Frankford gets tips on
battling nuisance properties

By KatieRose Keenan
Times Staff Writer

Frankford residents concerned about so-called "weed stores" and alleged brothels operating under the guise of everyday shops received a sympathetic ear from Rachel Steamer.
She’s an assistant district attorney assigned to the Public Nuisance Task Force, and she discussed those issues with people who attended the Sept. 4 meeting of the Frankford Civic Association.
"There are many reports of stores being used as drug houses and brothels. There are currently forty-one open cases in the 15th Police District," Steamer said.
An open case, she explained, represents a property-forfeiture motion that has been filed by the city and is under review by the court.
Steamer also added that 60 cases had been closed in the past year, the majority of them related to narcotics.
When a community member files a nuisance complaint about a property, the task force will send of letter of warning to the owner, Steamer said. It informs the owner that if the property is being used in violation of the Controlled Substances Act, or other codes that address illegal activity, it can be seized, sealed or forfeited through court action.
However, if a property owner files the complaint against problem tenants or claims to be unaware of a situation, the task force will help that owner rectify the problem.
"If there is a tenant selling drugs, we will work with the landlord to evict them, change locks, and do whatever else needs to be done," Steamer said.
However, in cases where the owner is deemed at fault and makes no attempt to correct the problem, the task force will take measures to put an end to the nuisance and close off the property, Steamer explained.
The task force also will forward any information to police, who will conduct an investigation and possibly make arrests.
In that case, the task force will seal the property and pursue its forfeiture to the city.
Properties seized in that fashion are sold to screened buyers at an auction held twice a year by the Philadelphia District Attorney’s Office.
In some cases, the owners of nuisance properties can catch a break by claiming an innocent-owner defense.
"If it’s a first offense, then we take into consideration that the owner may not have necessarily known that illegal activity was going on at their property," said Steamer. "If it happens a second time, then the owner may have to forfeit that property."
Neighbors with complaints can call Steamer at 215-686-9691 or send e-mail to Rachel.Steamer@phila.gov.
Those who want to report a drug house or other nuisance, but wish to remain anonymous, can call the 24-hour hotline at 215-686-5858.
The community’s efforts to address nuisance properties seemingly couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time. Brian Wisniewski, the civic association’s vice president, said two developers are exploring the possibility of investing money in projects along the area between the Margaret/Orthodox and Church Street stops of the Market-Frankford El.
The civic group and residents also will continue to address their claims that the neighborhood has become home to too many drug- and alcohol-rehabilitation facilities.
"It’s one of the main deterrents for developers interested in Frankford," said Wisniewski. "There are a lot of meth addicts that hang around these facilities. Frankford seems to have become the new dumping ground." ••
Reporter KatieRose Keenan can be reached at 215-354-3110 or kkeenan@phillynews.com