Greater Bustleton Civic League held a meeting for the second Wednesday in a row, gathering again to discuss the warehouse at 1 Red Lion Road in addition to hearing from City Council candidate Judy Moore and voting on a zoning issue.
Moore, the Democratic candidate in the 10th District Council election, addressed the crowd directly about her campaign for the second time since May, again introducing herself as the wife of a 7th District police officer and mother of three. Moore said she didn’t think the public-school options in the area were safe, which was one of the reasons she decided to run.
Another reason is the abandoned buildings such as the former Nabisco factory in the area.
“They’re being replaced by either nothing, or warehouses or storage facilities,” she said. “I just see our neighborhood changing, and elected office should be a service, not a career.” The latter comment was a reference to her competitor Councilman Brian O’Neill, who has been in office since the year she was born.
Moore spoke against the 1.85-million-square-foot warehouse coming to 1 Red Lion Road after attending last week’s meeting concerning its construction and size. She has a team researching the warehouse to find more information about it.
“It’s not only the environmental or traffic implications, but the implication that says this is no longer a neighborhood, but a massive warehouse plopped next to homes,” she said. Moore last week offered to run an ad in the Times and buy a billboard to raise awareness about the project.
“This is something I cannot support,” she said. “I cannot believe our elected officials do not know about it and I refuse to take that for an answer.”
GBCL president Jack O’Hara said O’Neill was also invited, but he did not attend.
Speaking of the warehouse, O’Hara said his current goal is to spread awareness about the project, encouraging GBCL members to go out and tell their neighbors and friends.
Zoning
Neighbors voted almost unanimously to support a variance for the home at 9746 Chapel Road to demolish its one-car garage and replace it with a two-car garage, and to also erect a new fence.
The fence needed a variance because zoning code indicates that fences can be only 4 feet tall, 50 percent opaque and have a minimum setback of 25 feet. The homeowner requested a 6-foot-tall, completely opaque fence with a setback of 7 feet to accommodate for the safety of his son who has autism and can sometimes run from the house and yard.
The final vote was 35-0 to support the height and opaqueness of the fence, and 30-4 to support the setback.
In other news:
- Representatives from the city demonstrated how to use the new touch-screen voting machines that will be used in the upcoming election.
- Bustleton Bengals will host their first comedy show Saturday, Nov. 2, at John Marynowitz Gymnasium. Doors open at 7 p.m. and the show begins at 8 for the $25-ticket show. BYOB.
- Red Tiger Taekwon-Do center will host a cleanup at a yet-to-be announced location Saturday, Nov. 9.
- Police Service Area 2 will host a meeting Monday, Nov. 11, at 7 p.m. at Randi’s.
- American Heritage Federal Credit Union will host its annual grand illumination tree lighting, fireworks and symphony event Saturday, Nov. 30, at 7 p.m.
- Meetings are held the fourth Wednesday of every month at American Heritage Federal Credit Union, 2060 Red Lion Road. The next meeting will take place Wednesday, Nov. 20, at 7 p.m.
