This is a problem as old as time: welcome new businesses and mixed-use buildings to a neighborhood still going through growing pains, or leave lots vacant to protect the shops that pioneered the neighborhood. Actually, now that I think about it, that is an age-old problem, but one that has been answered by nature. It’s called natural selection. Adapt or die; competition pushes society to advance.

Now we’re not arguing for the growth of behemoth corporations like Walmart coming in and taking away the character of a neighborhood spotted with small businesses and organic scones, but competition is healthy, especially if the stores coming in aren’t competition at all but fellow soldiers in the good fight to increase business in neighborhoods.

The geometrically unique lot at the corner of Bainbridge, 24th Street and Grays Ferry is owned by developer Stephen Rodriguez, who has plans to build a four-story, 30000-square-foot, 24-unit residential community with 10000-square-feet of first-floor commercial space, an underground 24-car parking lot below and an entire green roof, which will be the largest residential green roof in the city if Liz Begosh (Betty, of Betty’s Speakeasy across the street from the project) and her mom lose the battle they have been fighting for about a year.

Rodriguez and architect James Campbell of Campbell Thomas have quite the struggle (and incoming lawyer invoices) on their hands, which is unfortunate giving what they would be able to accomplish for the community without this appeal. Rodriguez and Campbell—a local architect who has been instrumental in the responsible development of Philly’s neighborhoods, fighting for everything from bike lanes to historic renovations to green space—received approval from SOSNA for the project, but that hasn’t stopped Begosh and her retail neighbor Girl Bike Dog (no relation to Nickelodeon’s CatDog) to voice their concerns.

Begosh, her mother, Barb Failer and Girl Bike Dog argue that this is the “wrong” type of retail, that the building is out of scale for the area and that there is a lack of open space (Rodriguez is a nice guy, but I don’t think he is financially free enough to be donating this lot to create a free open park for girls, bikes and dogs).

At the Zoning Board hearing, which Rodriguez describes as “a special brand of justice that’s somewhere between The People’s Court and Judge Judy,” the variances for the project were discussed and compromises made. When the ZBA hearing was open to public comment, we hear the show started.

Comments from the disinter/Failer crew included one from Girl Bike Dog owner that made Judge Icee Fox break out in laughter, according to Rodriguez (something about the project being built with “so much glass, it would reflect the sun down into her shop and ‘blind’ her workers like some kind of death ray”). Balkan Express Restaurant and South Square Hardware owner Wendy Jacovic complained that the new homes would take up street spaces. Naval Square manager Brian Evans said the residents of Naval Square (some happened to be at the SOSNA meeting where this proposal was approved) are against the project because the building will be out of scale—seemingly valid argument until we learned from Rodriguez that the Naval Square homes are taller than this proposed building with a zoning overlay to add five additional stories and that Toll’s Abbots building across the street “is a parking garage that won’t let anyone park in it” and much higher than anything nearby. (See the image below to compare the height of each building for yourself.)

While we weren’t at this hearing, it seems as if most of the dissenters’ arguments are rooted in a passion for eliminating possible competition (whether retail or residential) instead of working with other entrepreneurs and developers to grow the neighborhood into something more. Shouldn’t we let all businesses have a chance to fight to survive, let the best beat out others fairly rather than babying fragile owners worried about having some friendly competition? According to SOSNA, this is a moot point as Rodriguez has given his oral commitment to the owners of the local businesses in opposition that the retail spaces will not be sold to large corporations and that they will get locally owned businesses as tenants.

The ZBA has approved the project, but Begosh and Antoinette Mazol has submitted an appeal that will cost both sides heavily. Begosh and Mazol have the funding of a “small group of residences,” which we hope isn’t Toll Brothers seeing we had just sung its praises for helping the community grow. The hearing will be later this spring and Rodriguez plans on starting building. “We have decided to move forward with the build at risk as we don’t have the resources to wait around until this plays out,” he says.


We believe Begosh has every right to appeal and is well within her rights given the project will go above what the code allows. However, what the developers are trying to do will take a vacant lot and make it a green, locally friendly and reasonable mixed-use lot that doesn’t loom high over any skyline views and, to us, is a step forward for the abandoned warehouse/lot as it currently stands. (We commend Rodriguez for taking on this vacant lot and funding something better for the neighborhood as this parking lot has been devoid for some time.) Begosh has a right to be frustrated, but retail begets more retail; a good mix of locally owned businesses is one of the strengths of the Graduate Hospital community. While we can certainly sympathize on a very basic level with the desire to block competition from making entrants into a given market, you really have to question the viability of a business that relies almost entirely on being the only supplier of whatever service or product it is they are offering in order to survive.

Begosh, we love your hot chocolate, but come on now. Think of all the possible new customers you will get with this development. And with a little neighborly communication, compromise and respect, we can certainly see Rodriguez upholding his promise not to put in a similar or corporate business across from those on 23rd Street that have pioneered this neighborhood. Besides, who else could possibly have a business centered on the girl-dog-bike demographic?