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Council tries (again) to tackle Philly's vacant land problem
Philly's vacant land problem — and how to get more of those lots back on the tax rolls, especially in light new tax bills arrive from the citywide property-tax re-assessments — was a center of attention at City Council this morning. Council President Darrell Clarke moved forward with a package of "Rebuilding Philadelphia" bills, designed to incentivize development on blighted land. And, Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez and Councilman Bill Green reintroduced legislation that's been in the works for more than a year to create a land bank to hold and dispose of city land, a long-awaited innovation. Currently, land is owned by various agencies including the city, the Redevelopment Authority and the Philadelphia Housing Development Corp., and it often takes months or years to clear a property for purchase. The land bank would have written policies, a board, a one-step approval process and flexible pricing, all things that are rather unfamiliar to those currently attempting to acquire city-owned land. "The Land Bank will help eliminate blight, stabilize our neighborhoods, and put vacant property back on the tax roll," Sanchez said in statement. Green and Sanchez also are pushing forward with a second bill that would require timely foreclosure of tax-delinquent property, and increase homeowners' ability to enter payment plans.
Council tries (again) to tackle Philly's vacant land problem
Philly's vacant land problem — and how to get more of those lots back on the tax rolls, especially in light new tax bills arrive from the citywide property-tax re-assessments — was a center of attention at City Council this morning. Council President Darrell Clarke moved forward with a package of "Rebuilding Philadelphia" bills, designed to incentivize development on blighted land.
And, Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez and Councilman Bill Green reintroduced legislation that's been in the works for more than a year to create a land bank to hold and dispose of city land, a long-awaited innovation. Currently, land is owned by various agencies including the city, the Redevelopment Authority and the Philadelphia Housing Development Corp., and it often takes months or years to clear a property for purchase. The land bank would have written policies, a board, a one-step approval process and flexible pricing, all things that are rather unfamiliar to those currently attempting to acquire city-owned land.
"The Land Bank will help eliminate blight, stabilize our neighborhoods, and put vacant property back on the tax roll," Sanchez said in statement.
Green and Sanchez also are pushing forward with a second bill that would require timely foreclosure of tax-delinquent property, and increase homeowners' ability to enter payment plans.
As for Clarke's "Rebuilding Philadelphia" plans, here's the press release:
"The City of Philadelphia has a numbers problem, and timely collection of taxes owed is just a partial solution,” Council President Clarke said. “City-owned vacant properties are a drain on our budget to the tune of $20 million. We must create incentives for developers, businesses, and residents to bring those properties back online so they are once again contributing to the community.”
The five Rebuilding Philadelphia bills are as follows:
1. Development Districts, introduced by Councilwoman Maria Quiñones-Sánchez (7th District): Establishes development districts, by census tract, wherein at least two of the following three characteristics exist at a level of 10%, 20%, or 30%: public ownership, vacancy, and tax delinquency. This bill authorizes the City to discount properties at 50%, 70%, or 90%, with a binding agreement that the buyer begin construction within six months and complete construction within 24 months of the date of sale.
2. Inclusionary Zoning Incentives, introduced by Councilman At-Large Bill Greenlee: Authorizes the City to provide incentives such as density bonus, reduced parking requirements, flexible zoning and design standards, and expedited permitting and review processes to projects that make housing units available, for sale or for rent, to residents whose income is 120% of area median income or less.
3. Rapid Redevelopment Incentive, introduced by Councilman Bobby Henon (6th District): Authorizes the City to offer a return of 50% of purchase price to buyers of vacant properties at Sheriff’s Sale that complete construction within 18 months of purchase.
4. Affordable Housing and Job Creation Incentive, introduced by Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell (3rdDistrict): Authorizes the City to convey properties for nominal consideration to projects that create affordable housing or employment opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents.
5. Homestead Incentive, introduced by Councilman Kenyatta Johnson (2nd District): Authorizes the City to provide a soft second mortgage equal to the sale price of land to qualifying low-income residents for home construction. The mortgage shall be due and payable if the owner fails to reside in the property or sells the property within five years from the date the City has issued a Certificate of Occupancy. Owner-residents who have complied with the program’s regulations at the end of five years shall have this mortgage forgiven.
“The City of Philadelphia cannot stick its hands in the taxpayer’s pocket every time there is a fiscal crisis. To ensure the health of our public schools, bolster public safety, and keep promises made to the hard-working employees who provide services to residents, we must expand our revenue base. Getting vacant, City-owned properties up and running again is a no-brainer.”
Actually, this is city council figuring out ways to NOT deal with the vacant land problem.
If they wanted to fix this problem, they would simply auction the properties like every other jurisdiction in the us that is not run by corrupt idiots.
But there real goal is to horde the properties and then give them away to machine supporters. Articles like this help them cover up their real mismanagement of the city.— PhillyNetTaxPayer
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