Developer’s Toolkit: An Old City Design Guide

Developers’ Toolkit: An Old City Design Guide

Clarify Goals / World-Class Walking / Re-Occupy / Neighborhood Retail From Vision2026: “A simple, illustrated Design Guide will provide a framework for constructive discussion and should be appreciated by developers and their architects. The Guide will provide advice on design issues not directly regulated by the Zoning Code. It will be developed cooperatively with the City of Philadelphia Historic Commission, augmenting the Secretary of the Interior Standards and Guidelines.” Successes: Preparing a design guide was one of the very first things Old City District did after adopting Vision2026. Written by Jonas Maciunas (now of JVM Studio), the Old City Design Guide is a reference for those interested in creating value and building a neighborhood that is beloved today and will continue to be worth preserving in the future. OCD staff regularly shares it with investors, developers, and architects. The guide highlights that, in its effort to support growth and maintain character, the Old City RCO has generally agreed to support variance requests to provide less than the required amount of parking, but generally opposes variances seeking height or coverage beyond the zoning envelope. The guide starts with four “imperatives” for building in Old City: 1. Build for 100 years 2. Build harmonious variety 3. Build a street, not only a building 4. Build for people Thereafter, it offers guidance on new buildings, shopfront design, and curbside options for increasing vitality. These guidelines include discussion of building proportions, ground floor uses, patterns and materials, storefront composition, the shop-to-roadway cross-section, and creative elements to enhance a shopfront. The Old City Design guide was featured as a “Preservation Win” in the 2018 PennPraxis Neighborhood Preservation Toolkit.