Will Newbold Be Erased as a Neighborhood by Councilman Johnson?

[thoth]

What's more palpable is a repeat of Hawthrone: The City + PHA partner up on a project to obliterate 3 to 6 blocks of Point Breeze for a compound development of mixed-income. That will sit politically well with both newcomers and original PB residents. [Still won't make McCormick happy but she'll be drowned out by everyone else].

Meh, I doubt it. PHA, unlike the RDA apparently, hasn't been too big on absorbing new land and doesn't have a block of property in PB like it did in Hawthorne after the towers came down. The big problem with the whole PB affordable housing plan is that there's no money floating around for much of anything that's going to have a big impact one way or the other, particularly given the increasing land values in that neighborhood.

Like you, I'm hesitant to start predicting how AVI will pan out. That said, I'm pretty skeptical that AVI will be as nuclear as some people are claiming now. My money is on them coming up with some watered down version, probably pasted together with a bunch of exemptions and appeals, that will squeeze some new tax money out of developing neighborhoods, but probably not anywhere near enough to actually slow down gentrification. As you said, while City Hall may be incompetent, they're not as stupid as people like to imagine. I seriously doubt a "kill the goose that laid the golden egg" scenario is in the future.

If I were in Johnson's shoes, I wouldn't be betting my political future on a city-crippling property tax coming through to incidentally gum up development in my home district, or magically getting enough NSP/fed money to somehow build myself more anti-gentrification constituents. I imagine he's probably just going to try to play both sides, making a big deal out of propping up some ghost affordable housing to appease one side, while not actually doing much to impede developers enough to have them rally yups against him. It's more or less how a fossil like Verna stuck it out in a district where "her people" (ie working class white ethnics) have long since become a minority.

[daveydoo]

Eliminating a name isn't going to dampen the demand for new housing near Center City. Unfortunatelly not making buildable lots available from the various City agencies will. I need to research the process for getting tax deliquent properties to sheriff sales. If i put up the money to force a sale do i get the money back as the first lienholder? if that's the case i'll put 100k up to force as many sales as possible. Of course the City might take them all back from me thru eminant domaine.

The sheriff's sale for my neighbor's house was September 19th. I just got my $800 back last week. Putting up properties where the lien is held by the city is actually pretty easy. What's more challenging is when they are held by a law firm. Then you have to go to them and convince them you want to do something with the property of interest. Otherwise they won't spend the time and money getting the title search work completed if they don't have an idea that they're going to get a decent price at the sale. Others on this board have said that this usually involves a trip to the councilman's office. They seem to have the last word on releasing these properties where the law firms hold the liens.

[ArcticSplash]

The sheriff's sale for my neighbor's house was September 19th. I just got my $800 back last week. Putting up properties where the lien is held by the city is actually pretty easy. What's more challenging is when they are held by a law firm. Then you have to go to them and convince them you want to do something with the property of interest. Otherwise they won't spend the time and money getting the title search work completed if they don't have an idea that they're going to get a decent price at the sale. Others on this board have said that this usually involves a trip to the councilman's office. They seem to have the last word on releasing these properties where the law firms hold the liens.

It used to be that Linebarger was the easier one to deal with vs the City.

I am finding now that GRB is now way easier and they can save you the hassle of a deposit. What you should do before calling GRB is look for the market-rate stuff going on close to the property and also get the condition of the property as well. If there's rehabs going on, or it's very obvious from Street View that the block has got development or close enough, that's more than enough to convince them to re-prioritize. The 2 law firms the City uses are more motivated to put in properties that will turn at auction because they can't get fees if there's no one there to buy the things.

Plus if you can have a developer (hint: OCF or any of the others) also send an e-mail or fax to GRB as well showing interest beyond you, they can bump it up.


GRB has bumped properties for me. I just got one done on Fletcher Street that had dealers living in it.

[lucidinnature]

What was that quote the other night? Oh yeah-"1:30am and still going at it". All the google, none the wiser.

It used to be that Linebarger was the easier one to deal with vs the City.

I am finding now that GRB is now way easier and they can save you the hassle of a deposit. What you should do before calling GRB is look for the market-rate stuff going on close to the property and also get the condition of the property as well. If there's rehabs going on, or it's very obvious from Street View that the block has got development or close enough, that's more than enough to convince them to re-prioritize. The 2 law firms the City uses are more motivated to put in properties that will turn at auction because they can't get fees if there's no one there to buy the things.

Plus if you can have a developer (hint: OCF or any of the others) also send an e-mail or fax to GRB as well showing interest beyond you, they can bump it up.


GRB has bumped properties for me. I just got one done on Fletcher Street that had dealers living in it.

[Jay from Philly]

Just look at the flyer. No whites. That is the true purpose of the march. The Human Relations Commission and Fair housing should look into this. Kenyatta Johnson should be censured.

