News & Resources
Government Affairs Report
City Council has adjourned for the summer and will come back into session September 17. The budget has passed, the schools found funding, and no new taxes were created, but many issues of interest to the BIA will wait to be taken up in the fall.
The proposed 20-year property tax abatement for residential conversions was not introduced in the last City Council session and will need to be addressed when Council returns in September.
The BIA will push for its passage before all City Council members and Mayor Parker are up for renomination in the spring of 2027.
The BIA will urge City Council to designate transit stations across all Philadelphia neighborhoods so that the full benefits of the recently passed Transit-Oriented Communities (TOC) overlay can be realized citywide. Bill No. 260517 significantly expands the overlay’s reach — extending the applicability radius from 500 feet to 1,320 feet from designated transit stations — while updating use, dimensional, and parking standards to encourage denser, mixed-use, transit-friendly development near rail and other transit stops.
We will continue to advocate for transparency in the historic preservation nomination process with Council Member Squilla and other stakeholder groups.
The BIA will also be supporting refinements to the recent tenant rights legislation that assist landlords with unnecessary compliance hurdles. At the state level, the BIA is working with our state affiliate, the Pennsylvania Builders Association (PBA) to track various bills that would encourage more housing development, raise the per project cap for PA’s Historic Tax Credit program, amend the Prevailing Wage Act, create state licensure for electricians and electrical contractors, and amend indemnification agreements.