Letters: Time to hunker down on rezoning overhaul
Zoning reform may likely inspire yawns in many, but last Tuesday's editorial, "Council shouldn't delay zoning overhaul," showed that it is really exciting stuff.
Zoning reform may likely inspire yawns in many, but last Tuesday's editorial, "Council shouldn't delay zoning overhaul," showed that it is really exciting stuff.
The careful work of the Zoning Code Commission has shown that Philadelphia is a first-class city. But we need to avoid the "Philadelphia Shrug" - "yeah, whatever" - and go the distance to make the code a reality. City Council should approve the overhaul and oppose any effort to short-circuit the remapping process. Citizen input is also needed on detailed issues of land use in neighborhoods. That will take time.
Yes, there is some risk of "speculators or other opportunists" jumping in before all neighborhoods have their district plans in place. But we have all summer to gauge those risks, one address at a time. The greater risk, both to businesses and residents, is having two zoning codes running simultaneously, and having to compress remapping of 18 districts into just two years.
Remember the expected risks of Y2K? The world didn't end. We just had to reset a few computers.
Kiki Bolender
Philadelphia