When it comes to sports, Chickie’s & Pete’s is a Philadelphia institution. Ever since the bistro bar grew from its roots in the late 1970s as a neighborhood taproom to multiple locations offering up famous crab cakes and crab fries, the brand has been known for its sports bar. In fact, in 2011, ESPN voted Chickie’s & Pete’s the No. 1 sports bar in North America.
The brand will continue to showcase sports. What it will not have for the time being is a sportsbook.
The Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment last week voted to deny a request for a special-exception permit for Parx Casino to move its South Philadelphia Turf Club sportsbook into the Chickie’s & Pete’s restaurant in the South Philadelphia Stadium District.
The vote, conducted during a Zoom hearing, was not even close at 4-1. The decision was in part a reaction to furious local opposition to the idea, headed by the Packer Park Civic Association. The association president, Barbara Capozzi said the group was “thrilled” by the decision.
“This heroic decision reaffirms that good, hard-working, tax-paying residents have a right to determine what happens in their community,” Capozzi said in a statement emailed to the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We work so hard here to keep people in the city, keep our own community safe and drug-free, and support working families by providing a safe and welcoming community.
“We testified that we feel we have earned the right to say no to a use that will only serve to erode the beautiful community that we have built. This renews our faith in the system, and in the hard work that our community and Civic Association has always done to defend itself.”
Parx attorney Mark S. Stewart’s statement to the Inquirer, of course, took a different tone. “We are very disappointed in the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s vote today on the application for 1526 Packer Avenue,” he said. “Their action was contrary to the City Planning Commission’s favorable recommendation and the strong record justifying the special exception. We will await the board’s written decision before making any decisions on next steps.”
Zoning Board Chairman Frank DiCicco registered the lone “yes” vote on the proposal.
