|
Franklin’s Restaurant, 3xx Bowman Street has withdrawn its desk expansion application for now. At East Falls Community Council Zoning Committee meetings in the fall, neighbors made clear their concerns about Franklin’s plans. Franklin’s, as reported in December, did not have answers to convince the neighbors that their concerns would be addressed effectively. To its credit, Franklin’s got the message even before the Zoning Committee formally advised the proprietor that the deck expansion plans were unacceptable. Franklin’s representative called to say that they would withdraw the expansion plan and application to the Zoning Board so that they could investigate ways to deal with the impact on residential neighbors.
Responding to near neighbors’ complaints, Franklin’s has lowered the offending lights on the adjacent lot. The EFCC Zoning Committee followed up with a letter to the Zoning Board stating that it supported take-out as an accessory use and that the applicant had advised that it was withdrawing the deck expansion plans. The Zoning Board approved the take-out request. If Franklins returns to the EFCC Zoning Committee with a new proposal, we will give notice to the neighbors and the community at large and have another meeting to hear that proposal. We expect that any future proposal will address, among other things, how the deck would be used, hours of operation, lighting, parking and traffic, noise from the deck, as well as cleaning up trash from patrons who walk through the neighborhood. There is no meeting of the Zoning Committee scheduled in January. Check back with us in the February issue of The Fallser to find out whether we will meet in February. In the meantime, the members of the Committee wish everyone a very happy and healthy New Year.
|
