Title
Authorizing the Joint Committees on Housing, Neighborhood Development, and the Homeless and Public Property and Public Works to hold hearings on the ten-year performance of the Philadelphia Land Bank; what barriers exist to effective application review, process efficiency, and transparent communication; and how these can be solved to maximize this unique opportunity to create genuinely affordable housing and community-stewarded green spaces for neighborhoods that need them the most.
Body
WHEREAS, Bill #130156-A, signed into law in December 2013, authorized the creation of the Philadelphia Land Bank and provided for its appointment, powers, and duties, and was followed by approval of its first Strategic Plan and appointment of its inaugural Board of Directors in December 2014; and
WHEREAS, This was the culmination of extensive grassroots community planning over the course of a decade by local Community Development Corporations and advocacy groups, that determined that creation of a municipal land bank is necessary for the strategic redevelopment of publicly controlled vacant property in Philadelphia to support a variety of community-driven productive uses; and
WHEREAS, The benefits offered by municipal land banks were based in national best practices that emphasized consolidating ownership of publicly controlled vacant properties into a single agency to increase efficiency, ensuring clear and transparent operations, and adopting a Strategic Plan with a single vision and philosophy for how best to encourage transformation of properties that can harm communities to properties that can benefit them; and
WHEREAS, From the first bill introduced by this Council proposing a municipal land bank in 2011, top priorities for the Philadelphia Land Bank have been permanent or long-term affordable housing, clear pathways for community members to acquire properties that they have long stewarded, substantial and meaningful involvement by communities affected by...
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