Council panel OKs zoning changes for new venue
Though opponents sang the blues about parking issues, impacts on neighborhoods, and whether all of it was legal, zoning changes for a proposed Fishtown concert venue were approved by City Council's Rules Committee yesterday.
Though opponents sang the blues about parking issues, impacts on neighborhoods, and whether all of it was legal, zoning changes for a proposed Fishtown concert venue were approved by City Council's Rules Committee yesterday.
The venue will hold 2,600 to 3,000 patrons with a wraparound balcony and 105-covered parking spaces, situated along the Delaware River, north of SugarHouse Casino.
The man behind the plans, David Grasso, told the Rules Committee that the area is currently a no-man's-land, where criminals go to hide out or ditch cars.
Several people spoke out against the project however, including a representative from the Fishtown Neighbors Association and J.J. Anderson Construction. Daniel P. McElhatton, an attorney for Anderson, believes future I-95 construction would limit the amount of parking areas Grasso claims he has near the venue and cause access issues for the construction company.
He also felt the project would create an influx of parking in adjacent neighborhoods and was a prime example of "spot zoning."
Grasso believes the Live Nation venue could further promote waterfront development, however, and is a reason to extend a trolley up Delaware Avenue to the venue at Girard.