Published by: American Legal Publishing Corporation Cincinnati, Ohio 1-800-445-5588 www.amlegal.com The documents are listed under the heading Zoning Permit Documents. the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter of 1951. - The Administrative Code is Title 4, Subcode A Application for Zoning/Use Registration Permit Application for Building Permit. Zoning Variances and Exceptions: The Philadelphia Experience,” University of Pennsylvania Law Review, Vol. Block-by-block zoning maps were established along with the ordinance. Title 14: Zoning and Planning was repealed and replaced by the provisions of Bill No. The process of revision took years, involving an intricate series of public meetings and behind-the-scenes negotiations. A zoning notice on 145 North Eighth Street in Philadelphia in 1960 satisfied the preliminary steps for the demolition of the building to make way for a new police headquarters. 4 (January, 1955): 516-555. (These areas of early suburban development were of a density unusual to later suburban developments and confronted many of the same dynamics as the city itself, albeit on a smaller scale.). caring for children. The City Archives is the official historical memory of the City of Philadelphia. Within its 20,000 cubic feet of holdings may be found records that appeal … the Care of Children SECTION A-907 ZONING FEES 268. We’re building something new! The Middle-Class City Transforming Space and Time in Philadelphia, 1876-1926. It took four years, but the new code was crafted with the intent of making the language much more simple and general. Because the zoning code became a site of contest from the beginning, Pennsylvania courts were forced to make a series of rulings to clarify the ordinance. of Records. of the exhibit for its promotional uses. Many good-government advocates and urban experts argued that spot zoning undermined the spirit of the larger zoning code, empowered the politically connected, and incentivized corruption (or at least its appearance). Use this to view the list of governmental departments, bureaus and agencies, both The Zoning Board may grant a lesser variance than requested, and may attach such reasonable conditions and safeguards as it may deem necessary to implement this Zoning Code, including without limitation a limitation on the size or duration of the variance, consistent with § 14-303(9) (Conditions on Approvals). For those who wished to see zoning utilized as an instrument of rational good government, the state of the policy was immensely frustrating, for zoning, remained, as it had from its origins, a creature of municipal realpolitik. by Jonathan Broder (LAW '83) On Halloween, 2016, ground was finally broken on the new Reading Viaduct Park in the Callowhill Section of Philadelphia. 1946) proved an influential backer of zoning reform, introducing legislation to establish a Zoning Code Commission and convincing Mayor John Street (b. October 1995-September 1996. Location & Zoning Information. Many members of City Council attempted, with some success, to increase parking requirements and reduce density incentives in response to constituent complaints about parking, traffic, and the need to preserve their neighborhoods in their current state—much the same concerns that animated their predecessors a hundred years earlier . The Philadelphia Code; SECTION A-907 ZONING FEES; Annotations OffFollow ChangesShare Download Bookmark Print. caring for children. Appeal a zoning decision to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) If the Department of Licenses and Inspections (L&I) refuses your zoning/use registration application, you have 30 days to appeal to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA). Quarter Sessions Court from 1940 to 1952. Business Services > Location & Zoning Information. Records Department Awarded NEH Digital Humanities Grant for Augmented Reality, Records Department Awarded NEH IMLS Grant for Free Library Digital Photos Project, How Philly Works: Streets as Barometers of Urban Life. Visit our website for more information pertaining to Zoning and Building Permits. A zoning notice placed on a door at the corner of Beulah and Carpenter Streets marked the location for a proposed library branch. The Zoning Code, contained in Title 14 of the Philadelphia Code, seeks to protect public health, safety and welfare by regulating the use of land and controlling the type, size, and height of structures. By the 1990s and 2000s, anywhere from 40 to 60 percent of development projects required a variance and a trip to the ZBA. As frustration with the code grew in the first part of the twenty-first century, reformers sought to align the code with “smart growth” best practices, including incentives to create density around transit hubs and other central locations, while also simplifying it so that fewer variances or legislative work-arounds would be required. The Zoning Board shall, in writing, set forth each required finding … Philly Zoning is powered by one of Philadelphia's leading zoning and real estate law firms - Anastasio Law, LLC. Our City's success is based on your success. 