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October 18, 2001
TO THE PRESIDENT AND MEMBERS OF THE
COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA:
I am returning herewith as disapproved Bill No. 000629, passed by the Council on October 4, 2001. This bill is about much more than just billboards. This bill could have a negative impact on the right of every citizen and every neighborhood association that has ever appeared before the Zoning Board or might ever want to appear before the Zoning Board to have their voices heard in court on matters that affect their very own communities. Unlike many other cities in this Commonwealth, we are a city of neighborhoods, and taxpaying residents of those neighborhoods, as well as organizations of residents, play a critical role in protecting our communities from inappropriate intrusions onto the character of our neighborhoods. Because of this, what works in other towns and suburbs and communities may not work here in Philadelphia.
Bill No. 000629 would remove the longstanding right of any taxpayer in the City of Philadelphia to challenge any decision of the Zoning Board, and instead would require a taxpayer to prove that he or she has a direct, substantial and immediate interest in a zoning matter in order to have standing to appeal. Although I agree with the Council that, in some instances, this more stringent standard may be appropriate, I cannot agree to impose this standard in all cases.
In practical terms, this bill could prevent the senior citizen who lives across the street from a property from having any say in the development of that property, no matter what effect that development would have on the neighborhood, and no matter that the developer might have no connection to the neighborhood. In practical terms, this bill would require that senior citizen to prove, in court, that he or she is "aggrieved" by the development, or else he or she will be tossed out of court. In practical terms, that senior citizen may not have access to a lawyer and...
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