As part of an ongoing effort to revitalize Philadelphia's poorest neighborhoods, the City Council advanced a bill that would require 24-hour stores in the city's Kensington neighborhood to close from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Officials said the commercial curfew is aimed at cleaning business corridors through the Kensington community.
The bill was introduced Friday to the City Council's Licensing and Inspection Committee by Councilman Quesi Lozada (D-7th District), who represents Kensington.
If approved at a future meeting, the bill would allow commercial establishments and restaurants within the boundaries of the area bounded by East Lehigh Avenue, Kensington Avenue, D Street, East Tioga Street, and Frankford Avenue to Businesses will be required to close from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Violations between 11pm and 6am will result in a $500 fine.
This will affect dozens of businesses, but bars and establishments with liquor licenses will be exempt from this regulation.
On Monday, Roberto Rodriguez of Impact Services, a nonprofit focused on community improvement, told NBC10's Miguel Martínez Valle that the effort is aimed at reducing open drug sales and loitering along commercial corridors. The aim is to limit nuisance behavior.
He said the late night hours bring a lot of noise and trash into the community.
“The whole team is cleaning the outdoor sanitary equipment,” Rodriguez said. “But we're not doing enough to clean up the entire Kensington area.”
The bill must be read at the full City Council meeting before being voted on.
The next city council meeting is scheduled to be held on Thursday, February 29th.