Council Proposes Plan for Transit-Oriented Development in Philadelphia

Philadelphia is considering allowing developers to build higher, more dense buildings with less parking in Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) zones, according to Jacob Adelman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The city established TOD zones with an earlier ordinance, but this plan intends to streamline regulations for these developments and make them more "user friendly."

City Council members described the move as a win-win for the city, providing more residences without necessarily increasing the transit burden. While they have not designated which stations the city would target, some are already speculating. "The most natural locations for such zones would be around stations along the Broad Street Line and underground portions of the Market-Frankford Line, which offer the most ground-level space to develop, said Erick Guerra, an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design," Adelman reports.