Zoning Changes Proposed to Respond to Gentrification Concerns in Philadelphia

Jake Blumgart reports on proposed legislation Philadelphia "that would make it easier to build new homes and taller buildings in some sections of Point Breeze and Grays Ferry, while making it harder to build three-story homes in the low-slung rowhouse neighborhoods."

City Councilman Kenyatta Johnson proposed the legislation at the prompting of the Philadelphia Planning Department in reaction in gentrification concerns in the neighborhood.

"The bill proposes updating zoning maps to reflect the development that currently exists in the neighborhood," according to Blumgart. "It would ban new three-story homes if neighboring properties are shorter and allow for taller and more dense development on Point Breeze Avenue, a struggling commercial artery."

The article includes more specifics about the zoning changes proposed in the bill, along with initial reactions from neighborhoods stakeholders.