COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC PROPERTY AND PUBLIC WORKS Room 400, City Hall Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Monday, April 27, 2026 10:05 a.m. PRESENT: COUNCILWOMAN QUETCY M. LOZADA, CHAIR COUNCILMAN MARK SQUILLA, VICE-CHAIR COUNCILMAN MICHAEL DRISCOLL COUNCILMAN JEFFREY YOUNG, JR. BILLS: 251067, 251100, 260063, 260242, 260337, 260338, 260339, 260341 - - -
Good morning, everyone. Welcome to the Philadelphia City Council Committee on Public Property and Public Works. I now note that the time has come. We have established a quorum: Councilmember Driscoll, Councilmember Young, Councilmember Squilla. This meeting is now called to order. Will the Clerk please call read the titles of bills on the agenda today.
Bill No. 16 251067, introduced by Councilmember Gauthier for Council President Kenyatta Johnson, titled, An ordinance authorizing real estate transactions by the Commissioner of Public Property, the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority and the Philadelphia Land Bank necessary to permit the City of Philadelphia to acquire property bounded by Island Avenue, Elmwood Avenue, South 77th Street, Buist Avenue, South 78th Street, Cobbs Creek Waterway, the vacated section of South 75th and the former Grays Avenue, including property known as Cibotti Recreation Center, all under certain terms and conditions. And Bill No. 260063, introduced by Councilmember Bass, titled, An ordinance renaming and designating the property commonly referred to as Panati Playground, located at 3100 North 22nd Street, to the "Allegheny West Recreation Center" in recognition of the community and neighborhood that it serves. And Bill No. 251100, introduced by Councilmember Young, titled, An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into an amendment to a sublease agreement with the Philadelphia Municipal Authority, for use by the City of all or a portion of the premises located at 1600-26 John F. Kennedy Boulevard, under certain terms and conditions. And Bill No. 260242, introduced by Councilmember Bass, titled, An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver a deed to the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development conveying fee simple title to a certain tract of City-owned land with buildings and improvements, situated on 5928-30 Germantown Avenue in the 8th Councilmanic District of the City of Philadelphia. And Bill No. 260338, introduced by Councilmember Driscoll, titled An ordinance 1 authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to grant to PECO Energy Company an easement for the purpose of accessing, installing, maintaining and repairing underground transformers and supporting infrastructure along and adjacent to a portion of the Pennypack Path in and about the area commonly known as 7801 State Road, under certain terms and conditions. And Bill No. 260341, introduced by Councilmember O'Neill on behalf of Council President Kenyatta Johnson, titled, An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a lease or sublease agreement with the Philadelphia Municipal Authority for use by the City, of a portion of the premises located at 9353 Krewstown Road, under certain terms and conditions. And Bill No. 260337, introduced by Councilmember Lozada on behalf of Council President Kenyatta Johnson, titled, An ordinance authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into lease or sublease agreements with the Philadelphia Authority for Industrial Development for all or a portion of the premises that includes certain parcels of land, generally referred to as Victory Gardens and Emerson Landfill, for environmental remediation of the land, development of a facility at said premises, and use by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 542, all under certain terms and conditions. And Bill No. 260339, introduced by Councilmember Squilla, titled, An ordinance 3 amending Bill No. 241031 (approved January 15, 2025), entitled “Authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a sublease agreement with the Philadelphia Municipal Authority, for use by the City of a portion of the premises located at S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under certain terms and conditions,” to authorize the lease of additional space within the premises, under certain terms and conditions. There are no further bills being heard today, Madam Chair.
Call the first witness to testify on Bill No. 251067.
Sarah Clark Stewart, Trails and Transportation Manager for the Department of Streets, will be testifying on this bill today, Madam Chair. (Witness approached witness table.)
Good morning. Thank you for being with us this morning. Please state your name for the record and begin with your testimony.
