforming setback on the house to the left of our property here. We've got a few slides I'd like to show you in this part of my presentation here. So the lot in yellow there is lot 44 from the original 1927 Nathan Terrace Platt. The property has not been replatted or modified over the years since the original Platt. And over the last two years, Imagine Homes pulled 36 permits within this particular NCD. And you have not seen this here before because we understood the rules and worked to certainly stay within those rules and not have to come out with the variances in the projects that we're working on. So we're kind of here showing the house that was in existence, and it's actually was built right up to within foot of the property line. So there was four feet of separation between this is the green house that's existing that's not conforming approximately three feet off the property line. And this is the house that was taken down. You can see here it was set rather low and lots of slopes from the rear towards the street. And so there were drainage issues along the back of the house. But really the house was mostly obsolete. It was, if that house were to be updated, it would require a new wiring, plumbing. We brought it to the current energy codes and we needed to have central heating there to make it marketable to today's home buyers. In doing all that, we would have had a full building permit because we would have exceeded 50 percent of the value of the home, which would have brought us right back here to ask for a variance to the same standard anyway. As part of the review, we would have been denied the permit because of the side setback here not giving the 10 foot separation. Different angles showing where the existing house was. Now because with the new property we propose here with the five foot conforming side setback, it will give 18 between the two buildings. Because that existing property owner is three feet off, we worked out an agreement with that owner to provide them an access easement to maintain and facilitate the maintenance and the access along that as well as an agreement to not place any kind of fence so that it would leave clear access there. Any kind of fence would be pushed back beyond the rear of the existing home there to our left. Now there's no commentary in the NCD as to the purpose of the 10 foot separation, but the diagram seems to indicate that the 10 feet was based on the minimum side setback of five feet on two conforming properties. And so it felt unfair to penalize the property owner because of the non conforming issue next to or by any different and increased setback. We, you know, furthermore on a 25 foot live, we were forced to have 12 feet of side setback. It reduces us to a 13 foot footprint. And we begin, if we try to incorporate that into a single family residence, we'd be back here asking for different variances to the NCD, for glazing requirements, front yard, facing the street. There's numerous other things that we could not meet with that footprint. Now the neighborhood is a very unique and diverse neighborhood, particularly south of the park. There's a mixture of single family duplexes, triplexes, full-plex of apartments, and you see separation of all kinds. And so I've just taken a sampling here of a few streets around us to show that there are houses with much less than 10 feet separation. Here's one on Nadolin, which is one street to the south. I've got two that I'll show you here on Queen Anne Court, which are a couple of streets to the north. Another one here with mental. This is just a sampling here of what we've seen. So what I'm here today to ask you for is this two foot variance to allow us to build it on the five feet off of the property line in conforming standard. The variance will not be contrary to the public interest because the new home will actually increase. What was there at four feet to now being an eight foot separation between buildings? The location meets the end of 33 requirements for a five foot side set then. If the purpose was for maintenance for that 10 foot separation, we would address that by granting the property to the left, a maintenance easement. And the total safety of a fire separation would actually increase that separation from four feet to now being eight foot separation between the buildings. Again, it will not, the spirit of the ordinance will not, I'm sorry, it will not, the little enforcement would not result in unnecessary hardship. We did not create this condition. It was created due to the non-conforming status of the property next door. And the strict enforcement of the 10 foot separation would make the lot unnotable. And then, the variance is not, are you able to create a minimum we have with the presidents, but residential property owners entitled to the use of their property to the fullest as it relates to a family home or a place of family recreation. Graining this variance, the spirit of the ordinance will be observed. We say that there's no commentary on the NCD as a purpose of separation. The variance will provide an eight foot separation between the homes which is sufficient for access and maintenance. And as I've shown with a few of the same many examples, it's not out of character other properties you see within the neighborhood. The variance will not authorize the operation of the use others specifically permitted. In fact, 33 is designing. It was previously