Mayor Parker outlines $2B plan to overhaul housing in Philadelphia
Why it matters: Philly's dearth of affordable housing is at crisis levels as home prices have spiked and interest rates have ticked up post-pandemic.
Driving the news: Parker unveiled a sweeping $2 billion plan Monday that calls for launching housing programs and expanding popular ones; offering tax breaks to spur development; and more quickly converting city-owned properties into housing.
The mayor's Housing Opportunities Made Easy initiative aims to build 13,500 homes and preserve 16,500 existing structures.
What she's saying: Though the exact timeline is unclear, Philadelphia "should be able to do big things in a short period of time," Parker said during her more than hourlong address.
She said that voters had handed her a mandate to make housing a priority.
How it works: Parker said the the initiative would be funded by borrowing $800 million in bonds, with another $200 million coming from local, state and federal funding.
An additional $1 billion would be kicked in from the city's existing land and property assets.
To help pay for the proposal, Parker has called for hiking the city's realty transfer tax to 3.578% from 3.278%.
The big picture: It's all part of Parker's new budget proposal, which seeks to boost spending despite uncertainties about federal funding and recession fears.
It still needs City Council approval.
The intrigue: District legislators could ultimately sink Parker's plan.
Those 10 elected officials hold significant sway over land deals and projects in their districts via an unwritten rule known as " councilmanic prerogative."
Yes, but: Parker proposed a new framework to sidestep the current need for City Council to pass legislation for all land transfers.
She wants to work with legislators to expedite the sale and transfer of certain city-owned properties to preapproved developers for the construction of affordable housing.
The new framework would apply to "smaller parcels of land," she said, like single-family homes and triplexes.
Zoom in: The mayor's other housing proposals include:
Establishing a city-approved list of qualified contractors, home centers and retail stores to help residents avoid scammers.
Offering tax breaks for projects in certain neighborhoods.
Converting the city's former police headquarters, known as the Roundhouse, and the defunct Holmesburg Prison site into housing.
Reworking burdensome zoning codes that slow down developments.
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CBS News
a day ago
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