PHILADELPHIA - A judge upheld the city zoning board’s rejection of a business permit that would have brought a Scores strip club to the area. Common Pleas Court Judge Gary S. Glazer wrote in a 14-page opinion filed last Friday, that the Zoning Board of Adjustment was within its authority when it denied a permit application to Sebastian Hanson, head of SPH Associates, who had sought to bring a Scores strip club to a former meat packing plant at 450 N. Sixth St. near Center City, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. “There was more than substantial evidence to support the board’s decision to deny the certificate,” Glazer wrote, referring to the panel which conducted three separate hearings on the matter and filed 338 pages of transcripts on testimony and other evidence. Joseph Beller, an attorney for Hanson’s firm could not be reached for comment. At issue is the area’s growth which has pushed neighborhoods closer to the proposed building than it had in the past, forcing the city to deny the permit due to distance requirements between adult businesses and residential areas other public places. During zoning hearings, Hanson and Beller said the club would be suitable for the building which is located in a limited industrial use zone. Moreover, Beller said there were no homes within 500 feet of the club location and that the area is generally abandoned at night. But local residents and others, along with City Councilman Frank DiCicco, told the board that the strip club would not be suitable to the area. The board eventually voted against the club, noting that the club proposal didn’t have enough parking and that it could “endanger public safety” as well as have a negative impact on the community. It’s unclear whether Hanson would appeal the decision.
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