single family. It will again be single family to be authorized within the district. And there's a minimum five foot side setback in the 33. The adjacent property owner will not be injured since the setback will be greater than what it was to be demolition of the existing structure. There's several structures within the neighborhood that are less than 10 foot separation. So I can't, I wouldn't see the district 10 foot separation with the character of the neighborhood. And we've provided a maintenance easement next door and there will be a 10 foot separation with the property located to the right of the proposed structure. And finally, the circumstances were not created by the owner, but as a result of the non-conforming status of the property next door. Thank you for your time, and we have to answer any questions. Thank you. Welcome, Martinez. Okay, I go back to my previous question last and judging by the plan last year, there were two and a half plated lots there. So we are building one structure on Plated Lot number 44 from the Ndallin Terrace plant. But there was a single structure on both floors proper. There was a single structure on the two and a half lots, but we are not able to obtain a certificate termination to build over the lot line. If we were to try to build on lots 44 and 45, we cannot pull a building permit because we cannot meet all the standards of the certificate termination to build with a single family residence over a lot line. Your choice was to stay with what you have and try to build two separate structure. It is not imagined a build of 7, 20 of a green building. Yes, these homes are energy sorry, middle of 7, 20 of a green. And then now you have entered from one awards from the city of San Antonio, middle of 7, 20 of a green. I am going to stop there, but I am going to work it out for you for questions. First I want to be your chairman in a lot of project projects. That is all right. Any other questions?  Did you reach out to the Ndeke Park Association? We sent them the information. We have met and passed with the neighborhood association and their land use committee. In this case, there is really, there is no room for compromise here. If we increase the setback, we are left with an unbuildable site. But you did go there. We have a path to inform them of our plans for the neighborhood. We are also participating on the task force for this NCD three rights of an involved matter perhaps here. Because they made it in the file they had written in opposition. I don't know if you wanted to speak on any of their points. We, I mean you can term it a loophole if you like, but we understand the rules of the NCD and their specific requirements, very strict requirements in this NCD. Every structure that we have built in the neighborhood meets standards of the NCD. We haven't had to come here for variance. We've sat down, we've talked, and I feel like we've cleaned up a lot of, say, half the structures that we have taken out and making for uninhabited for some period of time. Most of them have not conformed with all the same with the NCD and what looked like Sanford and the Sonnet and there was all all kinds of stuff out of there. So, you know, we talked to the police department or code enforcement or the school district that I think they're called for drugs and prostitution and issues have had to reduce. So I'm like, what we've been able to clean up on the street. I've had a neighborhood association that I'm like what we're doing and so I don't know what we'll ever find on the ground. Alright, thank you. Anyone else? I have a question for staff. So the house that he refers to that is not conforming, at what point was that classifying nonconforming? It couldn't have been originally because the houses were so close together. When the unified development code was adopted in 2001 when the flight from the site set back that house became nonconforming. So it's not conforming in two ways. It was close to the unified development code for a five foot setback and then it was possibly if the current structure was still there it would have been nonconforming to the NCD because it didn't meet the ten foot building separation either. So once he had not found the other house anything that goes in place has to conform? Correct. Okay. But he's still trying to get a little bit more space in between the nonconforming house and what he's trying to build. That's what it sounds like to be next to it. From what was there, right? Correct. Okay. Mr. Martinez, go ahead. My understanding is that there was a ten foot requirement and because the house since existing was the only three people in the property line meant that he could not build at his normal five foot position because that would make it too close to New Jersey property. So essentially if that house didn't exist he wouldn't be needing to come here to it. Correct. Did that adjacent structure not there then he just needs to meet the five foot setback? Exactly. So there was two ways to approach this problem by the property next door and tear it down, re-close the house or re-close the other two properties in the line and try to build something there. Otherwise, he would try to be trying to build a right one until it shut down. Re-closing ones don't have to meet the minimum re-close requirements of the fifty foot line. It still requires seven feet, seven feet. Any other questions? I take it without people to speak. They