Refused its sign, Unisys reconsiders move to city

Not long after the Zoning Board of Adjustment nixed Unisys' plan to erect its big red logo high on Two Liberty Place today, Mayor Nutter was on the phone with Unisys' chief executive officer, Joseph W. McGrath.

Time to save the deal.

Nutter has been working hard to bring businesses into the city, and reeling in a Fortune 400 company's world headquarters looked like a big catch, even if the Blue Bell tech company was planning to bring in only 225 employees.

"I don't think the total decision should revolve around whether there's a sign on a building," the mayor said today, calling from the Democratic National Convention.

Nutter said he and McGrath discussed other ways to help Unisys Corp. link its brand with the vibrancy of Center City - a Unisys marketing goal and part of the reason that it wanted to move from its bedroom community in Montgomery County.

Unisys spokesman James Kerr said today that the company was reevaluating its decision to come to Center City. It has a 10-year lease, but could sublet, he said. He said the company was still deciding whether to appeal the board's ruling.

So what does it mean?

Is this decision on a sign - a sign not too different from other corporate signs on other city skyscrapers - going to deter business development? Will it look like just another city-sponsored hassle?

That is not the mayor's take.

True, he does not like the decision, Nutter said, but "the system is functioning the way it is supposed to, and we are restoring integrity to the zoning process."

Before, he said, it would look as though decisions were made before the cases even went before the board.

Now, he said, even though he appointed all five members of the board, including Susan Jaffe, the chairwoman, it is obvious they made their decision without "interference from the mayor's office."

Nutter said that while he knew that the sign was important to Unisys, "the bulk of our conversations had not been about signs."

The board's unanimous decision came shortly before noon today after nearly three hours of testimony on the third day of hearings.

Among those testifying was Duane Bumb, senior director of the city's Commerce Department. Bumb said the sign would "send a message that Philadelphia is good for business" and would help the city attract other businesses.

Bumb also read a letter from Commerce Director Andrew Altman supporting Unisys' request for a variance to erect the sign.

One of Altman's predecessors, Stephen Mullin, who was director of commerce during the Rendell administration, did not share Nutter's optimistic forecast of business reaction to the board's decision.

"I think it's a bad decision for the city, and it will reflect poorly when businesses look at working deals out with the city," said Mullin, now a principal with Econsult Corp., a Philadelphia economic-consulting firm.

"If you can't even make a deal - business don't want to fluff around with that. Nobody wants to sit around and negotiate with someone who can't make a deal," he said.

"It will potentially weaken the mayor's ability and commerce director's ability to attract business, although it's not the end of the Western World."

The board deliberated about 20 minutes before announcing the vote.

Reading from a brief statement, Jaffe said that "we recognize and support" the city's efforts to attract businesses to Philadelphia, and, she said, the board knows there is a plan to redraft the zoning code.

But, in the meantime, the board has to enforce the zoning code as written, she concluded.

The zoning code does not permit signs larger than 100 square feet and higher than the bottom of the second floor unless the applicant can prove a hardship. The Unisys sign would have been more than 600 square feet and mounted at the 37th floor.

Jaffe said Unisys failed to make its case.