Fixing Philly
Welcome to the website of the When We Fix It Coalition.
BOB ROSENTHAL
This coalition has achieved a great deal since we began working together in 2004 to release a report entitled “If We Fix It, They Will Come.” We wrote the report in response to a request by the City’s Managing Director for two developers who were investing in the city to set out the key deficiencies of the city’s development review process along with proposed fixes. We did just that and the report proposed 10 major changes to the way Philadelphia regulates investment from small additions to homes to large-scale development.
Looking back four years, it seems astounding that the City did not have a single guide that took homeowners or developers through the approval process, that to determine the zoning for a property required a several hour wait at L&I so an employee could find and analyze one of hundreds of hard copy maps before announcing what zoning applies to one property.
Today, as our Mayor says, is a NEW DAY. The coalition and their Zoning Matters campaign helped to pass a referendum in May 2007 that created a Zoning Code Commission to rewrite our 50-year old zoning code. Nearly 80% of the voters approved Ballot Question #6 which called for the creation of a Zoning Code Commission to reform and modernize Philadelphia’s Zoning Code. While it will take years to rewrite the code and remap our neighborhoods, in the meantime the Coalition is making needed changes to the existing code such as changing an outdated Zoning Code fence height requirement that made it impossible for owners to buy fences at Lowes or Home Depot and instead forced them to buy a custom fence or get a variance.
The Coalition, with the BIA in the lead, helped to finance and create a city electronic zoning map so every Philadelphian can determine the zoning for their property and surrounding properties using the Internet. The Coalition worked with L&I to make the MSB concourse space more usable and to create an information desk to help those unfamiliar with the process. The Coalition authored the first step by step development guides for the city and eliminated conflicts between codes to create a fairer, more consistent process.
There is much work ahead. Philadelphia has the 4th highest construction costs in the country and some of the lowest property values. Action to bring down the regulatory cost for homeowners who want to invest in their homes and developers who want to add more housing options are important. As the Zoning Code Commission moves forward and Mayor Nutter’s high-level appointees begin to adopt needed reforms, this website will keep you posted with the latest information.
If you would like to see information on this website that you do not, e-mail us at info@fixphilly.com and we will do our best to add interesting features and keep all our readers up to date.
Best to All,
Bob Rosenthal
Chair of the Building Industry Association Government Affairs Committee and Vice President, The Reinvestment Fund Development Partners