By Inga Saffron for The Inquirer

In a new zoning map, planners have updated classifications for all blocks in Center City. This layout concentrates skyscrapers and tall buildings in the center, where public transportation is most active, and has residential zones fanning out from the middle. The Planning Commission and City Council must approve the new map for these changes to take effect. Read more

The Philadelphia City Planning Commission will be changing the times when staff is available to review and stamp plans. Effective June 3, the hours for plan review will be 9:00 a.m. to noon and 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Economist and Building Industry Association Board Member Kevin Gillen has authored a new report on Philadelphia’s ten-year tax abatement with updated statistics on the size and distribution of tax-abated properties in the city. Read the executive summary, briefing and the full report.

Philadelphia Planeto is the official staff blog for the Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s Philadelphia2035 project, a set of 18 district plans that the PCPC intends to complete in order to transform the City of Brotherly Love into a 21st-century metropolis by 2035. The blog gives readers up-to-date information on the objective as well as opinionated entries from the planners themselves. Click here to read the blog.

While City Council focuses on AVI and other budget issues, land bank advocates are pushing for a hearing on proposed legislation in May so that a vote can take place in June. Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez and Councilman Bill Green resubmitted legislation to create a Philadelphia land bank that would transform the City’s fragmented land-holding system into a single, streamlined entity with the power to quickly acquire and strategically dispose of vacant properties. The updated bills reflect a year-long collaborative process, including stakeholders from Council, the Nutter administration, and citywide coalitions representing nonprofit community organizations and for-profit developers. Read the full press release. View bills 130156 and 130157.

The Philadelphia Association of Community Development Corporations (PACDC) and Next Great City/PennFuture have launched a new website focusing on restoring vacant and tax-delinquent property. This website, www.phillylandbank.org, will feature updates on the city’s ongoing efforts to establish a land bank and resources for citizens who want to take action in rejuvenating 40,000 parcels of vacant properties.