Letters: For waterfront high-rise, L&I following the law
ISSUE | DEVELOPMENT High-rise within law The Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections is not considering allowing a developer, PMC Property Group, to back out of a "deal" to provide affordable housing in return for a zoning "favor" from the city that added five stories to the apartment building on the Delaware waterfront ("Low road for high-rise," Monday). L&I's role is to apply the law. There is no deal; there is no favor.
ISSUE | DEVELOPMENT
High-rise within law
The Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections is not considering allowing a developer, PMC Property Group, to back out of a "deal" to provide affordable housing in return for a zoning "favor" from the city that added five stories to the apartment building on the Delaware waterfront ("Low road for high-rise," Monday). L&I's role is to apply the law. There is no deal; there is no favor.
PMC's zoning permit provides for a "zoning bonus" authorizing extra stories on its building. This is because the zoning code requires L&I to authorize such a bonus when the developer provides one or more of the bonus-eligible options. Providing affordable housing is only one such option.
The code allows the developer to change which options it will provide so long as the developer applies for and is granted new zoning permits. This is exactly what L&I is requiring of PMC.
|David J. Perri, commissioner, Philadelphia Department of Licenses and Inspections, Philadelphia