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Dozens of businesses in the Kensington neighborhood will be forced to close at midnight every night if the Philadelphia City Council changes the law next week.
The City Council's Licensing and Inspection Committee approved the bill on February 23. The bill was sponsored by 7th District Councilman Quesi Lozada, who represents the Kensington area.
Councilman Lozada said this is just one strategy to address open-air drug dealing and neighborhood criminal activity that has plagued the community for decades.
“The goal is to make sure we remove what we can definitely remove from certain footprints that are contributing to nuisances and hindering the quality of life in the Kensington community, and we're starting to work on it now,” Lozada said after Friday's hearing. Let's start,'' he said.
The pilot area runs from East Lehigh Avenue north along Kensington Avenue to East Tioga Street, but extends west to D Street and east to Frankford Avenue, essentially forming a triangle. It is forming.
There are more than 100 businesses within this boundary, but only about 20 are likely to be affected by the order to close by 11 p.m. each morning and not reopen until after 6 a.m.
The law does not affect bars or establishments with liquor licenses that can serve alcohol until 2 a.m., but grab-and-go restaurants, smoking areas and liquor stores will be closed.
Councilman Lozada said he has already received complaints from responsible business owners who had to clean up the morning mess.
“It's total chaos,” he said. “Trash, the number of people lying in front of me right now is [the] Because they are patrons of businesses that are open all night. That's a problem. ”
Proposing legislation to limit business hours is not a new concept.
A similar law in Camden, New Jersey, has been in effect since 2012, requiring stores within 200 feet of residential areas to close by 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and by midnight Friday and Saturday. There is. Some companies tried to fight the law in court but lost.
So far, there has been no organized opposition to the Kensington Avenue Bill. At least not one person testified at Friday's hearing. The proposed law has the support of law enforcement agencies serving the area.
“We believe this curfew has the potential to have a positive impact on crime and disorder, which have historically occurred at night,” said Philadelphia Police Department Deputy Commissioner Francis Healey. “We believe this bill can create synergy with the plans being developed by PPD to address not only open-air drug markets, but the overall quality of life of residents.”
