Zoning code reform doesn’t sound very sexy. But all that esoteric talk of “allowed uses” and “C2 districts” can determine how bike-friendly a city is, whether a gun shop can open in your neighborhood, or how urban farms operate.
Philadelphia's Zoning Code Commission is currently finalizing a whole new draft of the city's zoning code, which will go to City Council next year. In this short series, PlanPhilly will analyze how the new code affects neighborhoods in the Northwest.
A bill that keeps beauty shops, wig stores and nail salons out of Germantown seems about as enforceable as one disallowing yoga studios in West Philly.
Yet, in 2008, City Council passed a bill creating the “Lower and Central Germantown Special District Controls,” a zoning overlay that prohibited any new barber shops, beauty shops, nail salons, wig stores, cell phone stores, general stores and furniture shops throughout much of Germantown.
Yes, the bill theoretically does apply to Germantown and Chelten avenues, and you can see how well it’s working.
If the Zoning Code Commission’s reform passes, this is one of the many parts of the current code that’ll get booted. In fact, the ZCC vaporizes many overlays, which are a huge part of the present code — there are nearly 50, the result of some 200 pieces of City Council legislation over the years. (Read more about how the zoning code affects overlays in other parts of the city on PlanPhilly.) READ MORE
PlanPhilly: Planning Philadelphia's Future