Localmedium impact · 5/10substantive100268

City Tightens Reins on Vacant Property Sales Amid Calls for Greater Transparency and Accountability

Official:Amending Chapter 16-400 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled "Vacant and Surplus Properties," by providing additional requirements for the disposition of properties pursuant to that Chapter, under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Sanchez

Introduced: April 22, 2010

: Committee on Public Property and Public Works

government housing planning

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2008–2011 Council term and when that term ran out. The public record shows no committee vote and no floor vote at any stage, so no member of Council ever went on record for or against it.

That is not unusual here. Of the 8,465 bills introduced between 2000 and 2025, 1,624 lapsed without a single recorded vote. Ninety percent of bills that became law carry a roll call. Three percent of lapsed bills do. How this works.

Plain-Language Summary

This bill adds requirements for the City's Vacant Property Review Committee to give notice before recommending properties for sale, and restricts the Commissioner of Public Property from selling certain properties without Council approval.

What This Bill Does

AI-written. Every figure is checked against the bill text.

Requires the Vacant Property Review Committee to give written notice to the Councilmember representing the district where a property is located at least 30 days before recommending it for sale.
Includes a copy of the application for the property and all relevant documents in the notice.
Prohibits the Commissioner of Public Property from selling certain properties without Council approval.
Provides that if the Vacant Property Review Committee fails to give timely notice, it must wait for approval from the Council before making the property available for sale.