DiCicco Giving Bodine Street to Finnegan's Wake

[3rd&Brown]

Alright. This is a long one. Just trying to draw some attention to what might be the most obnoxious use of power I've witnessed in my time in Philadelphia, at least in Northern Liberties.

Councilman DiCicco drafted an ordinance to strike Bodine St (between Spring Garden and Green Streets) from the city plan. The intended use of the street? To allow Finnegan's Wake to build a 3 story outdoor/balcony structure over what is now little Bodine Street. DiCicco intended to introduce this bill to council without neighborhood input, but luckily, somebody from the neighborhood saw it on the agenda and intervened to get the parties involved, and DiCicco held the ordinance, for now.

So, here's are the facts of the situation.

1. The Democratic City Committee, lead by the esteemed Congressman Bob Brady, purchased the lot just east of Finnegan's Wake (I believe 219-227 Spring Garden Street) in recent months to construct the new headquarters for the DCC, which used to be on Walnut Street. Construction is by-right and the proposed building is already under construction. I might add, that plans for the project were presented tonight (the new DCC building) and they look quite nice. It is important to know, that during the presentation on this manner, there was a plot of land on the west side of the DCC building which was rendered as open space. Again, there was nothing presented for approval for the neighborhood, as everything is by-right. It was more of a information-only presentation.

2. The subsequent presentation was by Finnegan's, speaking to their ambitions to have not only Bodine Street stricken from the city plan, per DiCicco's ordinance, but to also close off the street and to construct a 3 story outdoor structure which will be directly accessible from the interior of the building. The presenters were the owners of Finnegan's Wake, Mike Driscoll and one other individual whose name escape's me, but it was communicated that they both own Finnegan's. There would be no amplified music, but patrons would be free to come and go from all levels of the deck, even though it was claimed that the top two levels would be primarily used by private parties in banquet rooms upstairs.

3. The argument presented by the proprietors who want to strike the street were: 1. It removes an ugly, unsightly dumpster from the street, and 2. It's not really a street, it's an alley, and an ugly one at that.

4. In all of my time in Northern Liberties, this street has been blocked off by Finnegan's dumpster, which has evaded citation, not coincidentally, from L&I and other city agencies. Some in the audience corroborate that the dumpster has been there at least 10 years, others even longer. It has been there for all of my time in Northern Liberties, which is about 7 years. The dumpster has been a perennial issue for the neighborhood, and complaints about it to aforesaid agencies and council people have been summarily ignored.

5. During the presentation, the neighbors expressed concern that with the proposed structure, the dumpster would be relocated further to the rear of the street, closer to private homes on Green, Bodine, and American Streets. Mr Driscoll and his partner, at this point, expressed that there would be no dumpster, because they would be keeping the bulk of their refuse internal to the building using new "european" systems to condense the waste. Only small receptacles would be on the property. It should be noted that in past discussions, the dumpster was presented as the only option for storing refuse.

6. Part of the proposed Finnegan's structure is to be built over not only the stricken street, but also a portion of the land on the new DCC headquarters, much of it rendered as "open space" in the aforementioned presentation, which the architect and others in the room asserted was separate from the Finnegan's project.

7. DiCicco is a lame duck Council person.

8. It is well known that Finnegan's is in bed with the DCC. It's a regular location for functions of all manners of union and public employee functions, and I am assuming that the proprietors donate freely to all of the individuals involved (Brady, DiCicco, etc), though I have not confirmed this myself.

Needless to say, this went over like a well, brick. A really big friggin brick. But, what to do from here?

Aside from the obvious QOL issues (NOBODY wants to live near a 3 level outdoor space filled with drunken patrons)...questions about which were addressed by the presenters by saying that noise wouldn't be an issue. Yes, that was the answer. Voices don't project like other things...cars, etc. And Spring Garden is "loud" (it is not)...this is also clearly the machine at work. It's a damned if you do damned if you don't situation.

I'm not going to discuss the actual decision of the neighborhood, because it hasn't yet been communicated to the parties involved, but I think it's pretty clear that the decision of the neighborhood will have no bearing on this project. How can this happen? I want a street. I know Bob Brady, so I get the street? And my justification for being able to just have the street is that because I've made it unsightly for 10+ years by illegally putting a dumpster there and using it as my trash heap, while being totally immune to the laws that the rest of us must follow, to render it an un-useable street?

The only alternative is to air this very dirty laundry in the press, but I'm not sure who the best individuals are to contact at each outfit. Further, what are the best outfits? I'm hoping that somebody will pick the story up here. I really really wish there was some press there tonight. It was a real ****-show, and it wouldn't be difficult to dig up the background on this at all.

[raider.adam]

Your mailbox is full.

[3rd&Brown]

Not any more.

[mixiboi]

Eh, here's the Alleyway under destruction:








This is truly a NIMBY thread, btw....

[raider.adam]

Eh, here's the Alleyway under destruction:

This is truly a NIMBY thread, btw....

A private business wants to take use of public land. This is actually one of the situations where the public definitely gets an opportunity to be involved.

[Cya]

I've been to Finnigan's a few times. I don't recall houses nearby. It;'s largely a commercial area, it seems.
Depending if there are homes, and where they're located, maybe something could be worked out with a wall or noise barriers?
All I know is I avoid going to Finnigans because there's never any parking. Was additional parking part of the plans?

