Steps to Open A Business in Chestnut Hill

If a business is planning to open in Chestnut Hill, and the owner needs permits or variances, the Chestnut Hill Community Association (CHCA) has laid out the step-by-step plan to gain approval from its committees.

A recent diagram put out by the association runs through the process, and the committees a business owner has to go through:

• First, an application has to be submitted to the Philadelphia Bureau of Licenses and Inspections (L&I).
• L&I will determine which committees of the CHCA the applicant needs to go through.
• Mandatory: Any applicant needs to go present at a preliminary meeting with the Development Review Committee.
• Depending on the recommendations of the Development Review Committee, the applicant could face up to five more committees or organizations: Friends of the Wissahickon; Historic District Advisory Committee; Traffic, Transportation and Parking; Land Use, Planning and Zoning; and the Streetscape Committee.
• Mandatory: The applicant will then present at a summary meeting with the Development Review Committee.
• Mandatory: The applicant, along with recommendations from the committees, will go in front of the CHCA Board of Directors.
• Once the Board of Directors votes on the application, the business will go to the Philadelphia Zoning Board Association.