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'The Supermarket Is Perfect Here': South Philly Community Lamenting After Beloved Market Served Evictions Notices

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Time appears to be running out for a South Philadelphia landmark at the heart of the Asian community. Tennants at the Hoy Binh Plaza at 16th and Washington Streets received eviction notices this week.

"Here you come, get the veggies. They're fresh. The fish is so fresh, it's still alive, it's in the tank. That's fresh fish," shopper Vicky Smith said.

"I think the supermarket is perfect here," another shopper, Noami Stevens, said.

Patrons rhapsodizing about Hoa Binh Plaza and lamenting over the Vietnamese market's impending closure.

"It's disappointing," shopper Charles Hardy said.

A restaurant owner in the plaza said he and the other tenants were served with eviction notices this past week.

"We don't know what we're going to do," shopper Ibrahima Camara said. "This is the best place. We get something fresh and cheap."

CBS3 cameras were not allowed inside the plaza, but there are less than 10 businesses housed inside. They range from a nail salon to a supermarket and travel agency. A popular bakery closed a few months ago.

The plaza opened in 1990, but as new constructions pop up in the neighborhood, neighbors say the area is changing.

"We have a lot of, what do you call them -- millennials that have moved in and they don't shop here that much," Smith said.

It's not clear when the market will officially close, but shoppers and people who live in the neighborhood have been advocating to keep it for a while.

An online petition launched over the summer to save the plaza. It was signed by nearly 13,000 people.

City property records show that a developer wants to demolish the market and build multiple single-family homes on the property. KYW Newsradio reported that business owners have up to three months to move out.

"I'm very shocked to hear that," Steven said. "Because this is the best place for us to come shopping."

"That's what's going on in Philadelphia," Hardy said. "Things are happening, just look at the buildings here."

In order for the building to be razed and condos built, the property needs to be rezoned. That process is still to be determined.

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