Zoning Code Commission wants two more years - PhillyBlog

Hospitalitygirl · #1 (**permalink**) 03-13-2008, 05:56 PM

http://www.planphilly.com/node/2878

Quote:

Commissioner Peter Kelsen and the Philadelphia zoning code
March 12
By John Davidson
For PlanPhilly
With less than four months left to rewrite Philadelphia's 1962 zoning code, the Zoning Code Commission voted unanimously Wednesday morning to extend its own deadline - if it can get City Council's blessing.
Under the original order, the commission is set to expire at end of June—a timeline some commission members said was ambitious at best. The group's new goal: June 2010
Philadelphians voted to re-do the zoning code in a referendum last May. The Commission has met regularly since August, but critics say they've made little progress. This morning, City Councilman-At-Large Bill Green, who is one of several council members on the ZCC,was among them.
“We have nothing to report to the public, which is kind of embarrassing,” Green said.
Peter Kelsen, chair of the commission’s workplan group, noted that a two-year extension would require a resolution from City Council. He said the ZCC would ask council to give them more time, with the understanding that after one year the ZCC would update council on its progress. Kelsen also said it's likely the ZCC would need more time after the requested two years is up, citing a similar zoning code rewrite in Chicago that took four years.
“This process, taking into account our sister cities, could easily take three to four years,” Kelsen said. “We’re recommending two years because we want to convey a sense of urgency and progress. We feel a four year request is too much right now. Two years keeps everybody’s focus on the ball.”
The Commission did face some circumstances out of its control that seemed to hinder its progress. Former Mayor John Street did not name his contingent of ZCC appointees until his last days in office, and then Nutter promptly replaced them. And not only has the city change mayors since the ZCC started meeting, former planning commission director and ZCC chairwoman Janice Woodcock resigned when Nutter took office. Nutter brought in Andrew Altman as deputy mayor of planning and commerce. The search is still on for Woodcock's replacement.

Whoever replaces Woodcock will likely not chair the ZCC, however. The Commission voted Wednesday to hire an executive director - a decision that also needs City Council's approval. The process would start with the formation of a subcommittee to search for qualified candidates. Nutter's office would assist with the search.
Nine commission member volunteers were appointed to the search committee: Al Taubenberger, Judith Eden, Eileen Evans, Emmanuel Kelly, Peter Kelsen, Richard DeMarco, Andrew Toy, Anne Papageorge and Eleanor Sharpe. They will conduct a national search for an executive director and hope to hire someone by the end of April.
There was some discussion of how many staff members the executive director should have. Gary Jastrzab, acting director of the city planning commission, suggested 2 to 5 as an informal guess, and others said that three was the standard number for similar cities.
A key portion of the intense work for which the ZCC was created may soon begin. The committee asked City Planning Commission staff to begin the process of finding qualified consultants to help rewrite the zoning code. Kelsen said there is a very short list of consultants nationwide that have experience rewriting zoning codes for major urban centers, characterizing them as, “like a traveling circus” that moves from place to place as cities need their services.
Commission members agreed that before any of these proposals go to city council for approval, the ZCC must establish a clear budget and a specific timeline for hiring an executive director and vetting prospective consultants.
Contact the reporter at jddavidson9@gmail.com

Funny, this precise thing was the topic of a conversation just yesterday. Chicago did take quite a long time to rewrite their zoning code, but the results were pretty good. I wondered how long it was going to take us here. We do have lots of prior examples to look at now, and incorporate.

raider.adam · #2 (**permalink**) 03-13-2008, 07:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hospitalitygirl

http://www.planphilly.com/node/2878

Funny, this precise thing was the topic of a conversation just yesterday. Chicago did take quite a long time to rewrite their zoning code, but the results were pretty good. I wondered how long it was going to take us here. We do have lots of prior examples to look at now, and incorporate.

5-10 years.

