Land Use & Zoning Archives

In law school, students learn persuasive writing and objective writing. A contract is a good example of the latter: The parties want a clear expression of their obligations to one another, remedies and so on. All that text that we skip over when we agree to the terms of a software end user license agreement is objective.

Leonard Nimoy died this weekend. His passing marks the end of an era for many of us. His character on “Star Trek” had so many memorable moments, signature moments that will always come to mind when someone mentions the TV series or the movies. The “live long and prosper” sign, the little pinch to the shoulder that knocks someone out cold — anyone who works at a computer all day knows exactly how that feels now — and the raised eyebrow when someone does something “human.”

The East Coast is having an interesting weather year. Philadelphia has mostly seen the “wintry mix” that proves so deadly on the roads, but we have seen more precipitation than usual. According to the National Climate Data Center, the city has logged 5.5 inches of precipitation since the first of the year, a notable increase from the usual 3.8 inches.

It took two years, a team of dedicated lawyers and a lot of imagination to do it, but Philadelphia artist James Dupree beat city hall this past December. In 2012, the city took the fairly cynical step of delivering its declaration of taking just a few days before the move would have been prohibited (see our Jan. 30 post). The notice that Dupree’s studio in Mantua had been seized under the power of eminent domain spurred the artist into action.

We are continuing our discussion of artist James Dupree’s dispute with the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority over the future of his studio/workshop in the Mantua neighborhood. The neighborhood has been in flux for the last couple of years. A federal grant funded a master plan, and that master plan brought residents together for the first time in a long time. Everyone agreed that the area needed a new supermarket.

The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority has reached a settlement with a property owner over an eminent domain dispute. What happens next is anyone’s guess.

Generally, a property owner cannot simply do whatever they want with their property. This is because there are regulations in place regarding property use. In Philadelphia, one of the sources of such regulations is the Philadelphia Zoning Code.

Philadelphia officials want to reestablish the city as an industrial hub, even though that’s not something that many developers or building owners are very interested in. Most industries left Philadelphia many years ago, and in turn, most people assumed that Philadelphia’s industries were a thing of the past.

Even an experienced developer can become frustrated with the numerous rules and regulations surrounding Philadelphia’s complex zoning laws. It is not uncommon for developers or contractors to be involved in various stages of completion on a number of different projects at any given time. Even with scheduling technology and a staff of dedicated professionals, it can be easy to lose track of a timeline and find yourself facing a variety of unnecessary delays.

Over the past few years, city planners have more and more frequently turned to the charrette as a way to develop consensus and buy-in for community redevelopment. That is why city planners included charrettes in the Philadelphia 2035 plan.