The Philadelphia Land Bank Board approved three dispositions at their May 12th meeting, unlocking 44 new single-family homes on city properties — all eligible for the city’s Turn the Key (TTK) program — across the 2nd, 3rd, and 5th Council districts. All three votes were unanimous.
The headline approvals:
Gonsosa Development was awarded the Sub-Area 2 RFP for 19 homes in Sharswood (CD 5) — previously pulled from April’s Board agenda
Fine Print Construction was approved for two unsolicited proposals: 14 homes in Grays Ferry (CD 2), notably capped at 80% AMI rather than the more common 100%, and 11 homes on Leidy Avenue in Parkside / Belmont (CD 3), involving subdivisions of three existing parcels.
The Leidy Avenue item prompted the meeting’s most substantive discussion — a procedural objection from a neighboring property owner that staff and a community group member witness refuted. With all members in attendance, the board approved it anyway.
Outside of the three dispositions, public comment focused on demands for greater transparency around the Land Bank’s pending operational assessment, pending Council legislation impacting land swaps, and continued discussion about the always-hot topic of the scope community input on project details and siting.
Land Bank Executive Director Angel Rodriguez did not deliver a formal Executive Director’s report this month, but he briefly updated the board on the current Turn the Key program statistics, including revised AMI data, demographics, and so forth. Read on for a detailed breakdown of the program stats below.
This RFP project was originally on the April 14th agenda, but was pulled before the meeting. It was back on the agenda this month without modification.
Project details
19 single-family homes on 19 parcels
2 stories, no basement
3 bedrooms / 2 baths
~1,200 SF each
≤100% AMI, maximum sale price $280,000
HOME / Turn the Key eligible
EOP plan applies
Awarded via the same North Central RFP that produced the Civetta Sub-Area 1 award in April
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