"Members of the mosque have voiced strong opposition to the move, both because it is illegal to drink alcohol under Muslim law" And this is where I have some serious problems with this. By Catholic "law" I cannot eat meat on Fridays during Lent -- does that mean that Abbraccio (and all the other grocery stores/restaurants) within a certain number of blocks of SFDS should not be allowed to sell meat on Friday? We do not live under Muslim law. If various parties in that area, including the leadership of the Mosque, want to argue that moving the liquor store might have a negative effect on the neighborhood, fine. I'm certainly not thrilled about past the drunk panhandlers when I go to the state store on Market Street. I'm not thrilled about the guys who ask me for money every time I go in to the A plus at 45th and Baltimore. If the State Store system is trying to create a more "upscale" store, that should include a commitment to deal aggressively with illegal behavior. Basing neighborhood zoning decisions on the "laws" of the various religions that happen to have a base in the area is a VERY slippery slope. Kathleen
________________________________ From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of [EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Thursday, March 01, 2007 8:09 AM To: UnivCity@list.purple.com Subject: [UC] SHCA's zoning committee hearing on the liquore store has been postponed >From today's DP News Brief: Committee postpones liquor board hearing Jared Miller <http://media.www.dailypennsylvanian.com/user/index.cfm?event=displayAut horProfile&authorid=2517506> The Spruce Hill Zoning Committee has postponed its discussion of a proposed move of the campus liquor store, committee chairman Barry Grossbach said. The committee was slated to debate the move - which would have brought the liquor store, currently located at 41st and Market streets, to the corner of 43rd and Walnut streets - at a hearing yesterday but decided to hold off to allow the affected parties to try to resolve their differences outside of a formal meeting, Grossbach said. A zoning hearing is now scheduled for March 21; Grossbach said the committee will be forced to make a decision regardless of whether any compromises are made. The Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board has denied the move will take place, but both community officials and the building's developer have confirmed that preliminary discussions have been ongoing. The prospect of a liquor store in the area has raised some controversy in the area, as both the Masjid Al-Jamia Mosque and the Penn-Alexander K-8 school are located in the area. Members of the mosque have voiced strong opposition to the move, both because it is illegal to drink alcohol under Muslim law and because of the negative effect a liquor store might have on the neighborhood. ________________________________ AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at AOL.com <http://pr.atwola.com/promoclk/1615326657x4311227241x4298082137/aol?redi r=http%3A%2F%2Fwww%2Eaol%2Ecom> .
