Mayor Cherelle ParkerThe administration promises changes are coming to the Philadelphia Land Bank. the perennially beleaguered agency created in 2013 to streamline the vacant property policy.

This promise came at a packed City Council hearing on Wednesday, where the land bank came under relentless criticism.

Councilor Jaime Gauthierwho called the hearing, and many of those called to testify argued that the land bank privileges private developers over affordable housing groups, community gardeners and neighborhood associations.

“The same groups that fought for the land bank in the first place routinely receive hostile and restrictive service from the agency,” Gauthier said in his opening remarks.

“Applicants lucky enough to make it through the process can expect land disposition to take between one and five years,” Gauthier said. “These long deadlines are not as problematic for large for-profit companies…which means their applications move to the front of the line.”

The land bank was created to facilitate the reclamation of Philadelphia’s abundant vacant lots for productive use and to end the previous system that depended on behind-the-scenes machinations that benefited politically connected developers.

While an improvement over the previous regime, the land bank has often been hamstrung by interference from City Hall, bureaucracy and a board divided by Battles for influence between interest groups..

Things got worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, as mayor Jim KenneyThe administration neglected the agency, and sheriff sales, which allow the land bank to acquire more properties, stopped.

The agency’s strategic plan, which was supposed to be updated every three years, has not been updated since 2019. The legally required annual progress reports have also not been issued since, while the city “Land Management Dashboard” website provides inconsistent data. The map of available lands is difficult to navigate.

“What I’ve been through (trying to acquire city land) is absolutely horrendous,” said Tayyib Smith, director of Smith & Roller, a local development group. He described dealing with a bureaucracy that was unclear about what properties the city actually owned, forcing him to repeatedly reshape his plans.

“We cannot move forward with this level of ineptitude in the city of Philadelphia,” Smith said.

He The new director of Planning and Development of the cityJessie Lawrence, promises changes. Greater transparency, a new strategic plan and annual reports, a usable website, and perhaps a stronger staff are in the works.

Lawrence, a land bank veteran, acknowledged that the current system is confusing and pledged to address some of the basic problems of the agency’s users.

“We’re looking at what the front page of the land bank looks like, understanding that the website is important, how people understand what’s available and what’s not is important,” Lawrence said.

When Gauthier asked when we could expect an update to the annual performance reports or the three-year strategic plan, he promised to “submit a report before the end of the year.”

The land bank’s executive director, Angel Rodriguez, testified that the agency should have priority access to properties for sale by the sheriff again by the end of the year.

The land bank has received level funding and the same staffing since its inception. While the agency had not previously requested more resources, it is considering requesting a larger budget next year.

“I need more lawyers. “I need more money for property management, outside legal services and an updated website, which is going to cost money,” Rodríguez said.

All of this comes amid pressure from Parker to create and repair 30,000 housing units in the city during his tenure, and the administration views the land bank’s thousands of vacant parcels as an integral part of that plan.

Details are still vague (Lawrence said the delayed plan will be implemented in early 2025), but the movement of properties out of the land bank increased during the Parker administration.

According to Rodríguez, in the last 10 months, 364 homes have been approved or are on the way to being approved. Most of these units have been using the program Turn the keycreated by the City Council to promote the production of affordable housing ownership.

The Construction Industry Association, which represents residential developers, defended the land bank. Mohamed “Mo” Rushdy noted that the reason private developers often have an easier time getting properties is that they have the resources to start building quickly, add new properties to tax rolls and get rid of vacant lots that cause damage. the neighborhoods.

He also argued that land bank staff are not the ones hindering the process: “Recent changes to the Bank Board have simplified…approvals. However, the final action required remains the responsibility of the City Council.”

The dominant role that the City Council itself plays in municipal land sales was not addressed in Wednesday’s hearing. If district council members don’t like a project, they can refuse to introduce enabling legislation. No explanation needed.

During a quiet fall session at City Hall, consumed by the national elections and the 76ers arena debatethe only notable legislation has been 55 land disposition bills, mostly for Turn the Key projects.

Of the 55 land sale bills transmitted to the Council this session, city records show 12 remain unfiled.

Many attendees at Wednesday’s hearing, however, said the Turn the Key show’s burst of activity is bitter fruit. Organizations seeking access to city land for other reasons are still frustrated. As of June, the land bank had only disposed of 23 properties for community gardens since its inception.

“The more property values ​​go up, the harder it is to get these lots,” said Mike Moran of the Iglesias Gardens Land Security Group, which has been seeking 13 land bank parcels since 2021. “Prioritizing members of the community, prioritize community gardens, Prioritize secondary lots, because developers are already winning.”