The East Torresdale Civic Association on Monday approved two zoning proposals.
The homeowner at 9312 Wissinoming St., a twin property, needs a variance for a garage conversion to help her mother live on the ground floor to deal with health issues.
Some people worried that the setup – the woman’s son and fiancee live on the second floor – could lead to a duplex conversion.
Members voted 16-14 in favor of the variance.
Direct Auto Sales, 9201 James St., needs a special exception to sell cars online. The company has a nearby parcel that sells cars in person, but state law prohibits online and in-person sales being conducted under the same roof.
Resident Terry Devlin raised issues of traffic and car carriers, and produced a picture of Direct Auto Sales vehicles parked on Dunkin’ Donuts property. But the owner said he owns the Dunkin’ property.
Stan Cywinski, an aide to City Councilman Mike Driscoll, said he’s received emails from property owners opposed to the Direct Auto Sales plan, even though those owners are listed in documents supporting the proposal. Cywinski invited those owners to the meeting, but none attended.
Some people skeptical of the plan wanted to delay a vote, but membership rejected that suggestion and voted 30-6 in favor of Direct Auto Sales.
The Zoning Board of Adjustment hearing is Nov. 8.
In other news from the meeting:
• John Teague, community outreach coordinator for the city controller’s office, discussed elder financial abuse, which often targets lonely people. Teague said scams can take place on the phone, in TV and radio product ads, in person, through the mail and on the computer.
Teague said only 1 in 44 cases of financial abuse is reported, due to the embarrassment of victims.
Teague said the IRS or Treasury Department will never contact people on the phone. He encouraged people to ignore calls coming from different area codes and to not hesitate to hang up the phone.
Teague suggested people order credit reports from Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. In addition, he said they should review bank statements and get three estimates for any repair work.
More information is at elderjustice.gov or by calling 800-490-8505.
• The ETCA continues to meet with Driscoll, the police department and the city Department of Parks and Recreation about Pleasant Hill Park. A park ranger has recently been stationed on site on weekends. Issues include loud music, speeding cars, parking and overgrowth. Possible solutions include speed cushions, signage, lighting and parking permits.
• Ross Mitchell, executive director of Glen Foerd, 5001 Grant Ave., announced the riverfront estate will host Wedding Crashers’ Ball on Oct. 27. Learn more at GlenFoerd.org/WeddingCrashersBall.
• The East Torresdale Civic Association will meet on Monday, Sept. 11, at 7 p.m. at All Saints’ Episcopal Church, 9601 Frankford Ave. One item on the agenda is likely to be a proposed beer distributor at the former Wawa at 9201 Frankford Ave., which closed in 2021. ••
