Skip to main content
Back to search resultsBill 170285

Amending Chapter 14-300 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Administration and Procedures," and making related changes, all under certain terms and conditions.

AI summary

The enacted ordinance changes Philadelphia’s zoning procedures for Registered Community Organizations (RCOs), including requiring their memberships to elect leadership on a regular schedule and allowing the Planning Commission to create operating rules that can lead to suspension from the RCO registry. It also changes neighborhood notice requirements for zoning appeals and Civic Design Review by using a 250-foot distance from the applicant’s property to identify properties that must be notified.

File details

Status
ENACTED
Introduced
March 23, 2017
Sponsors
Bobby Henon
View official record ↗

Full text

THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:

SECTION 1. Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code is hereby amended to read as follows:

TITLE 14. ZONING AND PLANNING.

CHAPTER 14-300. ADMINISTRATION AND PROCEDURES.

§ 14-303. Common Procedures and Requirements.

(11A) Registered Community Organizations.

An organization that seeks recognition as a Registered Community Organization (“RCO”) for purposes of § 14-303(12) (“Neighborhood Notice and Meetings”) must first register with the Commission in accordance with the provisions of this § 14-303(11A).

(a)

The Commission will only register an organization as an RCO if the organization:

(.1)

Is a volunteer organization, a Pennsylvania nonprofit corporation, an unincorporated association, a Pennsylvania municipal authority that either serves as a Neighborhood Improvement District Management Association or is itself a Special Services District, or a political committee that represents the members of a political party within a ward (such Pennsylvania municipal authorities [and ward political committees] are not required to satisfy any additional requirements set forth in subsections (.2) through (.7) of this subsection [(a));]

(a); and such ward political committees are not required to satisfy the requirements set forth in subsections (.2), (.3) or (.7), and must only satisfy the requirements of subsections (.4), (.5) and (.6) with respect to meetings relating to zoning matters);

(.7)

An

organizational membership open to residents, property owners, business owners or operators, and/or tenants from the organization’s geographic area of concern,

which elects

[Has a] leadership

on a routinely scheduled basis.

[chosen by the body at large.]

(f)

Regulations.

The Commission is authorized to promulgate regulations to implement the provisions of this subsection (11A). These regulations may include guidelines concerning operations by Registered Community Organizations that constitute an RCO Code of Conduct. Failure to operate within these guidelines may result in the temporary or permanent suspension of organizations from the RCO registry, as outlined by the regulations of the Commission.

(12)

Neighborhood Notice and Meetings.

(b)

Required Notice from the Planning Commission to Applicants and Others.

Within seven days after an appeal has been filed with the Zoning Board for approval of a special exception or variance, or after the notification by L&I to an applicant that an application will require review under the Civic Design Review Process, the Commission shall provide notice to the applicant, with a copy to each RCO whose registered boundaries include the applicant’s property and to the district councilmember whose district includes the applicant’s property, of:

(.4)

A list of properties that the applicant will need to notify under subsection (d), as follows:

(.a)

Every property [on the same block as the applicant’s property; every property on the blockface across the street from any frontage of the applicant’s property; and every property] any portion of which is within [200]

250

ft.

of any portion

of the applicant’s property. [

]

SECTION 2. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately.

___________________________________

Explanation:

[Brackets] indicate matter deleted.

Italics

indicate new matter added.

End

File history

Sometimes city council's record keeping is not complete. This timeline reflects the information on the council's legistar website.
  1. Council actionMAYOR

    Signed

  2. Council actionCITY COUNCIL

    Read and ordered placed on next week's second reading calendar

    Council actionCITY COUNCIL

    Suspend the rules of the council

    Pass
    Council actionCITY COUNCIL

    Ordered placed on this day`s first reading calendar

  3. Council actionCommittee on Rules

    Reported favorably, rule suspension requested

    Council actionCommittee on Rules

    Amended

    Council actionCommittee on Rules

    Hearing held

    Council actionCommittee on Rules

    Hearing notices sent

  4. Council actionCITY COUNCIL

    Introduced and Referred

    Pass