Hospitalitygirl · #3 (**permalink**) 03-13-2008, 07:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by raider.adam

5-10 years.

Too long. Can't we build upon other's base of knowledge and somehow truncate the timeline a bit?

Mixiboi · #4 (**permalink**) 03-16-2008, 04:21 PM

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/po...more_time.html

Quote:

But after the commission voted Wednesday to request a two-year extension and to hire an executive director, one of its new members questioned the pace of its activity.

"Since August, they haven't done one thing that begins the process of getting things done other than educating members," said City Councilman Bill Green, a commission member appointed in January.

While the process is expected to take years, Green said nothing will happen until the commission hires an executive director, which it was authorized to do from Day One but has not yet done.

The commission is waiting for the Nutter administration to submit a list of candidates. Kelsen said he hoped to have candidates to consider by next month.

Other commission members said the extension was inevitable.

The commission was hamstrung from the beginning. The commission had no funding before December, said Jastrzab.

Mayor John F. Street, who had five appointees to the 31-member body, did not make any appointments until the last weeks of his administration, and Mayor Nutter quickly replaced them when he took office. In addition, the board's chairwoman, Janice Woodcock, former executive director of the Planning Commission, was not reappointed by Nutter.

Commission member Peter Kelsen said the commission had brought members up to speed on the issues during its first 11 meetings. "I don't think we wasted any time," he said. "In fact, this was a great initial process to allow us to get data and info that's going to be helpful going forward."

Green said the commission was budgeted for only $250,000 a year but will need at least $1.5 million annually to do its job properly. Without the money, he said, the commission should be disbanded.

raider.adam · #5 (**permalink**) 03-16-2008, 04:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theLovebelow

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/po...more_time.html

I would like Bill Green to breakdown why he thinks they need 1.5 million annually.

raider.adam · #6 (**permalink**) 03-16-2008, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hospitalitygirl

Too long. Can't we build upon other's base of knowledge and somehow truncate the timeline a bit?

Other cities don't have the same neighborhoods we do. I think it will be an extended process because there will need to be a lot of hearings and communication with neighborhood groups. The reason for this is that the City has empowered them so much, they can't just cut them out of the mix now. It has to be gradual.

zur · #7 (**permalink**) 03-16-2008, 05:31 PM

What...

Isn't the Neighborhood Group "Witch Trials" like process of development approvaL working?

"note how the casinos cause open sores on residents"

passyunk square · #8 (**permalink**) 03-17-2008, 01:24 AM

It's good that it's being updated to reflect 21st century realities but in the end we're still going to have most of the same problems we have today.

They're going to spend years looking at existing conditions and zone vacant parcels to the dominant use on the block/in the area.

Then next year or in 5 years or 10 years when the market in that neighborhood or the city as a whole presents a different set of demands and some developer wants to come in and build some mixed-use project at 18th & Ridge or K&A but the lots are zoned R10 then we'll still be dealing with the same shenanigans we have today.

edit: the zoning code needs to be dumped completely and replaced with a transect/form-based code. They would be done in 6 months.

http://www.miami21.org/zoning_code.asp

Hospitalitygirl · #9 (**permalink**) 03-17-2008, 08:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by passyunk square

It's good that it's being updated to reflect 21st century realities but in the end we're still going to have most of the same problems we have today.

They're going to spend years looking at existing conditions and zone vacant parcels to the dominant use on the block/in the area.

Then next year or in 5 years or 10 years when the market in that neighborhood or the city as a whole presents a different set of demands and some developer wants to come in and build some mixed-use project at 18th & Ridge or K&A but the lots are zoned R10 then we'll still be dealing with the same shenanigans we have today.

edit: the zoning code needs to be dumped completely and replaced with a transect/form-based code. They would be done in 6 months.

http://www.miami21.org/zoning_code.asp

Thanks, I knew it didn't need to take 5-10 years to study and overhaul, and still come up with something useless. It could be done more quickly and efficiently.