Councilwoman Cindy Bass (8th District) recently penned a commentary in the Philadelphia Citizen responding to criticism of her bill to require a hearing before opening a day care in her district.
Read the commentary in its entirety on the Citizen’s website. Excerpts are posted below:
“There are misconceptions and misinformation about what the bill does and does not do. Bill 180751 DOES NOT ban the opening or expansion of daycare facilities in the 8th District. Any claim that it does is patently false. I want to repeat: Daycares can continue to open in the 8th District. Additionally, no existing daycare would be affected by this legislation.
What this bill does is create a zoning overlay that would require business owners seeking to open new daycare facilities or expand already existing centers to go through the same zoning process as is currently required of most Philadelphia businesses. This process includes applying for a zoning variance, talking with neighbors at a community meeting, and being approved by the Zoning Board of Adjustment. A zoning overlay is an accepted community development tool used in City Council and would also be applied to tire shops under this bill. The 8th District has a thriving and growing business sector and this process has not been, and will not be, a barrier to entry.”
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Councilwoman Cindy Bass represents the 8th Council District, which includes Germantown, Mt. Airy, Nicetown, Tioga, Chestnut Hill, portions of Logan, and West Oak Lane. She is Chair of Council’s committees on Parks, Recreation and Cultural Affairs and Public Health and Human Services.
