Community activists scored a major victory yesterday as Mayor John Street vetoed the controversial Bill 629, a controversial zoning ordinance that has had community groups up in arms since its inception.
The bill sought to limit appeals of city zoning decisions to only those living adjacent to the property in question. Commonly called the "billboard bill," Bill 629 would have allowed companies, for example, to put up billboards without most neighborhood residents being able to protest the move.
"In practical terms, this bill could prevent the senior citizen who lives across the street from a property from having any say in the development of that property, no matter what effect that development would have on the neighborhood, and no matter that the developer might have no connection to the neighborhood," said Street in his letter to City Council.
The legislation was proposed by Council members Frank DiCicco and Joan Krajewski. It was passed by a vote of 9 to 8 only two weeks ago.
Voting on the bill was delayed numerous times, even beyond the limit of four times set in the City Council's charter, as DiCicco sought to secure votes.
DiCicco will not seek to override the veto.
This is third time in two weeks that the mayor has vetoed a Council action. Most notably, Street vetoed a redistricting bill that would have given part of the Center City district under Councilman Darren Clarke's control to Council President Anna Verna.
