Localmedium impact · 6/10substantive220843

City Council Proposed Zoning Change in Fifth District to Include Affordable Housing Requirements

Official:Amending Section 14-529 of The Philadelphia Code, entitled “/VDO, Fifth District Overlay District,” all under certain terms and conditions.

Sponsor: Council President Clarke

Introduced: October 20, 2022

: Committee on Rules

housing planning 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 zoning rules in the Fifth District of Philadelphia to require new construction projects with 10+ residential units to include affordable housing. Specifically, 20% of units must be affordable and rents cannot exceed 30% of residents' monthly income.

What This Bill Does

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

Requires new construction projects with 10+ residential units in the Fifth District of Philadelphia to include affordable housing.
Specifies that 20% of units must be affordable, with rents no more than 30% of residents' monthly income (including rent and utility costs) for people earning 60% of Area Median Income (AMI).
Requires homeownership units to be offered at 80% AMI or less.
Requires affordable units to be evenly dispersed within the project and comparable in size and design to surrounding market-rate units.