Circuit Court Complaint Filed Against City for Halal Slaughterhouse
The Alliance for a Slaughter-Free Alexandria claims that the DC Poultry Market Corp. will have a negative effect on neighboring businesses.
Alexandria, VA – A group of Alexandrians have filed a circuit court complaint against the city for approving the operation of a Halal slaughterhouse at 3225 Colvin Street. Ten city business owners and residents, claim that the DC Poultry Market Corp. will have a negative effect on neighboring businesses.
Archive: See Slaughterhouse 5 Make Feathers Fly
The group represents The Alliance for a Slaughter-Free Alexandria, which started a Change.org petition that has so far garnered more than 450 signatures in opposition of the special use permit. The city will have 20 days to respond to the complaint, and could become a suit if the court believes that there is enough substance in what the plaintiffs are claiming, namely that neighboring businesses and residents were not notified of the action and that the special use permit application was not properly displayed.
None of the plaintiffs are pet-related businesses on Colvin St., although a number of them are neighboring the approved slaughterhouse, including Wholistic Hound Dog Academy, Frolick Dogs, Dogtopia, Pinnacle Pet Spa & More and the Wild Bird Center of Alexandria.
The industrial area of Colvin Street is often choked with traffic as a cut-through between Duke and Van Dorn Streets. City staff reported that the 5,245 square-foot facility would receive an average of 30 to 50 customers daily and that traffic would not be adversely impacted. Also, all chicken-related waste will be picked up daily and kept indoors in a refrigerated room. Between 100 to 300 chickens (and up to 500, but no limit was imposed) will be delivered daily between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m. in a box truck from Lancaster County, Pa.
I can’t wait to have fresh warm chicken.
This afternoon, I obtained a copy of the complaint (dated April 25) from the Alexandria Circuit Court, and have made it available at https://cutt.ly/JtPEMy.
The plaintiffs are:
3221 Colvin Street Partnership, LLC
McClelland Press, Incorporated
National Capital Flag Company, Incorporated
Simply Doors & Closets, LLC
Fabulous Interior Designs, LLC
Wholesome Baked, LLC
Eugene Stein
Thomas and Diann Hohenthaner
Mary Ann Hollis
WBC Alexandria, LLC
I have only skimmed the complaint, but I do note one allegation that is not true: Par. 103 asserts that Del Pepper in her closing remarks at the March 26 Council meeting said that “she would vote for the SUP Application solely because she was advised by the City Attorney, in a memorandum, that she was required to vote in favor of the SUP Application or face litigation for religious discrimination.” A video of the March 26 Council meeting is available at http://alexandria.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=57&clip_id=4236. Del Pepper’s closing remarks were made between about 2:50:35 and 2:54:10 in the recording. She does not say that.
“The industrial area of Colvin Street is often choked with traffic as a cut-through between Duke and Van Dorn Streets.” — Really? Colvin Street is one block long (less than 2,000 feet) and runs between S. Quaker Ln and Roth St. It doesn’t serve as a cut through to anywhere and connects nowhere to nowhere.