Does anyone know the procedure for getting approval for a house tear down in QV? In what state does the house have to be in for it to be approved for demolition (assuming it's not historic)? I know there was a moratorium on house demo a few years ago, but I'm not sure that it's still in effect. I actually noticed one demolished recently on Front, just north of Christian. The new house went up incredibly fast. I'm looking at a few properties that are in horrible shape (termite investation, tons of rotting joists) and I was wondering it they could be torn down for something new on the same footprint. Any info would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

You could try contacting QVNA. They might know what the current guidelines are. L&I and the ZBA are the other things that jump to mind.

__________________
"I don't know why we are here, but I'm pretty sure that it is not in order to enjoy ourselves." - Ludwig Wittgenstein

There is no more moratorium anymore. You can rip anything down. The "conservation district" guidelines did get passed and are on the mayor's desk for signing, so the only requirement is that you follow their building guidelines.

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

well that blows. i mean the guidelines.

Yep. The hilarious thing is that once QVNA got the thing passed, they erased any mention of the requirements so that their nimby committee could try to make b.s. up to applicants on a case by case basis. Total and complete a-holes. I'll look up the requirements and get them to you.

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

I just checked and the mayor signed it on July 12th, so its now law.


AN ORDINANCE

Amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Zoning and Planning,” by adding
a new Section 14-908, entitled “Queen Village Neighborhood Conservation District.”

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:

SECTION 1. Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

TITLE 14. ZONING AND PLANNING.

* * *

§14-908. Queen Village Neighborhood Conservation District.

(1) Legislative Findings. The Council finds that the requirements of Code
Section 14-903(1)-(6) for submission of a proposed Neighborhood Conservation District
have been met for the proposed Queen Village Neighborhood Conservation District.

(2) District Boundaries. For the purposes of this Chapter, The Queen Village
Neighborhood Conservation District shall be bounded by: the north side of Washington
Avenue, the properties on the north side of Bainbridge Street (inclusive), the east side of
6th Street and the west side of Front Street, except for any property subject to Section 14-
1612, “South Street/HeadHouse Square Special Services District Controls.”

(3) Area Regulations - Residential Structures. These regulations shall apply to
properties residentially zoned, regardless of use, and to properties that are permitted by
the Department for exclusive residential use.

(a) Building Set-back Line. Buildings with legal street frontage shall
have no front set-back except that buildings with a street frontage of 20 feet or
more on a single street and corner lots may have front set-backs from all street
frontages only if a fence wall is constructed upon the property line where the set-
back is used, and the space between the fence wall and the building contains at
least one tree as approved in the official Philadelphia City Planning Commission
plantings list.

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(b) Height Regulations. On streets with a width of 21 feet or less,
including the cartway and legal sidewalks, new construction shall not exceed 22
feet in height to a cornice line, before either:

(.1) Recessing on a plane, a minimum of 45 degrees, to the
maximum height allowable in the underlying zoning district or any
applicable zoning overlay, or;

(.2) Stepping back from the front property line 8 feet to a vertical
wall that may extend to the maximum height allowable in the underlying
zoning district or any applicable zoning overlay.

(4) Design Guidelines – Residential Structures. These regulations shall apply to
properties residentially zoned, regardless of use, and to properties that are permitted
by the Department for exclusive residential use.

(a) Requirements for both New Construction and Alterations.

(.1) Where street frontage of a new building exceeds 20
feet on a single street or where an existing building is extended to exceed
20 feet on a single street, the façade facing that street shall be broken up
by offset planes, roofline variations or other architectural features
including, but not limited to, bay windows or set-backs.

(.2) Residential buildings must have a habitable room on
the front of the first floor. A habitable room shall be as defined in the
Property Maintenance Code, section PM-202.0.

(.3) New doors shall be placed at least one foot above the
sidewalk.

(.4) New utility meters shall be hidden from view from the
street frontage.

(.5) Fences and fence walls. New fences and fence walls
must be in compliance with Section 14-231(4) of the Code.

(.6) Fenestration. Windows along the street front of first
floor habitable rooms shall:

(.a) Have a maximum height of 4 feet 6 inches from
the bottom windowsill to the sidewalk;

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(.b) The overall window height shall be at least 4
feet from sill to head, and;

(.c) The minimum aggregate width of the
window(s), in lineal feet, shall be at least 33% of the total
lineal frontage of the first floor.

(.7) Parking.

