Land Use & Zoning Archives

In the wake of Superstorm Sandy, the Philadelphia, New York City and Northern New Jersey district councils of the Urban Land Institute asked the national organization for help. This part of the Atlantic Seaboard was hit hard by the storm and was, many believe, unprepared for the devastation it wrought. With both local and federal governments working on rebuilding, the region needed advice on how to coordinate the various policies and programs to achieve the best result.

When a developer is looking to move forward with a project, there are a number of critical steps that must be taken before ground is broken. In addition to securing funding, a real estate developer typically has to seek approval for his or her project from a local zoning board. Right now, a residential-commercial complex is being considered by a Philadelphia zoning committee.

Property owners and developers are often eager to take an existing space and turn it into something new and something that meets the needs of current customers and residents. However, this process can be quite difficult when these projects are often delayed because of old, outdated zoning and land use restrictions.

The five members of a Pennsylvania town’s Zoning Hearing Board will be getting lumps of coal in their stockings at Christmas — or even sooner — if one neighborhood has anything to say about it. The board recently vetoed a variance that would have allowed a family to build an “accessory structure” in their front yard. The variance was needed because the structure violated the 35-foot setback mandated by borough law.

Philadelphia’s Old City is a special place for Philadelphians. Home to numerous historical sites, the district occupies several blocks between Front and Sixth Streets, bound by Vine and Walnut. The District is among the city’s most popular nightlife destinations, with numerous lounges, restaurants and dive bars.

One of the unique features of Philadelphia’s new zoning code, passed last year, is that it took steps to embrace a more modern view of cities, a view holding that city streets should be open and accessible to pedestrians. One local practice that has long prevented this is that of garage-fronted rowhouses. These dwellings feature faceless garage doors visible at street level, and are usually prohibitive of windows that would convey a sense of hominess.

Julia Chapman, legislative director for the Nutter administration during his first two years of service, has reportedly been asked by the mayor to chair the Zoning Board of Adjustment. Chapman, sources say, left the administration on short notice in 2009, during an unstable time for the mayor’s administration. At the time, it was speculated that she was asked to resign from her post, but Nutter later said she left by her own free will.

An empty factory in the 1000 block of Frankford Avenue has been targeted by a real estate developer as a good location for the center point of a music and dining complex covering many blocks. The project is located across Delaware Avenue from SugarHouse Casino, at the old Ajax Metal Co. building.

Nearly a year after the new zoning code was released, city planners have updated the zoning classifications for every block in greater Center City, from Girard Avenue to Washington. The task, which took 16 months to complete, has resulted in a modern map that will dictate where buildings will go and, ultimately, the value of properties in what is perhaps the busiest and most expensive part of the city.

As a recent article in the Philadelphia Inquirer pointed out, it has been nearly one year since Philadelphia’s new zoning code became law. The new code was a huge accomplishment, having simplified, clarified and modernized the way zoning is handled after enduring years of an outdated system.