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You are viewing 13 articles by the author Jon Geeting concerning Government
Abatements, assessments, and unanswered questions from land value shift in 2017 property taxes
Ever since the Office of Property Assessment (OPA) released the new 2017 property assessments, unanswered questions have lingered regarding whose tax liabilities increased and why. The 2017 assessments shifted more value…
O'Neill bill would codify councilmanic prerogative in subdivision process
A new bill from 10th District Councilman Brian O’Neill could write councilmanic prerogative into the city’s routine planning procedures first time, by shifting power over property subdivisions that the city charter…
2017 property tax assessments shift more value to land
This month property owners began receiving their 2017 assessments. For some the new assessments were bewildering, particularly because the city has changed its approach to assessing land value. PlanPhilly got a…
Q&A: Council candidate Andrew Stober on bike share politics, Councilmanic prerogative, and the vacant land problem nobody's talking about
Back in June we reported that Andrew Stober, former chief of staff at the Mayor’s Office of Transportation and Utilities, would be making an independent run for an At-Large City Council…
Just tuning in? Put PlanPhilly's election reporting to work for you.
With the May 19th primary election less than a week away, we're starting to get the emails:"Hey, I know you've been paying pretty close to this election. I've been so…
Helen Gym wants to increase the parking tax to pay for schools. Is that a good idea?
At a time when many of the 2015 candidates for office are casting about, with varying degrees of success, for credible funding ideas for Philadelphia's beleaguered public schools, At-Large City…
Land taxes: What they are, and why we're hearing more about them.
Tom Ferrick took the mayoral candidates to task this morning for running on increasing school funding while running away from Michael Nutter's proposed property tax increase, and reviewed some of the…
Why affordable housing also needs affordable transportation
Last week we looked at how cities' choices about the allocation of street space can have an impact on equity. Another area of interest worth exploring in that realm is the…
Q&A: Doug Oliver on the 10-year tax abatement, Vision Zero, and Philly's waterfront
We spoke with mayoral candidate Doug Oliver at his campaign office in the Bellevue earlier this week about a wide range of topics, including the role of city planning in retaining…
The top five Philly planning politics fights of 2014
2010 WHARTON (AND THE WHOLE SLEW OF OCF REALTY DEVELOPMENTS IN POINT BREEZE) Let’s take the most obvious one first. The 2nd District City Council primary contest between the incumbent Councilman…
College students who explore Philly are more likely to stay. Could free* transit help?
Would better public transit connectivity and nightlife choices keep more college students in Philadelphia after graduation? The latest report from Campus Philly suggests they would, and contains some other interesting takeaways…
Tom Wolf issues statement supporting Uber bill as ride-share debate looms in 2015
With just three days left in the state legislative session, it seems increasingly unlikely that Senator Wayne Fontana's bill legalizing "transportation network companies" (TNCs) like Uber X and Lyft will become…
How do off-cycle elections impact Philly planning politics?
One reason PlanPhilly is shifting focus a bit to cover the political issues impacting city planning in the 2015 campaign is that accountability journalism done well can increase voter interest and…
