Philadelphia Metropolitan Area Real Estate Law Blog

Last Wednesday, the Philadelphia Zoning Board of Adjustment approved a developer’s plans to knock down three buildings on the southeast corner of 15th and Walnut Streets and set up a glass, three-story building that would include the city’s first Cheesecake Factory restaurant. The demolition is set to begin within 30 days.

Some time ago, we wrote about a proposal to create a 50-foot buffer zone for streams and rivers in the Philadelphia area. That proposal sparked what was the first big conflict to come out of the new zoning code, pitting environmentalists concerned about protecting waterways against developers worried about the impact of a buffer zoning on their businesses. Last Wednesday the controversy was resolved when City Council reached an agreement on the matter.

On Tuesday, a zoning variance which would have permitted the building of a day reporting center for ex-offenders in Southwest Philadelphia was recently overturned by a Common Pleas Court judge. The center was to be part of a wider plan on the part of the Nutter administration to reduce the prison population and make services available to those convicted of nonviolent crime. The plan was to have 10 day reporting centers around the city which would offer job training, drug testing, counseling, and temporary housing.

On this blog, we try to give our readers a sense of the types of issues that can come up in real estate law. We recently came across an article from a news source for the city of Lakewood, Ohio. The story dealt with issues of zoning, specifically in regard to restaurants and commercial properties. This particular issue is important, particularly in a time when business owners struggle to keep their operations afloat. Zoning often has a direct impact on the health of a business.

On Thursday, a resolution was passed by the Philadelphia City Council which contains 40 changes to the city’s zoning code, which by all accounts is out of date. The resolution is a big step in the rewrite process, which is four years in. Sources said it is hoped that the rewrite will be completed by the end of the year.