How zoning reform could help Philadelphia

When newspaper editors want to haze their young reporters—or drive older ones into early retirement—they send them to zoning board meetings. There, amid the ceaseless debate over easements and stormwater runoff, souls die. It is excruciatingly boring stuff. And yet—yes, there’s a yet—the tedious matters managed by the zoning code and zoning boards (which generally exist to rule on cases where property owners want exceptions to the zoning code) have a huge impact on the look and feel of all communities. Can a developer put a skyscraper where the old laundromat used to be? How about a private pool or tattoo parlor? READ MORE