40th St. McDonald's will not close doors

Despite earlier rumors to the contrary, the planned construction of a new McDonald's at 43rd and Market streets will not displace the existing restaurant at 40th and Walnut, according to a spokesman for the company. Some area residents originally thought the opening of a new McDonald's would result in the closing of the existing establishment. They marched against the construction of the new McDonald's in December. The protesters also claimed that the new fast-food restaurant would cause traffic and trash problems along the residential street. According to Frank Marciano, McDonald's real estate manager for Philadelphia, the McDonald's at 40th and Walnut streets is owned by a different franchise operator than the one on 43rd and Market. But community activists, led by Rev. Larry Falcon, have accused Penn of trying to relocate the current McDonald's to a location more "suitable" for the University's plans. "It implies to me that the University of Pennsylvania was instrumental in putting the McDonald's in my back yard," Falcon said. But Tom Lussenhop, the University's top real estate official, said Penn is not involved with the plan. "The University has no interest in either the 40th and Walnut McDonald's or the 43rd and Walnut McDonald's," Lussenhop said. Marciano said that McDonald's met several times with community groups, where he encountered limited opposition. "We'll be a welcome addition to the community," Marciano said. In order for construction to begin on the new McDonald's, a window factory on the 4200 block of Market Street was demolished. Demolition of the factory building began last September and continues to date. "McDonald's is doing what gang violence and what crack cocaine couldn't do," Falcon said. "It's destroying the quality of life in our neighborhood, totally against our wishes." Falcon cited the appointment of University officials to city posts as evidence of Penn's involvement in the project. He maintains that the new McDonald's is part of Penn's plan to expand westward. While Marciano claimed that McDonald's continually met with residents to address objections, Falcon alleged that he only met once with company representatives to explain his objections to the project. Lussenhop denied University intervention, but said he thought the new restaurant will not be the best use for the site. "If I were a neighbor of the site adjacent to the McDonald's on 43rd and Market, I would be unhappy with the prospect of a suburban-oriented store going in and replacing what was decent urban fabric," Lussenhop said. "I think it's a missed opportunity that McDonald's, if they in fact needed to be in this location, didn't consider reusing the building rather than demolishing it and starting over," he added.