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Amending Chapter 14-500 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Overlay Zoning Districts," by amending Section 14-534, entitled "/AHP, Affordable Housing Preservation Overlay District," and by making related changes, all under certain terms and conditions.
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THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA HEREBY ORDAINS:
SECTION 1. The Council of the City of Philadelphia hereby makes the following legislative findings:
1. The areas identified as within the Affordable Housing Preservation Overlay District are located in amenity rich areas with uniquely easy walkable access to high-quality goods and services such as healthcare, quality education, employment centers, public transit, and grocery stores.
2. There are no other parts of Philadelphia outside of Center City that offer this rare ability to live in safe, affordable housing with such comprehensive access to so many services and amenities by foot, thus why preserving existing affordable housing in these areas is so important.
3. There are over 800 units of project-based affordable housing located within or in the immediate vicinity of the Affordable Housing Preservation Overlay District, containing almost 1150 bedrooms that are priced such that an occupant will never pay more than 30% of their income on housing costs. This is a depth of affordability made possible by private property owners having government contracts and subsidies that preserve affordability far beyond the mechanisms contained within the Philadelphia Zoning Code to encourage the production of new affordable housing.
4. Losing these units and displacing these residents has a variety of negative impacts. A study published by Temple University Beasley School of Law and Community Legal Services finds that the loss of project-based affordable housing disproportionately affects Philadelphians who are low-income and African American.
5. As the study concludes that affordable housing preservation and racial equity are inextricably link...
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