Heated words were exchanged last night at a community meeting about controversial City Council Bill 629.
Instead of allowing any taxpayer to appeal zoning decisions, the bill would let only "aggrieved" taxpayers file appeals. Only those whose residences abut the property in question would be considered aggrieved, and therefore allowed to appeal under the proposed law.
When Councilman Frank DiCicco introduced the proposal last spring, public outcry forced him to delay its vote until the fall. Many who gathered last night at the Calvary Church at 48th Street and Baltimore Avenue hoped to eventually delay the bill into obsolesce.
"When Bill 629 passes, people are going to tell you that nothing is going to change," said Judith Eden, a board member of the Society Created to Reduce Urban Blight, a city-wide activist group protesting the move. "I'm going to tell you that everything is going to change."
Many people at the meeting said that, should the bill pass, they would be unable to protest projects that would have far-reaching effects, such as billboards or landfills.
Attorney Carl Primavera, who represents developers in favor of Bill 629, said that the legislation was needed to prevent "micromanaging" by each and every citizen.
"You cannot put the whole world in court for every issue," said Primavera, who was asked by West Philadelphia City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell to attend the meeting to provide "balance."
"Thank goodness every person who wants to go to court can't," Primavera said, explaining that the courts have a "gatekeeping" function.
After initial position statements, Primavera and Eden formed a loose panel that fielded questions from the audience.
Squirrel Hill Community Association President Frank Murphy recounted a tale told to him by DiCicco. According to Murphy, DiCicco explained the need for Bill 629 when someone from the northeast section of the city protested the recent construction of the Fresh Fields grocery store on South Street.
But Murphy questioned DiCicco's solution.
"Can we find a different remedy for this issue than what this bill is?" Murphy asked.
Besides SCRUB, many other community groups have registered their opposition to the bill, including the Spruce Hill Community Association. One audience member questioned whether Primavera could name any community groups that support that bill's passage.
He could only name two, but he added that "the reality is there's a silent majority out there that says... that this [bill] is good."
Although DiCicco said that he had enough votes last spring to pass the ordinance, he demurred to allow his fellow council members to talk to their constituents about the matter over the summer.
Only Councilman Frank Rizzo has come out against the bill. At last night's meeting, Blackwell said that DiCicco "expects Council's support" for his decision to delay the vote.
She would not say whether she was for or against the legislation, only that she would convey the residents' concerns to DiCicco.
When a straw poll at the end of the meeting revealed the entire house was against the proposal, Blackwell said "that's what I'm going to tell [DiCicco]."
