PCPC July 16 agenda: excess impervious coverage request at 29-31 W Bells Mill Road

Philadelphia’s City Planning Commission (PCPC) meets Thursday, July 16, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. in person at 1515 Arch Street, Room 18-029 and on Zoom. On the agenda: an action item seeking excess impervious coverage under the Wissahickon Watershed Overlay (/WWO) for 29-31 W Bells Mill Road, and an information-only “Data Centers Issue Brief.”

PCPC’s agenda also says applicants and the public can send written comments by noon on the day of the meeting to planning@phila.gov.

What PCPC is reviewing on the Wissahickon overlay

PCPC’s docket lists an Action Item: “Request for Excess Impervious Coverage under the Wissahickon Watershed Overlay (/WWO) at 29-31 W Bells Mill Road” (presented by Nina Solomonic). Because the agenda frames this as an action item, the key reader takeaway is to watch for what PCPC decides after it reviews the request.

Quick explainer: impervious coverage and the /WWO

In Philadelphia’s Wissahickon Watershed Overlay framework, the city limits how much impervious surface a development can add. Impervious ground cover is generally the kind of hard surface that does not soak up rainfall where it falls (for example, roofs and pavement).

Under the Philadelphia Code’s /WWO impervious coverage rules, land areas are placed into categories with limits (including 20%, 27%, 35%, and 45% depending on category). The code also provides a path for additional impervious coverage beyond the basic category limits, but only if the Commission permits it after review and comment by the Water Department and other appropriate City agencies and if criteria are met.

Those criteria include, among other requirements, that stormwater leaving the property is substantially similar in effect to what it would be under the basic impervious limit, and that stormwater countermeasures shall not require excessive or significant maintenance.

Where Philadelphia Water Department (PWD) fits

Stormwater review in Philadelphia isn’t handled by PCPC alone. PWD explains that its approvals are often prerequisites for other parts of the development-permitting process (including post-construction stormwater plan approval). PWD also notes that for projects inside the /WWO, PWD and PCPC work directly with each other to administer the Wissahickon Watershed Overlay.

Importantly for residents following along on this docket: PWD’s guidance says that if a project is in the WWO, the applicant is advised to meet with PCPC before submitting its Existing Resources and Site Analysis (ERSA) application, and that PCPC may restrict new impervious cover or impose additional stormwater management requirements beyond PWD’s general stormwater regulations.

Data centers: an “information-only” agenda item

PCPC’s agenda also includes an Information Only item: “Data Centers Issue Brief” (presented by Amy Boyd).

Because it is labeled information-only, residents should treat it as a review/briefing rather than a final adoption of policy at this meeting. The practical thing to watch next is whether PCPC schedules follow-up work that could connect to later planning, stormwater, or development-review decisions.

What residents can do before (and during) the meeting

• Submit written comments by noon on July 16 to planning@phila.gov, as the agenda instructions indicate.
• If you’re in or near the /WWO area, treat impervious limits as a real design constraint—requests for “excess” impervious coverage are reviewed against specific criteria.
• If data centers are a local concern, pay attention to whether PCPC connects the issue brief to later agenda items.

Sources

• Philadelphia City Planning Commission (PCPC) — July 16, 2026 agenda (PDF)
• Philadelphia Water Department — PWD’s role in Philadelphia’s development process (stormwater review manual)
• Philadelphia Code (AmLegal) — Wissahickon Watershed Overlay (/WWO) impervious coverage framework