A City Council bill that would prohibit small family-run day cares in certain neighborhoods is expected to be watered down when it comes up before council next week.

The bill, in its current form, would prohibit “group day cares,” which are usually based in a house and capped at 12 children, from existing in most residential zones throughout the city.

Following a somewhat contentious Council Rules Committee hearing Thursday, Councilman Brian O’Neill, the bill’s sponsor, agreed to amend the bill so that a small percentage of zoning designations would be affected. The bill was voted favorably out of committee and will be amended during first reading next week.

O’Neil said he had some concern about the inconsistency in how group day cares are approved by the zoning board. He wants group day care providers to prove a hardship before they are awarded a zoning variance to use the space within a home for a day care.
“If enacted, this [bill] would erect a barrier for all applicants, rather than helping wee out those likely to cause problems for neighbors,” said Shawn Tomey, early childhood policy coordinator for Public Citizens for Children and Youth. Tomey added that many parents can’t afford to send their children to the larger day cares located inside strip malls.

The way the law is right now, day care operators can apply for “special exception” which is less stringent than getting a variance.

After various small day care advocates spoke out against the bill, O’Neill said he would be amending his legislation so that only certain homes zoned as “residential single-family attached” would be affected by the bill. O’Neill said the small group makes up about 5 percent of homes in the city.

The bill “was broader than it had to be,” O’Neil said after the hearing. He will introduce the amendments Thursday.

The Philadelphia Inquirer – November 6, 2014 – اقرأ المقال على الإنترنت