3 (August, 1937): 313-317. As the code became more complex, and its content was not altered to fit a changing world, developers had to turn to the ZBA more frequently to get their projects done. A zoning map of Philadelphia in 2017 shows the many categories under which a property can be classified throughout the city based on its use. (There was a built-in delayed start of nine months, so it went into full effect in August 2012.) Explore the City's property data in one place, including deeds, zoning, permits, and more. Brey, Jared. Over one thousand changes were made on an intermittent basis, expanding the zoning code from a relatively slim volume into a vast tome. It was called, Our 1995-1996 exhibit highlighted the Department of Streets, entitled, Our 1996-1997 exhibit highlighted the history and work of the Fairmount Park Under a series of grants from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission from 1997 to Your email is never shared. This approach contrasted with legislative remapping supported by the Planning Commission, which was often crafted with input of the community, local politicians, and other interests over a months-long open and democratic process. “Zoning of Urban and Rural Areas,” CQ Researcher. Many of the row-house neighborhoods were originally zoned to allow multifamily housing because it was believed the city would continue growing beyond its 2.1 million people. In many ways, postindustrial Philadelphia turned out to be a dramatically different place than anyone had predicted in the early 1960s. each agency may be found under the listing for that agency. Call 311 or tweet @philly311 for a … The end result reduced the code from seven hundred to four hundred pages. New tweaks included the creation of new residential districts for uses like trailer parks and more accommodating parking in commercial and residential zones as cars became more common. Anastasio Law Philadelphia’s Zoning Authority 1315 Walnut St, Suite 1006 Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 (215) 609-4165 [email protected] Record Storage Center is located at: The detailed basemap includes coverage down to about 1:1k for the City. Philadelphia’s ZBA was meant to consider appeals to the code. Local Government Publisher. Under the code, any new building constructed in the city, or any substantial alterations to old buildings, first required the developer to obtain a zoning permit. Jake Blumgart is a reporter for WHYY’s PlanPhilly. A task force created under Dilworth met for several years before writing a comprehensive report of changes to the code. current use which possess historical, administrative, legal, research, cultural or other important 215-686-2471 110845 Hepp, John. Genealogical Resources at the City Archives, Deeds and other architectural research resources, Philadelphia County Subdivisions, 1683-present, Placenames & Neighborhoods in Philadelphia, Articles from the Newsletter of the Philadelphia City Archives. After locating the property, open the Licenses & Inspections tab. Through the efforts of Richardson Dilworth, the previous mayor, and city planner Edmund Bacon, the zoning code was revised for the first time since 1933. Those changes, which no doubt stemmed in part from the staggering number of variances, drew more broadly from the work of  Democratic reformers who overthrew the moribund Republican political machine and installed a suite of reforms that included a new city charter and a civil service regimen for much of the bureaucracy. Commission and was entitled For the Health and Enjoyment of Citizens. Our 1996-1997 exhibit highlighted the history and work of the Fairmount Park A zoning map of Philadelphia in 2017 shows the many categories under which a property can be classified throughout the city based on its use. In 2007 Michael Nutter, a City Council member running as a reform candidate for mayor, bested many other better-established political figures in the race. That same year voters approved the creation of DiCicco’s Zoning Code Commission to study potential reforms to the code. The data was added to the World … Mayor James Tate signed the new zoning code revisions in 1962 to overhaul the zoning system in Philadelphia. Currently, it forms an integral part of the Records Management Division of the Department Also, visit our on-line exhibits: Our 1994-1995 exhibit showed the history 13, No. Commission and was entitled. Philadelphia Building Department, Planning and ZoningSuggest Edit Address 1. In 2007, the head of the University of Pennsylvania’s Penn Praxis, Harris Steinberg, argued that zoning reform was needed to cut down on this kind of legislative remapping, arguing, “It keeps the development world in a constant state of guessing, encourages backroom deals, and keeps community groups on the defensive to protect their little piece of earth.”