Are Philadelphia’s historic preservation regulations too strict?

“You’re seeing this uptick in appeals because the pendulum swung so far toward preservation without consideration of other public policy factors like affordability.”

Michael Phillips was quoted in The Philadelphia Inquirer article “Are Philadelphia’s historic preservation regulations too strict?,” on July 30, 2025. 

Please note: to view this article as a link, a subscription may be required. If you do not have a subscription and are interested in learning more, please contact marketing@klehr.com.

.js-pf-content img { width: 200px; height: auto; position: absolute; right: 20px; top:0; } #pf-src {display:none!important;} #pf-title {border-bottom:none!important;} #pf-body #pf-header-img { margin:50px 0; width:310px; } #pf-body {font: Arial, Helvetica sans-serif!important;} #pf-body h2 {margin-top:50px;font-family: Centrale Sans,-apple-system,BlinkMacSystemFont,Segoe UI,Roboto,Helvetica Neue,Arial,Noto Sans,sans-serif,Apple Color Emoji,Segoe UI Emoji,Segoe UI Symbol,Noto Color Emoji!important;} #pf-body span.phone{color: #222!important;} #pf-body .type-p3 { font-size: .875rem; font-weight: 500; line-height: 1.75; } #pf-content .overflow-hidden{overflow: visible!important;} #pf-content .mobile-image img { width: 250px; float: right; margin-top:-150px; } #printfriendly .pub-print-name {padding-left:0!important;padding-right:0!important;} #pf-content img.blockImage {display:none;} #printfriendly h1, #printfriendly h2, #printfriendly h3, #printfriendly h4 { color: #2e5893; } #pf-content h2.pub_content {margin-top: 20px;font-size: 1rem;color: #222;} #pf-content .bio-details {padding-left:0!important;} #pf-content .bio-details ul {padding-left:0!important;} #pf-content .bio-details ul li {display:inline;list-style-type:none;} #pf-content .att-practice li:last-child .pipes {display:none;} #pf-content .att-locale li:last-child .pipes {display:none;} #pf-content .pdf-nopad {padding-left:0!important;} #pf-content .position {font-weight:bold;} #pf-content .contact-info {display:block;} @media print { #printfriendly .pdf-border{ padding:0!important; } a[href^="tel:"]::after { content: ""; } }