After four years of city-wide public meetings, discussion and debate, the Philadelphia City Council followed the recommendations of the Zoning Code Commission and approved legislation which adopted a new Zoning Code for the City. Mayor Nutter has announced that he will sign the legislation into law on December 22nd. The new Code will be Philadelphia's first completely new Zoning Code since 1962. It incorporates significant revisions in how new development and use of property will proceed in the City of Philadelphia. Nearly every aspect of the present Code has been changed, even down to the level of the characterizations of the various residential, commercial, industrial and special use districts.
Property owners, developers, realtors, architects, engineers and other real estate professionals will need to consider how the new zoning controls and procedures affect their profession, including:
- New district characterizations
- Required community input
- The expanding role of the Planning Commission
- Revisions to overlays
- Civic Design Review
- Conditional permits
- Development Standards
- New F.A.R. provisions
- Expansion of permitted uses
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.