Controversy Over Proposed Zoning Changes for Philly's Delaware Waterfront

Ashley Hahn report on the ongoing transformation of the Delaware Waterfront. The area has been the focus of a couple of planning efforts since 2007, with an interruption for the Great Recession. In 2013, for instance, a "citizen-driven vision for the waterfront had led to the adoption of a new Master Plan for the Central Delaware, which mapped out the city’s priorities for waterfront development from Oregon to Allegheny. In June 2013, City Council passed a new zoning overlay for the waterfront, giving the 2012 master plan teeth."

Now, however, controversy has arisen after First District Councilmember Mark Squilla has proposed changes to the Central Delaware Overlay (CDO) to allow more height, and waterfront advocates and neighborhood groups are displeased.

"The current overlay caps building height at 100 feet," explains Hahn, "but developers may earn the ability to build up to 244 feet by providing certain public benefits – including public art, constructing waterfront trail segments, building to LEED standards, or creating public spaces." Councilmember Squilla would change that bonus structure "enabling developers to earn up to 316 feet in height by changing the bonus structure."

The article includes more details about the process that produced the 2013 CDO, the development that is pushing for the currently proposed changes, and more on the political back-and-forth that has arisen in response to the evolving plan for the waterfront.