Committee Advances Bill to Provide West Philly Land Sale Oversight; Nuisance Business Legislation To Get Floor Vote

The Philadelphia City Council Committee on Rules met tohear testimony on several pieces of legislation, including a bill introduced by Councilmember Jaime Gauthier that would add an additional layer of oversight regarding building sales in University City. 

The legislation comes on the heels of St. Joseph’s University selling a building on what used to be the University of the Sciences campus, with whom St. Joseph’s merged in 2022. Almost immediately after the merger, St. Joseph’s began searching for buyers for the property, leading some in the community to believe the goal had not been to merge, but simply acquire the property and sell it off. 

Despite objections from the Planning Commission and St. Joseph’s, Gauthier said the legislation is not a major overhaul of existing policy, but simply an additional layer of review to protect long-time residents when changes in ownership of college campuses occur.

“I know there has been some misinformation about this bill, so let me be super clear,” Gauthier said. “This legislation does three things; it mandates and RCO (Registered Community Organization) meeting, and Planning Commission review, and bans preemptive building demolition without building permits.”

The Planning Commission objections centered around what they considered “a new review process that is not based on the zoning district or additional geography, which raises legal issues.” The Commission asked for more time to consider the legislation. 

Joseph Kender, the Senior Vice President for University Relations at St. Joseph’s, expressed his opposition to the legislation by outlining the timeline of communication with Gauthier’s office and the financial impacts it could have on St Joseph’s ability to, amongst other things, provide financial aid to students by devaluing real estate holdings, which would adversely affect the university’s overall portfolio. 

According to Kender, the university only began considering selling property when they realized, post-merger, that the University of the Sciences was facing a serious enrollment decline. It is unclear how the university did not understand the severity of the issue prior to the merger. 

St. Joseph’s began looking for buyers in 2022, the same year the two institutions first merged. Kender also stated students learn better in larger groups settings, suggesting the distance between the former University of the Sciences site was detrimental to student success. It is also unclear how St. Joseph’s did not understand this prior to the merger. 

The bill was favorably recommended by the Committee, and had first reading at Council’s Stated Meeting. It will be on the final passage calendar at the October 30th Stated Meeting. 

L&I Committee Hears Testimony on Nuisance Business Bills

The Philadelphia City Council Committee on Licenses and Inspections multiple pieces of legislation, including Majority Leader Katherine Gilmore Richardson’s nuisance business bill. 

The bills would affect businesses that apply for permits as grocery or convenience stores, but in actuality are selling drug paraphernalia. Additionally, some of these stores are selling unregulated cannabis products. Holding these repeat offenders to account can be difficult, as some are quite adept at changing the name of their LLC or making other minor adjustments to their legal entities to avoid repeated offenses. 

The proposed legislation would allow the city to make it easier to issue stop work and cease operation orders, similar to when the city temporarily closes a restaurant for a code violation. 

Elaine Petrossian, a resident of East Spring Garden, testified that a “smoke shop” that operates 24 hours a day,opened at 1500 Fairmount Avenue. The smoke shop is on the same block as a a youth center which provides emergency services. The smoke shop, which is in blatant violation of city laws, has not suffered any long-term consequences, while long-term businesses in compliance face greater scrutiny. 

“We’re just constantly tyring to figure out what rule applies to which (business) and who do we have to call…and who has the ability to come out and do something,” Petrossian said. 

Young Calls for Tax Refund Hearing

Councilmember Jay Young introduced a resolution “authorizing the Council Committee on Commerce and Economic Development to hold hearings to investigate the City’s payment and refund systems for municipal taxes.”

The need for the hearing, according to the resolution, stems from reported difficulties “with delayed or inconsistent refund processing, including long wait times for overpayment reimbursements, lost correspondence, and unclear communication regarding refund eligibility or status.”

Hall Monitor has reported on several issues with the city’s refund policies, particularly around real estate taxes. Some homeowners are still waiting for refunds from multiple property reassessments. 

Thomas Looks to Cut Daycare Taxes

Councilmember Isaiah Thomas introduced a bill that would “cut the business tax for child care (and early childhood education) providers by 50%.”

“As a father, a Councilmember, and a coach, I know how important it is to invest in those how are caring for and educating our young people,” Thomas said via press release. If passed the bill would reduce the Business Income and Receipts Tax (BIRT) from $1.415 per $1000 to $0.7075 per $1000 in gross receipts, according to information provided by Thomas’ office. 

City Council has been looking to cut taxes this term, reducing the BIRT and Wage Tax in previous budgets-all while increasing spending. However, the city also let a small business tax exemption which did not tax the first $100,000 of a small business’ income expire last year due to concerns about possible litigation. 

Jones to Convene Victim Protection Hearing

Councilmember Curtis Jones introduced a resolution “authorizing the Committee on Public Safety to hold a hearing to examine the City of Philadelphia’s strategies, laws, and policies for protecting victims of abuse and domestic violence within the justice system, including the Courts, the Sheriff’s Office, the District Attorney’s Office, and the Philadelphia Police Department.”

In response to the devastating Kada Scott case, the resolution states the Philadelphia Police Department responds to over 100,000 domestic violence related calls annually. Most of these cases are dismissed or withdrawn.

There have been questions in previous committee hearings as to who has ultimate responsibility for victim protection, as several offices have funding to provide these services. 

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