yes...it's a very long and legal story but SOME of the neighbors are opposed to it, therefore there will probably be no outside dining. I think outside dining is wonderful and it definetly puts more activiity on the street, but you know some people are; self-centered and what the impact will be on THEM.

What a shame.

Out of curiosity, how did the neighbors justify that they were ok with outside dining at Sud and Little Fish but not here?

Seems a tad hypocritical.

good question...I don't think the new owners of Sud (going to be a french bistro) are going to be ALLOWED to have outside dining because of the objections of these same few neighbors....As for Little Fish, I 'm sure that will be their next target.

Who are these neighbors?

I heard a rumor that they had a personal beef with Costiera's owners children or something totally weird.

This seems to be becoming a rumor, speculation, gossip and assumptions thread.

Don't know exactly who they are. I get all of my info second hand, but I'm sure if you really wanted to find out, the owners know who they are.
I didn't hear anything about them having a personal issue with their children but I was told by someone who was at a meeting with neighbors and owners that one of the neighbors mentioned someting to the effect that he didn't like children in general in the neighborhood. I think it was the noise that was the issue. Don't know how someone could say that in front of a crowd of supposedly your "neighbors" who may have children, is beyond me.

Little Fish is in Bella Vista, not QV, so it won't have any effect on them.

I do not live on Catherine or Passyunk, but I have to say that their kids are a bit out of control. They are routinely riding their scooters and running into people. I can somewhat sympathize with the neighbors on that one (if that is an official complaint). The kids ran into me, didn't say anything, then continued riding. The parents seem to let them do whatever they want, which is not correct, especially right on the street (for their own safety!).

Interesting. Kind of what I heard.

Rightly or wrongly, the zoning/public approval process is a political by which local neighbors can make demands/deny support based on factors that may have nothing to do the case at hand.

I agree with you. It would be very nice for the neighborhood to have some restaurants with outside seating. I think the three neighbors (not even all immediate neighbors) that object do all of us a disservice by only thinking about themselves. Having people dinning outside, having people walk around in the neighborhood would also make it safer for everybody else. That part of Passyunk is kind of dark anyway, having a restaurant with outdoor seating and lights would make it all more lively and safe. What does have outdoor seating to do with kids running around. I think it is actually nice to see that not everybody that has kids moves to the burbs and every kid running around is a good thing. I can't believe that people are so sensitive, especially about kids.

My big question is: how would outdoor seating adversely affect the people that disagree with it anyway? The folks going to Trattoria La Costiera are not the loud, partying type - and its a BYO for godsakes. Smokers will be outside smoking regardless of whether there is outdoor seating or not. Lastly, how long can you really eat outside in Philly anyway? Due to the weather what are we looking at here, possibly 3-3.5 months?

I also think that in this time with a rise in crime (especially violent crime) we should all put personal grievances aside and work together to make this neighborhood as safe as we can. It's been said before and I'll say it again, we need a presence on the street as much as possible to help deter thugs. Tom and Roseanna are very nice, reasonable people. I'm sure that something can be worked out so that everyone wins.