City Council Overrides Nutter's Veto Of Zoning Code Changes
By Mike Dunn
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) - Philadelphia City Council on Thursday overrode a veto by Mayor Nutter and in doing so the lawmakers made a sweeping change to the city's brand new zoning code.
The change was proposed by City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. She felt the new zoning code would make it too difficult for community groups to have a say in new developments, so she pushed through major revisions last year. Mayor Nutter on Thursday delivered his veto of Blackwell's plan. He said the new zoning code should be in place a full year before it is changed.
Supporting the veto and opposing the Blackwell bill was Councilman Bill Green: "I am telling this council that projects you want to get done will be held up for years because of the burdensome nature of these requirements."
Blackwell rebuttal was brief: "That's absolutely not true. Period."
And with that Council overrode Nutter's veto by a 13-3 vote, putting Blackwell's changes into the new code.
