James Moylan, a Pennsport chiropractor and former head of Philadelphia’s Zoning Board of Adjustment, was indicted Tuesday by federal authorities on charges that he embezzled money from two nonprofits he organized.…
By Ashley Hahn “Philadelphia cannot afford to hang on to a process that favors discretion and subjectivity over objectivity, clarity and predictability.” That’s how a 2004 Building Industry Association report criticized…
On Wednesday evening, the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) voted to revoke the fraternal organization permit for the Philly Music Hall, a recently-opened, sex-positive community association located in the historic Tacony…
On Tuesday, a neighborhood group suffered a severe setback in their stubborn attempt to keep apartments out of the abandoned St. Laurentius church in Fishtown. Last year, the Zoning Board…
Earlier this week the Zoning Board of Adjustments (ZBA) finally issued its decision on the future of the closed St. Laurentius Catholic Church in Fishtown. The almost 150-year-old structure has been…
On Wednesday afternoon the Zoning Board of Adjustment quickly, and unanimously, ruled to deny an appeal that sought to stymie Toll Brothers’ proposed development on Jewelers’ Row. The proposed condo tower…
During the 2015 mayoral race Jim Kenney expressed a desire to professionalize the Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) and ensure that it operated in a fair and “speedier” fashion. In almost…
Councilman Kenyatta Johnson has listened to the critics and he’s doing something about it. Not his critics, though: Bart Blatstein’s, who have lambasted the real estate developer’s plans for a massive…
Developer Bart Blatstein is looking to move ahead with his proposal for a major mixed-use project at Broad & Washington, on of the city’s most visible vacant lots. And he’s not…
Next week, Philadelphia voters will be asked to elect a new mayor, new state Supreme Court judges, and at least a few new members of City Council. Turnout is expected to…
Philadelphia’s zoning board voted last week to approve plans for a major development at 1300 Fairmount Avenue, behind the Divine Lorraine. The project, from RAL Development Services of New York, would…
In a possible sign that Philadelphia’s rewritten zoning code is having its intended effect, the number of cases heard by the Zoning Board of Adjustment continues to decline even as development…
Southwest Philadelphia’s Vanity Grand Cabaret can remain open after the Dept. of Licenses and Inspections lost an appeal of a zoning board decision from last September. Earlier this month, Judge Ellen…
Last Wednesday's morning news roundup led to an interesting discussion with PlanPhilly contributor and Northern Liberties Neighbors Association President Matt Ruben about whether it was fair to characterize opposition to an…
By a vote of 14-3, City Council passed a bill Thursday that would adjust the zoning regulations for Registered Community Organizations, which has proven to be the most contentious aspect yet…
The Zoning Board of Adjustment voted 3-2 on Wednesday to sustain an appeal of a Licences & Inspections violation handed to the operators of a shuttered go-go bar and steakhouse at…
Christine’s Cabaret, a go-go bar and steakhouse in Southwest Philly, was closed in March of 2012, shortly after owner Rob Laflar died of an apparent drug overdose the previous January while…
Roland Kassis of Domani Developers wants to convert an out-of-use industrial building at 1421 E. Columbia Ave., near Memphis Street in Fishtown, into a 57-unit apartment complex with a City Fitness…
Update: The Zoning Board of Adjustment granted both variances and the special exception to Brandywine Realty Trust on Sept. 11, 2013. Representatives of Brandywine Realty Trust implored the zoning board on…
Philadelphia’s Civic Design Review Committee, a seven-member group that has met monthly since the new zoning code was enacted last summer, is charged with evaluating the public impacts of large development…