(5) Civic Design Review.

(a)   Civic Design Review Committee.

(.1)   Establishment. 220

Where this Zoning Code requires review by the Civic Design Review Committee, such review shall be performed by the Commission, which shall function as the Civic Design Review Committee, until such time as the Chair of the Commission certifies to the Council that the Mayor has established one or more separate Civic Design Review Committees, as set forth in § 14-304(5)(a)(.2) (Composition) below.

(.2)   Composition. 221

The Civic Design Review Committee shall be composed of two Pennsylvania-licensed architects, one sustainability professional, one Pennsylvania-licensed landscape architect, one urban design professional, one developer or builder, one person with experience reviewing projects on behalf of civic associations, including a person who previously served or currently serves on a zoning, land use, or similar committee of a Registered Community Organization, and one rotating seat for a representative of a Registered Community Organization whose boundaries include the applicant's property, except that in the case of multiple overlapping Registered Community Organizations, there shall be up to two seats, one for each Registered Community Organization, and at the discretion of the district councilperson, one seat to be occupied by a designee of the district councilperson whose district includes the application property. A member of the Commission will be the Chair of the Civic Design Review Committee and will fill one of the designated positions. The Executive Director of the Commission (or appointed designee) will advise the Civic Design Review Committee but will have no vote.

(b)   Applicability.

(.1)   Required Review.

(.a)   The civic design review procedures of this subsection apply to any development that meets the criteria in Table 14-304-2 (Civic Design Review Triggers) and to master plans as set forth in § 14-304(3)(e)(.1), except for: 222

(i)   development on lots located within the SP-ENT, SP-PO, and SP-STA districts, provided that SP-STA district master plans shall remain subject to any required civic design review;

(ii)   A building in the I-1, I-2, I-3, or I-P district with a primary use in the industrial use category or the wholesale, distribution, and storage use category and that does not affect property in any residential district, as defined by § 14-304(5)(b)(.2) (Affected Properties); 222.1

(iii)   Wireless service facilities; and

(iv)   Development on a lot located within the SP-INS district that does not front on a legally open confirmed street, provided that SP-INS district master plans shall remain subject to any required civic design review.

(.b)   L&I shall not issue a final decision on an application for any development that meets the criteria in Table 14-304-2 until review by the Civic Design Review Committee has been completed pursuant to the procedures of this subsection; provided, however, that, upon request of an applicant, L&I shall promptly issue any refusal or referral, without awaiting completion of review by the Civic Design Review Committee. Where L&I issues a refusal or referral on an application for a development that meets the criteria in Table 14-304-2 and the applicant files an appeal to the Zoning Board pursuant to § 14-303(15), the Zoning Board shall not commence a hearing on the application until review by the Civic Design Review Committee has been completed pursuant to the procedures of this subsection. 223

(.2)   Affected Properties.

For purposes of Table 14-304-2 (Civic Design Review Triggers) only, a property is "affected" by the applicant's property if any of the following conditions exist:

(.a)   it shares all or part of a side or rear property line with the applicant's property (see "A" on the Civic Design Review Triggers illustration);

(.b)   it is separated from the applicant's property by only an alley or shared driveway (see "B" on the Civic Design Review Triggers illustration);

(.c)   it is located on the same blockface and any portion of the property is within 200 ft. of the applicant's property (see "C" on the Civic Design Review Triggers illustration); or

(.d)   it is located on the blockface located across a street from the front lot line of the applicant's property and (i) the cartway separating the two properties is less than 100 ft. wide, and (ii) the property or a portion of the property is within 200 ft. of the applicant's property (see "D" on the Civic Design Review Triggers illustration).

Table 14-304-2: Civic Design Review Triggers 224

{For printable PDF version, click HERE}

 

Civic Design Review is required in the following two cases:
Location of Applicant's Property	Covered Types of Applications
Case 1: The applicant's property is located in any district, except as provided in § 14-304(5)(b)(.1).	AND the application includes new construction or an expansion that: 1.   Creates more than 100,000 sq. ft. of new gross floor area, excluding any floor area within an existing structure; or 2.   Creates more than 100 additional dwelling units, excluding any dwelling units within an existing structure.
Case 2: The applicant's property: 1.   Is located in any district except as provided in § 14-304(5)(b)(.1); and 2.   Affects property in any Residential district, as defined by § 14-304(5)(b)(.2) (Affected Properties).	AND the application includes new construction or an expansion that: 1.   Creates more than 50,000 sq. ft. of new gross floor area, excluding any floor area within an existing structure; or 2.   Creates more than 50 additional dwelling units, excluding any dwelling units within an existing structure.

 

{For printable PDF version of image, click HERE}

{For printable PDF version of image, click HERE}

(.3)   Optional Review.

Applicants with development proposals that do not meet the criteria in § 14-304(5)(b)(.1) (Applicability) may elect to submit their application for review under the civic design review procedures of this subsection. Optional reviews will be carried out by the Civic Design Review Committee if the applicant submits an application for optional review and the chair of the Civic Design Review Committee and the Executive Director of the Commission agree that Design Review would be in the best interests of the City.

(c)   Neighborhood Notice and Meetings Required. 225

(.1)   Upon introduction of an ordinance to rezone any land into certain master plan districts as set forth in § 14-304(3)(e)(.1), the person or entity that requested the rezoning of land shall comply with the neighborhood notice and meeting requirement in § 14-303(12) (Neighborhood Notice and Meetings).

