Last fall, all-hours diner staple Little Pete's, located at 17th and Chancellor streets, was informed by its landlord that the property was being shopped to New York-based hotel chain
Hudson Hotels.
In February, the Center City Residents' Association, arguably the biggest remaining roadblock for the proposed 12-story hotel, greenlit the project.
Sad? Sure. It's always somber when a local business closes -- especially one as storied as Little Pete's. But, by the reaction it received on Twitter (#SaveLittlePetes), you'd think Philly had sold the Liberty Bell or was razing the Art Museum. But no, it's just the foreseeable end of a diner -- a great diner, mind you, but a diner all the same. A Vocal Minority
Per the "#SaveLittlePetes" movement, it's as if one person blew the war horn, so dozens more did the same -- but no one actually showed up for the rally. "Ninety to 100 people showed up for the community meeting [in February], and nobody who spoke even mentioned Little Pete's," says Jeff Braff, president of the board of the Center City Residents' Association.
Surely, it's difficult to make the argument for saving Little Pete's when no one is taking the most basic civic action necessary to preserve it. Point is: The movement itself is a little overblown. Don't let the bandwagon effect fool you. An Economically Sound Project
Philly-based firm Econsult Solutions released an impact analysis in December commissioned by the Center City Residents' Association. The key findings: The block's traffic would be dispersed throughout the day, rather than confined to early morning and evening hours; a downsizing of parking capacity is expected to encourage public transit use and decrease traffic congestion (a 2010 city-commissioned report states that only 66 percent of high-capacity garages were occupied during peak hours); foot traffic would increase where Hudson Hotel's entrance would open on Chancellor Street, coinciding nicely with Vetri's new pizzeria; and trash storage would move indoors (no more dumpsters on St. James Street).
To boot? Jobs. "They’re the kind of jobs we crucially need in town, which is entry-level jobs for people who've been out of the workforce and need in," says Alan Greenberger, deputy mayor for economic development and director of commerce. "Food and beverage, hotel staff, front-office staff, housekeeping staff. ... We particularly need those [jobs] because we have a deeper set of issues with people who are out of employment, or never got into employment in the first place.”
Patrons eat lunch inside Little Pete's. / Thom Carroll for PhillyVoice.com
Let There Be Sightliness
"Knowing this project, it shouldn't have any problems getting through the Civic Design Board [once zoning legislation goes through] -- it's a pretty well-designed project," says Ian Litwin, central district planner for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission. Is it the most stunning piece of architecture ever designed? Probably not, but Braff notes that its use of space in a particularly narrow streetscape is impressive, and the residents' concerns are not about its aesthetic. And, according to the impact report, trash elimination; plus trees; plus a 13-story, modern hotel design equal an improved quality of life.
A rendering of the 310-room Hudson Hotel, proposed to span the block of 17th and Chancellor streets. / DAS Architects
A Long Time Coming
Look, zoning-speak is not sexy. It weighs down casual conversations. But, fact is, the block's outdated zoning makes it the odd one out in its vicinity, where it is surrounded by CMX-5 zones (fancy talk for blocks with tall buildings) and host to a parking garage that's only congested the block, according to the Econsult report. Currently, the block is zoned so that it can't host projects more than five stories tall; surrounding it, meanwhile, is the towering 25-story Icon 1616 apartment building, among other tall developments that make the area seem rather ... well, small. The block was inevitably going to change -- in fact, it almost did so a decade ago with a different hotel, says Little Pete's co-owner John Koutroubas. That time for change just happens to be now. "That it will never come again is what makes life so sweet."
This quote from Emily Dickinson gets to the heart of what this debate is about: nostalgia. To be sure, if you'd mentioned a century ago that Rittenhouse Square (or William Penn) would be flanked by high-rises, people would have scoffed -- Taller than William Penn!? Not a chance! But it happened, and we not only got over it -- we've come to bask in it. Because, for as long as Philadelphia continues to grow as a city, change like this will continue to happen. And you know what? That's not such a bad thing. Surrender those Kodak-moment memories from Little Pete's, and make room for new ones. Nostalgia can only carry you so far.
What's next?
The official word from Koutroubas, he told PhillyVoice.com, is that he and his brother Peter, Little Pete's namesake, still have not been informed of when they will need to close up shop; it could be anywhere from two months to a year, all depending on when the re-zoning bill necessary for construction to start is revisited. As for whether the brothers are open to launching a location elsewhere, he says all that chatter is premature.
Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, who's the sponsor of the zoning bill, told PhillyVoice.com that he hopes Hudson Hotels can include Little Pete's in its project but didn't share details on how that might happen. The zoning bill, he says, is currently resting with the Rules Committee; he did not offer a specific timeline for when the bill will be pushed through City Council. Hudson Hotels, meanwhile, did not provide comment for this story.
Let's not forget that Little Pete's still has a location at 2401 Pennsylvania Ave. So, feel free to mourn -- but stop panicking. Is it a bummer that you won't be able to scarf down a 2 a.m. Little Pete's burger with fries in Center City? Unquestionably. But please, for the sake of the city's progress, suck it up and hike it to Fairmount during daylight. The burgers will taste just as good.
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
