West Philadelphians Voice their Opinions on Zoning Code Reform

March 4, 2009

Eager to help guide the direction of local development, West Philadelphians last week gathered to let the city know how they feel the city could reform its city’s zoning code.

Workshops to gather such views of citizens were mandated in 2007 by legislation that created a Zoning Code Commission as an arm of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission to update the code. The code has stood in its present form since the 1960s according to Eva Gladstein, executive director of the Commission.

Gladstein said workshops are being held in each City Councilmanic District to get a feel for what is on people’s minds across the city about what reforms to the current zoning code could best help citizens deal with it.

The Tuesday, February 24, Zoning Commission workshop in West Philadelphia’s Fourth Councilmanic District was the seventh the commission has held. Only three such sessions remain.

The code addresses such topics as use of land, the maximum height and density of buildings, exteriors and signage on buildings, porches, decks and additions on both commercial and residential structures, and other development issues.

The gathering of those views, in addition to those of city agencies that deal with the code, and developers, who must abide by it, constitute the first phase of the project, Gladstein said. The next step will be looking at what reforms are being made in other cities and which of those would work here.

The process will also include looking at all possible solutions to particular scenarios to determine if there might be more than one solution to the problem. The 31-member commission’s first report on their revision recommendations is due in August.

Beverly Harper, president of Portfolio Associates, Inc., said the goals of the reform are to protect the character of individual neighborhoods, promote economic development.

Other goals of the process, she continued, are to increase predictability of development, balance efficiency and flexibility of the code’s application to new development and to improve user-friendliness.

The approximately 100 people present then divided up to fill ten tables to talk amongst themselves about which of ten topics suggested by the Commission they felt strongly about.

Those issues included: the size, design or location of landscaped areas; the size and design of new buildings; types of housing allowed in different areas of the city and the size design or location of parking areas.

Other topics included on that list were: encouraging redevelopment of existing buildings and sites; protecting existing neighborhoods from development impacts and also on the list were: involving the public in development decisions; involving the public in development decisions, providing a clear, fair and efficient zoning approval process and promoting sustainable development.

A member of the Zoning Code Commission was present at each table to help guide people through the process and record their concerns.

During this stage, person at the tables also voiced their own concerns about the zoning code and its implementation, such as different persons at the Department of Licenses and Inspections giving different answers to questions, the lack of communication between city agencies and the lack of clarity go the appeals process.

Others voiced concern about the lack of clarity on policies concerning abandoned buildings and "grandfathered" exclusions from Zoning Code regulations.

Fourth District Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell attended the workshop and thanked people for talking part in the process and told them she hoped they would make their desires of their neighborhoods known to the Commission.

Asked by one attendee whether she had specific zoning concerns of her own for the Fourth Councilmanic District or if she thought there were broader issues the she felt needed to be addressed, she only said she would support the concerns of district residents when City Council becomes involved in the process.

She also said she was happy to see representatives from all of her district’s neighborhoods present at the session.

"The whole feeling is positive here."