Title
Amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Zoning and Planning," by amending Chapter 14-1200 entitled "Reserved" by adding a new Chapter 14-1200 entitled "Pending Public Acquisition District" by establishing certain restrictions on land sought for acquisition by the City, under certain terms and conditions.
Body
THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code is hereby amended by adding a new Chapter 14-1200 entitled "Pending Public Acquisition District " to read as follows:
TITLE 14. ZONING AND PLANNING.
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CHAPTER 14-1200. [RESERVED] Pending Public Acquisition District.
ยง14-1201. Findings and Purpose.
(1) Legislative Findings. The Council finds that:
(a) The acquisition of land for public purposes is a time consuming and expensive process;
(b) Knowledge that the City is in the process of acquiring a property can result in a property owner seeking to artificially inflate the value of that property by obtaining permits to expand businesses within a building, to add new units in a building or to extend or improve the buildings;
(c) The unregulated issuance of permits with or without actual improvements to the property may result in an increased value being placed on the property being sought by the City;
(d) The creation of new residential units within a building after it is designated for acquisition and the sale or lease of these units to new residents can result in unnecessary hardship for the residents and additional acquisition and relocation costs for the City;
(e) The Council has the duty and the responsibility to acquire land at a price that is a fair market value price and is responsible to the citizens of the City;
(f) Council also has a responsibility to property owners to pay a fair market value price based on the use of the property at the time it was designated for acquisition.
(2) Statement of Purpose.
(a) The purp...
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