Some Symphony House residents want to pull the plug on the Jerk Hut's live reggae music, which it offers to customers on the lot next to the restaurant on weekends in spring and summer months.
That the city Zoning Board of Adjustment in July ruled in the Jerk Hut's favor hasn't stopped Symphony House from filing an appeal with Common Pleas Court.
Which means thousands of dollars more in attorneys' fees out of owner Lisa Wilson's pocket.
"This has been killing our business," laments Wilson, whose outdoor operation, which accounts for 70 percent of business, was forced to go dark in 2009 while she waited for the Zoning Board's decision.
"They're hoping to get us to go away," sighs Wilson, who concedes it might just happen. "I hate to say it, but I can't continue to fight with these people."
A cultural gem
Nothing like lowering the boom on a cultural gem that just wants to serve up good music with its oxtails.
It's just that "not everyone enjoys the music," says Gary A. Krimstock, who represents the largely affluent residents of Symphony House, Center City One Condominiums, and Academy House. "It's disturbing to other residents in the area."
"It's illegal for them to operate outdoors because it's not under the Philadelphia zoning code. That's our position," Krimstock says.
In other words, forget that the Zoning Board already has given Wilson a variance. He'll see her in court - again.
The irony is that the lot is owned by renowned architects Robert Venturi and Denise Scott Brown, who've spent their lives designing and planning cityscapes and who believe in urban diversity and the comingling of neighborhoods. They've rented to the Jerk Hut for years.
