Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. All members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, please read the 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING title of 120724.
An ordinance to amend the Philadelphia Zoning Maps by changing the zoning designations of certain areas of land located within an area bounded by Fifth Street, Clearfield Street, Sixth Street, and Allegheny Avenue.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. All members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 120728 -- 27.
Bill No. 120727, an ordinance approving the eighteenth amendment of the redevelopment proposal for the South Central Urban Renewal Area, including the eighteenth amendment to the urban renewal plan and the twelfth amendment to the relocation plan, which provide for the additional land acquisition of five properties for recreational and related reuses.
This bill having been read on two separate occasions, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Councilwoman Quinones-Sanchez. 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. All members having been present and voting in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 120728.
An ordinance approving the sixth amendment to the redevelopment proposal for the Independence Mall Urban Renewal Area, Unit No. 4, including the sixth amendment to the urban renewal plan and the relocation plan, which provides for the additional land acquisition of certain parcels located within an area adjacent 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING to the bed of ground formerly known as Ridge Avenue and generally situated between the northwest intersection of North Eighth Street and Race Street and the southeast intersection of North Ninth Street and Vine Street for mixed-use reuses.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 120755.
An ordinance approving the seventh amendment of the redevelopment proposal for the Point Breeze East Urban Renewal Area, including the seventh amendment to the urban renewal plan and the second amendment to the relocation plan, which provides for the additional land acquisition of forty-three properties for residential, recreational and related reuses.
Before we call for the vote, the Chair recognizes Councilman Johnson.
Thank you, Council President. I would like to make a brief statement on the bill.
On Bill 120755. Council President and colleagues, there are those who believe that if you tell a lie long enough, that people will start to accept it as the truth. And in this case of the affordable housing initiative, this is what happened to some degree. This bill has been called the Kenyatta Johnson bill, the land grab bill, and I even named it the affordable housing bill. Some 900 people, more than 600 of them with no ties to the Point Breeze community, have signed an online petition stating that monies for teachers, libraries, and recreation centers will be used to build affordable housing, when nothing could be further from the truth. People have been told that the properties that are being actively developed are being snatched by the City to build affordable housing, which is 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING another lie and the one that I suspect have brought many people out here in opposition of this bill today. The reality is that the affordable housing initiative legislation is the Administration's bill, which I introduced and fully support. The initiative, which took shape before I entered office, includes the areas of Mantua, Nicetown, and Point Breeze, which are designated as blighted areas and received support from the Obama Administration stimulus money. The properties that the City is seeking to build affordable housing was selected by the Redevelopment Authority before I took office this year, and yet my office has worked diligently with developers on a one-to-one basis with the Redevelopment Authority to ensure that the properties that were in even the earliest stages of development were pulled from the list, which originally included 93 properties, 11 already owned 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING by City agencies and 80 privately owned. And now it includes only 17 privately owned properties. Most of those 17 are blighted and have liens and are tax delinquent in excess of $165,000. And I might note, and I might note, we have reached out to all the owners, and no one responded. No one responded as it relates to those specific 17 private properties. Claims have been made by a single developer that he either owns or represents the owners of the 14 remaining 17 properties sought by the City, a claim that allows him to continue driving an Internet campaign based on lies that has been waged against this bill. While he has requested and we have removed the list of five properties of his own earlier this year, he now refuses to provide the addresses or any other information about the 14 properties sought by the City, saying that he does not trust this government body. 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Although I won't get involved in the petty politics and motivations behind the opposition of this bill, I do support quality development in the Point Breeze community, in which I reside in. I also support the affordable housing initiative, because it will allow us to create neighborhoods where people of mixed income levels that include the people who have always lived in the neighborhood as well as welcoming new residents. Essentially we create viable neighborhoods instead of situations in which the poorest and most vulnerable citizens are priced out of their neighborhoods and forced to move to isolated communities that do not thrive. This is about inclusion and not exclusion. This is about inclusion and not exclusion. The wants of developers who do not live in the Point Breeze community, are not invested into the community, have no interest in working with those who already are living in the 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING community, have no interest in working with those who are already living in the community, and whose sole purpose is to make money on a community, cannot, should not, and will not, while I'm the Councilman, trump the needs of those who live in the Point Breeze community. Colleagues and my members, I ask for an affirmative vote on this piece of legislation. (Applause.)
Thank you so much, Councilman. With that, Bill No. 120755 having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the roll.
Councilwoman Reynolds Brown. 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. (Applause.)
An ordinance amending Title 14 of The Philadelphia Code, by revising and clarifying certain provision and making technical changes.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, please call the 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING roll.
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 120824.
An ordinance authorizing and approving the City to amend the payments due under an Alternative Funding Mechanism for a portion of the unfunded actuarial accrued liability of the City of Philadelphia 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Retirement System pursuant to the Municipal Pension Plan Funding Standard and Recovery Act, through the execution and delivery of a supplement to a Service Agreement between the City of Philadelphia and the Authority, such amendment of payments to be effected through the issuance of the Authority's bonds to provide funds to purchase outstanding bonds of the Authority previously issued to finance such Alternative Funding Mechanism.
This bill having been read on two separate days and voted on by a majority of all members present in the affirmative -- the question is shall the bill pass finally. I'm sorry. Mr. Decker. I'm sorry. Call the roll.
Councilwoman 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING Reynolds Brown.
Aye. The ayes are 14; the nays are zero. A majority of all members present having voted in the affirmative, the bill passes. Mr. Decker, 120818.
An ordinance authorizing transfers in appropriations for Fiscal Year 2013 from the General Fund to the General Fund, certain or all City offices, departments, boards and commissions.
This bill having been read on two separate days, the question is shall the bill pass finally. Mr. Decker, call the roll. 11/29/12 - STATED - 2ND READING