Thank you. Good morning, Chairperson Lozada and members of the Committee of Public Property and Public Works. My name is Sarah Clark Stuart, and I'm the Trails and Transportation Manager for the Department of Streets. I'm here to testify in support of Bill No. 251067, introduced by Councilmember Gauthier for Council President Johnson. Bill No. 250167 allows the City of Philadelphia to receive parcels from the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority, the Philadelphia Land Bank, and the Philadelphia Housing and Development Corporation for purposes of building the Cobbs Creek Trail Extension in the Eastwood neighborhood. Upon completion of the construction of the Cobbs Creek Trail Extension, it will be operated and maintained by the Philadelphia Streets Department. The new trail will be part of the larger Circuit Trails system in Philadelphia. This concludes my testimony. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have. Thank you.
Thank you very much for being with us this morning. Thank you for your testimony.
Are there any other witnesses to testify on this bill? (No response.)
Madam Clerk, will you please read the panel for Bill No. 260063.
Susan Slawson, Commissioner of Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, is here to testify on this bill 13 today. Councilwoman, Susan Slawson submitted written testimony for this bill today.
Will you please state or read the name of the panel to testify on Bill No. 251100.
Joseph Brasky, Commissioner of Public Property, will be here to testify on this bill today, Madam Chair. COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Good morning, members of the committee. Joe Brasky, Department of Public Property Commissioner. Here with me is Lowanda Hebert. She's our new Deputy Commissioner of Real Estate. I just wanted to do a quick introduction in front of the committee. She's a long-term employee for the City of Philadelphia years ago, and she has since come back to join us as our Deputy Commissioner of Real Estate.
Thank you so much. Please begin with your testimony. COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Good morning. Good morning, Chairperson Lozada and members of the Committee of Public Property and Public Works. My name is Joe Brasky. I'm Commissioner of Public Property. I am here today to testify in support of Bill No. 1 251100, introduced by Councilmember Young, authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into an amendment to a sublease agreement for the Municipal Authority for use by City and all portion of premises located at 1600-26 JFK Boulevard, under certain terms and conditions. The city presently occupies approximately 26,800 square feet of office and related space on the 17th floor of 1600-26 JFK Boulevard, Four Penn Center. This space was designed to house units in the Streets Department, Managing Director's office, OTIS, and One Philly. The Department of Public Property now desires to amend the lease by adding the 18th floor, which contains approximately 26,700 square feet of office and related space. Located in the Center city corridor, the building fosters seamless collaboration among city agencies to its strategic proximity. Due to the long-term nature of this lease, the city and building have established a strong communicative partnership and proactively managed space available for future needs. The Department of Public Property supports this measure and accordingly and respectfully ask City Council to approve Bill 15 251100. Thank you. I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for your testimony. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Young.
Thank you. Could you tell us I guess where the market is right now per square foot for this class of building in Center City? COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Usually our lease average is $21 a square foot, and this is Class A office space so it's pretty much below average, and we try to shoot even lower than our average.
Any additional questions from the panel? (No response.)
Thank you for being with us this morning. Is there anyone else -- is she going to testify? COMMISSIONER BRASKY: No, we're fine.
All right. Will the Clerk read the name of the panel for 260242.
Joseph Brasky, Commissioner of Public Property, will be testifying on this bill as well as the remaining bills on the agenda today. COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Thank you. Good morning, Chairperson Lozada, members of the Committee of Public Property and Public Works. My name is Joe Brasky. I'm the Commissioner of Public Property. I'm here today to testify on Bill No. 260242, introduced by Councilmember Bass, authorizing Commissioner of Public Property to execute and deliver a deed to the Philadelphia Authority Industrial Development conveying simple fee title to certain tract and City-owned buildings and improvements, situated 5928-30 Germantown Avenue, 8th Councilmanic District, City of Philadelphia. Vacant since 1998, the historic German Town Hall requires extensive restoration due to significant deterioration, making city-funded rehabilitation financially unfeasible. To bring this landmark back online for community use, a fully-funded private development proposal is necessary to restore the exterior to attract community-focused tenants. Upon conveyance of the Philadelphia Authority of Industrial Development will secure private investment to rehabilitate the building for community-oriented use. Department of Public Property supports this measure. And accordingly, I respectfully ask that City Council approve Bill 24 260242. Thank you. I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.