. The Department of Human Services still uses the majority Mayor James Tate, successor to Mayor Richardson Dilworth, signed Philadelphia’s new zoning code in 1962. article iii districts article iv specific district regulations section 2 - r1 single family residential section 3 - r2 two family residential section Non-Federal: This ... City of Philadelphia Topics. of child welfare and the private-public partnership necessary for successfully By the mid-1950s, less than three decades after the creation of the code, the ZBA was swamped by requests for variances. Philadelphia Zoning Code. of the exhibit for its promotional uses. In its multiple uses, zoning helped determine what jurisdictions were and what they could become. By empowering neighborhood groups and local politicians with power over land use in their communities, zoning brought such groups in Philadelphia and elsewhere into contest with developers, industrial concerns, and sometimes with other people who wanted to move into their neighborhoods. Although reform efforts were also meant to reduce the number of cases that come before the ZBA, the body still handled dozens of cases a week, and applicants for variances almost always won them. The Philadelphia City Archives was established in 1952 in accordance with Section 5-1101d of “Why Philly’s zoning board is still so dysfunctional,” Philadelphia City Paper, July 10, 2014. Preface: Bill No. UPDATE: On August 22, 2012, the City of Philadelphia enacted a New Philadelphia Zoning Code. 1999, the Philadelphia City Archives undertook a project to sample the criminal records of the “Pennsylvania Planning and Zoning Enabling,” The Journal of Land & Public Utility Economics, Vol. Briggs, Ryan. In 2011, City Council passed the new zoning code and Mayor Nutter signed it into law. Instead, that turned out to be the peak of Philadelphia’s population, and developers proposed few multifamily housing projects as more housing demand shifted to the suburbs. A zoning notice, placed outside a building at Rhawn and Jeanes Streets in Philadelphia in 1966, announced a public hearing regarding the zoning of the area. The neighborhood group has taken its argument to Philadelphia’s Zoning Board of Adjustment; the board had granted the project a variance, and EKNA says the board should not have granted the hospital’s request. More rarely, developers with political influence turned to City Council for spot zoning bills, which would legislatively change the zoning of a parcel to fit the developer’s needs—sparing them a trip to the ZBA. (PhillyHistory.org). Take a “Walk” on the Reading. Pending Legislation Information. Blumgart, Jake. Because these efforts depended on the assent of individual council members, some areas did not adopt new maps when members failed to act. At the same time, many of Philadelphia’s inner-ring suburbs—from Lower Merion Township in Montgomery County to Springfield Township in Delaware County—began to consider zoning for fear of increased density and the possibility of new working class—and possibly non-white—neighbors. The reformers tried to avoid the highly specific and quickly outdated alterations that cluttered up the old code. The Roundhouse, as the headquarters came to be known, was completed in 1963. If the request for a permit was denied because it did not accord with the specifications of the ordinance, the applicant could appeal to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA). Multiple languages are available. Much of the block, including 145 N. Eighth Street, was demolished to make way for the headquarters. Public: This dataset is intended for public access and use. Steinberg, Harris M. “Philadelphia in the Year 2059,” Imagining Philadelphia: Edmund Bacon and the Future of the City. A database of scanned zoning and other license and inspections documents Access & Use Information. Zoning Archive Online Metadata Updated: April 9, 2015. Often property owners who had been unaware that they were violating the code applied for variances once they found out. It was also made easier to build new, smaller units in existing buildings. A-907.1 General: 269 The fees to be paid under the requirements of Title 14 (relating to Zoning) shall be as set forth in this Section, except that: The Zoning Code includes land use regulations, building dimensional standards, and parking, signage and landscaping requirements. Zoning Archives contains copies of zoning applications for various addresses in Philadelphia. Due to public health concerns, the City Archives is open by appointment only. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003. You can now find a property’s archived zoning documentation on Atlas. THE PHILADELPHIA CITY ARCHIVES The Philadelphia City Archives was established in 1952 in accordance with Section 5-1101d of the Philadelphia Home Rule Charter of 1951. The ZBA was comprised of five members, appointed by the mayor. past and present. This kind of narrowly cast legislative remapping thus long proved controversial because it was by nature a small-scale and imprecise action to change zoning reactively to accommodate a particular project and not proactively as part of a larger public-minded vision for the future. ... Archives. In the beginning, there were twenty different zoning districts, including nine residential, four commercial, and a variety of  other uses, including shopping centers and park land. Changes of the 1950s called for the revision of the city’s code as more residents of Philadelphia