Point Breeze Residents Fight For Fair Zoning

In the past few years, residents of Point Breeze in South Philadelphia have seen enormous growth in the construction of expensive new housing in their neighborhood.  This housing is unaffordable for most Point Breeze residents.  The median income in Point Breeze in 2008 was $26,150, but the majority of this new housing is being  priced from between $250,000 to $400,000. Even in the best circumstances most banks will not allow a borrower to take out a mortgage more than three times their income.  It is clear that this housing is not being built to meet the housing needs of of people who already live in Point Breeze.  

In October of 2009, the community organization Concerned Citizens of Point Breeze launched the Save Point Breeze Campaign,  an anti-gentrification movement in South Philadelphia.  Concerned Citizens is fighting to stop market rate housing from pushing out poor and working-class families and demanding that residents have a say in what goes up in their neighborhood.  Since the start of the Save Point Breeze campaign, the organization has held community meetings, hosted a candidates forum for politicians to respond to residents concerns about housing, and met with city officials from the Planning Commission and City Council to demand that they be accountable to the needs of the existing residents in Point Breeze.

Of course most Point Breeze residents want some type of development in their neighborhood; the question is who gets to decide what that development looks like and who benefits from it. Ms. Betty Beaufort, a member of Concerned Citizens, said “We want housing where everybody can live together. We’re not saying don’t build, but think where you're building and is it making it so people can live peacefully. Where is the human element? How can you put your home where I used to live. And now I can’t live here anymore. What these people are doing is greedy. You are going to push me out as a human just for greed.” 

The way that the planning process happens right now leaves little room for genuine community participation.  “The 10 year tax abatement is fueling this wild wild west atmosphere.” said Concerned Citizens member Ms. Green,  “There's all this new development, and many more community residents are becoming interested in the development process. But there’s not structure and accountability. So the developers are winning out. And these communities are being gentrified.”

The  city's zoning process should be a way for community members to control what kind of development comes into their neighborhood. Developers often have to go before the Zoning Board to have their building plans approved, so Concerned Citizens has gotten involved in the zoning process in Point Breeze in order to find out what new developments are coming to the neighborhood and try to intervene on behalf of the community's needs.

In each neighborhood in Philadelphia there is a zoning code that determines what kind of new construction can be built.  Developers often want to build buildings that are outside of what is allowed in a neighborhood's zoning code (for example multi-story condo developments or houses with garages) in order to dramatically increase the development's selling price.  Developers who want to create new construction that does not comply with the zoning code in that area must go before Philadelphia's Zoning Board of Adjustment to have their zoning variances approved. 

In theory the city encourages developers to find community approval, so developers will partner with neighborhood organizations and hold neighborhood zoning meetings.  But often the majority of  community members don't hear that the meetings are going to take place, and don't know about the role that the zoning process has in development in their neighborhood. There are no standards for how many residents need to be notified or how many people have to be at a meeting for a developer to say that they have  real “community” approval.

And ultimately no matter what is decided in the community meeting, the Zoning Board of Adjustment has the final say on whether or not a developer can build. If residents don't agree with the Zoning Board's decision, the only way they can try to stop the development is by suing the Zoning Board in civil court.  In 2009, Ms. Green attempted to sue the Board when they approved the construction of a housing complex with eighteen market-rate units.  Ms. Green recollected “I contacted around 14 different lawyers and legal aid organizations and none of them could help because they either didn't have  the staff trained to handle zoning or they had a conflict of interest because they already represented developers. It’s a cold, cold system.  You have to have a legally trained mind to even begin to go through it.”  Currently, Ms. Green's case has been dismissed by a judge but she is still looking for avenues to reopen it.

Another group of residents are also in the process of trying to stop the construction of a four story penthouse at 1737 Manton St.  Explaining her opposition to the property, Ms.  Beaufort said “We are not Manhattan, we are Point Breeze. This is not the right kind of development for our neighborhood.” In this case, the community members did not approve the development, but once the developer went in front of the Zoning Board, they approved it anyway.  Residents are in the process of  suing the Zoning Board and are inviting everyone to come down to support their fight by coming to their next hearing  at 10am on September 1st at City Hall in room 426.

Concerned Citizens of Point Breeze believes that Point Breeze residents deserve a say in what goes up in their neighborhood.  They are calling for a moratorium on the construction of buildings that are three stories or higher, as well as 3rd story additions and decks.  These new buildings change the look of Point Breeze, which has historically had two story homes, and their construction has caused damage to adjacent homes. They are also trying to find ways to force the Zoning Board to be accountable to the community.  One place Concerned Citizens has been looking to is New York City, where there is an Office of the Public Advocate.  According to their website, “The job of the Public Advocate is, most fundamentally, that of a watchdog, ensuring that all New Yorkers receive the City services they deserve and have a voice in shaping the policies of their government.”  While creating a Public Advocate for Philadelphia certainly wouldn't solve all of Philly's development woes, it would be one step on the path to making city government accountable to the people who live here.   

Concerned Citizens of Point Breeze continue to try and find ways that the community can come together and have their voices heard, and to work towards their vision for balanced reinvestment. To find out more about the Save Point Breeze Campaign you can e-mail ccpointbreeze@gmail.com

Concerned Citizens encourages people in their neighborhoods to attend community zoning meetings so they can find out what new development is coming to their neighborhood. Here are some tips they have learned from their work:

5 Tips to get involved in the zoning process in you neighborhood

1.Create a zoning group on your block or neighborhood to monitor the development in your area.

2.Find out which organization holds zoning meetings in your neighborhood.  Call your Neighborhood Advisory Council or your city council person to find out who handles zoning in your area

3.Meet with the zoning organization to let them know that you have created a committee and you’d like to be notified about zoning meetings and new developments in your neighborhood.

4.Attend zoning meetings- make your voice heard!

5.Begin to research and learn the zoning process and share that info with your neighbors. Ask your city council person to send their zoning rep to come out and explain the process to your community.

6.If you are not happy with the outcome of the Zoning Board's decision about a development you can go to the Prothonotary Office at City Hall, Room 284  and file an appeal.  It is recommended that you bring legal council if you are able to find it.

Stop Gentrification