A great city needs a better plan

February 7, 2007

Philadelphia can start curing one of its worst habits tomorrow.

City Council will take up again a set of proposals that would reduce bad development decisions by overhauling the city's outdated, patchwork zoning code. Council should approve a plan to put a charter change before voters this spring. If the referendum passes, a broad-based commission would draft a new zoning code and map.

Philadelphia has gone longer than any other major American city without revamping these core rules for development. As a result, most proposed projects run afoul of the code somehow and need variances.

The city's zoning hearing board, with members frequently appointed more for their connections than their expertise, often makes the whole mess worse with its capricious decisions. Another worthy idea before Council is to raise standards for membership on the zoning board and planning commission.

The messy status quo sets up frantic games of Let's Make a Deal among developers, Council members and neighborhood associations. Developers seek "spot zoning" fixes from Council to enable projects, or try to cut deals with civic groups to make their opposition go away.

Thus zoning becomes a key driver of the city's corrupting "pay-to-play" culture. Meanwhile, in bargaining endlessly with developers, civic groups spend energy and money that could be far more usefully devoted to other efforts. Many top-notch builders, disliking all the sordid games, shy away from the city.

The end result is a bunch of piecemeal developments - some OK, some terrible - that don't fit any master plan for how a great, historic, beautiful city should grow and evolve.