Mayor Cherelle Parker hopes her new transit-oriented development proposal will help add thousands of new apartments to Philadelphia’s multifamily market in accordance with her goal to add or preserve 30,000 units before the end of her first term.
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The city already has an overlay in place, which allows additional density for multifamily projects within a 500-foot radius of Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority train stops. The city council needs to vote to opt specific stations into the overlay.
The proposal that Parker’s administration sent lawmakers Thursday would expand that catchment area by 164% to a quarter-mile, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. Developers working within the overlay can build 50% more units than what the base zoning allows.
Not every member of the body is behind transit-oriented development, but Councilmember Jamie Gauthier, who represents West Philadelphia and chairs the Committee on Housing, is a fan.
“I don’t want to speak about areas of the city that are not mine,” she told the Inquirer.
“I do think we can consider expanding that radius more. We know that less people are driving nowadays,” she added.
All of the Market-Frankford Line stations in Gauthier’s district are opted into the overlay, which does not cover any stops on the Broad Street Line.
Parker’s proposal includes a carve-out that would preclude any areas zoned for single-family homes from the possibility of additional density.
Transit-oriented development is also a priority for SEPTA in the suburbs, where it aims to convert underutilized agency-owned real estate near regional rail stations into new multifamily projects.
Korman Communities and Benchmark Real Estate Group have signed a 99-year ground lease for a parcel near the Ambler station at 35 W. Butler Pike and are plotting a mixed-use development. SEPTA is exploring similar options for a site adjacent to its Langhorne station.
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