WNCA Supports B & B in Roxborough

In an 11 to 9 vote Monday, the Wissahickon Neighbors Civic Association voted to support a zoning change that would allow a bed and breakfast at 3937 Terrace Street.

The owner, Joan White, already has a renter's license and said she hopes to use the four bedroom single-family home as a bed and breakfast for professionals in town for work or families coming to visit relative in the area.

"It's a much cheaper and more convenient alternative to staying in a hotel in Center City," White said at the meeting, adding that the home is well-maintained and will bring in tax dollars for the community.

A bed and breakfast zoning will allow the owner more flexibility when it comes to renting rooms. Under the home's current zoning, White is unable to rent to more than one family.

Each of the home's four available rooms is outfitted with it's own bathroom and there is a wet bar on the second floor and full kitchen on the first. The B & B may not always provide breakfast to its boarders but will allow them to make their own.

The owner said a staff person would be on site anytime there were visitors, and could make breakfast for them if the funds were available.

"This isn't a country bed and breakfast," White said. "This is more for people who are visiting, coming and going."

But that didn't sit well with some residents.

"That doesn't sound like a bed and breakfast to me," one meeting attendee stated.

One resident was still concerned that the new zoning code may simply be a way of skirting the law that states three or more unrelated people rent a house together.

But Gary Lightman, counsel for White, assured the crowd that the new zoning code "does not give the property owner the right to break the law."

None of the visitors would be under a lease and stays would probably not last more than a week.

"It's really set up well," White said. "I think it's something families visiting the area will really enjoy."

All potential visits must be booked in advance and cash will not be accepted to prevent it from becoming a type of boarding house, White said, adding that rooms will range from $100 to $189.

White's zoning hearing is schedule for Dec. 14.