FEATURE
Under Construction Navigating Philadelphia’s Zoning Code can be a project in itself. So the Crier asked one of its own zoning committee members for a primer on the ins and outs of zoning. By Sam Olshin
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ueen Village is both one of the oldest neighborhoods in Philadelphia and also one of the most desirable to live in. Because of its character and amenities, it is constantly in a state of transition. There are currently five significant building projects planned or under construction in the neighborhood. These include sites at 2nd and Christian, 3rd and Christian, 3rd and Carpenter, Passyunk and Bainbridge, and Front and South Streets. With so many projects currently underway, many neighbors have questions about the neighborhood association’s role in the development of these parcels. That role is led by the QVNA’s Zoning Committee, which is composed of archi-
QUEEN VILLAGE QUARTERLY CRIER \\ SPRING 2022
tects, engineers, and real estate professionals. Committee members, currently at seven, are all volunteers appointed by the president of the Queen Village Neighborhood Association. When landowners or developers wish to build outside of allowable zoning stipulations or requirements—the City has 19 separate zoning classifications—they apply for a variance. A variance asks for permission to build due to a hardship presented by current restrictions. The City issues a refusal notice, and an orange sticker is placed on the site. That denial is sent to the neighborhood association’s zoning committee, which schedules a community meeting to hear from the owner or developer about the
project’s hardship, determine the validity, and gauge neighborhood impact. See qvna.org/zoning. The zoning committee sends its determination—approve, non-opposition, oppose—to the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA), which hears the case, takes the community’s input into consideration, and makes a final ruling on the hardship. Some projects may be considered big for the neighborhood but are permissible based on the zoning designation of the parcel. “By-right” projects do not require a variance because they are proceeding within the city’s zoning code requirements with regard to use, setbacks, height, parking, etc.
