Many of the candidates agree that a slow, complex sales process and strong councilmanic prerogative hinder the development of city-owned lots.

Candidates running for mayor of Philadelphia are touting vacant city-owned lots as one solution to the city’s affordable housing shortage, calling on the city to improve its “too complex and too slow” current process for building on vacant land. According to an article by Aarol Moselle for WHYY, a combination of Philadelphia city agencies owns roughly one-quarter of the 40,000 vacant lots in the city. But Philadelphia Land Bank executive director Angel Rodriguez “said it currently takes between four and seven months for a property to go to settlement, the final stage of a transaction where ownership of the property is legally transferred from the city to the buyer, usually either a private developer or a nonprofit.” Developers say this time frame makes it difficult to build new housing at a pace that will make an impact.
The city also has uniquely powerful councilmembers under what is known as councilmanic privilege, “longstanding and deep-rooted practice” in Philadelphia. “Any candidate running for mayor in Philadelphia must contend with that reality if they’re elected, particularly if their campaign is pushing for new affordable housing projects, which are viewed by advocates as a significant but not a singular solution to the ongoing housing crisis.”
FULL STORY: Philly mayoral candidates target vacant land for affordable housing

Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.

Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.

Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?

Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
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Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont