PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Last week, Philadelphia City Council approved $800 million in bonds and several bills to speed up the development of affordable housing. And, on the same day, effectively killed the construction of 80 affordable units.
Council approved two unusual resolutions granting member Jay Young permission to undertake a publicly funded appeal of the Zoning Board of Adjustment’s approval for two Housing Authority developments in his district. Philadelphia Housing Authority says it will effectively kill the projects because the federal funding they need expires at the end of June.
Council’s approval of the resolutions came at the same session in which it approved a measure to increase the supply of affordable units, including a bill that would expedite zoning board hearings for affordable housing. Even the sponsor of that bill, Jaime Gauthier, approved Young’s request.
“The practice in council is to assume that a district council member is acting on behalf of their community, and so I offer that respect to Councilman Young as he offers it to me when I do legislation in my district,” Gauthier said.
The apparent contradiction may provide a cautionary note for Mayor Cherelle Parker’s plan to add or preserve 30,000 units of affordable housing. Even the biggest advocates on council will sacrifice affordable projects to the practice known as “councilmanic prerogative.”