4 WEEKLYPRESS.COM • UCREVIEW.COM • JUNE 25, 2014 continued RCO from page 1


ganizations (RCOs) work when it comes to zoning. According to Carney, the workshop was designed for both existing RCOs and for groups that would like to form an RCO. The major- ity of those in attendance already belonged to existing RCOs.


June, Carney continued,


is the registration period for RCOs. An RCO’s status is valid for two years. “Today, there are over 200 in Phila- delphia.” Carney made it clear, “You don’t have be an RCO to speak at a city zon- ing meeting. It’s not a spe- cial privilege. Any citizen can testify.”


That said, Carney ex- plained that RCOs are the organizations that send official letters of approval or opposition to the Zon- ing Board of Adjustments (ZBA) for projects requiring zoning variances. Subse- quently, Carney distributed informational packets on the criteria groups must meet to become RCOs. All of this information is available at http://www.phila.gov/ CityPlanning/project- reviews/Pages/Regis- teredCommunityOrga- nizations.aspx. Carney also outlined suggestions


on the most effective ways to engage the community and a developer on a project that needs zoning variances. But first, Carney provided a brief overview on the types of projects that need zoning variances.


“Zoning a social con- tract,” Carney said, adding that many factors contribute to how a project is zoned. “The use of land, the build- ing’s height, how much open space it has, its sig- nage, its parking and its out- door lighting are all things that impact the public realm we all share.”


Carney went on to ex- plain that developers or ap- plicants need variances for a variety of reasons. They include when the applicant can’t build the project by right, when the applicant needs a special exception or if the applicant’s building a significantly large project subject to Civic Design Re- view.


When explaining a cir- cumstance where an appli- cant can’t build a project “by right” Carney cited a vacant industrial building. The ap- plicant wants to construct a mixed-use commercial/ residential building, Car- ney said. But because that project is zoned industrial, the applicant can’t build the project by right and needs


zoning variances.


Special exception applies in cases of take out restau- rants. Its applicant will have to prove that that the take- out place will not have a negative impact on the com- munity. At the same time, if the neighborhood’s RCO opposes the takeout estab- lishment, then it will have to prove that “it will have a negative impact,” Carney explained.


Civic Design Review is


“required for large projects and their relationship to the public realm,” Carney said. The Civic Design Re- view Board, which meets monthly, is comprised of members with develop- ment, financial Real Estate and design backgrounds, Carney said. Each RCO can appoint their own mem- ber to sit with the board at scheduled meetings. The suggestions posed at Civic Design Review Board meet- ings are not binding, Carney explained. However, many applicants take those sug- gestions into consideration, Carney added.


As for the zoning process, that begins with the devel- oper submitting an applica- tion to L&I. If the applicant needs variances, he or she will receive a letter back from L&I denying the proj- ect. The letter will explain


how the project doesn’t comply with the site’s zon- ing, Carney explained. At the bottom of the letter, there will be an option to appeal the decision with the ZBA Carney explained. ZBA, Carney continued, “is an independent agency of five members appointed by the mayor. It has the au- thority to overturn decisions made by L&I.”


Once the applicant sub- mits the appeal, he or she will receive a ZBA hearing date. When that happens, the applicant is required by law to submit two forms of public notice. The first is a sign on the building explaining the request for zoning variances. This sign must be posted 21 days be- fore the ZBA date, Carney said. And the second is the public meeting with the RCO, Carney said, adding, the applicant has 45 days to host a documented public meeting.


In addition, the applicant must notify the district’s city council person about the meeting and the project. By law, the applicant is only required to host one public meeting before the projects moves to the ZBA, Carney said.


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The ZBA, Carney con- tinued, will only hear the applicant’s case if that RCO meeting was held. “Or, the ZBA would have to receive documentation that a good faith effort was made to have it. Or, for whatever reason, the RCO decided it didn’t need to host the meeting.”


“Community associations


are known to be involved in a lot of different things,” said Carney in reference to the differences between community associations and RCO’s. “Part of the criteria for becoming an RCO is to make sure that it’s represen- tative of the community and not just a special interest group.”


Once an RCO receives no-


tice from an applicant about a project, it is that RCO’s responsibility to contact the community in the immedi- ate vicinity of the project. “That’s one of the reasons why it’s so important for RCOs to meet on a monthly basis,” Carney stressed. If the proposed project is located in an area where RCOs overlap, then the coordinating RCO will host the meeting, Carney explained, adding that the district’s city council person chooses the coordinating RCO. If that neighborhood doesn’t have an RCO, “then the district council person will meet with the appli- cant,” Carney explained. Next, Carney explained


best practices for RCOs. That starts with the ability to host a good meeting. And to Carney, the secret in host- ing a good meeting rests in its planning. That plan- ning is broken down to the meeting’s purpose, product, people, process, prepara- tion, practical concerns and pitfalls.


When it comes to pur- pose, Carney stressed that it’s important to have an open discussion about the project. “Hearing everyone else’s opinion will help form your opinion. You might come in with one opinion and leave with another.” As for the meeting’s


product, “You need to know the goals of the meeting,” Carney said. “Your bylaws should state how you’re go- ing to handle meetings with developers. Most RCOs,” Carney continued, “have a zoning committee structure with designated responsi- bilities.”


People’s roles “need to be clear about who’s going to be responsible for what. You have to get people to your meetings. If you’re the coordinating RCO, you have to have relationships with the others in your neighbor- hood to get them to you’re meetings,” Carney stressed. And with regards to people, “It’s about getting good community repre- sentation at your meetings and in your membership. You want to recruit people with skills in areas that you don’t have such as manag- ing information, creating websites, social media, and professional expertise in design, development, real estate and finance,” Carney explained adding, “Every


neighborhood has people with these skills.” Also, “You want someone with good writing skills to record the meetings.” As for process, “One of the most important things you can do is create an agenda,” Carney said. “If you walk into a meeting and there’s no agenda, you’re going to get the feeling that it hasn’t been thought out and it’s a waste of your time.”


For practical concerns, Carney advised establish- ing a clear-cut way to make decisions. “In some orga- nizations, only the [RCO’s] zoning committee makes decisions. In other cases, there are ballots so people who attend the meetings can vote. In those cases, they ask people to put down their addresses so they can show how they’re related to the project.”


And when it comes to pitfalls, the RCO “needs to think ahead of time if it’s a particularly contentious project that people are going to be upset by.” In that case, “You might want to call in facilitator to make sure the project stays on track.” Moreover, “have a chart to write community com- ments. It’s important for people to feel that they are heard even if the comments get off topic. Make sure you respect that,” Carney em- phasized. For more information on the PCPC, call 215-683-4630 or visit: http://www.phila. gov/CityPlanning/project- reviews/Pages/Registered- CommunityOrganizations. aspx.


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