New Bill Would Make Historic Preservation Projects Easier in Philly

PHILADELPHIA—Legislation was introduced last week in the Philadelphia City Council that would make redeveloping historic churches, theaters and gymnasiums easier by allowing by-right zoning in some cases.

In moves to provide greater support for historic preservation initiatives in Philadelphia, the legislation, if passed, would allow by-right zoning for special purpose historic buildings, reduce parking requirements for historic building redevelopment and allow accessory dwelling units in historic buildings.

The bills were among the key recommendations of the Philadelphia Historic Preservation Task Force. Councilmember Mark Squilla introduced the package of bills at the request of Mayor Jim Kenney.

“The work of our Historic Preservation Task Force has shown that sometimes our zoning code gets in the way of protecting our historic resources,” Mayor Kenney says. “This legislation is a step in the right direction to remove some of those hurdles.”

Certain types of historic buildings, such as churches, theaters and gymnasiums, are often not zoned to allow residential or commercial adaptive reuse. The bill would allow redevelopment by-right for uses allowable in residential or neighborhood commercial mixed-use districts.

The bill also eliminates parking requirements for redevelopment of historic buildings. It also reduces parking requirements by 50% if a historic building is being expanded.

The legislation would also make ADUs a by-right use in a historic building. This offers the owner the opportunity to gain additional resources to maintain and preserve the resource, city officials note.

“I am pleased to have served on the Historic Preservation Task Force and offer legislation to address the obstacles faced when trying to renovate and re-purpose historical properties,” Councilmember Squilla says. “These bills preserve Philadelphia’s historic architecture by allowing thoughtful renovations that will keep the buildings in use for generations to come.”

Since the Historic Preservation Task Force report was issued, the administration has begun negotiations with a vendor to customize software to support a survey of historic properties; appointed a historic preservationist to the Civic Design Review Committee and convened a policy team to review historic preservation issues that cut across multiple departments.