Should we be questioning the Actions of the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority?

The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority has a plan to condemn and seize forty-three properties via eminent domain in the Point Breeze neighborhood. With a budget of 1.7M, the PRA finalized its list in their July meeting. Twelve out of the forty-three are already owned by city agencies, leaving the other thirty-one owned privately by individuals and developers. With several of these purchased within the last few months, the PRA have no concrete plans for the next steps. According to a quote from Councilman Kenyatta Johnson, 40% of the properties will be new construction for affordable housing and the other 60% will be for market- rate housing. The belief is that all of these lots are tabbed for affordable housing development which is a huge problem. Does it really make sense for the Philadelphia Redevelop Authority to seize privately owned lots only to resell them back to private developers? To read more…