take a seat for right now, so please. The first is Charlotte Ann Lucas. Matt, you made it just that microphone. We need your name and address for you to run your place. My name is Charlotte Ann Lucas. I live at 434 Function & Race in Vancouver. My husband and I have family deep roots here. Almost exactly a hundred years ago, my grandfather was awarded his wings as a U.S. Army pilot at Fort St. Houston, just blocks from where we live. My husband's mother and late Congressman Henry B. Gautales, both attended Jefferson High School together. In a city that shamefully ranks among the worst in the nation for economic segregation, maybe Park is a sparkling exception, as noted by Dr. Christine Drennan of Trinity University's Urban Studies Director in her presentation to the Mayor's Housing Policy Task Force. In contrast to the 1920s era bungalows, the area south of Park has always had multifamily homes where military families once lived right up base. Most recently, there's two plexus, four plexus and eight plexus on Farron Street, and I want you to offer affordable homes for people with very limited needs, people who could afford to live there included a cellist in the San Antonio Symphony and Octave very much. A single man raising three is his grandchildren who were able to beat the odds of poverty because they lived could walk to the Marl commentary from the best elementary schools in the city. Maybe Park has its improved conservation district designed to protect and strengthen desirable and unique features of the area. Before you consider what may on its face appear to be a very minor variance request, it's important to consider the character of the applicant in Spire Homes. When, I'm sorry, when they came to our neighborhood, Imagine Homes began by exploiting loopholes to get around the spirit of the neighborhood conservation district which requires that lots of our men move in 50 feet wide. Then they commenced to systematically pull on all manner of rules and regulations assaulting the sensibilities of people who live here. Those most affected were not people like me. They were people of color, people in poverty, people whose first language is not English. Those were the fewest resources or ability to hold developer accountable or to seek relief. One by one, house by house, renters were pushed out of their homes, displaced, as they systematically pulled those duplexes, foreplexes, aplexes, and some affordable farewell homes 30 seconds. Video, and I believe my husband just gave it to me this time. What was his name? He is, I didn't know. May I continue with it? Yes. Should be audio. Since we don't have audio, do you want to narrate it? Okay. These are the skinny homes or shop benches as but they used to be known that are proliferating and that's the area in question where one home came down and the developer wants to build three of those skinny homes. The homogeneity is clear violation of the spirit of the native conservation district. And here's how those homes have come down. Thanks to the morning, as you can see in this video, a handful of workers began tearing off asbestos shingles from one of those foreplexes with no protection for any of the neighbors and according to the state which regulates asbestos abatement. They opened an investigation based on this video. The people doing this told me they had done it in many instances in making parking including the property two properties directly behind our home. There was no protection for the neighbors but that's what we know. No mitigation for the asbestos that came down. What you cannot see there is the permit on the demolition of that same property that required the six foot fence and that is a property that included several families including one man who was raising his three grandtons. At 10 o'clock at night workers are still at work on these places creating all manner of noise. We call 3-1-1. 3-1-1 does not respond. You can't hear the audio on this obviously from a block away. It got my attention and we put counters on it. We've gotten no response from the developer about these things. That's 10 o'clock at night. At 4.15 one morning the neighbors got woken up by eight cement trucks coming in across the street from the property in question. Ghosts and then trucks actually blocked a person from being able to get out of their home and take her child to school. When you grant your parents grant it to someone who has been a good citizen of the neighborhood. There's what it used to look like. Now what is it? Can you wrap up a little bit? The last thing I have to say has to do with the imperatives cover. This project of three homes will increase the imperatives cover on this property by 58%. The people downhill will know that there's been a change on this problem. This is one of the other ones where there was a non-conforming he never came to you guys but that's less than 10 feet. Before you go, is there anything that video can imagine still falls? There's no other developer than now. It's on him. Okay. Any other questions for me? Please. You mentioned earlier on that one of the people who has imagined all of this exercise is 25 foot long instead of 50 foot long. Can you explain to me what that is? I don't personally understand all the details of it because I'm not part of the Neighborhood Association leadership but they wrote about it in the newsletter and said that these things were originally planted at 25 