The owner of a convenience store along Broad St. in Tamaqua was denied a request to have 12 Pennsylvania Skill machines in his establishment.
Bassam Hasan told Tamaqua’s Zoning Hearing Board Tuesday night that without the ability to have those dozen machines in his store, Vegas Convenience Inc., at 117 E. Broad St., he risks laying off employees and potentially closing up shop for good.
Tamaqua’s zoning rules are governed by the Eastern Schuylkill Regional Planning Commission, which also covers Rush, Schuylkill, and Walker townships. Under rules of that department, businesses like Hasan’s are only permitted two Skill machines.
The zoning board ultimately denied Hasan’s request by a unanimous vote.
Karl Smulligan, who chaired Wednesday’s hearing, said he worried about setting a precedent if it were to approve Hasan’s request. He suggested the business owner take his case before the regional planning commission to have the rules changed.
“This is bigger than just here tonight,” Smulligan said.
Hasan said Wednesday that he and other convenience store owners in the borough received a letter from Tamaqua Solicitor Anthony Odorizzi notifying them that they have too many Skill machines in their establishment.
If the machines weren’t removed, the store owners risked being cited and fined.
Hasan said he took over the store on Broad St. back in March 2023 after a relative offered it to him because it wasn’t doing well.
Since adding the extra machines, Hasan said, he’s able to keep five employees and provide stable income to them. He said if the zoning board were to deny his variance request and he was forced to remove the extra machines, he risks losing the business.
“It’s going to affect the store extremely,” Hasan said. “If you affect the business, you affect the people who work for me.”
Hasan added that about half of his revenue at the store is generated by the Skill machines in it.
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