Stewardship of the residential properties of defunct nonprofit Germantown Settlement is being transferred to the Philadelphia Housing Authority (PHA). The dozens of properties — a mix of rowhouses, apartment buildings and duplexes — have been largely abandoned for over a decade. The housing authority says only 17 units remain occupied. The Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority took them over from Germantown Settlement after the politically connected nonprofit imploded in 2010. They are set to be transferred to the housing authority after Councilmember Cindy Bass introduced a resolution moving dozens of former Germantown Settlement properties from the Land Bank to PHA. Such legislation regarding city-owned land falls under the tradition of councilmanic prerogative, so it is likely to be passed. Neighborhood activists say they were surprised by the transfer. Turning the properties over to PHA wasn’t an option discussed last year when the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority conducted a monthslong public engagement campaign about the properties’ fate, advocates say.
Source: Philadelphia Inquirer; 4/30/2024