by Tommy Tucker and Donna Shaw
Community activists are planning for change now that Philadelphia City Council has unanimously passed two bills aimed at addressing nuisance businesses.
The Dec. 4 passage followed a meeting of the Committee on Licenses and Inspections in October at which Council members heard public testimony from residents, community leaders, and business owners on the impact of these businesses — many of them known as stop-and-gos — on their communities.
The testimony “underscored both the need for these measures to stop the spread of dangerous and destructive businesses and the need for further action to address their impact on our communities,” said Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson. “While I am encouraged by the steps we are taking today, I am also working on additional legislation to more aggressively crack down on these businesses and the bad actors behind them.”
One of the bills strengthens the city’s enforcement process by removing outdated language from the code, making it easier to issue stop-work and cease-operations orders when needed. The other closes loopholes that let nuisance business owners avoid enforcement by changing their name or ownership, ensuring those with similar ownership or operations remain accountable for past violations.
The city defines a business as having nuisance behavior if it interferes with the health, safety, and welfare of the community. Examples include gambling, loitering, prostitution, public urination or defecation, illegal drug activity, or consumption of alcoholic beverages and rental of goods.
In the 14th Police District, which includes Chestnut Hill, Mt. Airy, and Germantown, District Captain Stuart McCoullum works with his nuisance-business team to find businesses operating illegally. The team works with the city’s Department of Licenses and Inspections to identify and issue violations and, in some cases, close down illegal businesses.
“The enforcement of nuisance properties is handled by the Police Department,” said a spokesperson for L&I. “The Department of Licenses and Inspections issues cease-operations orders to businesses that are found to be in non-compliance by the police. With the establishment of the Neighborhood Nuisance Unit within the Philadelphia Police Department, the enforcement of nuisance businesses has increased citywide, not just in the 14th District.”
In an effort to address this issue, the Neighborhood Community Action Center (NCAC) in the 8th Council District created a survey in partnership with Germantown United CDC asking residents what types of businesses they’d like to see in the 8th’s business corridors. The 8th Council District includes Germantown, Mt. Airy, Chestnut Hill, Logan, and parts of Olney, West Oak Lane, North Philadelphia, and Feltonville.
“We have been getting quite a few complaints about nuisance businesses in our area, so this is a part of our attempt to address it,” Cameron Holmes, community manager for the NCAC, wrote to the Local.
Leo Dillinger, executive director of Germantown United, added, “We at GU do receive calls and emails from residents and neighboring businesses about nuisance stop-and-gos from time to time, and we encourage those folks to contact the 14th and 39th Police Districts to address any illegal activity or quality of life issues that arise in these establishments.”
The NCACs were an effort by Mayor Cherelle Parker to create locations around the city that serve as neighborhood city halls where residents can receive help for city-related issues like potholes, abandoned cars, or support for local businesses. The 8th Council District NCAC operates out of Joseph E. Coleman Northwest Regional Library at 68 West Chelten Ave. in Germantown.
“While neighbors, elected officials, and city agencies continue to identify and address quality-of-life issues surrounding the stop-and-go stores in Germantown and other parts of the 8th District,” Dillinger said, “we as the neighborhood CDC with the advisory board wanted to take a more proactive approach in identifying the types of businesses our neighbors and community stakeholders want to see open along our commercial corridors.”
Dillinger encourages anyone who lives or works in the 8th Council District to fill out the survey over the holiday break.
The survey only launched recently, with Germantown United planning to keep it open through the end of January to allow a large response from community members.
“Once we close the survey, the NCAC Advisory Board will share this data with Mayor Parker’s office, Councilwoman [Cindy] Bass’s office, the Commerce Department, and the community so that we can strategize the best ways to attract these types of businesses to our neighborhoods,” Dillinger said.
He added, “The ultimate goal is to reduce the number of vacancies and nuisance businesses along our corridors, attract new businesses and engage with local entrepreneurs, and create a more vibrant and thriving business community here in Germantown and throughout the 8th District.”
Tommy Tucker can be reached at Tommy@Chestnuthilllocal.com.