Fighting Blight and Beer Stores in East Mt. Airy

It’s one of Philly’s most diverse areas but badly needs young people. 

Jordan Parisse didn’t want to see another beer store open on Chew Avenue, especially this crucial corner just south of Gorgas Lane. The young developer is a Mt. Airy native and knows Gorgas is essentially a dividing line. The more prosperous residents of East Mt. Airy live above it in big houses; the less prosperous below it in rowhomes. They don’t mix often enough.

“Our project is a line of demarcation between the nice area of Mt. Airy and where the seedy part starts,” Parisse said. “Something needs to spark it.”