GET INVOLVED WITH BVTW's ZONING COMMITTEE
The Zoning Committee looks for volunteers who are able to bring impartiality and a commitment to work on behalf of all sectors of Bella Vista. Committee tasks include leaf-letting for upcoming meetings, meeting participation, letter writing, and attendance at zoning board and liquor board hearings.

Neighbors interested in helping out with Bella Vista development issues can contact the Zoning Committee at zoning@bvtw.org or 215-627-0057 and attend the upcoming monthly meetings to observe the process and meet Committee members.

Zoning Committee meetings are posted on the events calendar.

CITY ZONING REVAMP MOVES AHEAD

By Greg Pastore. BVTW Zoning Committee Chair

The Zoning Code Commission (ZCC) process for revamping the Philadelphia city zoning code moves steadily forward. Adoption of the revised code is expected to be by year's end, with the city's zoning remapping of Bella Vista anticipated in 2012 or 2013.

What will a revised Zoning Code and Map mean for our neighborhood? More clearly defined "as of right" property uses, the reduced need for variance requests and negotiations, and, ultimately, stronger zoning rules that better support the health and development of our city's neighborhoods.

Since late 2007, The ZCC has met regularly a whole and in committee, seeking public input throughout its deliberations. I was appointed to the ZCC by Councilman Frank DiCicco, and the work so far has been both rewarding and successful.

Phase One of this project, developing a set of principles for the new code, was finished this past Fall. If you participated in one of the many meetings held across the city last year either for the code rewrite process or for the concurrent Comprehensive Plan project, your city thanks you!

This year is Phase Two, the actual code language drafting. The work is segregated into three "modules," covering administration, uses, and building standards. Module One (Administration), released as a draft to the public on February 10, was the subject of the ZCC's public meetings over the past month.

In April, we should see the draft for Module Two (Uses), with more meetings, and in July will come the draft Module Three (Building Standards) and its own series of meetings. (Check back at bvtw.org or sign up for our e-letter for meeting notification.) Module One will be revisited along the way to make sure that it matches up with the actual substantive building and use rules of Modules Two and Three.

All the Modules are being made available online at the ZCC's official website, www.zoningmatters.org, and comments there are welcomed.

The public meetings help the ZCC edit the drafts to produce a solid, complete new zoning code for introduction in front of City Council this Fall. Council will review it and suggest possible changes to the draft for one final series of revisions by the ZCC. Then, back it goes to Council for final vote. If all goes well, Council will ultimately approve the new code around year's end.

After the approval of the new zoning code comes the zoning remapping. At that point, the ZCC goes out of business, and the City Planning Commission takes the lead. Every Philadelphia neighborhood will be remapped over a five-year period, with those deemed "most stable"--that is, unlikely to see much mapping change--likely to be done first. (the Far Northeast and Upper Roxborough come to mind.)

As for Bella Vista, expect to see it remapped along with Queen Village and Hawthorne in 2012 or 2013. BVTW and its Zoning Committee will participate in this remapping process every step of the way to make sure that the Planning Commission performs excellent public outreach throughout the local mapping process, with an eye toward codifying community values and goals for the decades to come. Neighbors should actively participate in the remapping process; I cannot stress this enough.

Once the new code and map are in force, I anticipate that "use variances" (row houses turning into restaurants, for example) will be dramatically curtailed, and there will be somewhat more as-of-right development for new construction than today. The tradeoff: New projects will be able to build up to the limits of the new code and go no further. This will be a big departure from the bargaining system we've seen in the past. And I would say that it will be all for the good.

BVTW & "As-of-Right" Development
BVTW's Zoning Committee generally does not host neighborhood meetings on new buildings or businesses that completely conform to the current zoning code. So if you see a restaurant or boutique open, or a new addition being built, and BVTW hasn't already held a meeting on it, there is a good chance that the project is legal and good to go.

We do hold meetings on new liquor licenses moving into Bella Vista. Sometimes that happens when a restaurant is first proposed, and sometimes later on. Always feel free to drop us an email at zoning@bvtw.org about any concerns you have about a project, and we'll try to fill you in. We receive notice of pending zoning variance and liquor license applications from several sources, but your eyes and ears are a great benefit to the community.