Localmedium impact · 6/10substantive211022

City Officials to Get Clearer Rules for Handling Surplus Properties Amid Transparency Push

Official:Amending Chapter 16-400 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “Surplus Properties,” by adding criteria for evaluating non-competitive dispositions, all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Councilmember Gauthier

Introduced: December 16, 2021

housing land use zoning

No one voted on this bill

This bill was introduced in the 2020–2023 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 amends city code to add criteria for evaluating non-competitive dispositions of surplus properties. This means that when the city decides how to use or sell a property it owns, it will have more specific guidelines to follow.

What This Bill Does

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

Adds criteria for evaluating non-competitive dispositions of surplus properties, which means the city will have more specific guidelines to follow when deciding how to use or sell a property it owns.
Includes a definition of a Community Land Trust (CLT) in the city code, which specifies the characteristics an organization must have to be considered a CLT.
Defines a Ground Lease as the conveyance of land for a specified, long-term period to a lessee who has the right to develop, improve, and use the property.
Establishes that when the city considers a non-competitive disposition of a surplus property, it must consider the potential for a CLT to acquire and hold the property in perpetuity, and to ensure the permanent affordability of any structural improvements.