ALLENTOWN, Pa. — A corner store proposed by a Bronx, New York-based businessman was rejected Monday by the Allentown Zoning Hearing Board.
Adl Abdo Kaid Almhmode hoped to open the store on the first floor of a mixed-use property at 44-46 N. 13th St. to sell "candy, cigars, cigarettes and groceries."
"The intensity of that within a residential neighborhood, to me, is wildly different than something that proposes hundreds of people, and even if you have most of them are walkers, even if some percent of them drive."R. Scott Unger, Allentown Zoning Hearing Boardmember
Alhmode said he owns several convenience stores in The Bronx. He told zoners that if his project was approved in Allentown, he would make plans to move.
He said he had plans to operate the store with his family.
Alhmode said he has more than 20 years of experience owning and operating such stores, mainly in New York. He said he expected more than a hundred customers a day at the store.
The store would have taken up about 1,000 square feet of the 30,000-square-foot building.
The storefront previously was leased by Lehigh Valley Church God-Faith. The church was evicted for non-payment of rent because of dwindling attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Why it was denied
Zoners denied the proposal because of lack of parking.
Alhmode and property owner Tzvi Ausubel requested a variance, saying that because the building totally occupied the property, they could not reasonably provide off-street parking for customers.
They also said their customers would live in the neighborhood, within walking distance, and not likely drive to the store.
"The intensity of that within a residential neighborhood, to me, is wildly different than something that proposes hundreds of people. And even if you have most of them are walkers, even if some percent of them drive."Allentown Zoning Hearing Board member R. Scott Unger
Ausubel said he contacted owners of nearby parking lots to rent spaces for customers, but they did not respond.
Zoners, repeatedly citing Alhmode's estimate of more than 100 people a day, said the traffic would be enough to "overwhelm the neighborhood."
The board also cited the property's previous tenants: Before it was a church, it was a tanning salon, about 20 years ago.
"The intensity of that within a residential neighborhood, to me, is wildly different than something that proposes hundreds of people," zoning board member R. Scott Unger said.
"And even if you have most of them are walkers, even if some percent of them drive."
Unger said the proposed store in the building was "completely different use than the building was designed to support."
Alhmode and Ausubel declined to comment after the hearing.
During the hearing, Ausubel indicated he had a hard time getting a suitable tenant to rent the space.
