Panel approves South Side restaurant - Pittsburgh Tribune-ReviewPanel approves South Side restaurantIn other news, UPMC is shaking in its boots with fears that Bruce Kraus is going to come down and demand that the UPMP South Side Hospital remain open.
By Jeremy Boren, TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Pittsburgh's Planning Commission served a setback Tuesday to South Side residents who have fought to prevent more liquor-serving restaurants and bars from opening in the neighborhood.
"This is a rush to judgment," said Nicholas Kefal, 71, of the South Side. "(The commission) could undercut years of work by the community."
In a 6-0 vote, commission members recommended that the owners of Baba D's, a Mediterranean restaurant in Oakland, be permitted to open with a liquor license in the 2100 block of East Carson Street across from the Carson Towers apartment building. The decision requires City Council's approval.
Councilman Bruce Kraus, who represents the South Side, told the commission the corner already has five liquor-serving establishments and that many of his constituents do not believe a sixth should be allowed.
He read aloud several letters from neighbors opposed to the restaurant owner's request to sidestep an ordinance City Council approved in July 2007 that sought to limit the number of liquor-serving establishments in neighborhoods already packed with them.
The South Side has more than 90 bars and restaurants that serve liquor.
Dourid Aboud, whose family owns the business, said it will be a family-run restaurant, not a rowdy bar. He agreed to stop serving food and liquor at 11 p.m. daily and not to expand seating in the bar area beyond 13.
Some South Side residents at the meeting questioned who would enforce the rules, particularly if the restaurant and its license are eventually sold.
Before the vote, commission member E. Paul Dick cautioned against making an exception for a restaurant "the first time this issue comes up." He abstained from the vote.
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
Bruce Kraus = Ineffective. Such a failure.
To be sure, the fight isn't over -- yet. But, for now, the 6-0 decision is clearly on the side that is against years of work. All the work is fruitless. Worthless leadership, perhaps.
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3 comments:
My priorities include a standard of conduct in District 3
In response to "Councilman Kraus should get his priorities right" submitted by Mr. McSwiggen in the September 16 edition of The South Pittsburgh Reporter:
Running for the District Three City Council seat, I chose a platform of "Safe, Clean, and Green," because I truly believe that a city that takes these qualities to heart, and applies them, best provides its residents with the amenities that elevate all of us to a better quality of life.
In the course of two elections and knocking on thousands of doors the number one complaint I received from residents, resoundingly, was our inability or unwillingness to enforce our existing city code; Parking, absentee landlords, trash pickup, sidewalk cafés and so on.
And so when elected I promised myself and my constituents, that the cornerstone of my tenure as your Councilman would be ensuring the enforcement of this "standard of conduct" that we have by a majority agreed to conduct ourselves.
Serving as your councilman, now nine months, I am reminded of a saying that was shared with me in the course of the election: "Eat and elephant one bite at a time." Small victories will add up to big victories.
Returning order to the Carson Street corridor is a huge challenge, but one I believe we can and will accomplish, one small problem at a time. The "Mardi Gras atmosphere of anything goes as long as I am making money" is hurting the quality of life of South Side residents, hurting good businesses and robbing vital public safety services from the other neighborhoods covered by our Zone Three police.
Our City Code, our law, exists to insure order in our neighborhoods. Mr. McSwiggen has been notified by Mary Fleming, assistant director of the Bureau of Building Inspections, numerous times over the last year and a half that he is out of compliance with 912.06 (Outdoor Retail Sales and Services) and that grilling outside of his business within the public right of way is illegal and must stop immediately.
A number of restaurants are illegally vending outside of their buildings on public sidewalks and within the public right of way, to avoid having drunk and unruly patrons inside their businesses trashing them at 3 a.m. The problem is that puts them on our neighborhood streets at 3 a.m trashing our neighborhood.
By doing so, these businesses enjoy the benefit of still "ringing their registers" without having to provide their customers with tables and chairs, waste receptacles or sanitation facilities. So, late night patrons, often drunk and disorderly, stand on residential street corners to eat, leave their trash behind on the sidewalk, and urinate on public and private property before returning home.
Unacceptable. No longer will this be tolerated by the residents and responsible business owners of this historic neighborhood.
No one is saying that Mr. McSwiggen or other restaurants cannot conduct business. Only that they must conduct their business legally: inside of their buildings, out of the public right-of-way, and providing tables and chairs, waste receptacles and sanitation facilities for their patrons.
Result? Less litter, less late night noise, less public urination, higher quality of life for South Side residents and improved police services for our other neighborhoods covered by Zone Three.
All we ask is compliance with city code. And you have every right to expect that we, your leaders, demand respect for the law. And demanding respect for the law, our city code, is the first step toward restoring order along the Carson Street corridor.
Bruce A. Kraus
City Councilman, District Three
(published in the South Pgh Reporter)
One can not legislate good behavior.
Plus, some 'laws' are not worth the paper they are written upon. Pittsburgh has a 'code book' that is massive as city council has been over-reaching for decades now.
Some of the silly laws are not enforced -- because they are not worthy of being enforced.
Think again!
Think it through.
there has not been ONE single change on my street, and guess what, the Carson Street stretch does not dictate the market value of homes there..people do!
Bruce Kraus -- way out of touch with ZERO education, culture, intelligence or flat out sense to make things better -- he likes to throw oil on things and then expect people to come together.
What happened to bringing all the people to the table to make decisions?
Remember, one and done!
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