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BillVETOED

Bill 120920

Amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by amending Section 14-905, entitled "Non-Accessory Signs," by permitting certain non-accessory outdoor advertising signs within the area bounded by 7th Street, Spring Garden Street, 6th Street, and Willow Street, all under certain terms and conditions.

Introduced Nov 15, 2012Committee on RulesOfficial record: City of Philadelphia via Legistar

Introduced by

Councilmember SquillaCouncilmember Squilla

From the floor

Passages in the official transcripts that cite this file number. Every quote links to its exact place in the record.

  1. “Sarah McEneaney, commenting on 120920. (Witness approached podium.) MS. McENEANEY: Good morning. My name is Sarah McEneaney and I'm the President of Callowhill Neighborhood Association. I'm here to urge all Councilmembers to vote against Bill No. 120920. No civics or neighborhood associations or CDCs in the vicinity of this proposed nine to ten thousand square foot digital billboard supports this bill. Callowhill, Ch…”

    Chief Clerk · Stated Meeting, December 13, 2012 · Dec 13, 2012 · official transcript, this passage

  2. “Good afternoon, members of City Council. I'm Jeff Hornstein. I'm speaking on behalf of the Center City North Improvement Coalition. As Councilman Squilla noted, it was a name created by the groups that signed the Community Benefits Agreement, which I helped negotiate. I'm not going to address some of the scurrilous accusations about bribery and such. That's kind of silly, in my view, but I would like to bring up how…”

    Mr. Hornstein · Stated Meeting, December 13, 2012 · Dec 13, 2012 · official transcript, this passage

  3. “Good afternoon, Council. My name is Jenni Desnouee. I'm Co-President of the Kearny Home and School Association, a non-profit organization composed of parents and community allies who support our neighborhood school at 6th and Fairmount. I want to say, first of all, I have a new-found respect for the difficult choices that you have to navigate every day, and I'm here to speak for 1,500 of your constituents, who are no…”

    Ms. Desnouee · Stated Meeting, December 13, 2012 · Dec 13, 2012 · official transcript, this passage

  4. “Good afternoon. My name is Sharri Horowitz. I'm a Vice-President of the McCall Home and School Association. McCall Home and School is a non-profit organization composed of parents, teachers, and community allies who support our neighborhood school at 6th and 7th Streets and Delancey where I have two children. We have 640 students in our school, and I am speaking today on behalf of the approximately 1,300 students tha…”

    Ms. Horowitz · Stated Meeting, December 13, 2012 · Dec 13, 2012 · official transcript, this passage

  5. “-- President Clarke. I am Jeffrey Saunders, Vice-President of the West Poplar Community Development Corporation. We are the RCO that takes care of an area contiguous to the proposed sign. The West Poplar CDC firmly supports the partnership made possible by Bill 120920. We're talking about a large digital sign on the side of a building facing highways. Just yesterday I again walked the immediate area and then off in d…”

    Mr. Saunders · Stated Meeting, December 13, 2012 · Dec 13, 2012 · official transcript, this passage

  6. “The Committee on Rules, to which was referred Bill No. 120800, entitled "An ordinance approving the plan, estimated costs and proposed method of assessment and charges of the Center City District for and concerning business improvements and administrative services to the central business district of the City of Philadelphia for 2013 through 2017"; and Bill No. 120875, entitled "An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia…”

    Chief Clerk · Stated Meeting, December 6, 2012 · Dec 6, 2012 · official transcript, this passage

Status timeline

  1. Nov 15, 2012Introduced and Referred · CITY COUNCIL
  2. Dec 4, 2012HEARING NOTICES SENT · Committee on Rules
  3. Dec 4, 2012HEARING HELD · Committee on Rules
  4. Dec 4, 2012AMENDED · Committee on Rules
  5. Dec 4, 2012REPORTED FAVORABLY, RULE SUSPENSION REQUESTED · Committee on Rules
  6. Dec 6, 2012ORDERED PLACED ON THIS DAY`S FIRST READING CALENDAR · CITY COUNCIL
  7. Dec 6, 2012SUSPEND THE RULES OF THE COUNCIL · CITY COUNCIL
  8. Dec 6, 2012ORDERED PLACED ON NEXT WEEK`S SECOND READING CALENDAR · CITY COUNCIL
  9. Dec 13, 2012READ AND PASSED · CITY COUNCIL
  10. Jan 23, 2013VETOED · MAYOR

Official documents

Documents open on the City of Philadelphia’s legislative site.

Full text

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..Title Amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by amending Section 14-905, entitled "Non-Accessory Signs," by permitting certain non-accessory outdoor advertising signs within the area bounded by 7th Street, Spring Garden Street, 6th Street, and Willow Street, all under certain terms and conditions. ..Body WHEREAS, The area bounded by 7th Street, Spring Garden Street, 6th Street, and Willow Street is an area for entertainment and social gathering, including such businesses as the Electric Factory, J.D. McGillicuddy's and various other Club uses; and WHEREAS, Large "wall displays" on buildings can accentuate the vibrancy of an area and heighten the public's sense of the area as a locus of entertainment, dining, retail and hospitality activities, and thereby attract more entertainment, shoppers and tourists; and WHEREAS, Wall displays are common to high density hospitality, entertainment and retail areas in many global cities; and WHEREAS, Wall displays generate revenues that can be directed to support the reuse and rehabilitation of underperforming or outmoded buildings, and generate licensing and/or permit fees that offset the City's cost of regulating such displays; and WHEREAS, A Community Benefits Agreement exists between Callowhill Center Associates and The Center City North Improvement Coalition to which the respective signatories intend to be bound; now, therefore 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. * * * CHAPTER 14-900. SIGNS. * * * § 14-905. Non-Accessory Signs. * * * (12) Regulations Applicable to the Area Bounded by 7th Street, Spring Garden Street, 6th Street, and Willow Street. Notwithstanding any other provision of this Title to the contrary, static or digital wall non-accessory outdoor advertising signs ("Signs") shall be permitted on one side only of buildings within the area bounded by 7th Street, Spring Garden Street, 6th Street and Willow Street, provided: (a) The area of each sign face is no less than one thousand two hundred (1,200) square feet and is no more than ten thousand (10,000) square feet; (b) The bottom of the sign is at least thirty feet (30') above grade, and the top of the sign is no more than one hundred ten feet (110') above grade; (c) The building on which the Wall Signs are displayed meets the following conditions: (.1) The height of the building is no less than seventy feet (70'); (.2) The building has a minimum floor area of one hundred thousand (100,000) square feet; (.3) The building has a minimum public street frontage of one hundred fifty feet (150'); (.4) The building is not an historic building listed as such on the National Register of Historic Places or on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places; (.5) The building is not a parking garage or other building where more than fifty percent (50%) of the floor area of its above-ground structure is a parking garage. (d) The Wall Signs shall not display any commercial advertising for tobacco products or alcoholic beverages. [(12)] (13) * * * [(13)] (14) * * * [(14)] (15) * * * SECTION 2. The Community Benefits Agreement between Callowhill Center Associates and The Center City North Improvement Coalition, dated and signed December 3, 2012, shall be made a part of this Ordinance and attached as Appendix A. SECTION 3. This Ordinance shall take effect immediately. ___________________________________ Explanation: [Brackets] indicate matter deleted. Italics indicate new matter added. APPENDIX A ..End