Is city driving South End sandwich shop into bankruptcy?

By adamg on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 6:41am

The South End News reports Las Ventas on Harrison Avenue has had to remove its tables because ISD says its paperwork isn't in order - but won't tell the owners what they have to do to fix that.

Neighborhoods:

South End

Topics:

Dining

Free tagging:

ISD

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Comments

Not surprised

By phil on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 8:10am.

Sounds like Boston to me.

When the disease is a city

By MovingForwardorbackward on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 11:02am.

When the disease is a city agency that wants you to fail the cure is a contribution to the Mayor's campaign fund. A few hundred dollars goes a long ways to keeping a business going.

So, not enough inspectors to

By Jeff F on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 3:16pm.

So, not enough inspectors to get make sure streets are ploughed correctly or sidewalks are cleared, but enough to close down a small business for a reason ISD can't actually document?

Incorrect assumption

By Kaz on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 3:44pm.

ISD inspectors don't make sure streets are plowed or sidewalks are cleared.

They only make sure that if the sidewalk isn't cleared, then the owner gets a fine.

Perfect example, and from the South End, too

By adamg on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 3:50pm.

Trapped.

Technically, the woman with disabilities isn't trapped, as the city points out - she can get to her building's lobby and then walk outside. She just can't get anywhere else because of the giant snow mounds along the street, which mean the Ride can no longer pick her up.

No, correct understanding of intended cause and effect.

By Jeff F on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 4:47pm.

When ISD sites and fines the owner of an uncleared sidewalk, the sidewalk likely gets cleared next time it snows. That's why they have the power to inspect and levy fines, yes?

I was bemoaning the fact that Boston's govt is not bothering to document, fine (and therefore discourage) widespread and demonstrably unsafe and illegal conditions on the city's streets and sidewalks, but is spending manpower to hassle a successful business for reasons which it reportedly cannot explicitly document. The cynic in me says this is probably because:
- ISD inspectors would rather hang out in restaurants than slog through snow-clogged streets, and
- if the city made an effort to ding many of the snow-scofflaws, it would come in for (even more) criticism about how poorly it has dealt with its own responsibilities regarding winter maintenance.

Maybe, maybe not

By adamg on Thu, 02/17/2011 - 4:59pm.

If the land owner doesn't mind paying fines, there's nothing the city can do. The city issued a citation to the property owner responsible for this. Did he clean it up? No. All the city could do in that case would be to issue another fine, since there's no city goon squad for such cases.