Monthly Archives: January 2013

In our last post, we began speaking about the city’s councils recent decision to override Mayor Nutter’s veto of proposed changes to the Philadelphia’s new zoning code. The major sticking points for those who are opposed to the changes are the expanded notice requirements, the possibility of needing to have multiple meetings, and the weak requirements to be a registered community group.

Last Thursday, the Philadelphia City Council made a far-reaching change to the city’s new zoning code when it voted to override Mayor Nutter’s veto to….

City Councilman Brian J. O’Neill, in a recent victory for gardeners in Philadelphia, recently dropped a proposal to change the city’s zoning code that would have made it more difficult for farmers and gardeners to operate within the city. The proposal would have required that community gardens and farm obtain special permission from the Zoning Board of Adjustment in order to operate.

Construction contracts, as our readers know, can sometimes involve disputed questions. When parties to a contract cannot agree on what was actually agreed to, it may become necessary to litigate the matter.

As our readers know, the city has updated its zoning code and is now working to develop 18 district-level plans. So far, three of the 18 district plans are now complete. The whole plan is expected to come to completion in 2035

Officials from Temple University are reportedly working on plans to build a 23,000 square-foot boathouse on a parcel of parkland on the eastern bank of the Schuylkill. The project is unique for several reasons, but especially because it will reportedly make use of a new legal process for reviewing the use of park and recreational land in Philadelphia. Because of the change in city law, members of the public will play a more prominent role in the review process.

Real estate investor Howard Lutnick, known for rebuilding Cantor Fitzgerald after his brother’s death in the 2001 World Trade Center attack, has reportedly been doing a lot of investing in commercial real estate lately, betting that the slow economy will not prevent property deal from thriving on low-interest money.

Real estate sales have given agents a run for their money in the last couple years, in Philadelphia and many other markets across the nation. Fortunately, the situation is predicted to be on the verge of a change for the better in the upcoming spring market.

At the end of November, the Forum Theater-an old porn theater made obsolete by virtue of videos and the Internet-became one of the last of its kind to die. In the wake of its closing, though, are plans to renew the property that serves as a key link between Philadelphia’s east and West sides.

In a recent post, we mentioned that the state of Pennsylvania has already received six applications for a casino license. One of the developers wants to redevelop the former Inquirer building and surrounding properties as part of a casino project. The others are set to present their proposals at the Pennsylvania Convention Center next month.