Chaka Fattah

As mayor, I will make sure that Philadelphia is a city where professional zoning is the result of a working partnership between neighbors and government. The people should have a say in what happens in their neighborhoods, and no one, including a district councilperson, should be able to prevent the full Council from voting on a given project.

As mayor, I will work to make sure that no district councilperson blocks development in his or her district. I will lead the way in overhauling and simplifying our city's zoning code, and I will establish regulations that fit today's development needs, and work to ensure community input in the new zoning regulations, city plans, and individual projects that seek a variance from zoning regulations.

I will work to reform the Zoning Board of Adjustments, appointing city planners, architects, and urban design experts to the board and codifying these requirements into law. I will also look to streamline the Board of Adjustments' processes through increased administrative review and through reliance on the new zoning code, so that fewer projects will need to seek variances and will operate within the city's zoning plan. And I will work to expand the role of the City Planning Commission in mapping out the future development of our city.