The Fox Chase Homeowners Association has agreed to allow the owner of a neighborhood auto mechanic to continue to sell used cars on a lot near his repair shop.
The non-descript auto sales yard at 7515 Oxford Ave. was one of two zoning issues that the civic group considered during its monthly joint meeting with the Fox Chase Town Watch on June 10. The homeowners also backed the Lafayette Redeemer home’s expansion plan.
Neighbors’ approval of Sean Kelly’s used car business was conditional upon several factors. The owner’s attorney, Leonard Reuter, agreed that the lot would have no more than nine cars for sale at a time and that there would be 11 fixed parking spaces (nine for sale cars and two for customers). Reuter agreed that no customers from Kelly’s nearby repair shop, High Tech Automotive, will park in the sales lot, nor will Kelly store other cars on the sales lot — such as those awaiting repair or pick-up. Further, Kelly will minimize on-street parking of for-sale cars, although some short-term curbside parking will be necessary when cars must be rearranged.
Reuter said that the owner has no intention of erecting or posting signs on the sales lot, which has a trailer office and surveillance equipment.
Homeowners Association President Matt Braden noted that neighbors have complained about various aspects of Kelly’s businesses in the past, but in more recent times, he has been responsive to neighbors’ concerns, including parking issues and landscape improvements.
Neighbors said that they would like a telephone number to contact Kelly for night and weekend emergencies, such as when a car alarm sounds and nobody is around to turn off the noise.
In the absence of opposition to the sales lot proposal, the civic association did not take a formal vote on the zoning application, which awaits a ruling by the city’s zoning board.
In a separate issue, the Homeowners Association also granted its consent to the Lafayette Redeemer’s expansion plan. Operators of the senior home at 8560 Verree Road want to build a 9,000-square-foot addition to include a cafeteria expansion and other resident activity space. There will be no increase in the home’s capacity.
Braden visited the site earlier this month with zoning chairman Craig Turner and treasurer Kate Friend. They agreed that the project will have little if any impact on surrounding properties or Pennypack Park. The home sits on a 10-acre campus, while the addition won’t be seen from the street or the park.
In order to start the project, Lafayette Redeemer needs City Council to amend the site’s Institutional Development Master Plan. Councilman Brian O’Neill has said he would not introduce the necessary bill without community consent.
In unrelated business:
• Town Watch President Steve Phillips announced that the annual Fox Chase National Night Out celebration will occur on Aug. 4 at Fox Chase School. State Rep. Kevin Boyle is assisting the town watch in organizing the affair.
• Braden reported that a new city ordinance placing restrictions on clothing donation bins will take effect on June 19, one month after Council passed it and Mayor Nutter signed it into law. The measures seek to rein in rogue collection bins that have become eyesores in many areas of the city, including the Northeast.
Organizations wishing to place bins at specific locations must obtain city permits and meet numerous maintenance provisions. To complain about a clothing recycling bin, residents can call 911 and provide the location. ••
