Philadelphia council committee hears strong neighborhood support for 7th District overlay bill to limit new convenience stores
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Summary
Community members, school leaders and neighborhood groups urged the Committee on Rules to back bill 250834, Councilmember Lozada’s plan to create a 7th District overlay that would require special‑exception review for new convenience/sundries/pharmacy uses and give community groups a role before those businesses open.
Councilmember Angel Lozada's proposal to create a 7th District zoning overlay and require community review for certain convenience‑store uses drew extensive testimony at the Committee on Rules hearing on Oct. 16, 2025.
Supporters said the measure, bill 250834, would give residents a voice and a preventive tool against the proliferation of small shops they say function as 'smoke shops' or nuisance convenience stores. "We have over 20 of these convenience stores on a stretch of Frankford Avenue, and more than half opened in the past four years," said Kim Washington, executive director of the Frankford Community Development Corporation. She asked the committee to send the bill forward so community organizations and Registered Community Organizations (RCOs) can review proposed openings.
Robert Evans, a corridor manager for Kensington, said clusters of such stores "have become major obstacles to real economic and community recovery," alleging many sell drug paraphernalia and synthetic THC products and allow illicit activity around storefronts. Alma Rios, the owner of a funeral home on the 4200 block of Frankford Avenue, described customers blocking her parking lot and the disruption that has forced her to relocate services; she said some stores appear to operate without adequate oversight. Angela Blahney, CEO of Mariana Bracetti Academy Charter School, recounted three shootings she ties to a single corner store and multiple lockdowns that she said traumatized students and staff.
Planning staff testified that bill 250834 establishes a new overlay applying to the entire 7th Councilmanic District and would require a special exception from the Zoning Board of Adjustment for "sundries, pharmaceuticals and convenience sales" uses in commercially zoned lots. Michael Gaul, senior legislative planner for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, said the requirement would align the district's overlays with recent code formatting changes and give the city a clearer regulatory approach.
Lozada said the bill is intended to "put control back in the hands of the people" and reduce excessive openings of businesses that residents say undermine neighborhood safety and economic vitality. Michael Gaul and witnesses agreed the change is designed to be preventive — adding a front‑end community review step — and that it could provide an additional enforcement avenue beyond police, health and licensing actions.
The committee adopted an amendment to several bills later in the meeting and voted to report this bill with a favorable recommendation to council for first reading.
The next procedural step is consideration by the full City Council at first reading; the Planning Commission also scheduled review of bill 250834 for its 11/20/2025 meeting, according to testimony.