Sidecar Sideshow

Who's right in a neighborhood clash? "The truth is somewhere in the middle."


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Published: Jun 17, 2009

[ proxy fights ]

"Ignorance of the law is not excusable!" bellowed Madeline Shikomba, fists trembling as they struck the desk in front of her.

The declaration sounded like a response to a major political scandal. Her manner appeared a reaction to a grave societal ill.

And depending on your perspective, maybe it was. It was June 3, and Shikomba was before a packed public hearing of City Council's Streets and Services Committee, railing against the Sidecar Bar & Grille. She was adamant that the venue's application for outdoor seating be denied.

The issue, which concerns just 13 tables and 26 chairs, has transformed into a bitter struggle between neighbors in Graduate Hospital, the primarily residential area surrounding Sidecar at 22nd and Christian streets.

To understand the dispute, one must first consider the bar's history. For three years, Sidecar, which opened in 2006, operated with outdoor seating. It had obtained permission from the South of South Neighborhood Association (SOSNA) just after opening. SOSNA, however, doesn't have the authority to grant that permission. Sidecar needed an ordinance from City Council and didn't have one.

Not until this year, though, did the bar's co-owners, Adam and Jennifer Ritter, run into trouble regarding the seating. On April 15, at a meeting of SOSNA's zoning committee, the Ritters proposed an expansion to a three-floor bar and music venue. Due to protests from a small coalition of neighbors, the plans were scrapped.

At the same time, neighbors who opposed the expansion learned that the Sidecar had been operating without city permission for outdoor seating.

"From that point on," says Adam Ritter, "I became enemy No. 1 to these people." In late May, inspectors from L&I arrived. The tables and chairs in front of Sidecar were folded.

On May 21, a bill was introduced to Council that would allow Sidecar to reopen its sidewalk seating. Both the Streets and Services Committee and the Planning Commission gave it favorable recommendations, and it's set to face a final vote in Council today, June 18.

There are less than 10 highly vocal opponents of the proposal for sidewalk seating, and almost all have been residents of the neighborhood for multiple decades. They argue that the outdoor seating creates excessive noise and a trail of beer bottles. Primarily, however, opponents believe the city should punish Sidecar for its failure to comply with city regulations. Shikomba, a resident of Graduate Hospital for 30 years, believes rewarding Sidecar with a permit now would make a mockery of the law.

Meanwhile, Sidecar has a large and dedicated group of supporters. At the Streets and Services hearing, approximately 30 testified for more than two hours. They were generally (though not exclusively) young and new to the neighborhood. They believe that outdoor seating improves safety. "It functions more effectively," says Laura Blanchard, a 13-year resident, "than any town watch ever could."

Supporters also believe that allowing sidewalk seating would send a positive message to Philadelphia's business community and increase the pace of the neighborhood's economic development.

"This whole thing is much bigger than us," testified Adam Ritter at the hearing. "We happen to be caught up in the middle of it."

Several witnesses at the hearing spoke of a neighborhood "in transition." There was likely a more politically loaded term on everyone's mind: gentrification.

According to a recent report by the Fels Institute of Government, the median housing price in Graduate Hospital increased ninefold over the past decade. And there have been some positive effects: home vacancy and crime, which once plagued the neighborhood, are way down.

But opponents of Sidecar's outdoor seating clearly dislike certain aspects of the change. Supporters of the bar, meanwhile, feel the transition isn't happening quickly enough.

Brian Lawson, a two-year resident, cites the fact that Tria, a Center City wine bar, considered opening a location at 21st and South last fall. The deal fell through.

Things have gotten ugly. After the June 3 hearing, Sidecar supporters used PhillyBlog to personally attack members of the opposition. One published the names and addresses of residents behind on real-estate taxes, some of whom oppose Sidecar.

People on both sides seem to believe that the sidewalk seating will be a bellwether for the future of the neighborhood. After sitting through a hearing on the issue, Councilman Curtis Jones Jr. said he thought everyone was taking things a bit too far.

"The truth," he said, "is somewhere in the middle."

(editorial@citypaper.net)