Applicant Detailed Instructions
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RCO Notification for Zoning Appeals: Detailed Instructions for Applicants
You received an email from RCO.Notification@phila.gov regarding your Zoning Board of Adjustment (ZBA) case.
The date this email was sent started a 20-day countdown. During this 20-day period, you must;
1) Set up a public meeting with the Coordinating “Registered Community Organization” (RCO)
2) Notify near neighbors of this public meeting regarding your ZBA case.
The steps below describe how to accomplish this. Please read the following information carefully. If you have
questions after reading this document, please contact the Philadelphia City Planning Commission’s RCO
Coordinator at RCO.Notification@phila.gov or call 215-683-4646.
Step 1 - Reach out to the Coordinating RCO, the community group that will set up and host the public meeting.
In the initial email sent from RCO.Notification@phila.gov, you were given the name of the Coordinating RCO.
You must reach out to the Coordinating RCO within 20 days and ask them to set up a public meeting.
Contact information for RCOs is found at this website. Enter the address of the property into the search bar
or click on your address on the map. Once you click on the address, a window will appear on the screen that
lists the address, Council District, and RCOs for your property. Note the Council District for your reference.
Click “Download RCO List.” A file will download to your computer. Open this file to view the contents. You will
see the following information for the RCOs: the organization’s name and address and the name, address,
email, and phone number of the contact person for the organization.
Compose an email to the group that was designated as the “Coordinating RCO” asking them to set up a
public meeting. Call or compose a letter if no email address was provided. You should also cc the other
groups listed in the file you downloaded.
Step 2 - Prepare the notification you will be sending to near neighbors about the public meeting and ZBA case.
To do this, download the Applicant Notification Templates here. (This file was also attached in the email we
sent you).
There are two templates provided. You will use Template 1 IF a date for the RCO public meeting has been
set. Use Template 2 if not, but note—Template 1 will need to be sent once the meeting is set. Guidance for
completing the Template can be found at the end of these instructions*
Step 3 - Send a copy of the completed template to all addresses within 250-feet of the property. The property
list can be found on here by entering the property address into the search bar or clicking directly on the
map.** Click “Download Address List.” Note: You must send a copy of your refusal/referral with this mailing,
and you must send this notice by regular US mail and obtain a cancelled certificate of mailing.
Step 4 - Email the completed template you sent to neighbors to the following:
a. the Registered Community Organizations from the list you downloaded here in Step 3;
b. the contact person for the Council District your property is located in, found here. This is from Step 7;
c. the Philadelphia City Planning Commission at RCO.Notification@phila.gov; and
d. the Zoning Board of Adjustment at RCOZBA@phila.gov.
These entities were cc’d in the original RCO Notice email that was sent out from
RCO.Notification@phila.gov, so replying all to the original email with this information is the best way to
ensure all relevant parties are notified per the Zoning Code.
Step 5 - Attend the community meeting convened by the Coordinating RCO and present your project to the
community.
Step 6 - Attend your ZBA hearing and present your project to the Zoning Board, who will decide on your case.
For reference, the ZBA hearing date can be found at this website: http://www.phila.gov/li/zoning-appeals/.
If you have additional questions or need help, email RCO.Notification@phila.gov or 215-683-4646.
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*There are several pieces of information you need to fill out the template:
• Your address
• The address of the property you have appealed to the ZBA
• A description of your property by general vicinity, size, nearest cross street, and the zoning district in
which the property is located. (You can find the zoning district on the top right of your refusal or
referral, issued to you by L+I. You can also locate this information on the city’s property database,
Atlas, here.)
• A description of the nature, scope, and purpose of the application. Describe the type of special
exceptions and variances being sought
• A copy of the refusal or referral (this must be sent along with your mailing)
• The name of the Coordinating RCO, provided to you in the initial email from
RCO.Notification@phila.gov.
• The public meeting date, time, and location. This will be provided to you by the Coordinating RCO after
you reach out to them to set up a meeting date and time.
• The District Council office contact information, located here. You can find which Council District you
are in from this or this website by entering the property address into the search bar or clicking directly
on the map.
• Each Registered Community Organization’s contact information. This is from Step 3, and can be found
here by entering the property address into the search bar or clicking directly on the map. Click
“Download RCO List” to access this information.
** Please be advised that addresses on this list may differ from those used by the U.S. Postal Service; it
is the responsibility of the applicant to verify these addresses and to ensure notice is successfully
delivered. If there are any discrepancies please contact the Planning Commission and we will undertake
a thorough review and update the list, if need be. The notice must contain all of the information required
by Section 14-303(12)(d)(.1) of the Philadelphia Zoning Code.