Members of the Frankford Civic Association don’t want a chicken restaurant on the 4700 block of Griscom Street.
Speaking at the association’s Sept. 4 meeting at Aria Health’s Frankford campus, one resident said she was so opposed to seeing the shop on that block that she was willing to picket the place if it ever opens.
The owner of 4731 Griscom, listed as Sitara Anwari on the city Office of Property Assessment website, was not present at last week’s civic association session.
In 2013, said Pete Specos, the association’s president, the owner came before the group about putting “a chicken store” in the property, but “the neighbors were up in arms and he withdrew the application.”
Neighbors who have come to the association’s meetings for more than a year have said they are vehemently against a restaurant of any kind occupying the vacant building that had been a shoe repair shop for decades.
Why?
It’s kind of a Frankford thing. Neighbors worry about the potential for noise and, worse, drug dealing, if a restaurant opens in a residential area. They frequently object to food businesses they feel might draw late-night crowds and that drug dealers might hang out at those places.
A restaurant at Oxford and Griscom “is going to be a nuisance,” one neighbor said, drawing agreement from the small gathering.
“It’s going to be a nuisance. Period,” another resident said. “I’m ready to picket the guy the first day he opens his doors.”
Specos said he did not believe a restaurant could open in the property, but he knows the city has issued various permits for electrical and other work. He said he had talked to the owner’s agent, who told him a restaurant can be legally opened.
Jason Dawkins, Democratic candidate for the 179th legislative district seat, said he didn’t think there was any legal barrier.
Under the city’s old zoning code, he said, a variance was needed to operate a restaurant in the small vacant building at Oxford and Griscom.
But under the new code, the building is zoned for mixed commercial use, Dawkins said, so he believed it could be used for a restaurant.
Dawkins said there are certain parts of Frankford that are zoned incorrectly. He added that Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez (D-7th dist.) is working on legislation that would correct some of those mistakes. Before running for the state House seat, Dawkins worked for Sanchez.
Another thing to keep in mind, he said, is a businessman wouldn’t open a chicken restaurant if he didn’t think he was going to sell chicken. If neighborhood people buy there, he will, he said.
Controlling how a building is used isn’t easy, said Kimberly Washington, executive director of the Frankford Community Development Corporation. A “proactive” approach would better suit the neighborhood, she said.
She said Frankford’s CDC is not a strong organization, but stronger CDCs have the funds to keep tabs on area buildings. “When something becomes available, they buy it so they can control what goes in there,” she said.
There’s a flip side to protesting the building’s use, Dawkins said. “Say he backs out of the deal, then you might have a vacant building,” he said. Washington agreed. A vacant property can cause more problems, she said. “If we protest and he gets out, what did we accomplish?” she asked.
Acquiring a property would solve some problems, she said. “It’s hard to control if you don’t own it.”
NEXT UP
Specos reminded residents of the upcoming Police Service Area 1 meeting at 7 p.m. on Sept. 25 at Aria Health’s Frankford campus second-floor conference room, 4900 Frankford Ave. PSA meetings are informal gatherings at which residents and police discuss area crime.
Members of the Frankford Civic Association convene at 7 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month at the same location. ••
