Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Pennsylvania

Finding it Difficult to chang zoning

I live in an area that has been changing in the last few years...My family have lived in this area for over 20yrs..the house that i live in is zone as a R5...durning the years since we have lived here other peoperty owners have tryed to change the zoning on these large homes on this block...without sucess..on our block there are apartment housing and single dwelling homes...in which my home is zone for single family dwelling..because of all the changes that is going on in this neigborhood...The house that i live in has over 4000 sq ft...with a very large back yard...and front yard..since the neigberhood is changing into condos...and using land to build newer smaller housing with smaller back yards and front yards...how do i as a home owner do the same thing with my property..is it possible to once again to try to change the zoneing on my property..since everything is changing around my surroundings.. and use my investment wisely...i could sell with no problem..if these company and real estate investors are in the neigborhood and getting zoneing changes to their favior...how do i go about changing the zoning on my home...and invest in my family future also?


Asked on 3/24/06, 3:48 pm

1 Answer from Attorneys
Roger Traversa Arjont Group (Law Office of Roger Traversa)

Re: Finding it Difficult to chang zoning

Zoning is a tricky area and is not something that the homeowner has much success in trying change, without help.

What you need to do is buid a case that the change you propose has a negligible effect on the neighborhood. You can do this in a number of ways. The easiest change is get is one that brings your property into line with changes already made nearby. Best case is when the neighbors directly abutting your property or across the street have already been changed to the designation you desire. Or you could get a block of owners together to seek such a change. But, if you have a neighbor that opposes this then you could run into a roadblock.

To put it simply this is not a process for the squeamish. It takes skill, knowledge and determination to get the job done. And often a fair amount of cash.

I would be happy to speak with about this matter should you wish to pursue it. Please contact me at [email protected] or via the phone numbers on my LawGuru page.

Regards,

Roger Traversa

[email protected]

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Answered on 3/24/06, 4:27 pm


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