grew dependent upon automobiles and housing preferences evolved. Anastasio Law Philadelphia’s Zoning Authority 1315 Walnut St, Suite 1006 Philadelphia, Pa. 19107 (215) 609-4165 [email protected] A complete list of the City Archives' holdings of the records of (PhillyHistory.org). Click on the link above to view the various grants Zoning notices were placed on 145 N. Eighth Street and other structures near Race Street in 1960 to clear the area for the future headquarters and other buildings for police use. Also, visit our on-line exhibits: Our 1994-1995 exhibit showed the history The new code also remained heavily contested after its adoption. It became clear that applicants could use the legal assistance because “a large number of applicants have no conception of what the term unnecessary hardship implies,” a University of Pennsylvania Law Review analysis reported. Philly311 311 provides direct access to City government information, services, and real-time service updates. But these building types had to conform to the typology of the surrounding buildings and meet requirements for air and light—which often prevented the construction, for example, of, large apartment buildings in rowhouse neighborhoods. DiCicco’s support was the result of his stewardship of a district that included swaths of Center City, the southern river wards, and South Philadelphia east of Broad Street—where much of nascent development pressure was concentrated—so he was able to witness just how obtrusive the zoning code had become. This messy reality mirrored the original intention of those who crafted zoning policy a century earlier. These rulings established (among other things) that variances could only apply to an area limited to a parcel. Councilman Frank DiCicco (b. Required fields are marked *, Copyright © 2021 Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia, Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission, After 50 years, Philadelphia gets new zoning code (WHYY, August 20, 2012), Zoning (Philadelphia City Planning Commission), Planners to Preserve Wissahickon Neighborhood's Character with Rezoning (Hidden City), Zoning Misstep Buys Jewelers Row Preservationists More Time (Hidden City), On The Dangers Of Ad Hoc Interpretations Of The Zoning Code (Hidden City), Design Advocate Says New Zoning Classification Needs Revision (Hidden City), As The Zoning Code Turns One, A Reminder That Planning Is Political (Hidden City), Philadelphia, the Place that Loves You Back, Why Philly’s zoning board is still so dysfunctional, Zoning: How the Next Mayor Can Help Enforce the New Code. Who We Are. 1957) in 2012. The Department of Human Services still uses the majority Political tampering with the zoning code led to further pressure for change. Hurlburt, Virgil. Although it was technically illegal, adroit politicians could usually get around that by remapping some surrounding parcels as well. Join the discussion at a Greater Philadelphia Roundtable or add your nomination online. Fax: 215-685-9409. 1401 John F Kennedy Boulevard Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19102 Phone 1. zoning and planning 1 Editor's note: To view the historical version of Title 14 (repealed as of August 22, 2012), please click here . From its inception, zoning became a fraught subject. Mayor Richardson Dilworth (1899-1974) and master planner Edmund Bacon (1910-2005) were proponents of a zoning overhaul, and in 1962 they helped effect a major overhaul at the tail end of a seismic era of change in the city’s government and its planning apparatus. With only two inspectors employed to enforce the code in a city of over two million, many cases simply resulted from inadequate code enforcement. Although the players were different, zoning remained a tool used to prevent massive neighborhood change and to protect the interests of those who already lived, or owned, in a community. of child welfare and the private-public partnership necessary for successfully To view the former version of Title 14, click here. Contact. Because the types of residential zoning were relatively few—today there are over twenty—multifamily housing was not often entirely zoned out of neighborhoods as it was in the suburbs. Selected by other Philadelphia zoning attorneys for Pennsylvania Super Lawyers recognition, we've been helping homeowners, developers and business people secure zoning/use permits, special exceptions, variances, building permits and tax abatements … R-3 districts are now “RSA-1.” Click here for our RSA-1 Zoning Guide. Browse Philadelphia government agencies by name. These were only to be granted if “a literal enforcement of the provisions of the ordinance will result in unnecessary hardship.”  (Such bodies were a common aspect of zoning codes because they allowed such ordinances to avoid a full-on clash between the police powers of the state and the rights of property owners.). These new provisions have been incorporated into The Official Philadelphia Code The utility of the zoning code reform of 1962 was rapidly sapped, however, as the political-economy of the city changed radically in the subsequent 20 years, making it the last meaningful revision until the code was overhauled under Mayor Michael Nutter (b. Industries were fleeing the city too, leaving much of Philadelphia’s residential and industrial zoning out of sync with shifting construction demand. If you filed a zoning application before August 22, 2012, information about the old zoning code is below: Generally, R-3 districts allow for single family dwellings (and places […] Its mission is to preserve all City records not in current use which possess historical, administrative, legal, research, cultural or other important value. The stultifying nature of the rest of the code acted to repress development in the city. Much of the language was archaic, complex, and highly specific. Zoning lawyers became increasingly important in the process starting in at least the 1950s. 103, No. In all, over one thousand changes were made to the zoning code in 1962. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2009. January 14, 1937. Share Download Bookmark Print. Unknown Vic Davis Philadelphia City Planning Commission - GIS Division GIS Specialist mailing and physical address 1515 Arch Street - 13th Floor Philadelphia PA 19102 USA 215-683-4623 215-683-4630 [email protected] 8:00 AM - 4:30 PM Metadata imported. It is often useful to review the archive for a particular property before submitting an application to determine what, if any, applications were previously accepted or denied. Philadelphia Zoning . Safe Streets which was on display at the Municipal Services Building during In advance of the new code, the Philadelphia City Planning Commission crafted a new comprehensive plan for the city dubbed Phila2035. According to a 2014 City Paper report, in one month eighty-five cases were considered and only ten denials were issued, while between 2008 and 2013 90 percent of 6,946 variance appeals were granted. The square footage of the minimum allowable lot sizes for new row houses dropped dramatically to allow smaller and, therefore, more affordable housing. Zoning emerged first in early twentieth century New York, although West Coast cities began experimenting with the concept a few years earlier. Parking requirements for residential projects were lessened and, in some districts, done away with entirely. These offered recommendations for redoing zoning maps, which could then be taken up in City Council. City officials plan to sell the Roundhouse and additional police property in the area for redevelopment. With that change, major projects could trigger Civic Design Review, bringing developers before a board of experts for advice, although the process had no binding power. Please call (215) 685-9401 or email us at [email protected] to contact one of our team members and schedule an appointment. If the project accorded with the zoning map, then the permit was granted and allowed to proceed. The policy generated results both noble, like removing noxious industrial development from residential areas, and vicious, when it was used as a means to prevent African Americans and lower classes from moving into wealthier and whiter areas. (PhillyHistory.org), By the early 1920s residents in the neighborhoods to the west of the University of Pennsylvania were gathering for meetings about the application of zoning in West Philadelphia in response to high-rise development. Zoning proponents did not want “incompatible” uses (industrial or cheap housing) or certain people (of lower classes and non-white races) in close proximity to their homes and businesses. (City of Philadelphia). 1943) to sign it despite his skepticism. Garages that fronted on sidewalks were made more difficult to obtain as well, safeguarding the pedestrian environment, while a new process called Civic Design Review was implemented to guide better building practices. value. The map is based on data from Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access.. title: City of Philadelphia: description: This map features a detailed basemap for the City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, including buildings, parcels, vegetation, land use, landmarks, streets, and more. Philadelphia’s original zoning code created a series of residential, commercial, and industrial classifications that largely accorded with the existing built environment. 110845, approved December 22, 2011 and effective August 22, 2012. We are here to help you Plan, Launch, and Manage your business. 456 North 5th Street, Telephone: 215-685-9401 Zoning Maps Zoning Archive Philadelphia Code - - The zoning code is Title 14 of the Philadelphia Code. (City of Philadelphia) From its inception, zoning became a fraught subject. The construction of the Philadelphia Police Headquarters, located at 750 Race Street, was preceded by the demolition of buildings at the site. “Learning From Zoned American,” PlanPhilly: July 27, 2016. Buozis, Michael. Disclaimer With the large number of valid addresses in Philadelphia contrasted with the contents of the archive, instances where no files or images exist for specific addresses will occur. The reformers succeeded in making it easier for new development in the city to be denser and less vehicle-focused.