Interestingly I just returned from Philadelphia and had been reading about the city's struggles with rewriting their arcane, politically structured zoning code.See here. Then today, I found this article which it would be nice if our local political structure took the time to read and start to implement. Remembering, that the first step is realizing there is a problem.
10 tips to city for building
By Karen Black and Robert RosenthalIn the spring, Philadelphia voters overwhelmingly approved the creation of a Zoning Code Commission to reform and modernize Philadelphia's 50-year-old zoning code.
The code is so outdated that it defines a milliner (a hat maker), but offers no definition for a technology firm, an outpatient clinic, or a self-storage warehouse.
That's about to change.
For three years, we have been working with a coalition seeking to make changes in Philadelphia's zoning and development review process. We have participated in dozens of meetings with zoning commission members, planning directors, and zoning experts from other cities who were responsible for modernizing their codes. As Philadelphia begins the work of zoning reform, we'd like to offer our top 10 tips.
Listen. Listening is the first act of every successful zoning reform commission. Holding public listening sessions in every city neighborhood helps commission members learn about the code's impact on different communities, view zoning from new perspectives, and send a clear message that reform will be an open and inclusive process.
Determine code weaknesses. Commissions must quickly identify the code's weaknesses. Cities that successfully updated their codes hired nationally recognized zoning experts and local consultants to analyze the code to determine where it had to be modernized, simplified and restructured to offer consistency, predictability and transparency.
Report key findings early. Commissions in Chicago and Portland, Ore., released reports detailing the failings of their codes and offering recommendations for change. Releasing these findings for public comment ensures that the mayor, council and public agreed on the commission's purpose and priorities early on.
Simplify. Philadelphia's code is 600 pages and almost dares readers to make sense of it. It is complicated, hard to use, and harder to consistently enforce because of the thousands of amendments over the years. In other cities, success required a major "code cleanup" that included modern definitions to reflect today's world, one-stop shopping for clear zoning designation descriptions, and helpful pictures and diagrams.
Make reform a public process. Zoning reform requires intensive public education and outreach that includes public meetings (San Diego held 250), a regularly updated Web site, and a determined communications effort.
Keep zoning designations and overlays simple. Philadelphia has 55 zoning districts, 31 of them residential. Chicago has just eight residential zoning districts. Pittsburgh has five. Fewer districts mean clearer rules and a more transparent code.
Choose "street sense" over code adherence. Older cities like Pittsburgh and Milwaukee found that adding a "contextual zoning" provision offered the best way to preserve and strengthen a neighborhood's unique look. Contextual zoning requires the city to consider the look of the existing block when determining whether a new development is appropriate.
Find big ideas that define the city's zoning goals. This approach forces the city to develop a common vision about its look and future growth. Other cities' big ideas include preserving the classic architecture of existing neighborhoods, revitalizing neighborhood commercial corridors, minimizing sign clutter, and reducing the percentage of land zoned for industrial use.
Be flexible. Experts advise taking important changes to the city council for adoption throughout the process, rather than waiting until the process is completed. In Milwaukee, 75 percent of the changes in the new code were adopted during the three-year process. This made reform easier and added consistency and predictability to the code much sooner than expected.
Limit controversy. While it is tempting to take on every zoning issue, successful reform initiatives limit the number of controversial issues they try to resolve during the first phase. Too much controversy stalls or stops the process, and a lot of good work is lost. If we are successful in reforming the Philadelphia code, that in itself will create momentum for further reform.
Karen Black is principal of May 8 Consulting Inc., a firm in Moylan that analyzes public policy. Robert Rosenthal is vice president of the Reinvestment Fund Development Partners in Philadelphia.
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