(.2)   L&I will determine whether a zoning permit application meets the criteria of Table 14-304-2 and is required to complete Civic Design Review. If Civic Design Review is required, the applicant is required to comply with the neighborhood notice and meeting requirement in § 14-303(12) (Neighborhood Notice and Meetings).

(d)   Advisory Review. 226

Design review under this section shall be advisory. The applicant is encouraged to accept the results of design review and incorporate them into the design. Neither L&I, the Zoning Board nor the Commission is required to abide by the recommendations of the Civic Design Review Committee, but the Zoning Board and the Commission may consider those recommendations in any discretionary review of any application that may come before them.

(e)   Review by Civic Design Review Committee.

(.1)   L&I shall notify the Commission and the applicant, in writing, when L&I determines that an application for a permit is subject to civic design review. 227

(.2)   The Civic Design Review Committee shall meet at least once per calendar month as long as there is at least one submission meeting the requirements of § 14-304(5)(e)(.4)(.a). 227.1

(.3)   The Civic Design Review Committee's meetings must be open to the public and provide opportunity for public comment. Agendas must be posted online and distributed in advance of each meeting.

(.4)   The Civic Design Review Committee shall review each proposal and make its recommendation as follows: 228

(.a)   The applicant must submit application materials (in accordance with regulations of the Commission) to the Civic Design Review Committee at least 14 days before the scheduled date of the Civic Design Review meeting.

(.b)   The Committee shall not conduct its meeting on the application unless the applicant documents, prior to the meeting, that there has been compliance with the requirements of § 14-304(5)(c) ("Neighborhood Notice and Meetings Required").

(.c)   The Civic Design Review Committee may require a second review meeting if significant issues remain unresolved after the initial review meeting.

(.d)   The Civic Design Review Committee must deliver a written recommendation to the Commission and shall attach to its recommendation the applicant's Project Information Form, if preparation of such Form is required by Section 18-503 ("Project Information Form Required"). The Civic Design Review Committee's recommendation may incorporate recommendations from other design entities, such as the Art Commission and Historical Commission. The Commission shall post the written recommendation of the Civic Design Review Committee on the Commission's website. So long as the applicant has participated in good faith in Civic Design Review, the application shall be deemed to have completed Civic Design Review within 150 days of written notification from L&I to the applicant that Civic Design Review is required. 229

(f)   Criteria for Review.

Design review shall focus on the impact of building and site design on the public realm, particularly streets, sidewalks, trails, public parks, and open spaces. The Civic Design Review Committee's review is not intended to evaluate the architectural style or compositional aspects of a project outside of their clear impact on the public realm. Criteria for review shall include the following, and any recommendations for changes to the proposal shall be directed toward improving performance in the following areas:

(.1)   Whether the design, including but not limited to the streetscape, curbside management, internal parking circulation, and vehicular and pedestrian access points, contributes to the walkability of adjacent streets;

(.2)   Whether the ground level design of the proposal contributes to street activity on adjacent streets;

(.3)   Whether the design of open spaces within the boundaries of the proposal are appropriate for their intended function and reinforce the importance, safety, and enjoyment of public use of those spaces;

(.4)   Whether the design allows adequate light and air for nearby public streets, sidewalks, trails, parks, open spaces, and adjacent properties;

(.5)   Whether the design reinforces and protects the desirable characteristics of the surrounding neighborhood through gradual transitions in bulk and scale and, if appropriate, buffers between the proposed building(s) and the adjacent area;

(.6)   Whether the design is consistent with the intended character of streets, sidewalks, trails, parks, and open spaces indicated in the Comprehensive Plan and master plan, if applicable;

(.7)   Whether the design is environmentally sustainable; and 230

(.8)   Any additional criteria stated in the regulations of the Commission for the purposes of clarifying or implementing the criteria in this § 14-304(5)(f) (Criteria for Review).

 

Notes

220	Amended, Bill No. 120431 (approved June 27, 2012), effective August 22, 2012; amended, Bill No. 160966 (approved December 20, 2016), effective January 1, 2017.
221	Amended, Bill No. 120889 (became law January 24, 2013), effective March 25, 2013; amended, Bill No. 130657 (approved January 31, 2014). See note 170 for effective date provisions. Amended, Bill No. 160966 (approved December 20, 2016), effective January 1, 2017.
222	Amended, Bill No. 120774-A (approved January 14, 2013); amended, Bill No. 130804 (approved December 18, 2013); amended, Bill No. 150766 (approved December 8, 2015).
222.1	Amended, Bill No. 210078-A (approved April 28, 2021).
223	Amended, Bill No. 120897 (approved January 14, 2013).
224	Amended, Bill No. 120774-A (approved January 14, 2013); amended, Bill No. 130804 (approved December 18, 2013); amended, Bill No. 150264 (approved June 14, 2015).
225	Amended, Bill No. 120774-A (approved January 14, 2013).
226	Amended, Bill No. 120774-A (approved January 14, 2013).
227	Amended, Bill No. 120431 (approved June 27, 2012), effective August 22, 2012.
227.1	Amended, Bill No. 210078-A (approved April 28, 2021).
228	Amended, Bill No. 170335-A (approved June 6, 2017), effective December 6, 2017.
229	Amended, Bill No. 120431 (approved June 27, 2012), effective August 22, 2012.
230	Added and subsequent subsection renumbered, Bill No. 160966 (approved December 20, 2016), effective January 1, 2017.