To: Philadelphia City Council and Mayor James Kenney
Real Estate Tax Abatement in Philadelphia is unfair!
The 10-year tax abatement needs to be redefined. As residents of an overdeveloped area of the city, we are petitioning Philadelphia City Council to redefine its determination that all wards in the city are blighted. This enables new developments throughout the city to qualify for the 10-year tax abatement. Roxborough and Manayunk have been severely impacted by overdevelopment. The demolition of historic buildings, loss of green space, increased density and increased traffic have adversely affected our quality of life. There are many areas of the City of Philadelphia that would benefit from the development that is spurred by the10-year tax abatement. Ours is not one of them. It is time for this to change. Take a look at our neighborhood. We are not blighted! NOT ALL of Philadelphia is blighted.
We are petitioning you to redefine the areas of blight, acknowledge that Roxborough and Manayunk as well as other areas of the city are not blighted, and restrict the "blight status" to the areas of the city that are blighted. We the undersigned want our neighborhood to be exempt from the 10-year tax abatement.
We are petitioning you to redefine the areas of blight, acknowledge that Roxborough and Manayunk as well as other areas of the city are not blighted, and restrict the "blight status" to the areas of the city that are blighted. We the undersigned want our neighborhood to be exempt from the 10-year tax abatement.
Why is this important?
Philadelphia City Council has decided that all of Philadelphia is blighted, enabling developers to build homes that qualify for the 10-year tax abatement anywhere in Philadelphia. The 10-year tax abatement was implemented to encourage redevelopment of deteriorating, blighted neighborhoods. Instead, the deteriorating, blighted neighborhoods stay deteriorated and blighted, and ours continue to be overdeveloped!