Land Use & Zoning Archives

Many people throughout the state of Pennsylvania are well aware of the fact that municipalities on the Marcellus Shale would have to rely on zoning laws to limit natural gas development on their home turf. While this is possible in some areas of the state, some in the northern tier don’t care to take advantage of this power.

Considering the weather these past few weeks, it might be time for a quick trip to a truly hot spot: the Sriracha sauce factory. Huy Fong Foods Inc., maker of the famous “rooster sauce,” is offering tours of its 650,000-square-foot factory on the West Coast. Local newspapers published an open letter from the company in early February that invited anyone to make an appointment to visit the 6-month-old facility.

How should zoning laws in Philadelphia work? Should the city strictly adhere to the rules when allowing new businesses to move into certain neighborhoods? Or should the residents of those neighborhoods have a say in whether they approve a prospective neighbor, even if it goes against zoning laws?

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court appeared split on the right of our state to restrict the use of fracking.  The case concerned in part Act 13 of the amended Pennsylvania Oil and Gas Act.  It also commented upon Section 27 of the Declaration of Rights in the Pennsylvania Constitution which provides our state’s citizens the right to preservation of our environment (among other things).

We are talking about a dispute between Douglass Township in Montgomery County and a company that purchased a large parcel of land there. The 53.4-acre site had been a tree nursery; it also falls under the Pennsylvania Agricultural Conservation Easement Purchase Program. With the blessings of township officials — and a necessary zoning exception — the new owner opened a mulch operation on 7.5 acres of the property.

Earlier this month, we wrote about a Philadelphia city councilmember’s efforts to attract a Sriracha sauce manufacturer to the area. The neighbors of the current plant have complained about the odors and fumes that come from the facility during chili mashing season. If city residents would like more first-hand information about what it’s like to live next to a troublesome neighbor, they may want to drive out to Douglass Township in Montgomer County.

We are returning to our discussion of the Urban Land Institute’s recommendations, in the wake of Superstorm Sandy, for making the region more resilient to natural disaster. Rather than coming up with a long list of projects — redrawn flood maps and changes to zoning — the report lays out a framework that every part of the country, not just Philadelphia, New York and New Jersey, can adopt.

A proposed apartment complex and parking garage in Fitler Square has been the subject of debate recently here in Philadelphia. The One Riverside project, which will house 147 apartments, was just approved for a zoning permit and a floor-area bonus for its proposed underground parking garage. The problem is that the parking garage is not completely underground, and some argue that it does not meet the requirements for the bonus.

We are continuing our discussion of the recommendations made by the Urban Land Institute in its recent report, “After Sandy: Advancing Strategies for Long-term Resilience and Adaptability.” The recommendations are broken out into four major categories. We have been going through the land use recommendations.

Earlier this year, the Urban Land Institute assembled a panel of experts to look at how Philadelphia, New York City and New Jersey were doing with post-Hurricane Sandy recovery. The local ULI councils from the region asked for the help. They knew that the multiple plans and processes underway could be more synergistic and, perhaps, more efficient — even with the regional Hurricane Sandy Rebuilding Task Force in place.