Streamlining Regulations for Affordable Housing ventures, decreasing initial rental expenditures in Philadelphia.
Philadelphia advances legislation to expedite affordable housing projects
Amid an ongoing affordable housing crisis, Philadelphia lawmakers have taken a step towards increasing the city's supply of affordable housing. They have approved legislation designed to streamline the process for developing deed-restricted affordable housing projects, aiming to reduce the amount of bureaucratic red tape for developers.
The bill, which has progressed from a committee hearing, seeks to cut the time required for zoning permit and building permit applications for affordable housing projects by half. Specifically, the city's Department of Licenses and Inspections would be mandated to expedite review processes for these projects, ultimately reducing the ten-business-day turnaround to five business days.
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who chairs the Committee on Housing, Neighborhood Development and the Homeless, emphasized the importance of this legislation in addressing the city's affordable housing crisis. She stated, "If we're serious about ending our city's affordable housing crisis, and making government part of the solution, we need to turn over every stone and identify ways we can do things differently to get families into safe, stable and affordable housing sooner."
A further provision of the legislation targets the Zoning Board of Adjustment, an independent body that makes legally binding decisions regarding proposed developments. Gauthier aims to ensure that affordable housing projects—which often require variances—are prioritized and granted hearing dates sooner. Currently, obtaining a time slot on the zoning board's regular schedule can take up to six months, although projects on the expedited list are usually scheduled one or two months sooner, according to a city spokesperson.
However, concerns have been raised about the potential impact of this expedited process on the Zoning Board of Adjustment and other city departments, particularly regarding workload and costs. Kathleen Grady, a deputy director with the Department of Planning and Development, pointed out that the legislation could increase the number of projects on the accelerated hearing schedule, potentially reducing the time developers save through an expedited hearing.
The City Council is considering the mayor's proposal to create and preserve 30,000 units of affordable housing over four years as part of a broader effort to tackle the city's affordability crisis. Keeping in mind the urgency of this issue, Councilmember Cindy Bass expressed her views, stating, "It almost feels like sometimes we get in our own way. We wanna fix a problem, but we don't want to put the work in to fix the problem. And we just have to."
The need to reduce financial burdens associated with moving into new apartments is also being addressed by the Philadelphia City Council, which has advanced separate legislation to cap rental application fees and enable residents to pay security deposits in installments [1][2][4].
Sources:[1] https://www.planphilly.com/articles/2022/04/21/affordable-housing-philadelphia-city-council/[2] https://www.planphilly.com/articles/2022/05/09/housing-committee-approves-bills-to-ease-financial-burdens-on-philadelphia-renters/[3] https://www.planphilly.com/articles/2022/05/10/zba-asc-looks-to-streamline-affordable-housing-approval-process/[4] https://www.planphilly.com/articles/2022/06/01/rental-applications-security-deposits-careshop/[5] https://www.planphilly.com/articles/2022/06/02/red-tape-revisited-how-philadelphia-plans-to-streamline-the-reduction-of-blight/
In Philadelphia, policy-and-legislation aims to address the housing-market crisis by expediting affordable housing projects. The approved legislation aims to cut the time for zoning and building permit applications for affordable real-estate projects. It also seeks to prioritize affordable housing projects in the Zoning Board of Adjustment's hearing schedule, recognizing the urgent need for increased affordable housing supply.
Meanwhile, the city council is considering broader policy initiatives, including a proposal to create and preserve 30,000 units of affordable housing over four years. In addition, separate legislation is addressing financial burdens related to moving into new apartments, such as capping rental application fees and enabling installment payments for security deposits.
While these initiatives aim to streamline the process and reduce costs, concerns have been raised about potential workload and cost implications for city departments, as well as the possibility of increased projects on the accelerated hearing schedule.
Given the political context, these measures reflect a general-news focus on housing affordability and the role of politics in addressing this critical issue for the city's residents.
