A MILLION STORIES IN THE CITY. HOW MANY ZONED? Time to rewrite the City's 'Da Vinci Code' of Development
December 14, 2006
WE LOVE our city in all its broken, messy glory.
We love our backroom dealing, our fiefdoms, and especially, the dysfunctional way we do our business. Sure, we know there are ways we could modernize and be a bigger player on the world stage, but our dysfunction is part of the rough-and-tumble charm that makes us Philadelphia.
Sometimes, though, we have to acknowledge the cost of embracing old ways. In the case of the city's zoning code, that cost is massive.
The city's outdated and cumbersome 624-page zoning code is long overdue for revision. It requires developers to deal with a patchwork system that has no logic other than that's the way it's always been done. That's why we support a measure up for City Council vote today to create a Zoning Code Commission to revise the zoning code.
An impressive number of voices made themselves heard on this at a recent Council hearing. It's one of the few times developers, architects, city planning experts, and government have landed on the same page about an issue. They all recognize that the current system does no one any favors, not builders, not leaders interested in growing the city and bringing jobs here, and certainly not citizens.
Examples of the broken mess that is city zoning were enumerated in testimony after testimony. Paul Levy, president of the Center City District, recounted that when the CCD installed new lighting on Benjamin Franklin Parkway a few years ago, six government entities had to sign off on changing the lightbulbs.
Neighborhood groups that have confronted proposed developments in their community know how few rules and regulations can guide their way. Some savvier, well-resourced neighborhoods have figured out how to work the system to their benefit, but that leaves many other neighborhoods with no say over their own back yards.
It seems a miracle that anything gets built here, especially massive projects like the Cira Centre. Still, how many more of those might we have if it weren't such a chore to get them approved and built?
A hint: It was the Building Industry Association that got the ball rolling with a 2004 report (called "If We Fix It They Will Come,") that made a strong case for modernizing the zoning code. In other words, builders and developers are anxious for more clarity.
What's laudable about the suggested change, sponsored by Councilmen Frank DiCicco and Jim Kenney, is that it relies heavily on public input. The 29-member commission created would include members of the public. This will need a charter change, to be put to voters in May. In an ironic turn, another bill up for Council vote today, sponsored by Darrell Clarke, would establish building-height limits on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. This is probably a good idea, although we wish it were being done in the context of a master plan for the Parkway, another long-overdue effort. But it's also exactly the kind of piecemeal planning made necessary by the current zoning process. We hope the convergence of voices on zoning reform bodes well for the bill's success. It could be the best change the city has made in decades. Then again, it is Philadelphia. Anything can happen.