ACTION NEEDED NOW! City Council Bill Threatens to Eviscerate Preservation Ordinance

City Council Bill #04003, introduced by Councilwoman Blackwell, proposes drastic changes of the role of the Philadelphia Historical Commission and the ability to protect historic properties in Philadelphia. Immediate response from the public is needed to save our history and retain the current powers of the Historical Commission. Sign the Alliance's petition and contact the Mayor and your City Council representative.

Read more about the proposed legislation below the following links:

Click here to view a copy of Bill #04003

Click here to view a map of the areas proposed to be excluded from historic protection

Click here to view a copy of the Design Advocacy Group letter of opposition

"As for Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell's recent proposal, it should be scrutinized, and then sacked."

- from a February 12, 2004, editorial by the Philadelphia Inquirer

Bill #04003 would amend the city's historic ordinance and provisions in the Philadelphia Code creating the Philadelphia Historical Commission and defining its powers. The bill proposes three significant changes.

First, it proposes that all future historic districts created in Philadelphia will be subject to approval by City Council. Currently this is not the case. Historic districts are approved by the Historical Commission based on their historic merit, a carefully inventory and documentation of historic properties in a district, and support from the community.

Historic district nominations come from the neighborhoods themselves and are therefore a reflection of the interests of residents of those neighborhoods. Currently the City has nine local historic districts including Diamond Street, Society Hill, Old City, Spring Garden, Girard Estate, and Rittenhouse/Fitler Square.

The Alliance believes the current process has worked very well in the past and there is no need to make it a political process rather than one based on historic merit, as it is now. It is feared that special interests and political influences would unduly sway council members when considering the creation of new historic districts. "Without the Historic Commission being part of the process on some development plans, Philadelphians would be justified in fearing that political connections would trump what's best for the city," says the Inquirer editorial.

Second, the bill proposes that City Council may take away designations of historic districts that have already been approved, by passage of a City Council ordinance. This is inappropriate. Community organizations have worked hard to get their neighborhoods designated and many individuals have invested in the historic character of their properties out of a belief that all properties in the area will be maintained in an appropriate and equitable historic manner. To reverse these previous decisions is unreasonable and without justification.

Third, the bill proposes that in the future no properties or districts maybe designated as historic in areas that are urban renewal areas, Neighborhood Transformation Areas and city redevelopment areas. A map of the current NTI and urban-renewal areas (see link above) shows that a huge area of the City would be exempted from historic protection including Germantown, Overbrook Farms, and North Philadelphia, sections of West Philadelphia and even sections of the Northeast. The actual areas exempted are even larger, since this map does not include city redevelopment areas.

Not only would this proposed amendment prevent any historic site or district from being protected in the future, but it would deprive these areas of potential economic benefits that might come from historic designation. For example, local historic districts in Philadelphia can be certified by the state thereby making investment properties in those areas eligible for the federal historic preservation investment tax credits. These tax credits have provided millions of dollars of funding for apartment buildings, hotels, low-income housing developments and other projects in Philadelphia.

In addition, two bills currently being considered by the State Legislature would provide state tax credits to both investment properties and historic residential properties in single-family ownership. The inability to designate historic properties in the areas shown on the map would potentially deprive these areas from access to such financial programs in the future.

The Preservation Alliance feels that this bill is unnecessary, inappropriate and that it would severely undermine historic preservation in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Historical Commission has itself indicated grave concerns about this bill. Public expression of opposition to the bill is essential.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

1. Sign the Alliance's petition of opposition to Bill 04003 by clicking on the link above. Get everyone you know to sign on; we need to show extensive and widespread opposition to this bill.

2. Send an email, FAX or letter to Mayor Street, Council President Verna (chair of the Rules Committee to which the bill has been referred) and your district councilperson. BE SURE TO SEND A COPY TO THE ALLIANCE. An easy way to do this is go to www.Hallwatch.org.

3. Tell your friends and organizations in your neighborhood to do the same.

4. If a hearing is scheduled on the bill we will post the date on www.preservationalliance.com. Plan to attend and speak in opposition.