feet and so therefore if he wants to when he buys a lot like this it's very easy for him to put up three shotgun houses as opposed to so the Neighborhood Association understands that better than I do and this is an unusual position for me to be in. I'm used to being on the other side of the camera on this but what's happened with these things obviously also is that they're not affordable. They're $378,000 a piece so it's increasing economic segregation in the city. I turn to Cather Logan to answer that question for me perhaps is there no requirement that a lot be 50 feet in a month there's no requirement at all for a lot of it perhaps. Only when there be planning so when the code when the NCD was was developed there was a look at what the current state of the plot was. What happened is that much of the subdivision in Mankey Park originally were 25 foot with lots. What happened was that owners owned several lots and built across the lot lines which you can do with a single family home but you have to own a whole entire lot in order to build across those lot lines. And what has happened is that people have sold off pieces half lots of a lot as well as a full lot and sold off over the years but it was originally crowded with 25 foot with lots. It was developed with the language that acknowledged that there were lots built with only minimum was 25 feet. So the code was written saying somebody wanted to replat property the minimum width had to be 50 feet. There was no maximum width given to prevent McMansions but there was only a minimum width given. So if someone wants to build on the 25 foot with lot they don't have to replat. So if somebody replatted its 25 feet with a 25 foot width lot so they can proceed directly to the building permit stage and build a home. Again, it only comes in when you are replat on the property. But again, there's many parts of the code that exempt properties from complying with certain provisions such as a detached garage because there's no way to fit a detached garage and again, when the NCD was adopted it recognized that the plot was hitting systems and it only addresses when properties are replat. So I can assume that the neighbor association may feel as a loophole because there was an assumption that lots were 50 feet because a home was built on two lots and so in the NCD perhaps it didn't identify where this is coming from. Right, so again, a lot of the homes were built across lot lines and you have those provisions in the code to help prevent undevelopable property. The city doesn't want to be in a position of creating undervaluable circumstances. Any other questions? Do we have any other speakers? Thank you, ma'am. Do you have one more? Laurie Sherwood, from the record we need your team to have this one, please. Laurie Sherwood, 33 Eleanor. Okay. There's a lot of bad blood on the property. The shotgun houses were not what we considered to be appropriate and the loophole was because it was an arrow lot they could put the garage door up front because that's what we didn't want to see because our neighborhood basically didn't have that and now with the over 40 new buildings on the street most of them have that from under the rock and the problem I have with it is instead of taking up the front part of that lot building that houses a lot of families running them all like this there's hardly any land there I live in the bottom of the hill I know I am going to flood eventually once all this is done because there's nowhere for the water to go and the city has failed in their job to look at that had this been one lump size piece of land the developer would have had to deal with that and say yeah this is what we're going to do water mitigation and all that but because it's single lot he doesn't have to do that and the city is not going to do anything about it even though it's 5 foot all the way around the house there's land that's nothing compared to what was there you heard the lady crossing 58% more land is covered and it's covered with buildings one of the things from the NCD what we're trying to do with the houses was to keep them farther apart so there was a driveway to the back to put the garage in the back we didn't have garages on the floor and basically the streets ruined because there's no parking there now there's no place for garbage cans the people who are buying houses they're happy but they have displaced other families there's no more people there now there's more cars there now there's more people that needs I have needs but I couldn't afford to buy one of those houses if I wanted to and I lived two streets away I don't understand what he's at I'm going to create a bigger space between them but he's going to take up all of that land there if you look in that picture and the buildings next to him that wasn't covered now it's all covered and unfortunately they would have to suffer in one of their 50 or so properties and sell that piece of land maybe with a house next to it that's 25 feet I don't know but it's sending a message that yes we do care about what's going on and the flooding is an issue 30 seconds that's all I can say and we have questions Mr. Gaff Mr. Gaff has a question I have a question a lot like for the last speaker you mentioned that your NCE didn't intend to have front facing garages and it was the neighborhood's intent to be able to have a 10 feet to get a driveway to park in the rear would you inform me