Thank you for your testimony. Are there any questions from the panel? (No response.)
There being none, is there anyone else to testify in regards to this bill? (No response.)
There being none, will the Clerk please call the next panel for Bill 15 No. 260341.
Joseph Brasky, Commissioner of Public Property. COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Good morning, Chairperson Lozada and members of the Committee of Public Property and Public Works. My name is Joe Brasky, the Commissioner of Public Property. I'm here today to testify in support of Bill No. 260338 --
I said 341. I skipped one. And so, will you please testify on 260338? COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Sure. Thank you.
I'm sorry. COMMISSIONER BRASKY: That's fine. Good morning, Chairperson Lozada, members of Committee of Public Property and Public Works. My name is Joe Brasky, Commissioner of Public Property. I'm here today to testify in support of Bill No. 20 260338, introduced by Councilmember Driscoll, authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to grant PECO Energy Company an easement for the purpose of accessing, installing, and maintaining, repairing underground transformers and supporting infrastructure along the adjacent to the portion of the Pennypack Path in and about the commonly known area as 7801 State Road, under certain terms and conditions. Pennypack is mandated to maintain infrastructure for public service, investing heavily in system upgrades and ensuring reliability. Unrestricted access to underground equipment is critical, as failing to maintain or access these lines could result in significant service interruptions and safety hazards. The Department of Public Property supports this measure, and accordingly and respectfully ask that City Council approve Bill No. 24 260338. Thank you. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Are there any questions from the panel? The Chair recognizes Councilmember Young.
Thank you, Madam Chair. Do we charge people for these types of easements? COMMISSIONER BRASKY: I'm not aware of any charges, but I can find out and get that answer back to you guys. Thank you.
And I have one question. We are granting or we're asking to grant this parcel to PECO. Is the easement for PECO to use or is it for them to sublease it out to someone else? COMMISSIONER BRASKY: It's for PECO to use to bring vital new upgrades to the Pennypack Path to Riverview area. It's that whole pathway, just so they can go into the manholes and bring in new utilities.
Okay. Thank you. Will the Clerk please read the panel now for Bill No. 10 260341.
Joseph Brasky, Commissioner of Public Property, will be testifying on this bill today. COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Good morning, Chairperson Lozada, members of the Committee of Public Property and Public Works. My name is Joe Brasky. I'm the Commissioner of Public Property. I'm here today to testify in support of Bill 260341, introduced by Councilmember Squilla on behalf of Council President Johnson, authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter in a lease or sublease of Philadelphia Municipal Authority for use by the city of a portion of premises located at 9353 Krewstown Road, under certain terms and conditions. Effective May 17, 2021 the City leased approximately 4994 square foot at 9353 Krewstown Road for Philadelphia Police Department Northeast Detectives. This ordinance will convert the current year-to-year holdover leased in a 10-year term. Upon conversion to a long-term lease, PPD will vacate and the Department of Licenses and Inspections will occupy the space. No tenant improvements are required and the city will receive three free rent credits upon lease execution. This proposal ensures that City's use of the facility under a long-term agreement. The Department of Public Property supports this measure. And accordingly, I respectfully ask City Council approve Bill 260341. Thank you. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Are there any questions from the panel? (No response.)
There being none, will the Clerk please read the name of the panel for Bill No. 260337.
