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Administration bill would remove VDO Fifth District exemptions to speed housing production, planners say
Summary
Bill 250432 would revise the Fifth District VDO overlay to remove exemptions for minimum lot area, floor area, height and eligibility for density/height bonuses; Planning Commission said the change would restore citywide standards, ease redevelopment of small parcels and support the mayor's HOME initiative.
The Rules Committee heard testimony on bill 250432, which would amend the VDO Fifth District overlay (section 14‑529) to remove location‑based exemptions that currently limit the applicability of citywide density and height bonuses and to restore minimum lot size and green roof bonus availability to citywide standards. Michael Agall and Michael Gough of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission described the change as part of the Parker administration's HOME initiative to increase housing production.
Planning staff said the bill removes three exemptions in the Fifth District overlay: the overlay's exemption from density and height bonuses under the mixed income housing bonus program; a prohibition that limited green roof bonus eligibility in the district; and a higher lot size minimum for RSA‑5 that is inconsistent with the citywide standard of 960 square feet. The commission argued these changes would reduce the need for variances before the Zoning Board of Adjustment and allow more units to be created more quickly. "This bill will improve the speed of review and increase unit production," a planner said.
Industry witnesses supported the bill, saying local projects were constrained by the overlay. The Building Industry Association cited a recent project that could have yielded additional homes if the overlay's restrictions did not apply. Several witnesses urged district council offices to map complementary changes to implement the bill at neighborhood scale. The Planning Commission recommended approval at its public meeting.
