The City Planning Commission is responsible for guiding the orderly growth
and development of the City of Philadelphia. The 1951 Home Rule
Charter defines the powers and duties of the Commission to include the
preparation of:
A Comprehensive Plan and its modifications;
The Capital Program and Budget;
Proposed zoning ordinances and amendments;
Regulations concerning the subdivision of land.
The Home Rule Charter specifies that the City Planning Commission be
composed of nine members. In addition to the Managing Director, Director of
Finance, and Director of Commerce, who serve as ex-officio members, the
Mayor appoints six individuals to serve on the Commission. Of the six appointed members, one must be an architect, one must be an urban planner, one must be a traffic engineer, one must be an attorney experienced in land use issues, and two must be representatives of Philadelphia community groups that participate in land use issues.
The Commission elects its own Chairperson and employs a full-time Executive
Director with a civil service staff of 51 persons. The staff consists of architects, planners, and urban designers supported by geographic information system, administrative, and clerical personnel. The Executive Director and agency staff provide the
Commission with a comprehensive overview on an increasingly wide range of
planning issues.
While the overall mission of the City Planning Commission has remained
substantially the same for almost five decades, the specific functions of
the agency have expanded dramatically in response to changing demands. Not
only have the number of functions increased, but the nature of many of
these activities has changed as well.
During this period, the role of City government has broadened to include a
wider range of public concerns, and the nature of city planning as an
activity of local government has continued to evolve. The narrow emphasis
on land use controls, facilities planning, and physical planning specified
by the Home Rule Charter has become greatly enlarged by an equal emphasis
on non-physical development issues such as economic development, human
services delivery, and housing policy. In addition, new importance has been
given to physical development as a result of environmental concerns,
interest in historic preservation, the increasing complexity and magnitude
of development proposals, and the special emphasis placed on humanizing the
scale of the City through urban design.
The Division reviews all Zoning Board of Adjustment applications, attends
all Zoning Board hearings, and makes recommendations on the cases being
considered. The Division also reviews all legislation concerning Zoning Map
changes and Zoning Code amendments.
Environmental Assessment and Development Controls
All site plans and land subdivisions within the City of Philadelphia are
reviewed by the Development Planning Division. This includes
examining site development plans to determine compliance with the
Philadelphia Code regarding street layout, topographic and geotechnical
conditions, lot sizes, drainage requirements, vehicular and pedestrian
circulation, as well as the final landscaping plan.
In addition, the Division performs functions required by the National
Environmental Policy Act, such as conducting environmental analyses of all
City projects utilizing federal funding. These environmental reviews
include the analysis of actions taken to conserve energy; preserve historic
structures and sites; protect water resources; prevent air, water, and
noise pollution; monitor hazardous materials, and implement erosion
controls for federally-funded development projects in the City.
The Development Division is also responsible for the implementation of the
Wissahickon Watershed Ordinance. This ordinance places development controls
on environmentally-sensitive sites in the Wissahickon Watershed area of
Northwest Philadelphia. Plans for construction within designated flood
plain areas must also be submitted to the Division for review. This review
process is designed to help developers better understand and comply with
federal, State, and local environmental regulations.