better how that came to be that this loophole was an exercise 40 something times well when imagine homes came from there they basically came to whatever they wanted to because they figured out that there's a plan they did it in the 20s that nobody knew about was 25 foot wide lines when we were doing the NCD in 2008 there was no mention of oh by the way that land in the sound of the park is on the small 25 foot lines nobody knew and then imagine if homes came in they bought some buildings to arm down and started going what the hell is going on and we figured it out there's a plan you know homes are property if you put a 25 foot you can build a 25 foot wide property and in the NCD there wasn't a single one that's less than 45 feet wide we understand you can have a 12 foot garage any other questions thank you man anyone else? that is all make them up so you heard some of the comments some of the questions now your closing remarks yes change is difficult being we were definitely working on tight sites on an inhabited infill street we're doing our best to comply with trying not to disrupt the neighborhoods the reality is pictures of concrete being finished into the night it's because we get hot days it extends and they can't just stop and pick up the next morning we've got to finish that's happened on one occasion there that I don't know that we've been there late on multiple occasions I know some of the other complaints we received were we had crews after hours trucks got on the street we had equipment running up and down the street to clean the street we had to get the cars out of the way in order to do that we're trying to be good neighbors but at the end of the day the neighborhood isn't happy with what we're building we're here today with one specific case on about 44 dealing with a non-conforming house next door 10 foot and it's not an issue can we replant into a 50 foot lot on the other blocks um just want to touch on the question you had to cat there about replanting the lot size what I was saying you could not get certificate of termination to build over you can't deliver over a single family in a single family come over a lot of line under certain conditions and one of those is it had to be in that original configuration on a specific date 2005 I'm not sure exactly what the significance of that date is but that's the criteria that we cannot meet in most cases because a lot of these houses are sitting on one full plated lot two portions or two full lots and one portion and so unless you're building one house on that full lot with you can't meet that requirement so in this case if we were to try to come back in the middle of 50 foot lot house because this was a two and a portion of a lot we cannot get a building permit without replanting the entire site I get to talk into a different subject of what we're here for on this set back here you know a lot of the displacement is not because we're out soliciting but we've got a lot there's a lot of Claremont and Natalie in these two streets particularly there's a lot of out of town owners who are not investing any money back in these properties and they're in poor shape a lot of them are with when you had a case earlier for Broadway development everybody knows what's happening on Broadway as a result of the Pearl District and that is driving property taxes up and it's driving demand for people to be in the area that's what's pushing people out we're not out knocking on doors we're getting phone calls with people that are getting you know $500 a month rents duplexes and their property taxes are $6,000 and $8,000 a year they just it's not economically feasible and if they wanted to invest money back into these properties they got to meet all these NCD standards that a lot of these old duplex buildings cannot meet parking requirements, placing requirements, front door replacement there's a number of things that it just makes it not feasible to rehab these properties and then just comment and address this loophole there's an exception written into the NCD that it was that 45 foot wide or less or 110 feet deep or less lots from the rear parking requirement and that was specific but I can only guess put in there because of the realization that with a shallow or narrow lot you cannot rely rear parking therefore in this case we're asking for your consideration for the two for the variance. Any other questions? So we heard a testimony that you're increasing the amount of impervious coverage drainage downstream as part of this development did you do a storm management report that looked to see how the effects of this development is with 2,000 foot study? That's very clear these are one of the things that properties that have been laid so benign so has not been a requirement since we have not gone through a planning process we have re-plated we have done many plans on a few properties to allow us to build 2 places and it is part of that through the understudy done. Also they're also partnering building permitting in some instances and I was just curious to know if that had ever been done. Any other questions? I would like to start to say I consider those infield to be able to provide as banking and buy an house that would live on it. The first five that we did build were on banking lots. There are some that were on banking lots. Thank you. Anyone else? Thank you sir. No one is close to being very close to the public at this