Upper Holmesburg Civic Association Zoning Officer Paul DeFinis leads the zoning discussion at the March meeting.

Auto-related businesses were the focus of last night’s Upper Holmesburg Civic Association meeting, with zoning issues being the highlight of the 90-minute gathering.

Zoning Officer Paul DeFinis began the zoning portion of the evening with 8301 Torresdale Ave., whose occupants are seeking to legalize the many auto-related businesses in the industrialized area. continue reading »

Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla updated Upper Holmesburg residents on rennovation plans for the area at last night's civic association meeting.

The prison system shouldn’t be the third-largest department in a city as sophisticated as Philadelphia, Prisons Commissioner Louis Giorla told the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association last night.

And that’s one of the reasons why Giorla attended the group’s January meeting — to update residents on what’s happening at Curran-Fromhold Correctional Facility and Holmesburg Prison. continue reading »

Photo courtesy of CBS3.

Three people were transported to Aria Health-Torresdale last night after a fire engulfed their Holmesburg home.

Firefighters were called to the 8700-block of Cottage Street around 8 p.m. to extinguish the blaze. Three people were trapped in the home — as CBS3 reported — including a man in his 40s who sustained burns on more than 30 percent of his body. The condition of the other two residents is unknown.

Firefighters quickly put the fire out, but have not yet determined the cause.

Holmesburg Civic Association's December meeting. Photo by Christopher Wink for NEast Philly.

The main topic of last night’s Holmesburg Civic Association was Police Service Areas — and why a commander from the 8th District  wasn’t there to explain them.

As the 8th District gets ready to launch Police Service Areas — breaking the district into three patrol zones — residents of Holmesburg, which sits in half the 8th and 15th districts, have questions. continue reading »

Q: So they’re finally planning on tearing down Liddonfield Homes. Do you think the home values will really improve in Upper Holmesburg?

A: Yes.

Last year, the average sold price on the closest blocks adjacent to Megargee Street and Tolbut Street was $127,000, more than 5 percent lower than the rest of the 19136 zip code. This is a good example to show that all real estate is local. Very local. continue reading »

Upper Holmesburg Civic Association President Stan Cywinski announced he will step down in 2010 to allow for "new blood."

The final 2009 meeting of the Upper Holmesburg Civic Association was a short one. About 20 people gathered in St. Dominic’s Marian Hall for the 30-minute holiday meeting.

Much of the focus was on the upcoming year, which will begin with board elections at the January meeting. Nominations began last night, when three-year President Stan Cywinski announced he’ll step down and serve the Association in another capacity.

“It’s healthy for an organization to have these changes,” said Cywinski, who earlier said it’s time for “new blood.” continue reading »

Eva Gladstein, director of the Zoning Code Committee, reviews the themes of the propsed code revisions.

Roughly 10 people gathered in Lincoln High School’s cafeteria last night to participate in a city-sponsored meeting for the Zoning Code Reform Project.

Among the attendees were community leaders from Mayfair, Holmesburg and Upper Holmesburg and councilmen Brian O’Neill and Frank Rizzo. Members of the Zoning Code Committee attributed the low turnout — they expected up to 80 people — to the inclement weather and game one of the World Series. continue reading »

Upper Holmesburg Civic Association President Stan Cywinski discusses zoning issues. Photo by Christopher Wink.

Presidents from two other Northeast civic associations addressed the Upper Holmesburg civic about what they say is becoming a big problem in the area: neglect from the city’s Zoning Board of Adjustment.

Lou Iatarola of the Tacony Civic Association and Sean McAleer from the Holme Circle Civic Association, shared their neighborhoods’ experiences with the zoning board, as requested by Upper Holmesburg President Stan Cywinski, who said the zoning board needs a change. continue reading »

Here’s a summary of the week’s Northeast news we didn’t cover. See others here.

The Philadelphia Police Department’s Northeast Detectives Division is seeking the public’s help in locating its most-wanted suspects in connection with crimes linked to the Northeast. Call 215-686-3153 to report information about any of the suspects.

Keep reading for an update on a bank robber helped caught by Daily News readers, vandalism at Nifty Fifty’s and more. continue reading »

Police are looking for a man whom they believe has robbed three Rite Aids this summer – two in the Northeast.

The most recent was Thursday, when the man was seen entering the store on the 7900-block of Castor Avenue in Rhawnhurst. He pointed a gun at a female employee, forced her to open the safe, and exited through a back door, taking more than $1,000 with him. continue reading »