Joseph Brasky, Commissioner of Public Property, will be testifying on this bill today, Madam Chair. COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Good morning, Chairperson Lozada, members of the Committee of Public Property and Public Works. My name is Joe Brasky. I'm the Commissioner of Public Property. I'm here today to testify in support of Bill No. 260337, introduced by Councilmember Lozada, on behalf of Council President Johnson, authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City, to enter into a lease and sublease agreements with the Philadelphia Authority for industrial development and for all or a portion of premises that includes certain parcels of land, generally referred to as Victory Gardens, Emerson Landfill, for environmental remediation of the land development of the facility at said premises, and use by the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 542, all under certain terms and conditions. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 542 will lease and sublease approximately acres of land, comprising the 12.49-acre Victory Garden site that the 8.6583 Emerson Landfill to perform environmental remediation and construct an apprentice training facility. To strengthen local hire initiatives, Local 542 will annually reserve a minimum of 10% available Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee, training slots to qualified Philadelphia residents. In collaboration with the city, the Local also host job fairs, expand the applicant pool and provide additional pre-apprentice and apprentice training opportunities for residents. The City and PAID assume no financial or contractual obligations regarding Local 542's sublease or occupation of the premises and shall not provide any funding on behalf of Local 542. The Department of Public Property supports this measure. And accordingly, I respectfully ask the City Council to approve Bill No. 7 260337. Thank you. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Are there any questions from the panel? (No response.)
There being none, will the Clerk please read the name of the panel for 260339.
Joseph Brasky, Commissioner of Public Property, will be testifying on this bill today. COMMISSIONER BRASKY: Good morning, Chairperson Lozada and members of the Committee of Public Property and Public Works. My name is Joe Brasky, Commissioner of Public Property. I'm here today to testify in support of Bill No. 5 260339, introduced by Councilmember Squilla, amending Bill 241031, entitled authorizing the Commissioner of Public Property, on behalf of the City of Philadelphia, to enter into a sublease agreement with the Philadelphia Municipal Authority, for use by the City, of a portion of the premises located at 1 South Broad, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, under certain terms and conditions, to authorize the lease of additional space within the premises, under certain terms and conditions. The city currently subleases approximately 18,439 rentable square foot on the third floor of South Broad for the Department of Labor at Labor Standards Division. Following the initial relocation of half the division to the third floor, the city plans to sublease an additional 12,455 square foot on the seventh floor to accommodate the remainder of the department, the Office of Labor Relations. The seventh floor space was designed in conjunction with the third floor with the amendment to be coterminous with the master lease. This proposed lease amendment would support DOL's continued growth and development, an independent department securing space for January 2040. The Department of Public Property supports this measure. And accordingly, respectfully ask that City Council approve Bill No. 22 260339. Thank you. I'd be happy to answer any questions that you may have.
Thank you for your testimony. Are there any questions from the panel? (No response.)
There being none, thank you for being with us this morning. Is there anyone in chambers to testify on any of the bills on the agenda? (No response.)
There being none, we will now transition into the public comment. Will the Clerk please keep call the names of anyone in the public present to comment on any of the bills heard today.
There are no 21 speakers on the public comment list, Madam Chair.
Thank you. Thank you for being with us this morning. This concludes the hearing and we will now go into a public meeting. We will now convene the public meeting to consider the actions to be taken on any of the bills before this committee today. Will the Clerk please call the roll of attendance. Members, acknowledge that you're present when your name is called.
Thank you. I will note for the record that there is a quorum of this committee present. The Chair recognizes Councilmember Squilla for a motion on Bill Nos. 251067, 260063 251100, 260242, 260338, 260341, 260337 and 260339.
Thank you, Madam Chair. I move that Bill Nos. 251067, 250063, 251100, 260242, 260338, 260341, 260337 and 260339 be reported to this committee with a favorable recommendation and further move that the rules of Council be suspended to submit the first reading of this bill at the next session of Council. (Duly seconded.)
It has been moved and properly seconded that Bill No. 251067, 260063, 251100, 260242, 260338, 260341, 260337 and 260339 be reported from this committee with a favorable recommendation and further move that the rules of Council be suspended to permit first reading of these bills at the next session of Council. All those in favor signify by saying aye. (Aye.)
The ayes have it and the motion carries. If there's no further questions and/or witnesses to testify, this concludes the business before this committee. Thank you very much and everyone have a good day. - - - Committee on Public Property and Public Works concluded at 10:31 a.m.) - - - C E R T I F I C A T I O N I, hereby certify that the proceedings and evidence noted are contained fully and accurately in the stenographic notes taken by me in the foregoing matter, and that this is a correct transcript of the same. __________________________________ TANEHA CARROLL