City of Philadelphia - File #: 120638

• File #: 120638
• Version: 0
• Type: Resolution
• Status: ADOPTED
• File created: 6/28/2012
• In control: CITY COUNCIL
• Title: Authorizing the City Council Committee on Rules to hold hearings to investigate the creation of Registered Community Organizations and the impact they will have on the community.
• Sponsors: Councilmember Blackwell, Councilmember Johnson, Councilmember Kenney, Councilmember O'Brien, Councilmember Greenlee, Councilmember Oh, Councilmember Bass, Councilmember Henon, Councilmember Squilla, Councilmember Tasco, Councilmember Green, Councilmember Jones, Councilmember Reynolds Brown, Councilmember O'Neill

Date	Ver.	Action By	Action	Result	Tally
11/16/2012	0	Committee on Rules	HEARING NOTICES SENT
11/16/2012	0	Committee on Rules	HEARING HELD
11/16/2012	0	Committee on Rules	RECESSED
10/29/2012	0	Committee on Rules	HEARING NOTICES SENT
10/29/2012	0	Committee on Rules	Cancellation of Scheduled Public Hearing
10/2/2012	0	Committee on Rules	HEARING NOTICES SENT
10/2/2012	0	Committee on Rules	Cancellation of Scheduled Public Hearing
6/28/2012	0	CITY COUNCIL	Introduced and Ordered Placed on This Week's Final Passage Calendar	Pass
6/28/2012	0	CITY COUNCIL	ADOPTED

Title
Authorizing the City Council Committee on Rules to hold hearings to investigate the creation of Registered Community Organizations and the impact they will have on the community.
Body
WHEREAS, Registered Community Organizations (RCO) will be created on August 22, 2012, when the new zoning code goes into effect; and

WHEREAS, In order to become a Local Registered Community Organization, organizations must meet the strict requirements established by the Philadelphia City Planning Commission, many of which require information that is of no immediate benefit; and

WHEREAS, Community Organizations created after December 22, 2012, whose boundaries are not at least five blocks, will not be given the opportunity to become a Registered Community Organization; and

WHEREAS, If a community organization does not become a Registered Community Organization, they will not be provided with the same notice as Registered Community Organizations, and will be adversely affected; and

WHEREAS, Registered Community Organizations will be responsible for arranging neighborhood meetings between zoning applicants and the community for all zoning appeals prior to the zoning board hearing; and

WHEREAS, It is suspected that Registered Community Organizations, will have more influence over zoning matters than members of the community who are not part of a Registered Community Organization, but reside in the community that will be impacted by Zoning or Civic Design Review Committee matters; and

WHEREAS, Currently, community organizations are all notified of zoning appeals at the same time; and

WHEREAS, District Council members are also at risk of being left out of receiving zoning appeal notifications; and

WHEREAS, The integrity of the zoning process and the history of community involvement is at jeopardy of being compromised; now therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby authorize the City Council Committee o...