Why aren’t the other residents of Warminster upset with Sal Giaimo, owner of Giuseppe’s Pizza? It appears he caused all of this with his agreeing to lease his property to Discover House Methadone Clinic. I overheard someone say in one of the meetings, which is to the point…
He leased his property for about 25 Hoagies a day… Did he need the money that bad?
The Residents of Warminster should be upset with Giuseppe’s Pizza of Warminster and take a stand against hs business. He created this whole issue by letting his real estate agent, Penns Grant Realty and Kurt Eisenschmid, bring this to him and signing the lease.
Why is everyone still going to Giuseppe’s Pizza?
By the way he has a zoning meeting coming up at the Warminster Township Building next week about building his new restaurant at the same location behind the for the Discovery House Methadone Clinic.
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May 4, 2009 at 5:59 pm |
I know that my neighbors and our husbands and even some of their families haven’t been to Giuseppe’s Pizza since this whole thing started. To be honest, JUST MY OPINION, I think that people were all fine and good about sighing a petition, notice that we got over what 400 signatures and yet at the meetings we’ve only had 100 residents at the Giuseppe’s Pizza, and then 75 residents at the most recent twp. meeting…. it about sacrifice. People don’t want to give up the convienance and habit of going to a great local pizza place. But I bet we will find that these will be the people to be the first to complain when something does happen. Hey, I am just throwing this out there… isn’t anyone upset with the gentleman head of the zoning committee, he’s the one who saw this agreement come through the twp. why wouldn’t he have said something sooner to the supervisors? Or how about Sal’s lawyer shouldn’t he have had Sal’s best business interest and trying to in every way shape and form his long standing business character in tacked? Just curious. My neighbors and I don’t even feel right walking through the door or even ordering take-out…. we would totally be hypocrites then!
May 4, 2009 at 8:55 pm |
Mmmmmmmmmmmmm Roman Delight, here I come!
May 14, 2009 at 4:11 pm |
I have never posted a comment to a blog, however, I felt compelled to respond to the comments on this blog. I understand residents’ concern with the Discovery House, however, the people that you should be upset with are your state representatives. The zoning committee nor the township supervisors have the ability to supersede the zoning laws. They merely abide by these laws that the lawmakers have the ability to make. It is under the watch of the elected officials that the zoning laws regarding rehab clinics lapsed. Having said that, the township supervisors nor the zoning committee had any power to prohibit Discovery House to lease the property. If either the township supervisors or the zoning committed did try to prohibit them to lease in a space zoned for medical offices it would be discrimination and a lawsuit would be pending. Whether or not the residents, the township supervisors or zoning committed approve of the Discovery’s House relocation, it is legal. Sal Giaimo signed the lease in January and did not know that it was a rehab clinic for heroine addicts. He thought it was a medical office. In mid-April it was brought to Giaimo’s attention exactly what kind of clinic the Discovery House is. Upon hearing this, he had a meeting for concerned residents and tried to get out of the lease. Discovery House mentioned that it would need about $15,000 to get out of the lease. That amount is merely for the improvements they have constructed and does not include the amount of court proceedings. The space has been empty for nearly a year and has only had one other tenant who is due to leave at the end of the month due to the economy. Since the building is only zoned for “professional use” it has been extremely difficult to rent. As I stated, if Sal had known what the Discovery House was he would not have leased the space to them, however, at this point he cannot get out of the lease with the Discovery House which has been 1.5 miles away in Warminster for 15 years.
Although Sal Giaimo does not live in Warminster it has been the home to his restaurant for over 25 year
May 14, 2009 at 5:46 pm |
I have never posted a comment to a blog before, however, I felt compelled to respond to the comments posted on this blog. I understand residents’ concerns regarding the relocation of the Discovery House from its current location in Warminster to the office building owned by Sal Giaimo. The residents’ should be upset with their elected officials, not the township supervisors or the zoning committee. The latter do not have the ability make zoning laws, they merely comply with the laws that are in place. It was under the watch of your elected officials that the zoning laws regarding the proximity of rehab clinics to residential areas lapsed. When the lease was presented to the supervisors in January, the supervisors nor the zoning committee had the authority to prohibit the Discovery House from leasing Sal Giaimo’s office space. If they had, discrimination would have been committed because the Discovery House met zoning restrictions and was leasing space in space zoned for “professional use”. Sal Giaimo was not aware of what kind of rehab clinic the Discovery House when he signed the lease. He became aware in mid-April. Immediately, upon hearing that residents were concerned he opened his doors for a community meeting and heard their voices. Sal has tried to void the lease, however, he cannot. The Discovery House mentioned that it would need approximately $15,000 to be reimbursed for its construction costs while stating that it has no desire to relocate. That amount does not include court costs which would inevitably ensue. Additionally, if the township tried to prohibit Discovery’s relocation to the space, it would face a lawsuit based on discrimination. Unfortunately, since the zoning laws were allowed to lapse the Discovery House has every right to lease the space whether or not residents view it as a desirable tenant or location.