(.a) Front garages will only be permitted where
there is a habitable room on the first floor and the
fenestration requirements for that habitable room are met.

(.b) Open-air parking spaces shall not be visible
from the street frontage.

(.c) New curb cuts shall not exceed 10 feet in width
for a single space, 20 feet for a double space.

(.d) For new construction of two or more units
within a row, parking spaces or garages shall be placed
directly adjacent to one another, except where the Planning
Commission determines it impracticable.

(.e) Parking lots visible from the street shall have a
requirement of 10 percent of their total area to be
landscaped with plants to come from the approved
Planning Commission list.

(.8) Roof Decks. Roof decks must be set-back at least 8
feet from the front property line, or a parapet to enclose the front of the
deck must be used and be at least 42 inches high.

(.9) Materials.

(.a) No vinyl, stucco or cement board siding can be
used on the front façade of a building, not including garage
doors, main doors and fenestration.

(.b) Projecting bay windows that face a street shall
not be constructed of stucco.

(.c) Parking lots visible from the street shall not be
constructed of asphalt or slab concrete paving materials.
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(.d) Rear walls of buildings shall be faced with
masonry materials, which may include stucco; provided,
however, that if the rear of a structure is visible from a
street, a material consistent with the front façade of the
building shall be used.

(.e) Railings for roof decks shall be a maximum of
50 percent opaque and may not be constructed of
unfinished wood.

(.f) Fences may not be constructed of unfinished
wood or chain link fencing materials.

(.g) For all newly constructed front facades, a light
illuminating the sidewalk shall be installed adjacent to the
front door and the illumination shall be controlled via a
timer.

(5) Area Regulations – Commercial and Industrial Structures. These regulations
shall apply to properties zoned commercial or industrial, other than properties
permitted by the Department for exclusive residential use.

(a) Building Set-back Line. Buildings with legal street frontage shall
have no front set-back.

(6) Design guidelines – Commercially Zoned and Industrially Zoned Structures.
These regulations shall apply to properties zoned commercial or industrial, other
than properties permitted by the Department for exclusive residential use.

(a) Requirements for both New Construction and Alterations.

(.1) Parking and Loading. New off street parking and loading
areas shall be hidden from the main street frontage.

(.2) Materials. The materials used in the construction of a new
structure or façade shall be of similar material to that used on the nearest
residential structures fronting on the same street as the property under
review.

(7) The provisions of this Section shall expire one year after the date that this
Section becomes law.


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* * *

SECTION 2. This Ordinance shall become effective immediately.

______________________
Explanation:

Italics indicate new matter added.


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CERTIFICATION: This is a true and correct copy of the original Bill, Passed by
the City Council on June 19, 2008. The Bill was Signed by the Mayor on July 15,
2008.



Patricia Rafferty
Chief Clerk of the City Council

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

Thanks for the regs. I had found them on QVNA's website. I'm trying to see if I can figure out a way to get around the "no front garage" regulations. Apparently you need a habitable room on the first floor (front) and a window or windows must comprise 33% of the total linear frontage. The way I see it, you can accomplish this with only about an 11 ft. wide home if you enter through the garage. Thus, the front of the home would simply be a garage door and a window (to the habitable room). Obviously it's not ideal to have to enter your home through a garage door (or one of those mini doors inside the garage door). Am I crazy or could this be a way to work with the regulations? I don't see anything that says a front door cannot be within the garage door. Any opinions would be appreciated. The bottom line is, I want to build a house in QV that has a garage front, but the frontage is only 11 ft. wide, so I'm wracking my brain trying to visualize something that might work.

11ft wide and you want to put a garage? Certainly don't see that one happening.

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying

It's actually 15-16 ft. wide, my mistake. I'm thinking 7-8 ft. wide garage door, 5 ft. wide window (meets NCD requirements) with a few feet for spacing. Enter through the garage. It would meet their requirements but would they have a problem with there being no formal front door?

Yep. They want front doors and windows with a certain part of the front to have habitable space.

No offense, but why do you think the project won't work without a garage? There are plenty of people moving into the city who realize that this is the city and not the suburbs where they just drive in to their confines. If its your personal choice and your going to live there, that's one thing-but if you are making this an investment, I really don't think a garage is going to make any difference. I'm building right now and opting for no garage space because I would rather have more living space.

__________________
Peter Cetera:
Sometimes I just forget
Say things I might regret
It breaks my heart to see you crying