What We're Reading: Week of May 16, 2022

Here's what we're reading this week about the projects, people and policies driving local development:

The Philadelphia Inquirer reports on Chellie Cameron’s move from Director of Philadelphia’s two airports to become President and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce

by Erin Arvedlund and Catherine Dunn, Updated May 19, 2022

PIDC is asking for developer requests to receive the RFQ for the Lower Schuylkill Biotech Campus, comprising two 20 acre parcels on either side of Bartram’s Garden on the west bank of the Schuylkill River

by John George and Natalie Kostelni, May 19, 2022

The Business Journal highlights two major projects underway in Philadelphia by North Carolina based Greystar, a 399 unit residential building at 12th and Sansom and the renovation of Graduate Towers on Penn’s campus, for which Barton Partners is the architect

by Natalie Kostelni, April 6, 2022

Billy Penn reports on the revised rules going into effect this month to ease the burden on “streeteries” and help rebuild revenue to local restaurants

by Lizzy McLellan Ravitch, April 27, 2022

While rising home prices locally and rising mortgage interest rates nationally have raised the income required to meet monthly costs of home purchases in the Philadelphia region, the Business Journal reports that the increase is among the lowest in the nation

by Ryan Mulligan, April 29, 2022

WHYY describes the new program rolled out by City Council and the administration that purports to be able to provide 1,000 new homes for sale at $190,000 to $230,000, in sites across the city, with little detail yet on how sites will be selected or transferred, or how developers will be selected

by Aaron Moselle, April 28, 2022

The Philly Voice provided a “long read” article on the impact of the pandemic and interest rates on supply and cost in Philadelphia today, especially for first-time homebuyers, including steps being taken to support new hopeful homeowners

by Michael Tanenbaum, April 13, 2022

Jamie Gauthier penned an op/ed decrying the impact of the new property tax assessments on Black and brown Philadelphia homeowners

by Jamie Gauthier, May 11, 2022

Mayor Gainey signed a bill requiring inclusionary housing in new developments of 20 or more units in two target neighborhoods in Pittsburgh, with 10% of units needing to meet affordability limits, as reported by WESA

by Ariel Worthy, May 2, 2022

The AP reports on a bill signed into law by Maine’s governor to allow accessory dwelling units and semi-detached dwellings on single-family zoned lots across the state, in an effort to attract more workers to live and work in Maine

by AP Staff, April 28, 2022

HUD-User summarized the findings of Harvard’s Joint Center for Housing’s analysis of the national rental market over the two years of the pandemic, with a focus on affordable rentals

Published March 21, 2022