Title
Amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by amending Chapter 14-1600, entitled "Miscellaneous," by adding a new Section establishing the Roxborough Environmental Control District, all under certain terms and conditions.
Body
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code is hereby amended to read as follows:
TITLE 14. ZONING AND PLANNING.
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CHAPTER 14-1600. MISCELLANEOUS.
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ยง 14-1642. Roxborough Environmental Control District.
(1) Legislative Findings. The Council finds that:
(a) Certain areas of the City are natural and scenic and should be preserved for the benefits they provide to residents, visitors and wildlife;
(b) One such area, located in Roxborough, is the rarest wildlife habitat in the City and connects over one thousand acres, largely comprised of fragile grasslands, that provide a vital wildlife corridor in the Schuylkill Valley;
(c) The property provides precious open space for migratory songbirds such as the meadowlark, bobolink and savannah sparrow;
(d) Geologically, it is underlaid with a serpentine rock formation, a rare feature that hosts unique plant life;
(e) The property is an intensive green environment benefitting thousands of people, including the five hundred fifty students of W.B. Saul School of Agricultural Sciences who use it for the school's livestock program;
(f) It is located between three parcels of land that have been placed under a conservation easement and is the keystone piece of a larger ecologically sensitive area;
(g) The five hundred plus garden plots currently located on the property have damaged the ecological integrity of the area with invasive plant species, animal pests and storm water run-off;
(h) Further development of the property would have a devastating effect upon the environmental integrity of the area;
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