When the Asian students were being beaten to a bloody pulp at Southern where was the Human Relations Commission? Nowhere to be found. Also remember Kenyatta Johnson was a big supporter of those Asians being beaten.

[Jay from Philly]

Just look at the flyer. No whites. That is the true purpose of the march. The Human Relations Commission and Fair housing should look into this. Kenyatta Johnson should be censured.

.
The flyer shows an intact nuclear family with a set of (presumably) grandparents that are an intact couple. Nothing like that exists in Point Breeze. Just out of wedlock children being raised (or not) by elderly relatives or elder siblings because the parents are AWOL.

[sharkey]

The lower taxes on the older 2 story next to the new three story would not pass along to someone that buys and rehabs it. Any anti-gentrification provision would surely require that the beneficiary have lived in the home for x number of years. Yes, it will drive rents up and poor renters out.

[Giavella Water]

When the Asian students were being beaten to a bloody pulp at Southern where was the Human Relations Commission? Nowhere to be found. Also remember Kenyatta Johnson was a big supporter of those Asians being beaten.

Yeah, I remember that. Goes to show you why he is still in power. There are lottsa folks in Grays Ferry who have similar views.

[brandywine]

THIS from Lamentations in the Bible applies to this dicussion--and all who "pretend" to be helping the city. Philadelphia's friends during the last 50-60 years have failed the city miserably.



How doth the city sit solitary,

that was full of people!

How is she become as a widow!

She that was great among the nations,

and princess among the provinces,

how is she become tributary!





She weepeth sore in the night,

and her tears are on her cheeks:

among all her lovers she hath none to comfort her:

all her friends have dealt treacherously with her,

they are become her enemies.

[BarryG]

Yeah, I remember that. Goes to show you why he is still in power. There are lottsa folks in Grays Ferry who have similar views.

Still in power? He was only elected once.

[Hospitalitygirl]

Still in power? He was only elected once.

Elected once to City Council, but more than once to the state legislature prior to that last election. I suppose it is all in how you wish to parse that statement.

[thoth]

When the Asian students were being beaten to a bloody pulp at Southern where was the Human Relations Commission? Nowhere to be found. Also remember Kenyatta Johnson was a big supporter of those Asians being beaten.

The voice in your head is not where news comes from.
Asian students return to South Philly High | 6abc.com | 6abc.com

.
The flyer shows an intact nuclear family with a set of (presumably) grandparents that are an intact couple. Nothing like that exists in Point Breeze. Just out of wedlock children being raised (or not) by elderly relatives or elder siblings because the parents are AWOL.

Nice to know that you are the arbiter of city neighborhoods now, what a joke.

[seand]

The lower taxes on the older 2 story next to the new three story would not pass along to someone that buys and rehabs it. Any anti-gentrification provision would surely require that the beneficiary have lived in the home for x number of years. Yes, it will drive rents up and poor renters out.

Really? I know Squilla floated something like this but I also think its the option most likely to be tossed due to challenges based on the Uniformity Clause of the PA Constitution.

I agree a bill like this would be to benefit landlords both good and bad (and lets face it there are many who in terms of taxes who are currently bad) who had happened to own longer, while driving up rents.

[JakeL]

Really? I know Squilla floated something like this but I also think its the option most likely to be tossed due to challenges based on the Uniformity Clause of the PA Constitution.

I agree a bill like this would be to benefit landlords both good and bad (and lets face it there are many who in terms of taxes who are currently bad) who had happened to own longer, while driving up rents.

The bill that's been sitting in the City Council agenda is this one (http://legislation.phila.gov/attachments/13393.pdf), which would give discounts for those who have owned a home for 10 years (and 5 years if purchased a house with 'assistance of a government or non-profit housing program') [unless they received a 10 year tax abatement].

[Reds]

The bill that's been sitting in the City Council agenda is this one (http://legislation.phila.gov/attachments/13393.pdf), which would give discounts for those who have owned a home for 10 years (and 5 years if purchased a house with 'assistance of a government or non-profit housing program') [unless they received a 10 year tax abatement].

The bill uses a determination date of " July 1 of the year immediately preceding the tax year". In the context of AVI, that will be July 1, 2013, right? Or this past July 1 of 2012?

[seand]

OK 10 years ownership (which you can inherit from a spouse but not from a parent) or 5 years if bought with need-based Federal assistance can not have their taxes go up more than 300%. And they have to at be at least in a payment agreement on back taxes and it can't apply to a multi-unit property of more than 3 units. And you can't recieve any other homestead exemption. And you can't have benefited from the 10 year abatement.

I don't think it is the end of the world in that a 300% increase in taxes due is a lot to ask for many folks and actually the number of people who will qualify is a relatively small percentage. I also think it may be challenged by commercial property owners who own several properties and people who have owned for less than 10 years on the Uniformity Clause.