Jenkintown Borough finally runs out of stupid questions about lawn equipment, bringing its war of attrition to an end. Last night at Borough Hall, the ZHB unanimously voted to toss out the Borough’s citation based on lack of evidence showing any kind of business, impactful or otherwise. At the conclusion of the hearing, the room erupted with a standing ovation with most people relieved, but none more than the Downses. […]
Latest News
Posted on:
Jenkintown Council Lauds George Locke
At the Jenkintown Borough Council Meeting for June 2018, council President Deborra Sines-Pancoe lauded Borough Manager George Locke for his service to the Borough. In light of that, we present a selection of ongoing code violations and generally sloppy work that Mr. Locke has either failed to address or is directly responsible for creating. George Locke’s current salary stands at $118,450 per year. And climbing.
Livestream
Posted on:
Jenkintown Borough Council Meeting Live stream for June, 2018
Borough Council had its regular meeting on June 27th. Highlights include: Presentations to two of Jenkintown High School’s runners for their exceptional performance Public comment revealing that the Borough has spent at least $12,000 prosecuting the Downs’s citation. Public comment about a possible edit to the Borough’s own archived video A big round of “attaboys” for George Locke’s completion of his manager education And a public hearing that included discussion […]
Livestream
Posted on:
Jenkintown Borough Council Special Meeting
Jenkintown Borough Council held a special meeting on June 20 to consider rescinding its support of the Taco Bell project. This video contains that meeting and the regularly scheduled meetings for the Admin and Finance and the Building Zoning and Revitalization meetings. Highlights of this video include some passionate public comment, Scott Hummel cry poverty if this all goes down even though as a prospective buyer he really has nothing […]
Borough Council
Posted on:
Jenkintown backs away from Taco Hell
Council comes to its senses Last night, Jenkintown Borough Council staged a pop-up meeting to decide whether or not it should continue supporting the idea of a Taco Bell with drive-through in a spot where its own zoning prohibits it. Spoiler alert: They rescinded their support by a vote of 8-2, although this motion only removes their previous support of the idea. It does not mean that they now oppose […]
Latest News
Posted on:
Willow Grove steps ahead of Jenkintown
If you’ve driven through Willow Grove lately, you might have noticed some major construction going on. Turns out, the district is about to make a major about-face on suburban sprawl and welcome walkability. The area that has served as the poster child for soul-crushing auto-based development for the past 40 years looks like it could finally enter a period of renaissance. The Bohler Engineering website describes the project as a: …five-story […]
Livestream
Posted on:
Jenkintown’s war of attrition continues
The Zoning Hearing Board of Jenkintown, PA staged its second evening of mind-numbing questions about photographs of Dave Downs mowing an elderly woman’s lawn, the brand of lawnmower he used (Craftsman), and whether Christine Glass can discern the difference between a business and good Samaritan. We present to you last night’s hearing in its entirety, edited only to remove the two five minute breaks in what was nearly a three […]
Latest News
Posted on:
Downs V. Jenkintown PA, Round Two
It has not been a quiet week in Jenkintown. Last Wednesday, like it or not, Peggy and Dave Downs had yet another day in court fighting a citation for running a business that does not exist. Never has. The Borough’s original citation claimed that the Downses were operating an unspecified “commercial business” in violation of zoning which allows only a “zero impact business,” i.e. one that does not make noise, […]
Livestream
Posted on:
Jenkintown Zoning Hearing Board: Borough Vs. Peggy and Dave Downs
Grab your popcorn, folks! This is the hearing in its entirety. We apologize for the sound quality (again), but this is what we’re using for a microphone: There’s an omnidirectional mic at the base of that Solo cup, which does a decent job picking up voices. Unfortunately, because we’re always in the gallery, it also picks up coughs, paper shuffling, and chair moving.
Latest News
Posted on:
George Locke’s code violations of the mind
We will comment in much greater detail about last night’s zoning board hearing soon, but one thing stands out. Borough Manager George Locke went on record explaining what could constitute a zoning violation akin to what the Downses are contesting. If you help a neighbor mow their lawn or clear their yard, you could be cited. Mowing someone else’s lawn — for whatever reason — labels your activity as “commercial” […]
This Meets Code
Posted on:
Jenkintown Council membership has its benefits
For the past several months, pedestrians walking along the 300 block of Rodman Avenue might have noticed a half-block of sidewalk dug out and cordoned off by yellow tape. The photo above taken last Thursday shows it patched with asphalt, something not allowed by borough code. The property abutting this sidewalk belongs to Jay Conners, Borough Council Member, Chairman of the Public Works Committee, local Democratic party chairman, and a […]
Policy
Posted on:
Do you trust George Locke to enforce a deed restriction?
For those of you who think that the proposed deed restriction imposed upon Summit House eliminates the possibility of children in the project, please read this article from the Yale Law Review. It’s lengthy, but here is a salient part: “In contrast to this broadly public enforcement system for zoning, the enforcement regime for municipally imposed covenants is often tightly limited. Municipalities routinely write covenants that forbid citizen enforcement, and the […]
You must be logged in to post a comment.