By Stephen O'TooleFor the Home News The glass seems both half empty and half full regarding the chances of a supermarket coming to Girard Avenue in the city's Brewerytown neighborhood, according to candidates for state and federal offices who spoke at a forum there Monday night.
The city's high tax burden on businesses is one of the biggest hurdles facing any such project, said Michael Livingston, who is the Republican candidate for U.S. Congress in the 2nd District.
Livingston, a tax law professor at the University of Rutgers-Camden, also identified the city's high crime rate and its struggling public education system as other impediments to bringing in new businesses like a supermarket.
"Those are things that have to change, and that requires federal, state, and local cooperation," Livingston said.Livingston will face longtime U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-2nd dist.) in the November election. Fattah did not participate in the forum.
The event was sponsored by the West Girard Supermarket Coalition, which was formed late last year by eight community organizations in the Brewerytown and Fairmount neighborhoods to join the push for a supermarket on Girard Avenue. The area has been without a supermarket for nearly a decade.
State Sen. Shirley Kitchen (D-3rd dist.) said the lack of a unified voice from the neighborhood on the supermarket issue has been a problem.
Kitchen said government funding to bring a supermarket to the neighborhood should be available due to the demographics, specifically the high percentage of homeowners and large number of low-income residents. She speculated that something was amiss.
"It seems like there's some form of politics being played here," Kitchen said.Kitchen also said the current housing project by Westrum Development Co., which has plans to build more than 600 new homes in the neighborhood, should not be allowed to happen when there is no supermarket to serve the area.
Kitchen's opponent, Robert S. Nix, a Republican, was decidedly optimistic about a grocery store coming to the neighborhood in the near future.
"It seems like everything is in place for this to happen, but it just needs a final push to get it over the goal line," Nix said.
Nix congratulated the coalition for its efforts, which he said might be the necessary final push to bring a supermarket or equivalent fresh food store to the area.
Nix, an attorney and former environmental scientist, pointed to success stories in similar neighborhoods as reason for optimism. He cited the Progress Plaza project near Temple University and a similar project at LaSalle University.
Larry Farnese, the Democratic candidate for the 1st District seat in the state senate, said legislation currently being considered in Harrisburg could provide the economic incentive for a supermarket to build a store on Girard Avenue.
Farnese vowed to be a strong representative and lead the charge for a supermarket project."We need to go out and convince these store operators that this is a good investment, because you deserve it," Farnese said.
Referring to the Brewerytown Square development, Farnese said that if people are willing to pay $260,000 for a new home at 31st Street and Girard Avenue, there should be enough consumers to support a supermarket.
Jack Morley, the Republican candidate for the 1st District state senate seat, disagreed with Farnese's assessment.Morley said a supermarket is a tough sell on Girard Avenue, and more creative solutions from within the neighborhood are necessary. He also said the legislation Farnese supports would never become law because it calls for increasing the state's debt.
"I don't think the solution is extending tax breaks for just another supermarket," Morley said.Morley said a series of smaller fresh food stores and butchers is a more realistic solution than hoping for a national supermarket chain to open one large store.
"The community is going to have to take the bull by the horns and do it themselves," Morley said.W. James Kernaghan, the Republican candidate for state representative in the 195th District, was among the optimistic voices at the forum.
Kernaghan said there are enough tax breaks and special programs in place to allow Westrum to make a supermarket a reality. He said the next state budget should include such funding.
"When the next state budget passes, I believe Westrum will have the necessary funding on paper to present to supermarket operators," Kernaghan said.
Kernaghan's opponent, longtime State Rep. Frank L. Oliver Sr. (D-195th dist.), did not attend the forum.The lack of a supermarket has been an issue since the Shop-n-Bag store at 27th Street and Girard closed its doors in 1999. The candidates' night was held at St. Augustine's church across from the now-vacant Shop-n-Bag site, which is one of two locations considered as preferable sites for a new supermarket.
The second site is at 31st Street on Girard Avenue and being developed by Westrum.Bob Seabury, of the West Girard Supermarket Coalition, addressed the forum prior to the candidates' remarks. He said rumors of a new supermarket have surfaced regularly since the Shop-n-Bag closed but have never amounted to much more than talk.
Seabury lamented the strain the lack of a supermarket has caused on seniors and low-income residents who are forced to travel long distances for fresh food.
"Our whole community is losing out because we're taking all of our money and spending in other people's neighborhoods and other people's states," Seabury said, noting that some chose to drive to New Jersey to shop for groceries.
The neighborhood's first official effort to bring a supermarket back to the area came in 2002 with the formation of the Girard Avenue Alliance. That was followed by a neighborhood survey that overwhelmingly showed a supermarket as the top community need.
Seabury said subsequent efforts by elected officials over the years all failed, and hopefully the formation of this new, larger coalition will give the issue the voice and power necessary to bring a supermarket to the neighborhood.

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Czar of the 26th Ward.

i was set back by this and if young blood wasnt such a big mouth i wanted to ask kitchen about this comment.

my question would have been to her in regards to what she meant.... if westrum can build this many houses in the area is this proof that there is a market for such developemnt and there is no nead for it NOT to happen? OR.... if westrum is going to build these market rate homes he needs to subsidise a market for the area (extortion).

westrum will not be building 700 units as previously noted. i have heard that some one has bought the red bell building and also the electric plant. this is either a sign that westrum cant keep up with the market and dumping the developemnt onto another developer or he doesnt want to deal with "renovating" the buildings or he has realized that the extortion wont stop and every time he turnes around he is going to have to give someone money to get anything done.

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www.rob-sutherland.com

I can confirm the sale of the brewery and the electrical building. 600 units will not be built. Did anyone go to the GBCDC on Tuesday?

I don't buy any of the cited reasons for the lack of a market on Girard. The city's high tax burden? Please. That didn't stop Fresh Grocer from opening - what? 4 locations? - in other parts of town. Not enough space? Look at 40th & Walnut - that space is smaller than 27th & Girard.

The bottom line is that no supermarket chain is willing to invest in this location. They don't see a demographic they're willing to serve. All the activism and legislation in the world isn't going to change that.

Can anyone confirm that Fresh Grocer was even contacted?

I went to one of the West Girard Community meetings a few months ago. They mentioned soliciting to a few national grocery chains, but did not say whether Fresh Grocer was contacted.

The folks present (at that meeting anyway) were more interested in starting a local Co-op in the style of Weaver's Way in Mt. Airy.

Disappointing. Would like to see even a few more get started, though...

I don't know that he has much experience with historic renovation. It was probably always part of the plan to have that piece be taken over by someone more suited to that kind of development.

There are a bunch of us that would like a fenced-in area on the 31st/Girard field for our dogs..even if it was closer to Thompson by the tracks. We met a neighbor that had been there for 6 months but since he just got a dog, we met him last night for the first time! (plus some of our dogs are distracted by strays and people on bicycles).

Westrum has a lot of projects... with the credit crunch the way it is... I wouldn't be suprised if some loans got called and he needed to sell some stuff to pay them back.

Anyone know who bought them?

Rumor has it: the owner of Sweat Fitness

...to build The Nation's Largest Gym!