point. So at this time I need a board member to make a motion. Mr. Duff regarding appeal number A18 150 request for a two-foot variance from the main department neighbor of the conservation district design requirement of a 10 foot building separation to allow two structures to be eight feet apart situated at 329 Claremont Avenue applicant being imagined built homes and buildings. I move to the board of the adjustment grant request for the variances to the subject property as described above as the testimony presented to us and the facts that we have determined show that the physical character of this property is such that the liberal enforcement of provisions of the unified development code as amended would result in an unnecessary hardship. Specifically we find that the variance is not contrary to the public interest. The public interest is defined as the general health, safety and welfare of the public. In this case the public interest is represented by minimum setbacks that help to establish uniform and safe development within the city of San Antonio. The proposed structure meets the five-foot side property requirement. Staff finds the request is not contrary to the public interest and if the requested setback intains what used to be prior to demolition and is similar to other setbacks within the community. Due to special conditions the liberal enforcement of the ordinance would result in unnecessary hardship. The liberal enforcement of the ordinance would result in the applicant not being able to build heads for clothes. By granting the variance the spirit of the ordinance will be observed and substantial justice will be done. The spirit of the ordinance is the intent of the code rather than the strict letter of the law. In this case the intent of the setback is to allow room for maintenance and to provide safe separation with five-foot side setback and satisfy this intent. The spirit of the ordinance is further observed and the structure meets all other setbacks. The variance will not authorize the operation of the use other than those used specifically authorized. The requested variance will not authorize the operation of the use on the subject property other than those specifically permitted in the MF33NCV6 multi-family manky park neighborhood and conservation district. Such variance will not substantially appropriate use of adjacent conforming property or alter the essential character of the district in which the property is located. There are several properties within the community that benefit from reduced side setbacks. The request will not be out of character of the district. The owner of the property for which the variance is stopped is due to unique circumstances existing on the property and unique circumstances are not created by the owner of the property of general conditions in the district in which the property is located. Quite the amount of variance is due to the previous location of the main building in relation to the adjacent property to the west in motion. Thank you. Mr. Duff, any comments? Yes, I'm very familiar with properties being redeveloped on the certificate of determination and process and intel development and seeing a lot of it in many neighborhoods within these two miles of downtown. I was asking the specific questions about the NCD because I'm not as familiar with the exact ins and outs of what we're called loopholes in this meeting. In favor of intel development I think it is good to take advantage of empty lots that have just been sitting empty for years so that we can provide more housing for our communities and even the insurgents of new members of our communities. However, I think in cases like this you have an opportunity to do everything per codes and per ordinances and per conservation district requirements because you're building from new. You're not dealing with something that you're rehabbing that's 80 years old and was built according to other codes so I disagree with the motion I just read I do think that health, safety and welfare are important considerations that we should make as we're developing our inner city or any part of our city and as we sit on this floor I believe that reducing that input requirement when otherwise it would not need to be in a new construction situation does not warrant any granting approval of this variance today. This is an actual to me a very unusual circumstance because generally speaking only considering the property that's there one would assume that you could go within the standard construction limits and buy books and facts and comply but this particular issue has more to do with overall neighborhood development and very little to do with the specific property in general. Judging by the association not approving this project and the fact that the city staff is recommending denial I also will not be voting for this. Thank you. Anyone else? Mr. Rogers? Okay, Hector take the vote. Mr. Nair. I do not concur with the findings of that. Mr. Martinez. I do not concur. Mr. Keele. Yes, I concur with the findings of that. Dr. Zolarelli. I do not concur. Mr. Rogers. I do not concur with the findings of that. Mr. Brightman. Yes. Mr. Rodriguez. No, I do not concur. Mr. O'Reilly. Yes. Mr. Brightman. Yes. Mr. Shawl. Yes. And Mr. Keele. I do not concur. So it's five in favor, six in favor. Unfortunately it does not carry getting together with staff and see what your options are. In that case.