April 07, 2009

Philadelphia Plan

Great story, click here from the Philadelphia Post Gazette.

Then, 10 years ago, Philadelphia approved tax breaks on offices and hotels that were converted into condos. The builders and subsequent unit owners still had to pay property taxes on the old value of the property, but the improvements would be tax-free for 10 years. In 2000, the abatement was extended to new commercial and home construction, not just conversions.

This policy has lead to many new developments. This is pretty much what we did for the Hanover Theatre, why not expand upon this. Here are some ideas:

  1. Take any industrial park with vacant parcels and offer to hold the assessed value for ten years or maybe you can tax it at the residential rate for ten years?
  2. Pick an area downtown where we want housing and offer to lock in the current assessed value for ten years for housing development, but no low income projects.
  3. Target abandoned buildings with the same plan.

We need to build the tax base, other then just trying to find new ways to tax or raise fees.

5 comments:

Jahn said...

Why do we have to call in a hazmat team to Abbey Kelly foster school acid spill.

We have had FF'ers on here telling how they have to learn all about hazardous waste spills.....and how technical the training is (ya right. QCC Chemistry 101).....they cant clean it up??........we got to call in Clean Harbors...

Now I ask you how long before the neighbors up there on Injun Hill call in their haz-mat clean up team in the form of Geoff Smith to shut the school down.........but do u think Geoff would ever get involved with shutting dowwn Nelson Place s school b/c teh brick facade on that school has been falling aparts for years now........I Dowd It.....

Anonymous said...

MMMMMMMMMMMMMMM ...Philly Cheesesteak.....

Harry T(riglyceride)
Worceser,MA

Gabe said...

This is an excellent plan Bill and really nothing terribly revolutionary or innovative. It's just simply what we should be doing to promote development in the urban core.

Bill Randell said...

Gabe:

The thing I find ironic is that is what we did for the Hanover Theatre. Why not do it for Gabe or Bill, if we want to invest monies downtown?

Bill

Jahn said...

The thing that I find Ironic is the we have a former city solicitor, now in porivate practice, arguing in front of city boards that the lodging house definition of 4 or more unrelated people living in an apt is being incorrectly applied by city nazi's who are busting people b/c 4 unrelated college kids are shacking up together .................git outta my bedrooom!!!!!!!

Funny part is that he was city solicitor when this ordinace was codified into law and surely had to be part of writing it...............OR OR OR ..................similar to other laws the council enacts..........the law dept. tells the councilors that a law as written maybe not legally enforceable...yet the coucil enacts it anyway. strip club law is one that comes to mind........i think sidewalk shoveling ord. may eventually will be challenged too.....on the grounds that it aint my property so I aint respoansilbe for it..........vendor pushcart ord. too.........problem is the vendors collectively prob. aint got the resourseces to fight it in court.

MArtha Coakley says 4 unrelated people can live in an apt.......as does a Georgia federal court. I'll Betcha the city would never dare bust 4 unrelated gay men or wiiimen living together........as it's not politically correct......

If city buildings dept wants to go on a witch hunt.........they should inventory the condtion of every city owned building.........they can start by reading this blog...........Dog gone it!!!!!!....or they can stop by the PIP shelter fire trap in the middle of January and check out that ovreloaded facilty.

BTW how sthat PIP shelter task force doing getting that hell hole outta Main south??

Also WPD Payroll gate......6 months and counting......MMMMMMM.........up date please Chief .......thanx