Zoning board allows Main Line Therapeutics to continue multi‑practitioner operations with conditions

The Haverford Township Zoning Hearing Board on July 16 approved a variance allowing Main Line Therapeutics, at 1208 Darby Road, to be operated by owner Jessica Hawthorne with multiple licensed practitioners, subject to several conditions intended to limit impacts on the surrounding residential neighborhood.

Attorney Jennifer Pizzitlow told the board that the business has operated at the address since 1997, when Jessica Hawthorne's mother first obtained a permit. Hawthorne inherited the property and business in 2021 and later learned the historic permit limited operations; she sought relief to regularize the current use rather than to expand it. "This business has been serving the community for 30 years," Pizzitlow said in summary remarks.

The board's approval, announced later in the meeting, carries several conditions: the property must remain owner-occupied; no more than four licensed practitioners may operate at one time; the business may occupy no more than 50% of the building's total square footage; the applicant must deliver a floor plan delineating residential and commercial space to the zoning officer within 60 days; and hours will be limited to 9:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on weekdays and 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. on weekends.

Hawthorne, who testified she is a licensed massage therapist and certified practitioner in complementary modalities, described typical operations: weekday peaks between roughly 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., staggered appointments, and use of a long stacked driveway plus on-street and nearby lot parking. "We all carry liability insurance," Hawthorne said, describing practitioner licensing and training. Counsel and the applicant repeatedly framed the request as a request to recognize longstanding, community-serving activity rather than a request for a material expansion.

Board members pressed the applicant for details about parking and the percentage of the house used for business. The applicant said roughly 50% of the building is in business use and that the driveway can accommodate five cars in addition to the owner's vehicle; scheduling practices and staggered appointments reduce peak curb demand. One member expressed reluctance to approve relief without a formal parking calculation; the applicant offered to supply a calculation on request.

The board's decision was not unanimous: one member recorded a dissenting vote during the roll call on the motion, citing uncertainty about granting relief retroactively without clear parking calculations. The board nonetheless approved the application by majority vote and set the compliance conditions noted above. The board said it would enforce the conditions through the zoning officer and the township's routine permit and licensing processes.

The board closed the record on the application at the July 16 meeting; decisions on all four cases heard that night were read into the record before the meeting adjourned.