[gren]

This is truly a NIMBY thread, btw....

There are two separate issues. Should city government give land from public right of way to private businesses and should whatever be built. I think that striking streets from the grid is generally a bad thing. Many of our streets in Philly are small alleys. They create great shortcuts when walking. Give more paths you can take. Just becuase Finnegans kept this alley like a dumpster doesn't mean it should be struck.

[3rd&Brown]

This is truly a NIMBY thread, btw....

So you think it's okay if Council people just strike streets from the grid and give them to their friends?

You know, Wiss would be a lot better off if it had the committed and dedicated citizenry that NoLibs has. Frankly, it wouldn't be such a dump.

[TLP]

Disapproved by PCPC earlier in the month, according to this article: PCPC: Saving the archives, Philadelphia 2035 update, Callowhill isues and more | PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future

I'm not sure how PCPC fits into the process if this was proposed as an ordinance in City Council?

[3rd&Brown]

I think that striking streets from the grid is generally a bad thing.

This. Just 1 block north, Bodine is a tidy and picturesque alley-way street lined with homes.

And as for the comment that there is no residential nearby, two points. One, there is plenty. There is a house sandwiched between Finnegan's and Joe Hand's Boxing gym, abutting Finnegans. There is also a live/work building at Green and 3rd, and homes along Green at N American. There is a large condo building at Green @ N American and there are more under construction and planned. The rear of the homes and apartments that line N 2nd are also exposed to this non-sense. Second, this is a nuissance bar. Rowdy patrons leave the bar regularly and pee, break bottles, and cause problems far from the location of the bar. Now imagine a nuissance bar with outdoor space where you're exposed to this not just at 2AM when patrons leave, but all night.

Further, while the nay-sayers might be stuck in neighborhoods that are molasses or declining, or fighting decline, in Northern Liberties, we're planning for the future. It's one of the many reasons why we're a successful neighborhood. Before long, most of Green, North Bodine, North American, and even N 3rd will be lined with homes. We've seen proposals for all of the vacant and under-used lots within a block of this intersection, and it's just a matter of time until this pocket, with the exception of the businesses facing Spring Garden, is a vibrant residential pocket. If we've learned anything in NoLibs, it's that using the current state of things as your barometer is just nonsensical, because conditions in the neighborhood are changing so rapidly.

And then there's that part where we're just striking streets and giving them to friends. Right, that's sorta big.

[Sharkfood]

Are you sure this is a DiCicco bill?

I see no reference to legalizing any non-conforming billboards.
Isn't that in all his bills?

[MTEMPLE]

Contact Jeff Cole Fox 29

Fox 29 Investigates | Philadelphia Investigative News Reports | WTXF-TV Fox 29 News | MyFoxPhilly.com

[mixiboi]

A private business wants to take use of public land. This is actually one of the situations where the public definitely gets an opportunity to be involved.

IT was a joke, since this is the first time I heard 3rd & Brown be upset over development happening in his backyard.


But anyway a 3 story outdoor/balcony structure sounds like a bad idea, but if the DCC wants a balcony connected to a bar, they will get one.


I actually want to see this structure tho, any renderings?

[raider.adam]

IT was a joke, since this is the first time I heard 3rd & Brown be upset over development happening in his backyard.

Sorry, missed the joke.

[phillyrepublic]

Bill (voter fraud) Stinson I think is an owner.
Northern Liberation

Vote-Fraud Ruling Shifts Pennsylvania Senate - New York Times
William G. Stinson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dead Men Can Vote

[3rd&Brown]

IT was a joke, since this is the first time I heard 3rd & Brown be upset over development happening in his backyard.

Thank you. I missed the joke as well. As most of you know, I tend to be pro-development. But this is just wrong.

[WWDaze]

Bill (voter fraud) Stinson I think is an owner.
Northern Liberation

Vote-Fraud Ruling Shifts Pennsylvania Senate - New York Times
William G. Stinson - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Dead Men Can Vote

Yes former hairdresser Bill is, or was originally anyway. Why do you think there's always some political fundraiser going on there. The other owners don't come to mind immediatley but they're also some of the embarassing slime of Philly/Pa politics.

[emoney]

Spot Treated | Philadelphia City Paper | 10/27/2011

This may be business as usual in the Philadelphia development world, but there's also another name for zoning a specific area to benefit a specific property owner: spot zoning. And that's illegal.

[annie]

Northern Liberties bar gets OK on part of expansion plan

The commission favored a bill that’s before City Council that would make Bodine Street private property between Spring Garden and Green streets, along the eastern edge of the bar’s property, as long as a public thruway along the block remains open to bicycle and foot traffic. The bar, Finnigan’s Wake, is at 3rd and Spring Garden. The commission suggested, however, that the proposed 6-foot public walkway area be widened.

[Hal]

Northern Liberties bar gets OK on part of expansion plan

Seems like the bill doesn't appreciate the nuance of between private streets and public streets.

The City can remove the street as a public right of way, but that just turns Bodine into a private street that serves the neighborhood.

This bill seems to go beyond that, it takes private property rights (right to use Bodine for car access) and extinguishes that right without
compensating the property owners along Bodine.

An interesting twist on situations in Kelo, or Florig Steel (taking cases) dealing with "can't take private land from one person and give it to the other".


Hal