Planning Commission won’t vote on city-wide comprehensive plan until June

There’s been a change in scheduling for the city’s new comprehensive plan.

The draft of the City-wide Vision portion of Philadelphia2035 will still be presented to the Philadelphia City Planning Commission at next Tuesday’s meeting – that’s May 17th. But it will be for information only.  Commissioners will not vote on the plan until a special meeting at 5:30 p.m. June 7, to be held at the Moore College of Art & Design, at 20th and Race streets.

An announcement sent out by planners says the change serves two purposes: Giving planners more time to prepare a final draft that incorporates comments from the public and giving commissioners more time to review the plan before taking action.

At a public roundtable discussion on the plan held in late April, some participants said it would be better not to have the commission vote on the draft the same day they receive it, giving the public time to comment on the draft before the vote.

Next week’s PCPC meeting, at which the draft will be presented, will be held at 1 p.m. in the 18th floor conference room at 1515 Arch Street.

The June 7th voting meeting is part of an already-planned event, where the Citywide Vision will be formally released to the public and the more detailed planning process for the 18 planning districts will be launched. The Spring 2011 Citizen Planning Institute graduates will also be honored.

For more information, check the comprehensive plan website, www.phila2035.org.

Contact the reporter at kgates@planphilly.com