A block of Sansom Street reopens to traffic, and restaurant owners are not too happy

Traffic on the 1500 block of Sansom Street began flowing again full time last week for the first time since August 2020, when the city set up a pilot program to grant partial closures to allow restaurants to set up outdoor seating.

But the move — coming as the city plans to reconfigure its rules governing the popular streeteries — has been met by grumbling from at least two restaurateurs on the block as they lose their outdoor spaces.

The 1500 block of Sansom, a narrow east-west street about 20 feet wide with a driving lane and a parking lane, is one of Center City’s densest restaurant rows, with such establishments as Oyster House, Snap Pizza, Su Xing House, Mission Taqueria, 1518 Bar & Grill, Ladder 15, Oscar’s Tavern, Harp & Crown, Giuseppe & Sons, and Marathon Grill.

» READ MORE: Philly restaurants push to relax streetery rules

As the pandemic drove dining outdoors, Rittenhouse Row, a trade group for the neighborhood, petitioned the city for several street closures, including 18th Street adjacent to and north of Rittenhouse Square and 1500 Sansom, during evenings and weekends. These streets took on a festive air, with tents and tables ringed by metal barricades. As the pandemic wore on, some restaurants obtained temporary permission from the Department of Licenses and Inspections for actual structures, known popularly as streeteries, under a pilot program. This conflicted with the city Streets Department’s directive to provide 10 feet of space for emergency vehicles — effectively one lane.

While 18th Street’s shutdowns ended last year, 1500 Sansom Street remained a car-free zone.

The 1600 block of Sansom, meanwhile, was closed to traffic because of construction last summer and will continue to be closed for months, forcing drivers to turn right onto 16th Street. “It’s senseless to reopen [the 1500 block] when you’re just directing traffic into a dead end,” said Daniel McLaughlin, who owns Mission Taqueria.

The 60-seat streetery shared by Oyster House and Mission Taqueria, across the street from the restaurants, remained in place on Friday, but the owners said they were not using them for safety reasons. McLaughlin said it was unwise for waiters and staff to cross a lane of traffic to get to them. (The streetery is in fact located in the parking lane.)

“There isn’t a single guest who wants the street reopened,” said Sam Mink, who owns Oyster House. “Some guests do not feel comfortable dining inside.” In addition, the outdoor setup helped their bottom lines in the colder months and they had hoped to use them in the spring and summer. Mink said he would keep the $70,000 structure in place in case new regulations would allow it.

On the 16th Street end of the block, Marathon Grill recently scrapped its barricaded seating area, which had occupied both lanes of traffic, at the city’s request. Cary Borish, whose family owns the restaurant, said Marathon would use its 24 sidewalk seats.

Ken Sherman, an owner of Sherman Bros. Shoes, one of the few non-restaurants on the block, said he believed that the streets should not be permanently closed. “I feel there needs to be way more communication between the restaurants and retail,” he said. “If the areas can’t be clean and well-maintained, then the streets will have to stay open to traffic. Streets should only be closed to traffic on weekends.”

Meanwhile, more than 100 restaurateurs joined a zoom call on March 16 led by Councilmember Allan Domb to voice their opinions on new outdoor dining regulations from Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration, which included unexpected rules and fees last month. Ben Fileccia, senior director of operations for the Pennsylvania Restaurant and Lodging Association, said the street-closure program had helped restaurants bounce back.

“Philadelphians love outdoor dining and the vibrancy it brings to our community,” Fileccia said. “The city ultimately ordered streets to be reopened. And like they’ve done throughout the entire pandemic, restaurants have cooperated and complied. As we continue to work with the mayor and his administration, we hope the city recognizes the benefits of the street-closure initiative.” He said they hoped the city would allow limited closures in the warmer months.

City spokesperson Kevin Lessard said Friday that the administration was reviewing the restaurateurs’ feedback and considering amendments to the regulations. “It is our hope to address many of the concerns raised by restaurants,” he said. “We will, however, uphold legal requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act and state motor vehicle laws, and strive to balance the interests of all residents, visitors, and businesses who are impacted by use of the public right of way.”