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From YouTube: Councilmember Gauthier Remarks on Bill No. 210778AA
Description
From the Stated Meeting of Philadelphia City Council held Thursday, March 10, 2022:
Councilmember Jamie Gauthier (3rd District) makes remarks before the final vote on Bill No. 210778AA.
Read more: https://phlcouncil.com/affordable-housing-preservation-overlay-district-bill-receives-final-approval-from-city-council/
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A
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Now,
let's
fast
forward
to
today,
40
years
after
the
university
city,
townhomes
first
opened
our
city
in
the
third
district
has
changed
dramatically.
In
the
last
two
decades
alone,
housing
prices
have
tripled.
In
this
immediate
area,
the
black
population
east
of
52nd
street,
has
been
cut
in
half
and
the
end
is
nowhere
in
sight.
An
estimated
5
billion
dollars
has
been
spent
on
construction
in
university
city
in
the
last
decade
alone.
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I
also
want
to
highlight
a
companion
piece
of
legislation
bill
22007
that
will
expand
the
overlay
to
other
locations
along
the
market,
frankfurt
transf,
transit
corridor.
This
ordinance
will
ensure
further
affordability
by
requiring
a
higher
percentage
of
affordable
units
be
included
in
projects
where
developers
wish
to
access
density
bonuses.
A
This
bill
is
currently
awaiting
a
hearing,
and
I
look
forward
to
discussing
it
further
with
my
colleagues.
Finally,
I
want
to
take
a
moment
to
discuss
the
issue
of
opt-outs
since
the
1980s
programs,
including
the
low-income
housing
tax
credit
program,
have
incentivized
private
developers
to
create
and
maintain
affordable
housing
units.
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While
these
programs
have
allowed
the
production
of
many
thousands
of
affordable
homes
in
philadelphia,
property
owners
are
only
required
to
provide
these
units
for
a
set
number
of
years
putting
residents
at
risk
of
displacement
once
the
term
of
the
subsidy
ends
by
the
end
of
2025
affordability
and
income.
Restrictions
on
over
300
000
homes
across
the
country
are
set
to
expire.
A
A
No
comprehensive
plan
has
been
created
at
any
level
of
our
government
to
address
this
growing
problem.
It's
a
crisis
and
it's
imminent,
and
what
gets
lost
too
often
in
this
conversation
are
the
people
that
these
decisions
impact.
I
am
offended
by
the
notion
that
people
should
be
displaced
from
their
communities
and
moved
all
about
with
little
to
no
regard
for
their
safety.
Their
social
supports
the
continuity
of
their
kids,
education,
their
faith,
communities
and
the
list
goes
on.
A
Sometimes
it
feels
like
certain
sets
of
people
in
our
city
are
making
out
great,
thriving
and
profiting
more
than
ever,
while
others,
namely
working
class
people,
are
losing
again
and
again
and
again.
We
as
a
city,
have
an
obligation
to
step
up
and
to
step
in
to
protect
people,
to
protect
housing
and
to
be
actively
engaged
in
creating
intentionally
equitable
communities
and
passing
this
overlay
bill
is
an
important
step
in
that
direction
both
for
west
philly
and
for
our
city
as
a
whole.
Thank
you.