Although Sal Giaimo does not live in Warminster (he lives 2 miles outside of Warminster Township), it has been the home of his family-owned business, Giuseppe’s Pizza & Family Restaurant, for over 35 years. Sal Giaimo and his late brother, Giuseppe Giaimo, have been nothing short of outstanding citizens of Warminster Township. There has been no end to their generosity since they opened their doors 35 years ago. The Giaimo brothers donated the land upon which the Ben Wilson Senior Citizen Center was built; they have sponsored countless local sports teams; they have donated pizza to schools; have donated money to too many causes to list; and most recently there is a foundation in Giuseppe Giaimo’s name which selects students in the Warminster township for scholarships. Although Giuseppe Giaimo has passed away four years ago, Sal Giaimo has continued the tradition of giving back to the community and is a member of the Warminster Rotary. Having said that, it is absolutely ludicrous to say that Sal Giaimo doesn’t care about Warminster because he doesn’t live there. For the past 35 years he has spend a good portion of his life there.
Unfortunately, we can not prevent what the law allows. At this point it is impossible to get out of the lease. I realize residents’ concern, however, the Discovery House has been in a location 1.5 miles for more than 15 years without incident. Certainly, vicious comments and boycotts cannot prevent Discovery House from relocating to its new location. The only thing that could have prevented this relocation from happening was the zoning laws. Unfortunately, they lapsed in the hands of your elected officials. Hopefully, they will learn form this lesson.
May 18, 2009 at 12:08 pm |
PhillyBurbs.com
updated 2:45 a.m. ET, Sun., May 17, 2009
Levittown – Zoning maps and land use ordinances do not usually make exciting front-page news, but in Warminster, some pending zoning changes have had a dramatic impact on a highly controversial issue.Warminster officials believe they can block the relocation of Discovery House, a methadone treatment facility, because it would not be in compliance with Warminster’s pending new zoning codes.Discovery House, which has been at 329 W. County Line Road for about 15 years, signed a lease to move into a new office at 1386 W. Street Road a few months back. The move, which came as a surprise to residents and supervisors alike, soon started a debate with the clinic’s representatives over the location.Warminster supervisors and zoning officers never really had a say in whether Discovery House could locate in what they felt was a residential area under existing zoning.However, under the pending regulations, the township would have some authority and, Warminster argues, because Discovery House failed to file for permits before the township advertised its planned zoning changes, it is now subject to the new rules.The change to the zoning in the area where Discovery wants to relocate is part of many revisions the township wants to make to regulations, some of which date to 1960s.”What we have is a crazy patchwork of zoning, some layered on top of each other,” said solicitor Michael Savona. “What we’ve done is simplify it and made it more user friendly for both contractors and the residents in Warminster. We wanted things aligned to where they make sense.”For nearly a year, Savona and township Manager Bob Tate have been working with the aid of the township’s zoning officers, engineers and staff to modernize the documents.Where the township’s old map featured 33 separate zoning districts, the new map was stripped down to 12. Savona said the new map more clearly identifies zoning areas and permitted uses. It was another controversial issue, the proposed Wawa gas station plan at the corner of Street and Mearns roads, that underscored problems within the township. After much debate, Wawa contested the validity of Warminster’s zoning ordinance because the company believed it provided nowhere for it to exist. Savona said the old zoning only permitted a gas station in a hybrid “highway commercial district,” where there were just 14 locations. Coupled with the fact the ordinance said a station could be no less than 1,500 feet from a hotel or restaurant, there were no lots left. “Every time someone challenges your zoning, it costs the township time and money,” Savona said. “You have to keep it current with the times.”The board will consider the documents at a planning commission meeting Wednesday night at the township building. After that, the plans go to the Bucks County Planning Commission for a review, and then the supervisors will vote to adopt it. To view Warminster Township’s new zoning map and draft of the new ordinance, go to http://www.warminstertownship.org/
June 19, 2009 at 6:27 pm |
I still go to eat there because it is good. And really who cares who is moving in, they are about 1.5 miles away from there right now and I didn’t even know its been there for over 10years.
December 29, 2009 at 2:03 am |
Thank you for your good humor and for allowing yourself to be convinced that this was the right show for you to work on.
February 11, 2010 at 12:00 am |
Are u serious?? Who cares! Perhaps he isn’t narrow minded like you? That should be celebrated!! I happen to be a member at that clinic. And not a single person there deserves the cards they were dealt, and not a-one of them are unworthy of a safe place to go to get help. So boycotting this place because of their service to everyone who belongs with Discovery house? That’s amazingly far sighted. Re-think your point.